The official NerdZoner's weather zone! How's your weather today?

[Tiffany]

Odds are the piece that mounts the tripod to the scope will look like a U with a post of some type on the bottom to mount into the tripod base plate. It will have either holes on the top sides of the U or possibly even captive bolts there.

Okay, thanks. I'll look for that. I do have a container with miscellaneous I don't know what it goes to stuff and I'll see if its there.

 

[Retro]

Lots of bad weather on the way for the southern parts of the UK.

Warnings of thunderstorms and heavy rain in southern England and Wales

Met Office issues yellow thunderstorm warning and says flooding and lightning strikes most likely in coastal areas

www.theguardian.com

 

[Tiffany]

Lots of bad weather on the way for the southern parts of the UK.

Warnings of thunderstorms and heavy rain in southern England and Wales

Met Office issues yellow thunderstorm warning and says flooding and lightning strikes most likely in coastal areas

www.theguardian.com

Wow, that's some intense weather coming to the southern UK. Also noticed this in your weather alert as I didn't realize that Hurricane Kirk remnants were heading towards the UK. Wishing safety through your storms!

The weather service said it also had “increasing confidence” that ex-Hurricane Kirk would track to the south of the UK, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to northern France.

The Gulf of Mexico has Hurricane Milton which just strengthened to a Cat 5; 160 mph sustained winds. Milton's center is heading towards the Tampa area of Florida, but will affect most of Florida, eerily similar to Hurricane Andrew. Our disaster services are pretty tapped out from Helene. I have several friends that live in Florida. I'll be reaching out to them today.

 

[Retro]

There's definitely an increase in the amount of severe storms nowadays and scientists are attributing them to climate change, too. America seems to be particularly hard hit by them, unfortunately.

You know how fast 160mph winds are? A big jet like an A320 can take off at only 136mph and even an A380 is close to takeoff speed of 165-180mph. That's an insane wind, no wonder it does so much damage.

 

[data66]

Worried about my Dad in the direct line to be hit by the hurricane. He's in his 80s and will not come up here with us. We cannot go down due to obligations here that cannot be changed - out of our control. Just stuck.

 

[Tiffany]

There's definitely an increase in the amount of severe storms nowadays and scientists are attributing them to climate change, too. America seems to be particularly hard hit by them, unfortunately.

You know how fast 160mph winds are? A big jet like an A320 can take off at only 136mph and even an A380 is close to takeoff speed of 165-180mph. That's an insane wind, no wonder it does so much damage.

It is insane wind. Hurricane Milton is a Cat 5, 165 mph winds again, as of 4:30pm this afternoon. It will stay a Cat 5 until about 1pm tomorrow afternoon, then will be a Cat 4 at 150 mph winds. It will make landfall about 1am Thursday night as a Cat 3, 124 mph winds.

I really didn't know a jet took off at 136 mph. What a comparison!

Worried about my Dad in the direct line to be hit by the hurricane. He's in his 80s and will not come up here with us. We cannot go down due to obligations here that cannot be changed - out of our control. Just stuck.

Worried too, and also praying that he gets through this hurricane okay. I'm so sorry, so much uncertainty and so hard that he can't be there with you. Hopefully, the path wobbles a bit to a less populated area for your dad and everyone on the Florida coast.

 

[Retro]

@Tiffany looks like the damage from Milton is going to be extreme, unfortunately.

This article also explains what a storm surge is, for those who don't know. In short: large waves that cause widespread devastation. You don't want to be anywhere near one.

What is a storm surge?

As a hurricane approaches a coast, the churning winds force ocean water up on to land; atmospheric pressure from the storm also helps squeeze the water ashore. The shallower the continental shelf, the higher the threat of a dangerous surge. The water may take a couple of days to fully subside.

What is a storm surge, and what is the threat from Hurricane Milton?

Storm surges often pose great danger when hurricanes such as Milton hit – here’s what you need to know

www.theguardian.com

 

[Retro]

It's now weakened to a cat 2 storm, so it's better than nothing, I suppose. It's still done tremendous damage in the meantime, though.

Milton full coverage: Hurricane downgraded to post-tropical cyclone, with at least 10 people killed, 3 million left without power in its destructive path

The storm is now a post-tropical cyclone.

uk.yahoo.com

 

[Tiffany]

@Tiffany looks like the damage from Milton is going to be extreme, unfortunately.

This article also explains what a storm surge is, for those who don't know. In short: large waves that cause widespread devastation. You don't want to be anywhere near one.

What is a storm surge, and what is the threat from Hurricane Milton?

Storm surges often pose great danger when hurricanes such as Milton hit – here’s what you need to know

www.theguardian.com

Indeed, storm surge is very dangerous and can't always be forecast very well. An example is the different topography of Western Florida (Gulf of Mexico side) versus Eastern Florida (Atlantic side), is that Western Florida has a huge continental shelf that runs from the Florida panhandle to southern Florida. This shelf depth is about 400 feet deep from the coastline and once it ends, the sea floor begins about 16000 feet. Storm surge numbers are affected because of this long shelf that extends from the coastline. Surge has more power because of the long shallow area and waves can really cause severe inundation quickly. Forecasters have to calculate shelf depth, times of the tides, and the energy of a hurricane to determine likely surge. What was interesting about Milton's eye wall coming into Tampa Bay, was that if it did surge into the bay, the surge would be over 15 feet, however, Milton wobbled a bit before it made landfall and landed a bit south near Sarasota. The energy from Milton actually drained the Tampa bay (surge moving outward towards the Gulf of Mexico), because of the location of the storm's landfall. This saved Tampa, however caused much tragedy and destruction around Sarasota. Tampa Bay did get hit pretty hard with Cat 3 winds, lots of damage and about 20 inches of rain.

It's now weakened to a cat 2 storm, so it's better than nothing, I suppose. It's still done tremendous damage in the meantime, though.

Milton full coverage: Hurricane downgraded to post-tropical cyclone, with at least 10 people killed, 3 million left without power in its destructive path

The storm is now a post-tropical cyclone.

uk.yahoo.com

Milton has caused tremendous damage and several lives lost from a EF2 tornado that hit. So many people on the west coast of Florida aren't as experienced in hurricane preparation as their fellow Floridian's are on the east coast. There were an extreme high number of tornadoes that preceded Milton before it made landfall. I'm still waiting to hear back from a friend of mine that lives on the east coast to make sure she's okay.

 

[Astro What]

Meanwhile, in the land of solar storms... it brought us this, honestly the only time in my life I've known it to be this bright this far south (East Texas).
Pardon the shakiness... was an iPhone and hands are having an Arthur fit right now.



I really need to spend some time with the Nikon D7200 to learn how to use it at night.

 

[Tiffany]

Beautiful picture @Astro What. I'm out late at night with my dogs and somehow I missed it. Glad to see you captured such an amazing once in a lifetime picture.

 

[Retro]

That picture looks alright to me focus wise and is a great picture. Seeing the aurora all the way down to Texas is quite something.

 

[Retro]

I'm still waiting to hear back from a friend of mine that lives on the east coast to make sure she's okay.

Fingers crossed, please do let us know.

Thanks for the useful clarification on storm surges and those shelves on how they make the effect worse.

 

[live627]

Aurora overlayed by a saguaro so you know for sure that this is in the Sonoran Desert (random photo not mine)

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Photo gallery

PHOTOS: Aurora borealis spotted across Arizona (Oct. 10)

ABC15 viewers sent in their pictures of the aurora borealis as it was visible across Arizona Thursday night.

www.abc15.com

Here's one from Cave Creek, a northern suberb of Phoenix, again, not mine

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[Tiffany]

Fingers crossed, please do let us know.

Thanks for the useful clarification on storm surges and those shelves on how they make the effect worse.

I heard from my friend yesterday. She's pretty freaked out. She has lived in Florida for over 30 plus years and has been through lots of bad weather and hurricanes, but she said never like Milton. There were three EF3 rated tornadoes on the east coast of Florida and one of them was in her city which caused extensive damage in some areas. Her neighborhood was spared that severe damage, but lots of fences down, broken trees, roof damage, broken glass and debris everywhere she said. I'm so glad she's okay. She's actually native born from the UK and moved to Florida years ago.

The tornado that took a path through her city was rated an EF3 at 140mph. I have a correction to above post #359, as earlier evaluation of the tornado damage the other day was an EF2, but the rating has now changed to EF3's.

Aurora overlayed by a saguaro so you know for sure that this is in the Sonoran Desert (random photo not mine)

Here's one from Cave Creek, a northern suberb of Phoenix, again, not mine

Great pics! Love them both; unique. Thanks for sharing! The pic with the cactus reminds me of something from the original Star Trek when the crew would go down to a planet's surface for investigation and the background sky would be pink.

How's your weather? I heard on the weather channel the other day that Arizona is still experiencing really hot temperatures for October.

 

[Tiffany]

To posts #346 and #347 @Astro What, I did look for those parts to my telescope, searching in peculiar places where the lens and tripod support thing might be and so far, I haven't come across yet.

Texas has been in such a drought for so long, like months, I've forgotten what rain is like. This morning, I woke up to some light rain. I checked my radar and apparently the rain started about 7am. It was so nice to see. Our area and maybe most of Texas has felt like a dust bowl for months.

Tomorrow, our weather forecast includes the potential for severe weather. The "potential for severe weather" isn't as bad has the "severe weather" forecast as "severe weather" is a sure thing. Part of October and all of November is usually like spring, where the jet stream drops and stormy weather is more possible which can include all of the bad stuff. We're getting a late start, because it's been a very warm October, but thanks to a cold front coming in, we can expect some stormy weather tomorrow. Rain is even back in the forecast on some days over the next two weeks too. I'm pretty happy about that. I'm sure I'll be complaining how cold it is in mid-January.

How is everyone's autumn weather? Have you hit freezing temperatures yet? I see that Arizona is finally getting a nice break in the heat again with some cooler weather.

 

[Geffers]

Currently in California. For a Brit what I find really odd is I dress as though Summer but it starts to get dark around 4:30pm so reality tells me it is Autumn/Winter but weather kids me it is still Summer.

 

[Tiffany]

So nice that you are here in the states! I do get how the weather can "kid" you on what to wear, especially in the southern United States and Cali this time of the year. I think southern Cali stays warmer overall throughout the year and can have a long drought period too, maybe? Enjoy your Summer in Autumn.

We are having an extremely warm and dry fall. My dd and I were just talking about that today. Usually, by Halloween it's pretty cold at night. Not this year. It's so warm we are still using AC.

 

[Tiffany]

Our weather is dry and blah this month. This is Thanksgiving week and we are expecting just mild temperatures too. This has been a very quiet Fall/Autumn for us and an extremely warm one, except for a few cold fronts that have come through. It has been so warm that we are still dealing with all of the pollen from the summer that's usually gone by now. The trees have hardly lost any leaves either. Climate change~ is this what we should expect, just warmer than average weather, year after year now?

How's is everyone's Autumn weather? I just looked up when winter starts and it starts December 21, this year. I thought winter was always late November?

 

[Retro]

The cold's coming, batten down the hatches!

An Arctic blast will send temperatures as low as -12C in parts of the UK this week after an unseasonably mild weekend.

UK weather: Arctic blast will end unseasonably mild weekend

Widespread sub-zero conditions in rural areas forecast from Monday, with high ground in Scotland as low as -12C

uk.yahoo.com

 

[Tiffany]

Oh, my, that's really cold in Scotland and your Arctic blast is really covering your country. Stay safe and warm!

Here, we are extremely above normal in temps during the day, however, our nights have been getting pretty cold, at or near freezing.

 

[Mars]

yes, it's cold, rainy, what is considered here 'miserable weather'; but not to me.
Winter has its own beauty. Trees shed their leaves, and actually recuperate. The fallen leaves keep the ground warm, and squirrels bury their nuts there. In my garden I see birds rummaging thru the leaf litter, pecking at insects and larvae.
Far away, in a deep cave, a hibernating mother bear gives birth to tiny cubs, who suckle and huddle close to mum in their safe place under the snow.
I like Winter.

 

[Tiffany]

Great visual of winter and how the cycle of winter has meaning in nature on so many levels.

I love the rain. I could live somewhere where it rained every day. We've been rainless for almost six months...just barely much rain. We did get some rain today and some annoying mist tonight. Some rain expected over the weekend too. We've not had any of the severe storms we normally have when autumn arrives either. I did hear on the news today that Ercot (Texas Grid Management) is expecting a winter like 2021 in Texas. That's when we all suffered without power in zero degree or under 8 degree temps due to complete loss of power throughout the state. I'm hoping "they" are just wrong. We lost power for four days in February of 2021. It was tortuous and life threatening.

I hope everyone is staying warm and cozy and for those on the other side of the world that is experiencing their summer, enjoy that warmth and fun in the sun!

 

[Astro What]

That's when we all suffered without power in zero degree or under 8 degree temps due to complete loss of power throughout the state. I'm hoping "they" are just wrong. We lost power for four days in February of 2021. It was tortuous and life threatening.

That's why I keep a nice supply of wood laid in every year. We have a heater with a fireplace insert with a blower that will heat the entire house. And we have two generators on hand. I now have 8 30lb and 6 20lb propane tanks that are always full (one generator is dual fuel) as well as 10 gallons of ethanol free gas on hand in the summer and 5 gallons normally during the winter months (it holds up well through Texas winter with SeaFoam in it until the first spring cut with the mower generally).
During the big freeze, we were one of the few houses on the street that actually had an ice/snow free roof. As for propane use... learned years ago with our first RV if you have exterior tanks in the winter it helps to have a heat wrap for them to get decent gas generation. So we have had 2 as long as we've owned an this RV (2019 model).

 

[Mars]

I love the rain. I could live somewhere where it rained every day.

Totally with you there, Tiffany. I love the rain as well. As a kid i'd have my red rain poncho with white dots, when I wore it I looked like a mushroom.
I'd go out in the rain no umbrella all wrapped up in my hooded mushroom poncho, walk into nearby fields looking for tadpoles in the puddles.
....And then, after the rains, the sun would come out and there would be that unmistakable scent in the air, the scent of rain-soaked earth, happy earth, replete with water. Like the earth was sighing with relief after being parched for days on end.

Tiffany, I do hope that Ercot is wrong and their prediction for a winter like 2021 will not come true.