Category Archives: Weather

Storm Coming to Oklahoma

We have our first storm of the winter coming. On Ground Hogs Day! Here in Oklahoma we panic at the first thought of ice and snow. Everybody hits the grocery stores for bread and milk.

This is from my backyard weather station. It is remarkable that you can tell to the minute when the front hit. At 8:05 PM last night. The temperature and the humidity dropped like a rock. It is supposed to be sporadic rain/sleet/snow until this evening and then the snow will hit. Our weathercasters live for this stuff. The storm chasers are out and about in their cars driving on the ice, looking for stop signs with icicles flags blowing in the wind. Yep, weather is a major spectator sport in Oklahoma.

Winter Came, Again

It has been cold lately and we got a brief respite on Wednesday. It got up to 60F. Thursday morning though started out nice and then the front came through.

You can see from the temperature and windspeed graph above exactly when the front hit.

Oh well, I guess it is winter!!

Walking The Sunny Beaches of Tulsa

I bet you didn’t know that Tulsa had nice sandy beaches did you? Well, we may not have beaches like this one in Orange Beach, Alabama but it is going to get close to 60F today so a lot of people are going to feel like it is a beach day.

Thank Goodness for Australia is all I say. The Australian bloggers showing the nice warm weather they have down there this time of year is about the only thing that keeps me going.

I know why snowbirds are the way they are.

So, when you think beaches does the word Tulsa pop into your mind?

Yeah, me neither.

At least we haven’t had this so far this Winter

Skywatch Friday – south Tulsa

Oklahoma sure has some beautiful skies this time of year. No wall clouds here so its okay. We in tornade alley know all about wall clouds, echo hooks, supercells, squall lines, rain shrouds, microbursts, wind shear, and the difference between a tornado warning and a tornado watch as well as all sorts of other atmospheric physics. This night we could just enjoy the rose colored sunset.

Plus most of us marvel at the stupidity of the storm chasers.

When things go wrong I sympathize with their loved ones and friends who are left behind.

Skywatch Friday

I’m Running for President!!

It has been a crazy winter. Snow, cold, ice, then great warming up weather and then repeat. Whazzup with all that?

Just last week I found this Jeep who for some reason parked on the last snowbank left in Tulsa. The driver is probably from Minnesota and wanted to feel at home. Or it might have been the last parking spot in the lot. Who knows?

The trees are about to bud out. What’s keeping them? Do we have another snow storm coming?

I’m finished with my face for a while. I texted Heather last week that my face was pealing off onto my desk at work. The divot the doctor left on my forehead is healing nicely and all the pealing from the Picato is about done. Do you know what this stuff costs? One box via a Canadian online pharmacy is almost $800. With my insurance the cost was about $135. My doctor gave me a coupon. It took me a half hour to activate the dang coupon while sitting in the pharmacy but it was worth it. The cost is $25 a box with the coupon. That is one hell of a coupon is what I say! We don’t need no stinking Affordable Healthcare Act, we just need great coupons! But we should also remember that Experienced Colorado Healthcare Lawyer has said that in recent days people should be aware of coupons as they are made with evil intent like cheating and forgery. I’m running for President on the coupon platform. Can I count on your support?

Have you run across any good coupons lately?

Skywatch Friday – Winter is on its Way

It was just a couple weeks ago that the temps were still warm and toasty and the grass was green. Things have changed since, the temps have dropped considerably,and tomorrow we are going our first cold blast. We expect to to get a wintry mix here in Tulsa and of course we are a panicky bunch so the milk and bread is all gone from the grocery stores along with the snow shovels.

Unfortunately we are not so careful driving on snow and ice. I mean why should we slow down or leave early. So we drive the same speeds and the body shops are going to make a fortune working on the cars for months to come.

I don’t think that tomorrow it is going to be like February 2011 as show above. That’s Chrissy, our big cranky Maine Coon who really doesn’t like being rousted from her nap for a snowy photo shoot in the back yard. As you can tell she was telling me about it. You can also see that her claws her out on her back feet. I’m wearing a canvas jacket and leather gloves and had so she was a little frustrated. She likes to see blood when she gets mad.

Me, I don’t worry about the weather too much unless it involves tornadoes, then I worry a lot. I don’t worry about cold and snow. Our neighbors to the north have a lot more snow and a lot colder temperatures than we do and they do fine.

Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday – Oklahomans and Our Sky

The Moore tornado has thrown me for a loop this week. I apologize I just hadn’t felt like posting or visiting other blogs. I have been glued to twitter and facebook and news sites reading about the tornado and its aftermath. CNN.COM has an essay by Oklahoma Today Editor Nathan Gunter that really spoke to me. He writes about the relationship between Okies and the sky.

“Oklahomans have a special relationship with the sky. We know how to look up. On the prairies of western Oklahoma, the skies are so big, and so full, it is easy to feel you may begin to fall upward, or even fly. To live underneath this unbroken expanse of heaven can be at once inspiring and terrifying.”

“Our identity is in softly rolling prairies giving way to forested hills, in long stretches of horizon that make you feel like you could see almost to eternity, and in big skies stretched tight above it all. We have learned to watch those skies — for blessings, for rain, for sunshine, for wind and for signs of danger.”

“Green-tinted clouds are never a good sign; a hook echo on a radar — the telltale swirl at the edge of a storm pattern indicating strong rotation — means take cover.”

“In Moore, it began almost as soon as the tornado touched down. Teachers at Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementary schools threw their bodies over their students to protect them from debris. Survivors flooded the streets helping to dig their neighbors out from under collapsed homes. Trucks filled with supplies raced to the scene.

We help. That is how we begin. It’s what we know how to do. Word just came from Red Cross Oklahoma that Oklahoma City Thunder star forward Kevin Durant has donated $1 million to disaster relief efforts; Devon Energy, headquartered in Oklahoma City, donated $2.5 million. Thousands more from all over the country have donated what they can.”

“For Okies, this is what home is about.”

I can’t really add anything else.

Skywatch Friday

Moore, Oklahoma Tornado

(Back side of storm system that developed into the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011, 158 killed)

We have had some bad weather today in Oklahoma. A huge tornado went right through Moore, Oklahoma and as I write this post, there have been 51 confirmed deaths, including 21 children, and a large number of people unaccounted including 24 in an elementary school.

(Canadian County, Oklahoma – aftermath of tornado of May 24, 2011 – 6 killed)

We get a little antsy here in Oklahoma when the weather is warm and humid here in Oklahoma and the winds get a little swirly. There is too much energy in the air. The storms seem to in west Texas in the heat of the afternoon and set out in a roughly northeast direction across Oklahoma. The television stations go nuts with their storm radars and cameras and their weather chasers. It’s all very anxiety producing.

(Weatherchaser car, 2012 Chickasha, Oklahoma)

To some it seems to be a sport and lots of fun. I even read reports of tourists paying to ride with tornado chasers. I think they are nuts.

(More Canadian County, Oklahoma tornado aftermath)

We clear out our saferoom and hope and pray for the best. Most of the time nothing happens and we bitch about missing the playoff game, or the last holes of the golf tournament although we are not too serious about it.

(Leedey Tornado Monument, May 31, 1947, seven killed)

Today though, we are not complaining about anything. We are shocked by the loss of life, especially that of children, and hope and pray that that twenty four unaccounted for children at Plaza Towers elementary school made it home.

Punxsutawney Phyllis

You have probably heard the news by now from Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania.

(from groundhog.org)

With all due respect to phat Phil in Pennsylvania we have our own weather seer right here in Oklahoma. Her name is Punxsutawney Phyllis. Phyllis has her own report.

Here she was whispering to me that she sees her own shadow.

Then she wanted to get back in by the fire. Now.

There you have it folks. Here in Oklahoma we have a lot of winter ahead of us, according to Phyllis. Do you want to argue with her about it? I wouldn’t if I were you.

Snowklahoma is OK

I am not sure where this started. I saw it first on Facebook from blog friend Terry of Coffee with Clark and when I googled it I saw it here. So I hope that I’m not stepping any toes but here goes.

SNOW…klahoma

Where the cold front’s sweepin’ down the plain

And the piles of sleet, beneath your feet

Follow right behind the freezing rain.

SNOW…klahoma

Ev’ry night my honey lamb and I

Travel home from work and hope some jerk

Doesn’t wreck our car in passing by!

We know we belong to the land

But it could use some more salt and more sand

That’s why we say…WHOA!

We’re the sliding the other way…YIKES!

We’re only sayin’

You’re slick as snot SNOWklahoma

SNOWklahoma

SNOW-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

SNOWklahoma, SNOW-K!

Of course it is hard to get sympathy in my family. Except for brother Bob who now resides in Corpus Christi, Texas I am the southernmost member of my family, by a long shot.

Have you ever seen more worthless cats than ours? Let me know.

YogisDen.us

Welcome to my world