Here we are again, today is Wednesday with a chance of some wintery weather on Thursday morning (deja vu?) They're already posted a "Winter Storm Watch" for our area - so let the insanity ensue!
Excerpt from the latest watch:
"It appears that precipitation in the watch area will begin as
snow or a mixture of snow and sleet shortly after sunrise in the
western Piedmont... and by mid morning over portions of the central
Piedmont. The precipitation is expected to transition to freezing
rain by Thursday afternoon as the air above the surface becomes
warmer. Due to a deeper sub-freezing layer... locations in the
northwest Piedmont will have the greatest threat for several hours
of accumulating snow and sleet before a transition to freezing
rain."
And the ever present clause:
"There is still some uncertainty regarding the track of this storm
and the time precipitation begins."
Meaning, they have no idea what we'll get - we'll either see absolutely nothing or enough to wreck havoc on the morning commute, YAY!
Since this is now stuck in my head, I thought you'd like to have it running through you mind as well - Ok Go - "Here We Go Again"
...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Brrr, winter has returned!
It is currently 22 degrees, with a wind chill of 13. Winds of out the northwest, gusting to 15mph.
We even saw flurries & ice pellets last night (along with wind gusts of 30mph!) Although we were able to spend a few hours outside on Saturday washing the cars (it was a fairly warm & sunny 60 degrees), winter has returned with a vengeance!
Current view of downtown Raleigh:
We even saw flurries & ice pellets last night (along with wind gusts of 30mph!) Although we were able to spend a few hours outside on Saturday washing the cars (it was a fairly warm & sunny 60 degrees), winter has returned with a vengeance!
Current view of downtown Raleigh:
Friday, January 19, 2007
Road trip to Atlantic Beach!
It seems that every January Paul and I get the 'itch' to take a road trip to the beach. Last year we went to North Myrtle Beach on a warm January weekend. The year before we went to Bath and Washington, NC on a slightly chilly January Saturday. And this year we took our first trip to Morehead City and Atlantic Beach (aka "The Crystal Coast").
Having done little to no research, we set off down Hwy 70 east (past all the great eastern NC BBQ places - we were strong and didn't stop - we were saving our appetite for seafood!). Paul likes the spontaneity of jumping in the car with a vague inclination of where he'll end up where I would rather do some research, have a map and know where we're going. Needless to say, there were a few tense moments once we arrived in Morehead City and had no idea where we were going (or ok, I had no idea where we were going, Paul didn't have a problem with the unknown final destination), thankfully there's a really helpful visitor's center right off the highway that saved that day!
We knew several things that we wanted to accomplish on this trip:
1. Eat some really fresh & tasty seafood
2. Check out the recently renovated NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
3. Get a nice walk in
4. See the ocean
5. Just get the heck out of town and be somewhere new & different!
For the most part we did accomplish all of our goals. We arrived around 11am and kept driving past Morehead City to Atlantic Beach to check out the area. We knew this was the 'off season' but didn't fully realize the implications.
I had picked up a few things at the visitor's center to aid us in finding lunch and our way around in general. We drove through the parking lot at Fort Macon unable to stop and enjoy due to our hunger. I located a handful of restaurants to check out and almost ALL were closed for the winter. This included the Morehead City icon, The Sanitary Fish Market (in high school, all the 'cool kids' had a SFM t-shirt which was worn weekly). I was sorely disappointed but we did find one place open on the same drag called "Key West Seafood Co." We were able to eat outside by the water and watch boats pass along the waterway. Lunch took a lot longer than we anticipated so we had to rush back out to Atlantic Beach to the Aquarium.
Seeing that it was a decidedly warm January day and also a holiday weekend, we encountered a bustling crowd at the Aquarium. I'll admit this disappointed me greatly. We had a wonderful time at the Fort Fisher Aquarium a few years ago on a weekend just like this - we had the place to ourselves! It was heaven! It wasn't as bad as I had feared since many people were on their way out (especially those people with strollers and cranky toddlers). I give the NC Aquariums super-dooper props for their helpful information and identification at each display. We were super disappointed in Atlanta's new aquarium - despite its huge size and dazzling display of aquatic life, we were left to guess what were looking at and what was important about them. That's a whole other entry...
Outside with the fish sculpture
Paul and a fiesty snapping turtle
Tiger fish
We took our walk while at the Aquarium - around their nifty naturel trail. Who would have ever thought you'd find little hills & valleys along a trail AT THE BEACH!? We had a great time walking through the woods and marshes close to the Aquarium - until the floating bridge. Here's a few shots taken along the way:
Awesome bark of a holly tree
Swamp in sepia
Marsh bird through long distance viewing device
A Nutria (aquatic rodent) we watched (these things are NOT native and are invasive to the NC marshes)
Ahh - the floating bridge... it sure didn't float when we attempted to walk across it!
Paul soaked his socks & shoes while crossing the darned floating bridge. Thankfully I made it across without incident... which is amazing.
After the Aquarium we set off driving down the road, once again with no destination in mind other than finding food at some point. We ended up at a parking area and a 'boardwalk' for Atlantic Beach. Neither of us felt like walking out on the beach, so we took a short walk down the 'boardwalk' and decided the breeze was getting too cool to stay out (esp. since someone was wearing shorts).
Thankfully Paul had been observant on our travels back & forth between Morehead City & the beach to see a nice enough looking place open for dinner. JACKPOT! We had a delicious dinner at the "Channel Marker" on the causeway between the beach & the inter coastal waterway. The food was quite good and thankfully we beat the dinner crowd.
It was a delightful day and I think we'll return in the future to further explore the area. We satisfied our beach craving, at least for now.
Having done little to no research, we set off down Hwy 70 east (past all the great eastern NC BBQ places - we were strong and didn't stop - we were saving our appetite for seafood!). Paul likes the spontaneity of jumping in the car with a vague inclination of where he'll end up where I would rather do some research, have a map and know where we're going. Needless to say, there were a few tense moments once we arrived in Morehead City and had no idea where we were going (or ok, I had no idea where we were going, Paul didn't have a problem with the unknown final destination), thankfully there's a really helpful visitor's center right off the highway that saved that day!
We knew several things that we wanted to accomplish on this trip:
1. Eat some really fresh & tasty seafood
2. Check out the recently renovated NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
3. Get a nice walk in
4. See the ocean
5. Just get the heck out of town and be somewhere new & different!
For the most part we did accomplish all of our goals. We arrived around 11am and kept driving past Morehead City to Atlantic Beach to check out the area. We knew this was the 'off season' but didn't fully realize the implications.
I had picked up a few things at the visitor's center to aid us in finding lunch and our way around in general. We drove through the parking lot at Fort Macon unable to stop and enjoy due to our hunger. I located a handful of restaurants to check out and almost ALL were closed for the winter. This included the Morehead City icon, The Sanitary Fish Market (in high school, all the 'cool kids' had a SFM t-shirt which was worn weekly). I was sorely disappointed but we did find one place open on the same drag called "Key West Seafood Co." We were able to eat outside by the water and watch boats pass along the waterway. Lunch took a lot longer than we anticipated so we had to rush back out to Atlantic Beach to the Aquarium.
Seeing that it was a decidedly warm January day and also a holiday weekend, we encountered a bustling crowd at the Aquarium. I'll admit this disappointed me greatly. We had a wonderful time at the Fort Fisher Aquarium a few years ago on a weekend just like this - we had the place to ourselves! It was heaven! It wasn't as bad as I had feared since many people were on their way out (especially those people with strollers and cranky toddlers). I give the NC Aquariums super-dooper props for their helpful information and identification at each display. We were super disappointed in Atlanta's new aquarium - despite its huge size and dazzling display of aquatic life, we were left to guess what were looking at and what was important about them. That's a whole other entry...
Outside with the fish sculpture
Paul and a fiesty snapping turtle
Tiger fish
We took our walk while at the Aquarium - around their nifty naturel trail. Who would have ever thought you'd find little hills & valleys along a trail AT THE BEACH!? We had a great time walking through the woods and marshes close to the Aquarium - until the floating bridge. Here's a few shots taken along the way:
Awesome bark of a holly tree
Swamp in sepia
Marsh bird through long distance viewing device
A Nutria (aquatic rodent) we watched (these things are NOT native and are invasive to the NC marshes)
Ahh - the floating bridge... it sure didn't float when we attempted to walk across it!
Paul soaked his socks & shoes while crossing the darned floating bridge. Thankfully I made it across without incident... which is amazing.
After the Aquarium we set off driving down the road, once again with no destination in mind other than finding food at some point. We ended up at a parking area and a 'boardwalk' for Atlantic Beach. Neither of us felt like walking out on the beach, so we took a short walk down the 'boardwalk' and decided the breeze was getting too cool to stay out (esp. since someone was wearing shorts).
Thankfully Paul had been observant on our travels back & forth between Morehead City & the beach to see a nice enough looking place open for dinner. JACKPOT! We had a delicious dinner at the "Channel Marker" on the causeway between the beach & the inter coastal waterway. The food was quite good and thankfully we beat the dinner crowd.
It was a delightful day and I think we'll return in the future to further explore the area. We satisfied our beach craving, at least for now.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
"Triangle Could See Up to 2 Inches of Snow"
From WRAL: Raleigh — The first taste of winter has finally made its way to North Carolina.
According to WRAL's Elizabeth Gardner, the Triangle may see up to two inches of snow before it turns to rain by noon. Early Thursday morning, parts of the Triangle saw a mixture of freezing rain and sleet before turning to snow"
I'm taking pictures and posting them to flickr - check them out! :)
It took Paul about an hour to get to his office. It appears that things are lighting up and maybe warming a little. It is still snowing here and the temp is right at 30 degrees. I'm waiting to see what happens with the roads - I am in no hurry to join the madness out there on the roadways!
According to WRAL's Elizabeth Gardner, the Triangle may see up to two inches of snow before it turns to rain by noon. Early Thursday morning, parts of the Triangle saw a mixture of freezing rain and sleet before turning to snow"
I'm taking pictures and posting them to flickr - check them out! :)
It took Paul about an hour to get to his office. It appears that things are lighting up and maybe warming a little. It is still snowing here and the temp is right at 30 degrees. I'm waiting to see what happens with the roads - I am in no hurry to join the madness out there on the roadways!
SNOW! It finally came!
Wake County schools are CLOSED. No word from my work yet, but I'm not taking my chances out on the road as Mark Roberts just begged everyone to hold off from heading out until this mess eases up (80+ weather related 'incidents' on the road already)! They are expecting a few inches to fall!! And then the rain comes to clear it all away. I'm good with that :)
Here are 2 pictures I took at 6:30am outside with just my jammies on - and in 'night vision mode' so that a flash wouldn't draw neighbors attention. Hee.
I'm working at home this morning until this stuff melts!
Here are 2 pictures I took at 6:30am outside with just my jammies on - and in 'night vision mode' so that a flash wouldn't draw neighbors attention. Hee.
I'm working at home this morning until this stuff melts!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Winter Weather Advisory
Latest winter weather advisory:
"An area of light rain will overspread the area beginning tonight.
Some sleet will also mix in. Late tonight...as temperatures fall
to critical levels...rain will begin to freeze as it makes contact
with exposed surfaces that are elevated. Metal surfaces will be
most susceptible to icing. However...trees and bridges may also
experience some light icing. Many areas will experience temperatures
right at or just below 32 degrees within a few hours either side
of 6 am Thursday. Where ice does accumulate...accumulations
should be a tenth of an inch or less. It will be difficult for ice
to develop on roadways and sidewalks with ground temperatures
remaining just above freezing.
Temperatures should warm above freezing everywhere between 9 and
10 am on Thursday. This will change all of the precipitation back
to liquid and allow any ice which has built-up to melt.
People in or planning to travel through the central North Carolina
early Thursday should stay informed of latest forecasts concerning
this brief threat of wintry precipitation.
It has been more than two years since any wintry precipitation has
affected the area and many of US may have forgotten the potential
hazards.
[Oh so true! Although ANYONE stuck on the road 1/19/05 will have a perfect memory of what ice/snow on roads can do!)]
Some wet surfaces may actually have a thin buildup of
ice. Bridges will be the first to ice up late tonight and early
Thursday morning. Use caution if you must be out and about late
tonight and Thursday morning and keep your speed down."
What a difference a day makes
"Cold Front May Bring Snow" (from WRAL news)
....
The Triangle was expected to see clear skies by daybreak Wednesday and freezing temperatures around then. The wind chill was expected to take the way the air felt into the low 20's during the morning commute.
Forecasters are watching for what happens Wednesday night, when increasing moisture in the atmosphere and low temperatures in the mid to upper 20's may be troublesome. The Triangle may see patchy, light freezing rain/freezing drizzle and perhaps some wet snow flakes. Thursday will likely warm to the 40's, but not until after light rain that could begin as light freezing rain.
Warm ground will prevent anything freezing to the roads, but elevated surfaces could see some light ice buildup if the rain arrives early enough.
Whatever comes to Carolina, it has to be better than what others have been experiencing.
....
....
The Triangle was expected to see clear skies by daybreak Wednesday and freezing temperatures around then. The wind chill was expected to take the way the air felt into the low 20's during the morning commute.
Forecasters are watching for what happens Wednesday night, when increasing moisture in the atmosphere and low temperatures in the mid to upper 20's may be troublesome. The Triangle may see patchy, light freezing rain/freezing drizzle and perhaps some wet snow flakes. Thursday will likely warm to the 40's, but not until after light rain that could begin as light freezing rain.
Warm ground will prevent anything freezing to the roads, but elevated surfaces could see some light ice buildup if the rain arrives early enough.
Whatever comes to Carolina, it has to be better than what others have been experiencing.
....
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Weather (yes, weather)
We have been SO SPOILED for the past few weeks! Winter had gone far away and short sleeves (and shorts!) were the fashion for early/mid-January.
Of course, this joy wouldn't last long. We enjoyed every minute of the sunshine and warm temps! It prompted us to take a quick day trip to the beach (another blog for later) last Saturday.
Here's the latest report on the change:
Record Report
Statement as of 3:45 PM EST on January 15, 2007
... Record high temperature tied at the Raleigh-Durham Intl Airport...
The record high temperature of 74 degrees was tied at the
Raleigh-Durham international Airport this afternoon at 12:48 PM.
The old record was set in 1960.
... Be prepared for sharply cooler temperatures today and colder
weather the next few days in central North Carolina...
A polar cold front is moving across central North Carolina this
morning. This will bring an end to the recent unseasonably mild
conditions. Highest temperatures today in the upper 50s and lower
60s are likely to occur this morning and then temperatures will
fall during the day through the 50s... and into the 40s over the
northwest Piedmont this afternoon. Considerable cloudiness will
hide the sun and maintain a chill in the air. Tonight... winds
will increase from the north and bring colder air into the region
... Sending temperatures into the 20s many locations.
The coldest conditions will be felt on Wednesday and Wednesday
night... when highs will struggle to reach lower to middle 40s...
and lows will drop into the lower to middle 20s.
Of course, this joy wouldn't last long. We enjoyed every minute of the sunshine and warm temps! It prompted us to take a quick day trip to the beach (another blog for later) last Saturday.
Here's the latest report on the change:
Record Report
Statement as of 3:45 PM EST on January 15, 2007
... Record high temperature tied at the Raleigh-Durham Intl Airport...
The record high temperature of 74 degrees was tied at the
Raleigh-Durham international Airport this afternoon at 12:48 PM.
The old record was set in 1960.
Statement as of 4:24 AM EST on January 16, 2007
... Be prepared for sharply cooler temperatures today and colder
weather the next few days in central North Carolina...
A polar cold front is moving across central North Carolina this
morning. This will bring an end to the recent unseasonably mild
conditions. Highest temperatures today in the upper 50s and lower
60s are likely to occur this morning and then temperatures will
fall during the day through the 50s... and into the 40s over the
northwest Piedmont this afternoon. Considerable cloudiness will
hide the sun and maintain a chill in the air. Tonight... winds
will increase from the north and bring colder air into the region
... Sending temperatures into the 20s many locations.
The coldest conditions will be felt on Wednesday and Wednesday
night... when highs will struggle to reach lower to middle 40s...
and lows will drop into the lower to middle 20s.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Christmas vacation (in pictures)
What we did over our Christmas vacation – in pictures!
Ok, so these are from a little before Christmas, but good fun none the less
Paul went fishing and caught a delicious bass, or 3 (although he let them all go)
Paul went to NYC and watched some of Good Morning America
(Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer)
We went to church Christmas Eve morning and in my coffee induced excitement, I took a picture of us in the car
We had my dad’s side of the family over for Christmas (for the first time in many many years) and had fun playing with
We had Christmas Eve lunch out with my cousins Tyler & Miranda (mmm, Red Lobster)
Mom and Dad had a special delivery on Christmas Eve (a Sunday mind you) from their mail carrier with Justin’s Christmas package
My parents bought tickets for us all to go see “Louvre Atlanta” for my birthday. It was cool, but too crowded
We met the family at Maggiano’s for dinner on my birthday
Mmmm! Free cookies (on top of everything else!)
The Whitley’s at dinner
After dinner… phew! we’re stuffed!
We took my parents bike riding (it was adventure, but fun!)
Mom had one incident where she bumped her head and skinned her knee, but recovered beautifully!
And finally,
There are many more stories and pictures… more to come maybe?
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Congratulations Becky-Lu!!!
Exciting news! (no mom, we're not expecting.)
Becky-Lu is engaged to be married! I've known for a little bit and have been waiting for as long as I could to post and now I can (I think)! Congratulations Becky & Kevin!!! We're so excited for you! I love weddings! Especially those of close friends. I hate that we're too far a part to spontaneously go wedding dress shopping. Love you girl!
Becky & Kevin at a wedding this past summer
Becky-Lu is engaged to be married! I've known for a little bit and have been waiting for as long as I could to post and now I can (I think)! Congratulations Becky & Kevin!!! We're so excited for you! I love weddings! Especially those of close friends. I hate that we're too far a part to spontaneously go wedding dress shopping. Love you girl!
Becky & Kevin at a wedding this past summer
Friday, January 05, 2007
Finally, a new post
And no time to talk about Christmas. I will have to take a little more time to gather my photos and stories from Christmas so I can share them in their full glory. It will be worth it, promise!
This post was prompted by the crazy weather we've been experiencing lately... is it winter? is it spring? winpring? I encountered thick frost on my car's windshield one morning this week and now it's a balmy, sticky, 70 something outside. Huh?
Apparently old man winter has forgotten about the south and east coast this winter and spring has taken over. Cherry trees are blooming, animals can't properly hibernate, bulbs are blooming and people are wearing open toed shoes. With this 'spring' we also have gotten the monstrous, tornado baring storms. Huh?
Just this morning, my mom had to take cover at home for a passing tornado. Thankfully, all is well and there is no damage at their house, but just a few miles away homes were damaged and tress down galore. Of course the line of storms that went through Atlanta is now racing east bringing with it lots of instability to really mess with our already odd weather. What the?
From the "11Alive News" in Atlanta:
"Strong storms rolled through the Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas Friday morning as a line of storms moved from Alabama and into Georgia.
The storms moved quickly through Georgia and brought heavy rains and high winds.
As of Friday afternoon, there were sporadic reports of damage and power outages.
Georgia State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine reported two dozen structures damaged around the state and expected more to be reported throughout the day.
A subdivision off of Jonesboro Road reported 8 to 10 homes that had overturned trees, some power lines down and a gas leak said Lt. Saprina Pucket of the Henry County Fire Department."
(My parents live off of Jonesboro Road)
Here's a tree down in DeKalb County:
From the AJC
Where's the winter gone!? I know that our bank account will enjoy paying out less for gas to heat the house, but we've been still been ripped off! Where's the snow? Where's the excitement in forecasting snow that will never come but we'll cancel school just in case and empty store shelves of milk, bread and plastic snow sledding thingies? [pout] I miss winter!
This was the last snow we saw... January 29, 2005 - the 'infamous day of gridlock' Don't get me wrong, I don't ever want to relive a day like that. I'd rather be snowed/iced in at home and not at work or out on the road!
This post was prompted by the crazy weather we've been experiencing lately... is it winter? is it spring? winpring? I encountered thick frost on my car's windshield one morning this week and now it's a balmy, sticky, 70 something outside. Huh?
Apparently old man winter has forgotten about the south and east coast this winter and spring has taken over. Cherry trees are blooming, animals can't properly hibernate, bulbs are blooming and people are wearing open toed shoes. With this 'spring' we also have gotten the monstrous, tornado baring storms. Huh?
Just this morning, my mom had to take cover at home for a passing tornado. Thankfully, all is well and there is no damage at their house, but just a few miles away homes were damaged and tress down galore. Of course the line of storms that went through Atlanta is now racing east bringing with it lots of instability to really mess with our already odd weather. What the?
From the "11Alive News" in Atlanta:
"Strong storms rolled through the Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas Friday morning as a line of storms moved from Alabama and into Georgia.
The storms moved quickly through Georgia and brought heavy rains and high winds.
As of Friday afternoon, there were sporadic reports of damage and power outages.
Georgia State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine reported two dozen structures damaged around the state and expected more to be reported throughout the day.
A subdivision off of Jonesboro Road reported 8 to 10 homes that had overturned trees, some power lines down and a gas leak said Lt. Saprina Pucket of the Henry County Fire Department."
(My parents live off of Jonesboro Road)
Here's a tree down in DeKalb County:
From the AJC
Where's the winter gone!? I know that our bank account will enjoy paying out less for gas to heat the house, but we've been still been ripped off! Where's the snow? Where's the excitement in forecasting snow that will never come but we'll cancel school just in case and empty store shelves of milk, bread and plastic snow sledding thingies? [pout] I miss winter!
This was the last snow we saw... January 29, 2005 - the 'infamous day of gridlock' Don't get me wrong, I don't ever want to relive a day like that. I'd rather be snowed/iced in at home and not at work or out on the road!
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