How Henry The Weather Dog Endured His First Winter, Was Unimpressed By It, But Came Out Victorious

Henry the Weather Dog, with a "What am I doing here?"
look on his face in early December, the start of the first
Vermont winter. He gradually grew accustomed to it, sort of.

Time for a little fun. And a cute little video at the bottom of the post to illustrate everything. 

I'm sure people who have seen this blog thingy have seen images of my co-worker and close friend, Henry the Weather Dog.

He took on the weather watching job here in St. Albans last May, not long after Jackson the Weather Dog passed away after 14 years of exemplary service. 

Henry proved very much up to the task even though he, like Jackson, hated rain. I guess rain messed with both their hairdos. Or their aura. Or something. 

Henry is a South Texas dog, hailing from San Antonio He was used to hot weather and sunshine. 

He was in luck not long after he moved to Vermont. His favorite weather is warm sunshine. Actually hot sunshine.  He could spend hours basking in sun, As Henry soaked up the sun's heat, I told myself he was helping me study how the sun's intensity changed, how it affected our temperature, and humidity. And whether it would help produce thunderstorms, which are my favorite kind of weather. 

The thunderstorm never really came. During the summer and fall, a severe drought took hold. So did unusually high temperatures. Sometimes record highs. While his humans wilted in the heat, Henry thrived in it. He must have thought Vermont's climate was just like what he experience in the torrid San Antonio summers.  

Boy, was Henry in for a surprise! It abruptly turned colder toward Halloween. Henry had never seen snow before. How would he handle a Vermont winter?

The answer came in November and the answer was: Not great. It was bad enough when we had a dusting of snow on November 9. His reaction, like mine, frankly, was "What is this shit?" Except he'd never seen it before. If the snow as a movie, he'd give it a zero on Rotten Tomatoes. Given a chance, Henry would literally throw rotten tomatoes if it would make the snow go awy. 

Henry is a little guy, so a couple days after that his introduction to snow flurries, we got our first big snowstorm of the season. Nearly a foot of snow fell. Henry was not having it. 

Henry never came around to really love the snow in our long, cold winter. It seemed the snow would never melt. But ever the trooper, he found the bright side of it. 

He discovered critters hid under the snow. He could hunt! That was his favorite winter activity. Twice this winter he dug his snout into the snow and murdered two voles (I sanctioned the crimes, so all is good). I dug paths through the snow, so he can follow his nose and track where everything has gone. 

As the winter cold deepened, his visits outdoors shortened. He spend a few seconds to confirm it was below zero outside, and then he scooted right back inside to burrow into his cozy blankets. 

Even so, Henry has been productive. He ate ice off of the driveway, doing his part to make the pavement safer. He kept predators away. Deer and rabbits, desperate for food because of icy snow covering the ground for so long, decimated some of my hydrangeas. 

It was only 20 degrees or so today, but the March sun
is feeling warmer. So Henry the Weather Dog is 
lingering outside a little longer now that the
sun and the pavement feel warmer 

Henry is trying to save the hydrangeas by peeing around them to provide a deterring scent.

 On several occasions, most recently yesterday, he saw deer approaching the house and barked and snarled them back deeper into the woods. Don't worry, he was on a leash, he doesn't chase deer into exhaustion.

Both Henry and I have noticed the sun getting stronger as we head into March. 

It was only 20 degrees or so this afternoon, but the March sun actually felt kind of warm. Henry sat down, lingered on a dry spot in the driveway, sat down, closed his eyes....and basked. 

Spring is coming. Eventually.  

The deer will go away like they do every spring, to be replaced by hordes rabbits, which he will gleefully flush from the gardens. 

Henry has found his home. Despite its drawbacks, he tells me he's going to continue on as my weather dog for quite some time yet. He deserves a raise. 

Video: Henry's journey through his first Vermont winter. He wasn't always happy about it, but he persevered. Click on this link to see the video, or if you see the image below, click on that.

 

Why Trying To Save Money During The Winter Can Be A Bad Idea

Here's what the top of a washing machine in Quebec 
looked like after they shut off the heat in the apartment
while away to "save  money" The pipes burst, and
this was some of the result

Heating a home in the winter is expensive, we all know that. 

We're all torn between keeping warm and affording to keep the furnace on. But somebody in Quebec took the desire to save money way too far. 

In Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, along the St. Lawrence River about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, an apartment tenant recently left for an extended period, probably on vacation.  

That tenant apparently thought to themselves,  "Why pay for heat in my apartment when I'm not going to be there?"

It appears they said this. In January. In Quebec. 

You guessed it! The inevitable happens. Pipes froze and burst. The toilet cracked, sending water through the floor into the living space below.  The results are captured in a video at the bottom of this post. 

Pretty much everything ended up being covered in ice inside that building. The landlord said the ice on the kitchen floor was nearly a foot thick. The washing machine looked like an elaborate ice sculpture. Clothes folded atop the dryer were just one big frozen mass. 

Put it this way, the apartment "ice castle" in Trois-Rivieres is not nearly as grand as Elsa's castle in the movie "Frozen," as the CTV reporter dryly notes. 

The landlord seemed to be taking the mess in pretty good humor, if we can judge from his CTV interview. He said the whole apartment will need to be ripped apart and rebuilt. That is, after the ice eventually melts. He's got heaters in there to bring a spring thaw to the apartment, but as you'll see in the video, it'll take awhile.

The former tenant whose name is on the lease was formally evicted earlier this month after having moved out several months ago without paying rent. It's unclear who was living there and turned off the heat just prior to their departure. 

The "ice castle" apartment is part of a triplex, but the tenants living in the other two units within the building were not affected.

Here's the video. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

Our Annual Darlene Love Christmas Greeting To Everyone

Darlene Love performing this year's rendition of
"Christmas Baby (Please Come Home) on the Tonight
Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" I hope everybody
has a great holiday!

It's Christmas Eve. That means we're upholding tradition, and presenting you with our Darlene Love holiday greeting. 

"Christmas Baby (Please Come Home)" is my favorite holiday song so every year, I send out a greeting with that song. 

Love has been on TV every Christmas for decades, doing the song perfectly every time. 

This year, she was on the "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."  She's 84 years old now, but still looks fantastic and sounds amazing. She was rocking sort of a 1970s look this year with those bell bottoms. 

Old pros like Paul Shaffer, Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul made the performance complete. 

It's been a rather tough year for many of us, including myself. I've had a few setbacks, some life complications, but with wonderful people surrounding me, everything is still worth it. 

I hope (almost) all of you have a great holiday, with calmness, love, laughter, warmth and a break from life's worries. I say "almost" because there's a few people in Washington who decidedly are not in the Christmas spirit.  I don't wish any of them harm, other than receiving a lump of coal in their stockings. 

Now, let's let Darlene Love do her thing.  Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.  

Hurricane Chaser's Melissa Video Is Horrifying, Heartstopping, Sad And A Must-Watch

A still from Josh Morgerman's video of Category 5 
Hurricane Melissa violently dismantling 
western Jamaica. 

Josh Morgerman, known all over social media as icyclone, has chased down dozens of powerful hurricanes and typhoons worldwide. 

He willingly endures extreme winds and rains, interrupted only by the sudden calm of hurricane eyes. 

Of course Morgerman was in Jamaica for Hurricane Melissa. He said it might have been the most intense hurricane he's ever experienced. 

Morgerman just released his YouTube video of his experiences. It's a long one, lasting an hour and 54 minutes. But it's a must-watch for anyone who wants a glimpse of what a Category 5 hurricane is like. It's nerve-wracking, terrifying, tragic and heartbreaking. 

The video starts with Morgerman stressing out over getting to the right spot that is both safe and in a spot where the worst intensity of Melissa would hit. 

But soon, we get into the storm. Morgerman rode out the storm in solidly built concrete hotel building along the southwest coast of Jamaica. We spend a gusty. r ainy, night in his hotel room the night before Melissa hits. You could hear the howling start in the video by 2 a.m. 

And hit it does in this video. 

The storm ramps up awfully quickly. At 7:56 a.m. he said. "this is going to be a mighty blow."' By 8:15 a.m. there were already full blown tropical storm conditions - the palm tree in front of the hotel already bouncing around in the gales. The air pressure was beginning to fall so fast he could feel it in his years. 

By 9:30 a.m. all hell was breaking out.. By 10:15 debris was flying. At 10:45 a.m. with the hurricane peaking the howling wind and the falling pressure were hurting the ears of the people huddling in the building.

It's just a video, but I found myself getting scared watching it. After the storm, Morgerman interviewed survivors. Some of the stories left me wondering how they were still alive after the storm passed. 

Scenes of obliterated buildings and skeletons of large trees looks very much like the aftermath videos I've seen of especially intense Midwestern tornadoes. 

The video is so much worth watching. Especially since monster Category 5 hurricanes have become more common, and are expected to become even more common. Climate change is making the world more scary, and here's an example. 

I appreciate Morgerman's efforts to let us see for ourselves the power and terror of these hurricanes.  While you're at it, check out the rest of his YouTube channel for other incredible hurricane and typhoon footage. He's also got a web site and he's all over social media.    

Here is Morgerman's video. Click on this link to view, or if you see this image below click on that. 

VIdeo: How The Drought Is Affecting Vermont

The falls in Enosburg Falls, Vermont aren't exactly falling
due to the drought and low water levels along
the Missisquoi River. 

Earlier today, I posted about the expanding drought in Vermont. 

I relied on official, scientific sources, like the U.S. Drought Monitor. But the dry weather is obvious to anyone even glancing at what Vermont looks like this month. Dry, wilted trees, a low lake level, rivers you can suddenly walk across instead of being swept away. 

I did a little video, I don't know I guess for posterity, on how things look in the now slightly less green, Green Mountain State due to the lack of rain, 

Maybe the video is a little rain dance to inspire the skies to let loose with some water. We can only hope.  

As always click on this link to view. Or, if you see the image below, click on that. 

Watch House Get Struck By Lightning, Burn Down

A home burns in Spring, Texas shortly after a 
lightning strike. Not all lightning strikes cause fires
like this but once they get going, the
blazes can move pretty fast.

 It's amazing how quickly a lightning strike can can cause chaos.

 Thunderstorms rumbled through the Houston area last Friday, typical weather in that humid part of the nation. 

But lightning is always dangerous and often destructive, and we have a classic case here. Doorbell cameras caught lightning hitting a house. Within minutes, almost the entire roof was in flames.

It looks like a somewhat newer house, and this type modern wood frame homes seem to burn down awfully fast once they catch.  

Watch the videos: 

The first video shows a house being struck by lightning in Spring, Texas, a suburb north of Houston. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

Moments have the strike, the house looked like what you see in the next video. The house is essentially a total loss, even though neighbors called the fire department immediately after the strike and those firefighters got there quickly. 

The roof and attic are gone, and I'm sure the rest of the house is trashed by heat, fire, smoke and water. 

Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

I had a little trouble finding reliable statistics on house fires caused by lightning. One source, lightningrods.com, could well have an agenda, but here's what they said 

They claim that one in 200 homes are hit by lightning annually, though many of those don't cause fires. Lightningrods,com also say that between 2014-2018 U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 22,600 fires started by lightning. 

That statistic didn't break down what percentage were in homes, businesses, other buildings and no buildings at all. It looks like that was the most recent data available, too.

Up here in Vermont, we don't have nearly as many thunderstorms as, say, Florida and Texas, so we're somewhat safer from these house fires. Unfortunately, though, you never know, 

On the bright side, no lightning storms are in the forecast until at least Saturday, and thunderstorm season up here will soon draw to a close, 

 

Florida Tornado Hits TV Station While On-Air Meteorologist Reports It, Storm Went On To Cause Lots Of Damage

House collapsed in Florida after a tornado struck
near Orlando, Florida. 

The first major tornado in years hit central Florida Monday, damaging homes, blocking roads, but miraculously causing no fatalities or injuries. 

The storm was notable because the tornado hit an Orlando, Florida-area  television station as an on-air meteorologist was warning the public about the twister.

It was an EF2 tornado, which top winds of 115 mph, which is stronger than usual for central Florida.  A

At the Fox 35 studios, meteorologist Brooks Garner was doing a live report of a tornado warning in the area and was tracking radar images of the dangerous storm for viewers. 

Viewers also saw images from the Fox 35 outdoor tower cam of the approaching storm. There was too much rain to see any kind of traditional tornado funnel, but a wall of wind and rain was seen approaching the studio. 

Soon the view turned into a maelstrom of water and flying debris as the television station was hit. You could hear the alarm in Garner's voice as he said, "Everybody in them Fox 35 building, get to your safe space under your desk, if you're not in a designated area." He ordered the news anchors to crouch under their desks, too. 

People watching all this could also hear debris hitting the Fox 35 building during all this. Security footage taken outside the studio shows visibility dropping to near zero in the tornado as piece of trees blow around and power lines snap along a nearby street. 

After the tornado passed, it turned out the television station building had not sustained serious damage; Garner was able to stay on the air to warn adjacent neighborhoods of the approaching tornado. 

The tornado did cause a lot of damage. One home with two occupants inside collapsed almost completely, but they pair escaped uninjured. In fact, no injuries were reported despite the fact numerous homes were damaged and the tornado roared through part of a major freeway with heavy traffic. 

The Florida tornado might be a precursor to what could be a large severe storm and tornado outbreak in the forecast Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Midwest, Gulf Coast and southeastern United States. An intense Plains storm is forecast to create favorable conditions for such dangerous weather later in the week and weekend. 

Here's the on-camera episode as the tornado struck Fox 35 studios near Orlando.  It looks like the tornado wasn't super strong at the moment it hit the television station, but was still scary. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

More On Heavy Snows That Literally Crushed Parts Of New York, Canada. With Videos

Photo of Camden, New York taken
on February 18.

 If you think the snow we had, now partially melted was bad.  

In Oswego County alone, at least 50 structural collapses occurred within 10 days this February.  

 Some areas east of Lake Ontario have received 360 inches of snow so far this winter. Areas east of Lake Erie in New York have gotten 180 inches so far, according to severeweatherus on Threads. 

A foot of fluffy snow on a typical home roof weighs roughly the same as a pickup truck. A foot of heavy, wet snow is about the same as three pickup trucks. 

The snow was fairly wet and heavy coming off Lake Ontario.  Then, this week a little rain fell, soaking into the snow and make it all the more heavy. 

So far, there have been super serious injuries or deaths. But one woman in Fulton was injured when the roof of her home collapsed. Other people have been injured falling off roofs as they try to shovel away the snow before any collapse could occur. 

Earlier in February, the village of Camden, New York, northeast of Syracuse, endured more than five feet of lake effect snow.  

The Camden public works department salt shed collapsed under the snow, as did the roofs of a local bowling alley and community center.

An onion storage facility in Fulton, New York also collapsed, destroying about a million pounds of onions in the process.

It's not just New York.  In Ottawa, Canada, large sections of a six-story parking garage collapsed under the weight of snow piled on top of it. Nobody was hurt but 50 cars are still stuck in the remaining, intact  section of the garage and nobody  has figured out how to get them out yet. 

Videos. 

Here's video of the Barneveld, New York, fire department collapsing under the weight of heavy snow. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that:

The wreckage of an onion storage facility in Fulton, New York that collapsed is shown in this video. Again, click on this link to view, or if you see image below, click on that. 

If  you thought you had too much snow to deal with about a week ago, let's take a tour of Camden, New York, about eight days ago to see how bad it could really get. Once again, click on this link to view, ori you see the image below, click on that. 

The moment a parking garage in Ottawa, Canada collapsed, likely because of snow loading on the roof.  Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.  

 Here's one of the main areas Montreal dumps its snow from its streets. It's an old quarry. Looks pretty efficient. Would love to know when (or if!) all that snow being dumped there will finally melt. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

 

Update: Storm Eowyn, As Expected Leaves Big Trail Of Destruction In Ireland, Scotland

Fallen trees across railroad tracks in Scotland after 
Storm Eowyn.  Photo helps explains why the Scottish
rail system and to shut down during and after
the storm due to wind damage. 

As expected, Storm Eowyn, as it's known, crashed into Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland Thursday night and Friday, leaving behind a trail of power outages and damage. 

So far, only one death has been reported, which is one glimmer of good news.

At least a million power outages were reported in Ireland and northern Ireland, with 100,000 more across Scotland.  Power could be out for some people for as many as ten days. 

Photos and videos from the area show many roofs and building walls damaged and collapsed from the winds, along with countless trees blown over.  

Winds gusted as high as 114 mph at Mace Head on Ireland's west coast, the highest wind gust on record in Ireland. A storm in 1945 brought a 113 mph gust. 

The storm was well advertised by meteorologists and people heeded warnings to stay indoors, which minimized the death toll. The Associated Press said cities like Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh were eerily quiet as normally bustling streets were nearly devoid of people, cars and public transportation during the storm. 

Scotland's rail system remained shut down Saturday as crews assessed damage to its network. 

Tree damage is enormous, and some of the damage is to rare or historic specimens. 

In Edinburgh, 15 valued trees in the Royal Botanic Garden were destroyed, including the tallest tree there, a 95-foot tall Cedrus deodara, planted in 1859. The storm also damaged greenhouses in the garden. 

On Glasgow, the more than 500 year old Darnley Sycamore was badly damaged, with several branches torn off.  This tree is reportedly the tree under which Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin and second husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, sat while she nursed him back to health from an illness in 1565.  

Behind the storm, wind and precipitation continued. Wind, snow and ice alerts remained in effect Saturday  and Sunday as a new storm roared in from the Atlantic Ocean. Though not as strong as Eowyn, the new weather system will causing strong, gusty winds and a risk of flooding in various parts the UK. 

Storm Eowyn had a long history.  It began as the bonkers, record breaking snowstorm along the Gulf Coast of the United States on Tuesday. 

Fueled by a combination of an insanely fast jet stream over the Atlantic Ocean, a cold outbreak originating from North America and much warmer than normal ocean waters just to the south, the storm explosively grew into a monster. 

 It mugged the British Isles as it raced past, hitting the west coast of Ireland Thursday night and rocketing away from Scotland's northeast coast by later Friday. 

VIDEOS

Good news account and summary of all the trouble Storm Eowyn caused. As always, click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

First half of this video is the most interesting. It shows a 100 year old building partly collapsing after damage from the high winds. Also lots of trees down along a highway and other damage. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.

Wednesday California Fires Update: So Far, No New Big Catacylsm, But Deep Danger, Sorrow Remain

Areas in red are under a red flag warning, meaning destructive
fires are possible today. Areas outlined in purple are in a 
"particularly dangerous situation" where any fires that
start or spread would be extremely fast moving and
erratic. Click on map to make it bigger easier to see.

A glimmer of good news in California Tuesday as winds weren't quite as strong as forecast, helping firefighters hold the lines on the giant wildfires burning there. 

But today could be a long one. 

Winds have picked up dangerously, gusting to 50 mph in some areas. That's more than enough to spread embers and start new fires. Early morning video from television KTLA early this morning showed fairly strong, gusty winds already blowing through Ventura County.

Reports of 35 to 50 mph with higher gusts have been coming in all morning. That rare, "particularly dangerous situation" fire weather warning remains in effect through 3 p.m, local time today for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Residents have been told to have  a "to go" bad ready by the front door, and be ready to leave, and quickly at the drop of a hat. 

There are far more firefighters deployed in and around Los Angeles today than when the fires started last week, so the hope is those resources can gain the upper hand if a new fire starts. 

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports about 50 arrests for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes. Three of those were arrested for arson, but the fires they allegedly started remained small, were quickly put out, and were not near the disaster zone.

So far, the death toll is 25, but up to 30 people remain missing. Searchers are looking for bodies in the rubble of some of the worst hit neighborhoods, 

Here's one snapshot of the new reality Angelenos are facing. One resident said the sound of helicopters rattling around overhead all night and through the pre-dawn hours would have once driven him nuts. But the fact that those helicopters are trying to prevent more destruction is actually soothing, and helps him fall asleep. 

 OUTLOOK

If the region can get through today without existing fires going out of control again or new ones igniting, then the region gets a brief reprieve,  

Winds should relax again toward evening  and stay fairly calm at least through Saturday, which is great. Some of the lighter breezes could actually come off the Pacific  Ocean instead of the desert. Those ocean winds will bring a little needed humidity, but unfortunately no rain.

 Plus, the nightmare is far from over.  Meteorologists say strong, dry easterly winds might redevelop early next week, and there is still no real rain in the forecast through the end of the month

A new fire started in Ventura County Monday evening, forcing some evacuations.  But firefighters managed to put a stop its forward progress  after it consumed about 61 acres. Thankfully, so far no houses or other buildings, and the fire is about half contained.

Another fire started Tuesday evening in the San Fernando Valley, but firefighters quickly pounced on it. So far, that fire hasn't spread too much, and it hasn't prompted evacuations and it's still largely under control.

Fingers crossed there. 

A very large wildfire was burning in Mexico, just south of the International border below San Diego County, California. While the U.S. is not immediately threatened by the fire, it bears watching. 

Videos:

Some dog videos in the mix this time. 

In this first one, I have to tell the back story. It's heartbreaking but ultimately has a happy ending. On the first day of the fire, NBC reporter Liz Kruetz interviewed a distraught man trying to reach his home where his two dogs were trapped as the fire closed in. "I literally rescued them off the street, they deserve better than this," Casey Colvin tearfully told the reporter. 

Firefighters rescued one of Colvin's dogs before his house was consumed by flames, but the other one, Oreo ran off. For several days, he worried about dog, though there were photos indicating Oreo was still alive, 

Then, the same reporter helped Colvin get to his destroyed house on Sunday, where he found Oreo alive. The reunion is joyous. 

If any of you trolls pick on this guy for his emotions, I hope the rest of your life is one of misery. The traumatized man represents all of those victimized and distraught by the fire. They're clinging to any good news they can get. Colvin represents them all. 

Click on this link to watch this gripping video, or if you see the image below click on that. Make sure the Kleenex is handy:  

In this case, a dog is rescued from the fire. The understandably frightened dog was trapped in the yard of a house in flames. First responders rescued it, and a photographer snapped photos. This inspired an outpouring of donations to help dogs and other animals who were victims of the fire. .  Click on this link to view or if you see the image below, click on that. 

In the next video, a passerby in a neighborhood rescues a woman and her four dogs whose house is on fire and whose car won't start, They braved a blizzard of burning embers to get out of harms way. The video is pretty harrowing. Click on this link to view or if you see the image below click on that.

A drive through Altadena, California after the fire. You can tell despite the destruction this was an absolutely beautiful community. If there were no fire, I'd live there in a heartbeat.  Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below click on that. 

 

Pupdate: Trooper The Dog Famously Abandoned In Hurricane Milton, Has Found A Happy Forever Home

Trooper, the bull terrier left to die in a flooded field
as Hurricane Milton approached, but rescued by a Florida
State Trooper, is now living his best life with his new
mom and dad, Frank and Carla Spinner, and his 
sister dog Dallas. 

 Since I'm a sucker for happy dog stories, or at least ones with happy endings, I have to update you on Trooper.  

Trooper was the dog found tied to a fence in floodwaters as Hurricane Milton approached Florida back in October. 

An eagle-eyed motorist spotted them, call the cops, who came and rescued the terrified bull terrier. The dog's owner, Giovanny Aldama Garcia, was arrested and charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals.  In addition to his legal trouble, he can never see the dog he abused ever again. 

After his rescue, Trooper was housed at Leon County Humane Society in Tallahassee, where he recuperated and prepared to eventually meet a forever family

To nobody's surprise, there was a ton of interest in adopting Trooper. But Amy Raddar of that humane society said they were looking for a specific type of adopter, given the bull terrier''s rough history with his former owner.

Trooper didn't like men, given that previous owner was a creepy guy. The Humane Society were a bit wary of Frank and Carla Spina, because Frank is obviously a man, as CBS News reports.   

 The Spinas, however, had been raising and giving homes to bull terriers for more than three decades. The couple drove seven hours from their home in Parkland, Florida for a meet and greet with Trooper.,

The couple sat down, and Trooper came over to the couple. The dog got under Frank Spina legs, Frank gave Trooper and nice scratch and that was it, they were fast friends. 

The couple have another bull terrier named Dallas. Trooper and Dallas got along immediately, too. 

The papers were signed, and Trooper became part of the Spina family. "We will take good care of him," Carla Spina said. "We just want everyone to know we are going to give him the best life."

CBS continues:

"For the Spinas, it feels like their family's missing piece was found. "We are like living in a dream,' said Frank Spina. 'We just can't believe that a month ago we saw a news report and now a month later he's in my bedroom.'"

Here's the happy CBS News video to completely fill you in. As always, click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

Intense Connecticut Flood Captured In Store Surveillance Camera

An intense flash flood struck western Connecticut back on August 18.

Screen grab from security video showing a flash
flood destroying the interior of a 
Seymour, Connecticut shop in August.

Up to ten inches of rain fell in just a few hours that day, causing two deaths and extreme damage from intense flash flooding. 

That type of disaster was unfortunately all to common this past summer in the Northeast and southeastern Canada, as we in Vermont know all too well.

A video, which you will see below, is just one graphic example of how flash floods are so sudden and extremely dangerous.  No wonder they're so deadly. 

The video is clips of security footage taken inside The Yankee Quilter, a popular craft, quilt and sewing machine shop in Seymour, Connecticut. 

The footage shows water already in the store. But then the intense flood overwhelms the doors and walls of the store, sending a surge into the retail space, destroying everything in seconds. At one point, the surge of water into the store creates a debris-filled whirlpool on the sales floor. 

Luckily, nobody was in the shop at the time. If people were there, they could have easily been severely injured or killed. 

The destruction in Connecticut store was similar - and just as scary - as video of floodwater invading a Ludlow, Vermont restaurant during the extreme floods of July, 2023.

The two people who died in this Connecticut flood were two women caught when their cars were suddenly overwhelmed. 

Video: To see the CCTV footage of the flooding at The Yankee Quilter in Connecticut, click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

"Daily Show" Takes On Climate Refuge Cities By Going To Duluth

"The Daily Show" poked affectionate fun at Duluth,
Minnesota being considered a "climate refuge"

Here in Vermont last summer, we learned the hard way that the Green Mountain State isn't quite the great climate change refuge it's been made out to be.  

Sure, we're in a safer spot than many areas, despite our flood risks.  A 2021 study that said six of the 10 safest counties from the ravages of climate in all of the United States are located in Vermont

I suppose that's still true, despite our floods. 

Other regions regarded as most safe from climate change are scattered around the Great Lakes. One of those safe places is Duluth, Minnesota. 

Ah yes, Duluth.  The place that until this winter anyway pretty much stayed below zero. Where the "gales of November" blast off to Lake Superior into the this city of 86,000 people.  Summers are nice, though. 

The Daily Show's Michael Kosta investigates the idea of climate refugees from fashionable zip codes in California and Florida showing up in unassuming Duluth to flee climate change driven wildfires and hurricanes and such. 

Kosta arrives in Duluth to play one of those elite coastal types who looks down on flyover cities like Duluth asking how people from, say California, would ever want to move to Duluth.

The Daily Show's Michael Kosta ventured to 
Duluth to see if the northern Minnesota city was
really a great climate refuge for coastal elites. 

The city's Chief Sustainability Officer Mindy Granley told Kosta that people from climate disaster prone places like California are already starting to move to Duluth. 

"You mean people are moving here from the good states,?" Kosta asks incredulously .

He then meets one of those California transplants. She tells Kosta that the small town feel of Duluth makes her feel like neighbors can rely on one another when climate change causes problems or even danger. 

Wait, I thought Duluth was a climate refuge?  

Like Vermont, Duluth isn't immune to our altered environment For one thing, Duluth is having a climate change winter, big time.  This will be by far its warmest winter on record, and that has messed up the usual winter sports such as snowshoeing, ice fishing and such in the region. 

Storms can ravage Duluth, too. Flash flooding September damaged parts of the city and an even worse flood in 2012 caused widespread damage in and around the city. An intense storm in October, 2018, sent Lake Superior waves crashing into shoreline parks and property causing quite a bit of destruction, too. 

Here's the Daily Show Duluth climate video. It is pretty funny, in the usual Daily Show snarky way. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that: 

Video: Sunday/Monday Storm Not Quite As Predicted, But Still Had Its Dark Season Beauty

Aftermath of early week storm in St. Albans, Vermont.
I made a video, shown in this post of the storm from
start to finish. Dark December gloom to bright
snow/sun. 

 As I previously reported, the storm early this week did not have the oomph some forecasters had expected.  

But it was beautiful in its own way.

Things went from dark to rainy to winter wonderland, at least here in St. Albans, Vermont. 

Video at the bottom of the post shows how the landscape changed in the two days of the storm, and the day after.

First half of the video was dark and rainy Sunday. Not a great day for outdoor stuff, but it did have its own murky, quiet beauty as the rain fell and dark clouds hung overhead on a brief December day.

Monday, we woke up to snow, which continued much of the day. The snow certainly brightened the surrounding. Wet snow clung to every single little twig. Luckily, at least in my area, the snow fell short of causing much damage to my trees.

Day after the storm featured a bright and sunny interval. It was all too brief, but it was a stunning display of early winter gorgeousness.

Anyway, enjoy the video below. Click on this link to watch, or if you see the image below, click on that to watch. The vid is a nice excursion through changeable Vermont weather. 

A Wintry Period In Vermont, But Is A Warmer Reprieve In The Works?

Workers in snowy Taylor Park in St. Albans Thursday
install Christmas lights near a still oddly green 
maple tree. About an inch of snow fell there Thursday.

We survived the first wintry day in Vermont Thursday (I'm not really counting the light snow on November 1) so is this it? Is winter here to stay?  

Indications are, maybe not. We might see a warm reprieve mid month. More on that in a minute. 

The forecasts ahead of the wintry precipitation Thursday ended up being quite accurate. Most places got about an inch of snow, or just a wee bit more than that. This was close to the forecasts of about an inch.

There was a weird localized area of about two inches in and around Burlington, Colchester, Winooski and Essex The official total at the National Weather Service office in South Burlington was 2.0 inches.  I'm not sure why. Those areas aren't usually the snow winners in any storm. 

Video scenes of the snow around St. Albans are at the bottom of this post. 

Temperatures actually stayed fairly mild overnight, as there was no real push of cold air behind the weakening storm that brought Thursday's snow. For most of us, temperatures stayed steady or actually went up a little last evening and overnight. 

Snow that didn't melt during the damp, overcast weather Thursday did so in many valleys last night. The snow cover was pretty, but short lived. 

We're not done with the cold weather, though. Another cold front is coming through later today, and that will keep us on the chilly side for a few days. Today will actually be kind of mild ahead of the front, with highs well into the 40s - about normal for this time of year.

After that, it gets pretty chilly again for a few days. Nothing wildly cold for this time of year, but you'll probably want your winter jackets. Highs Saturday through Monday will be in the 30s, with lows in the 20s. We could see some teens in the colder spots. 

Very little precipitation is in the cards for us over the next few days. There might be a few scattered showers with today's cold front, flurries in spots overnight, that's about it. The next shot of any light precipitation is Tuesday.   

But yeah, not exactly late season gardening weather, huh?  

Forecasts for six to ten days out from now indicate
most of the United States, including us here in
Vermont, are in for a switch to warmer weather. 

But there's hope for those of you (like me!) who haven't gotten their fall outdoor chores done yet. We have increasing signs of a pattern change for mid-month, probably starting later in the upcoming week.

Actually, almost the whole nation looks like it will be quite warm, with the heat centered in the Plains and western Great Lakes. They'll probably see some more record highs out that way in a little over a week or so.

Between climate change and El Nino, it seems hard to have any sustained cold anywhere lately. 

Long range forecasts are iffy but meteorologists seem pretty confident that we in Vermont will share in at least some relatively mild air mid-month.  I'm not yet sure how warm it will get, but it will certainly be toastier than this weekend will be. 

The first week of our potential warmer spell looks mostly dry, too, so you can get out there and get some last minute stuff done. 

Video: Scenes of snow around my house, Jackson the Weather Dog takes careful measurements and readings of the snow, and workers install Christmas lights in St. Albans Taylor Park amid the snow and near a still oddly green maple tree.

To view, click on this link, or if you see the image below, click on that.

Odd Lenticular Clouds Gave Vermont Skies A Unique Appearance, Followed By Other Rare Clouds Days Later

Lenticular clouds over South Burlington,
 Vermont last Thursday.

 During last week's relatively warm weather, the sky over northwest Vermont began to look a little like some odd fuzzy spaceships were overhead.  

These were lenticular clouds. They happen from time to time mostly over mountainous areas. They're some of the weirdest and most picturesque clouds you can get. 

To understand how these clouds form, think about a fast flowing river. You'll often see the water flow up and over a submerged rock, then there are waves downstream that sort of echo the wave that was over the rock. 

That's what's going on in the atmosphere. Air is flowing up and over a mountain, then you get those waves downstream. Those lenticular clouds you're seeing are the peak of the waves. When air rises to form the peak of the wave, moisture condenses and forms those smooth, rounded clouds. 

This, by the way, is a demonstration why meteorologists are basically physicists specializing in fluid dynamics. The air flows like a fluid, and acts that way. Meteorologists need to understand how these processes work to help that forecast the weather. 

Last Thursday, when these lenticular clouds appeared, winds from the southwest were flowing over the Adirondacks, and the subsequent waves appeared overhead in northwestern Vermont. 

Another view of lenticular clouds over South Burlington,
 Vermont last Thursday.

This made for a very pretty, unique sky, but these lenticular clouds weren't as spectacular as sometimes seen near larger mountains. 

Places like the fairly isolated volcanic peaks in the Cascades of Washington State produce some really wild lenticular clouds. Those can be multi-layered, almost resembling giant wedding cakes from outer space.  

In these areas, like the Cascades, people have actually called the authors because the lenticular clouds really do look like spaceships. People who didn't know any better have thought that's what they really were.  

Lenticular clouds certainly don't happen every day here in Vermont. So it is a treat when we do get them. So I certainly enjoyed last Thursday afternoon's skies. 

Video: Views of the lenticular clouds over northwestern Vermont on October 19. Click on this link to view the video, or, if you see the image below, click on that:

ASPERITAS SIGHTING

A few days later, this past Tuesday, we were treated to another fairly rare cloud called asperitas. It's an overcast with weird wave and sort of swirl patterns associated with it. 

Scientists aren't exactly 100 percent sure how they form. They're often near convective thunderstorms, but sometimes form in much calmer conditions.  The ones we had overhead in Vermont Tuesday came with no major weather.  There were sprinkles around, but certainly no heavy showers or storms. 

Asperitas clouds form over Georgia, Vermont Tuesday. 

The weather that we had Tuesday consisted of warm, moist air flowing from the Gulf of Mexico interacting with weak disturbances in the atmosphere. This has led to those small batches of light showers that have been coming through for the past few days. 

These clouds actually need a stable layer in the atmosphere where the air doesn't mix much. Small disturbances, like pebbles thrown into a pond, can jostle the air enough to create these clouds. 

Although asperitas is often associated with inclement weather, rain for some reason does not fall from these clouds, despite their unstable appearance. These clouds often look ominous, but no need to hide in the basement if you seem them. They don't harm anything. 

The asperitas clouds I saw Tuesday were not nearly as dramatic as they can get.  Sometimes, like some spotted over northern New Hampshire in April, can be incredibly wild. 

Video: A Garden Gets A Drink Of Water Before Another Long Dry Spell

Water beads on plant leaves after the last rain we had
on May 24 in St. Albans, Vermont. Video in this
post shows a garden and trees enjoying 
some gusty rain showers. 

 A quick hit this morning, just a video showing a grateful garden in St. Albans, Vermont getting a little drink of water from the sky this past Wednesday. 

It's been dry lately and getting drier. We got about a third of an inch of rain Wednesday, which isn't much, but we'll take anything we can get. 

Since Wednesday, the air has been bone dry with wall to wall sunshine. This state of affairs is pretty much expected to continue through Thursday at least. 

We have a shot of a few showers at the end of the week, but whatever comes does not look at all impressive, at least according to the latest forecasts. 

The gardens are getting pretty dusty, and I'm spending a lot of time on irrigation lately.  I guess that will continue all week with warm to hot temperatures and continued very low humidity. 

Eventually, it will rain again. There are hints in the long range forecasts of possible cooler, somewhat wetter weather in the second week of June. We'll see about that. 

Meanwhile, we can watch the video as sort of a rain dance for our Vermont gardens and farms. The rain and wind kind of made look like the trees and gardens were dancing. 

At the end, the sun comes back out for a quick evening visit. 

Click on this link to watch the video if you don't see the image below. Otherwise, click on the image below to watch: 

Gloomy Days Are Still Really Pretty In A Vermont Spring

Wet flowers and spring leaves in a rainy St. Albans,
Vermont garden on Sunday 

As forecast, Sunday was a washout in Vermont. 

A steady, soaking rain fell all day. We kind of needed it, as the middle of the month was so warm and dry. 

Of course, a rainy Sunday meant outdoor activities were pretty much not going to happen.  Or maybe they could, in a limited sense anyway. 

Unlike in, say, November or March, a rainy day when everything is sprouting for spring isn't all that gloomy. As you can see in a couple photos in this post and the video below, there are pops of color everywhere. 

I've intentionally planted a lot of perennials around my St. Albans, Vermont house that bloom early in spring. After a long winter, I need some green and some bright colors. This year is not disappointing. 

Emerging sugar maple leaves on a rainy Sunday in
St. Albans, Vermont. 

It's way ahead of schedule. Leaves are sprouting on most of the trees already.  You usually don't see that until we start getting into the second week in May. 

Sure, the poplars are early birds and spring to life at the end of April. But not the sugar maples and beeches. They're usually smart enough to wait until May. But not in this warm spring.

I got a good idea of how ahead we are this year when one of those "memories" posts came up on Facebook. 

 It showed my gardens on April 23, 2018.  My gardens are bigger now than they were then, but I still had a fair number of daffodils. 

But on this date in 2018, the shoots were barely out of the ground. There were no daffodil blossoms to be found. And the trees in the background of the photo were as leafless as they would be in January. 

As long as we don't get a hard freeze, I'm OK with this early spring.  Like I said, I need some life and nature around the house. 

Rainy day garden in St. Albans, Vermont. 

It does look like the pace of spring will slow down for awhile.  Remember, in one of yesterday's posts in this here blog thingy, I said that we're in for a long stretch of mostly cool, showery, weather. 

That remains true. Although we might get a bit of a break from the showers toward Friday and Saturday, there's no super warm air in the forecast for the foreseeable future. 

This cooler weather, and the more leisurely pace of spring, will let us savor the season all the more. 

Maybe the cooler weather will also postpone the black flies, which would be nice

I've got my video ready for you. Hope you like the rainy garden tour. 

Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

Video: April Heat Wave Pushes Spring Along - Fast!

Budding daffodils in St. Albans on April 13, the start of 
a record heat wave. Within two days, they were in full 
bloom as spring raced ahead in the warmth. 

 During the bout of record heat around my place in St. Albans, Vermont on April 13-16, I went out daily to document the jack rabbit fast progress of spring under those weather conditions.   

The change was dramatic, as you can see below in the videos I took during that spell of weather. I didn't necessarily shoot the same scenes each day. Some days I did, other days no. But you can see how the landscape changed.

Some of the trees ultimately leafed out by April 16, earlier than I've ever seen in Vermont before. And I've lived here all my life so far, 60 years to be exact

The video almost looks like four weeks went by instead of four days. 

Click on the image below to see the video. If you don't see the image, as some devices won't show it, click on this link to watch the video.  Talk about spring exploding in one fell swoop!

 

Weird, Stormy Vermont Day On Video

Pelting rains accompanied thunderstorms with 
temperatures in the 30s this past Wednesday
in St. Albans, Vermont 

 I made a big fuss on this past Wednesday's weird weather in northern Vermont.

It featured cold weather thunderstorms, bursts of heavy rain, local areas of freezing rain and sometimes strong, gusty winds. 

Of course I had to capture the relative drama on video, and that's below. at the bottom of this post.  

You can walk through my day that started with threatening clouds, then rain, then lightning and thunder, then downpours, an almost flood, and finally, gusty evening winds. 

The sound of the thunder was interesting, too. With a layer of very warm air just a few thousand feet overhead feeding the thunderstorms, and an inversion trapping low level cold air, it changed the sound of the thunder. 

Instead of a sharp clap, it just kind of rolled, and rolled and rolled.  Pretty eerie and cool sounding. 

The whole day was a classic example of strange Vermont weather. 

Here's the video. If you don't see the video below, click on this link. If you do see the image, click on that and enjoy a walk-through of an odd weather day.