Southeast, Texas Under the Gun Tonight....

[jasons2k]

Yeah, it's looking better for us now. That outflow line that was forming earlier was moving through so fast (almost to Huntsville now), we didn't have time to sufficiently recover. If it had held off for a few more hours, this late PM would have been pretty bad.

[jasons2k]

That AFD from this afternoon is quite a bit different than this morning's. It doesn't mention the shear axis or anything else for this weekend. Interesting....

[southerngale]

The storms over here now are small and scattered. I can hear thunder right now, but it's not raining. I do wonder if and when I'll see the sun again....it's been many days. What color is it again?

[Yankeegirl]

The sun has been out here on and off all day... just a reminder, the sun is a bright yellow-orange-ish color, you will know it when ya see it!

[Extremeweatherguy]

That AFD from this afternoon is quite a bit different than this morning's. It doesn't mention the shear axis or anything else for this weekend. Interesting....

yeah, but those AFD's seem to change all the time. I am sure it will be mentioned again tomorrow morning.

[jabman98]

I'm supposed to be doing something outside tomorrow on the southwest-ish side of Houston. Do you think I'll need to bring a raincoat?

[jasons2k]

I'm supposed to be doing something outside tomorrow on the southwest-ish side of Houston. Do you think I'll need to bring a raincoat?

Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared.

[Starburst]

Well looks as if it skipped right over us, we got a small sprinkle early this A.M. have not read any discussions but looks like it has fizzled out and kind of glad was not looking forward to 10 inches of rain.

[stormtruth]

It will probably happen again soon. There's always the fear of a five to ten inch rain in the dangerous Houston Troploplex. The persistent threat of these kinds of rain storms means Allison was probably at least an every 10 year storm -- certainly not a 500 year storm as some Mets have said.

[vbhoutex]

It will probably happen again soon. There's always the fear of a five to ten inch rain in the dangerous Houston Troploplex. The persistent threat of these kinds of rain storms means Allison was probably at least an every 10 year storm -- certainly not a 500 year storm as some Mets have said.

Based on what? Your own desires to put down Houston every chance you get? The mets don't just make up the numbers. They are based on years of historical data, unlike your posts. Your constant harping on Houston and how dangerous it is has gotten VERY OLD and needs to stop. If you can't add something of substance don't add anything.

[stormtruth]

It will probably happen again soon. There's always the fear of a five to ten inch rain in the dangerous Houston Troploplex. The persistent threat of these kinds of rain storms means Allison was probably at least an every 10 year storm -- certainly not a 500 year storm as some Mets have said.

Based on what? Your own desires to put down Houston every chance you get? The mets don't just make up the numbers. They are based on years of historical data, unlike your posts. Your constant harping on Houston and how dangerous it is has gotten VERY OLD and needs to stop. If you can't add something of substance don't add anything.

Well it has been dangerous lately. Allison and floods from thunderstorms are one example. The other example is that the Galveston/Houston area can not even evacuate without having 50-100 people die from traffic accidents and heat strokes as they get stuck in massive traffic jams trying to leave the city. And how lucky was Houston that Rita missed? It is completely unrealistic to say Houston is a safe place to live based on just the past few years. Not to mention the strange new diseases appearing in South Texas new disease But if you think it so safe well then goody for you. But I'd at least get flood insurance. Many people kept saying New Orleans was safe as well.

[Stratosphere747]

You have actually become a bit comical with your constant remarks of the cataclysmic effects of residing in the Houston area....

Still trying to figure out the angle of the "new disease" and how it relates to Houston. Maybe it is due to Houston having some of the worlds worst medical and research facilities....

Staying a bit on topic, Houston will no doubt flood again. Geographically and topographically it is inevitable.

[Extremeweatherguy]

That disease has nothing to do with Houston, and according to the site at the bottom of the link posted, it has been reported in most of the world. Either way though, that disease looks quite scary! lesions with fibers and a crawling sensation? freakish.

[stormtruth]

The article said South Texas but it does look like that was misleading looking at that scary website. However, there is a cluster right over Houston. http://www.morgellons.org/morgmap.html

[GalvestonDuck]

If you can't add something of substance don't add anything.

Well it has been dangerous lately. Allison and floods from thunderstorms are one example. The other example is that the Galveston/Houston area can not even evacuate without having 50-100 people die from traffic accidents and heat strokes as they get stuck in massive traffic jams trying to leave the city. And how lucky was Houston that Rita missed? It is completely unrealistic to say Houston is a safe place to live based on just the past few years. Not to mention the strange new diseases appearing in South Texas new disease But if you think it so safe well then goody for you. But I'd at least get flood insurance. Many people kept saying New Orleans was safe as well.

Yeah, goody for us. If ya don't like Texas, there's 49 other places that might love to have you. Wanna try Arizona? California? Florida? New York? Iowa? I guarantee...wherever you go, there will be some kind of threat.

And honestly, if you don't live in this area and were not part of the evacuation, then what of it? We know...believe me, we know. It wasn't pretty...but we knew we needed to evacuate and we got the heck outta Dodge. And given the fact that there were three million people who evacuated (including many who had come to us from NOLA to escape Katrina), I'd say 100 deaths is bad, but still an amazingly small number. It could have been much worse. Furthermore, twenty-three of those deaths were the result of a faulty brake line on a bus and the resulting explosion. Also, a handful more were not evacuation deaths, but deaths during Rita (electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning).

And just what the heck does Morgellon's disease have to do with anything? It's an uncommon disease, possibly related to Lyme disease, somewhat treatable, and as far as I can tell, not fatal. There are far worse diseases you could be concerned about all over the US, not just confined to "South Texas" -- cancer, diabetes, COPD, the flu.

Hmmm...look at this. I have an itchy, crawly sensation on my arm. Could it be Morgellon's???? Should I worry?? *smack* Nope. Just a mosquito.

[stormtruth]

Yeah, goody for us. If ya don't like Texas, there's 49 other places that might love to have you. Wanna try Arizona? California? Florida? New York? Iowa? I guarantee...wherever you go, there will be some kind of threat.

And honestly, if you don't live in this area and were not part of the evacuation, then what of it? We know...believe me, we know. It wasn't pretty...but we knew we needed to evacuate and we got the heck outta Dodge. And given the fact that there were three million people who evacuated (including many who had come to us from NOLA to escape Katrina), I'd say 100 deaths is bad, but still an amazingly small number. It could have been much worse. Furthermore, twenty-three of those deaths were the result of a faulty brake line on a bus and the resulting explosion. Also, a handful more were not evacuation deaths, but deaths during Rita (electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning).

That's true. There are threats everywhere. Maybe the next evacuation will go more smoothly.

And just what the heck does Morgellon's disease have to do with anything? It's an uncommon disease, possibly related to Lyme disease, somewhat treatable, and as far as I can tell, not fatal. There are far worse diseases you could be concerned about all over the US, not just confined to "South Texas" -- cancer, diabetes, COPD, the flu.

Hmmm...look at this. I have an itchy, crawly sensation on my arm. Could it be Morgellon's???? Should I worry?? *smack* Nope. Just a mosquito.

LOL Speaking of mosquitos you do have to watch out for West Nile Virus in South Texas -- although this is nationwide problem. But Houston seems especially concerned If you see any dead bird you can report them here -> http://www.harriscountyhealth.com/hcmos ... /birds.htm

The Texas Dead Bird Surveillance Program for WNv relies on citizens to report dead birds seen around their property or elsewhere to their local health department or Texas Department of State Health Services. Harris County residents are strongly encouraged to report dead birds. Wild birds may carry diseases that are contagious to humans. Therefore, only by using appropriate precautions should people handle sick, injured, or dead wildlife.

Strongly encouraged

[jasons2k]

LOL Speaking of mosquitos you do have to watch out for West Nile Virus in South Texas -- although this is nationwide problem. But Houston seems especially concerned If you see any dead bird you can report them here -> http://www.harriscountyhealth.com/hcmos ... /birds.htm

Ever think why???

I'll tell you, as a Houston area resident.

Houston is very proactive at identifying threats and then reacting to them.

Just a few examples...

Galveston was the first barrier island to construct a large seawall to provide extra protection against storm surge.

After Allison, a massive effort has been underway to improve water capacity of the bayous and water retention facilities. As Judge Eckels pointed out - with the rain we've had the last few days - thousands of homes that otherwise would have flooded, didn't, due to new flood control measures. And the effort is ongoing.

The highway infrastructure continues to be overhauled. Programs like Safeclear and aggressive monitoring by TransStar translates to much more efficient traffic flow when compared to other cities with the same lane capacity and traffic volume.

The manner in which the city mobilized after Katrina to handle to influx of refugees was almost textbook. At the Astrodome, Greta Van Susteren on Fox said Houston was "the most efficient city she has ever been to."

When crime spiked in two concentrated areas of town after the evacuation, a task force was created to deal with the issue and a mobile command center was put in place, locally, to crack-down on the crime in those areas.

We have the largest and finest medical complex on the planet.

A few weeks ago at the hurricane conference, Mayor Bill White said after learning the lessons from Katrina and Rita, that we are "more prepared than any other US city for such a disaster".

Anyway, not that it matters - because us Houstonians know firsthand the merits of why this is a great palce to live - but in all this you are silent about your own community and how "prepared" it is to deal with disasters - both natural and unnatural.

If you think you are immune, you are surely naive.

[GalvestonDuck]

LOL Speaking of mosquitos you do have to watch out for West Nile Virus in South Texas -- although this is nationwide problem. But Houston seems especially concerned If you see any dead bird you can report them here -> http://www.harriscountyhealth.com/hcmos ... /birds.htm

Ever think why???

I'll tell you, as a Houston area resident.

Houston is very proactive at identifying threats and then reacting to them.

Just a few examples...

Galveston was the first barrier island to construct a large seawall to provide extra protection against storm surge.

After Allison, a massive effort has been underway to improve water capacity of the bayous and water retention facilities. As Judge Eckels pointed out - with the rain we've had the last few days - thousands of homes that otherwise would have flooded, didn't, due to new flood control measures. And the effort is ongoing.

The highway infrastructure continues to be overhauled. Programs like Safeclear and aggressive monitoring by TransStar translates to much more efficient traffic flow when compared to other cities with the same lane capacity and traffic volume.

The manner in which the city mobilized after Katrina to handle to influx of refugees was almost textbook. At the Astrodome, Greta Van Susteren on Fox said Houston was "the most efficient city she has ever been to."

When crime spiked in two concentrated areas of town after the evacuation, a task force was created to deal with the issue and a mobile command center was put in place, locally, to crack-down on the crime in those areas.

We have the largest and finest medical complex on the planet.

A few weeks ago at the hurricane conference, Mayor Bill White said after learning the lessons from Katrina and Rita, that we are "more prepared than any other US city for such a disaster".

Anyway, not that it matters - because us Houstonians know firsthand the merits of why this is a great palce to live - but in all this you are silent about your own community and how "prepared" it is to deal with disasters - both natural and unnatural.

If you think you are immune, you are surely naive.

Well said!

[Johnny]

It looks like we will have some decent coverage today with an active seabreeze.


AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
958 AM CDT WED JUN 21 2006

.DISCUSSION...WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGES INDICATED A 500MB LOW
(THE SAME LOW THAT BROUGHT HEAVY RAINFALL THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS)
ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS THIS MORNING.
MOST OF THE CONVECTION WITH THIS FEATURE IS TO THE WEST AND
SOUTHWEST OF THE CWA WITH SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE WESTERN
GULF OF MEXICO MOVING INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE CWA.
WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ABOVE AN INCH AND A HALF ACROSS
SOUTHEAST TX...BELIEVE CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AS
DIURNAL HEATING INCREASES THE SURFACE INSTABILITY AND THE 500MB
LOW TO THE SOUTHWEST DRAWS ADDITIONAL MOISTURE OVER THE WESTERN
GULF INTO SOUTH AND CENTRAL TX. IN ADDITION...AFTERNOON SEABREEZE
WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE SO WILL GO AHEAD
AND RAISE POPS SLIGHTLY TODAY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA. 32

[southerngale]

I hope it's over. We're drenched over here after all the rain the past 4 days. Time for some drying out time, so we can mow that grass and clean up those yards. I still find it amazing that we went from major drought to major surplus in a few short weeks. That's Southeast Texas weather for ya!

Actually, you're airport is still showing a 9" rainfall deficit for the year even after all that rain. We have a nearly 12" deficit here in Lafayette. Just goes to show you how extremely dry this year has been aside from the few heavy rain events. The drought is certainly not over but you can't make up all of that deficit in a few days either because flooding will occur.

Then maybe the airport has a deficit or it's an error, but the drought here is over. I remember hearing our deficit at x amount of inches and we wiped that out with the flooding that occurred around Memorial Day. One night and it was gone, so I really don't understand why the airport shows that. We have received A LOT of rain in the past month, with 2 storm systems. The first one around Memorial Day or the first of June (I'd have to look back for which day/night all the flooding occurred) and the last one this past weekend into Monday and this morning, where the whole area received a lot of rain, some of the area flooding badly.

You've got me curious now...I'll have to ask Greg (greg_kfdm_tv here) about it. Btw, he's personally received 26" of rain since Memorial Day, plus anything else he may have received last night and this morning.

Hey PT, I asked Greg about it. Well, it wasn't an error at the airport, but still nobody here would consider us in a drought. Rice farmers are having problems with all the standing water. I think the airport is the only place that hasn't received copious rainfall. So technically, you are right, but they can use sprinklers at the airport. The rest of us need a break from rain!

Here's my post to him and his response:

Hey Greg,
I was on Storm2k talking about how we went from drought to surplus in about a month's time and someone from Lafayette pointed out that the airport here still showed us with a 9" deficit. I could have sworn we wiped that out around Memorial Day and then the last several days of rain should have just increased our surplus. I know we all didn't get 16"+ like Groves, but most of the area has received a lot of rain on and off since Friday or Saturday. I know the airport is the official reporting station so our records come from there, but is it really possible they've received that much less rain than the rest of us? :?

The reading from the airport is correct. However, that particular spot is certainly the exception. Most areas are at normal for the year now.

By the way, at my home north of Winnie, I have recorded about the same amount of rain since Memorial Day that the airport has had all year long...26 inches

Also, just remember, no one lives at the airport so their readings are just for "official" purposes. I would much rather know how much rain falls where the people live.

Just a reminder to everyone: Don't forget to check the Announcements forum often.