Friday, April 07, 2006
Weekend Wetness Watch
A. Camden Walker @ 4:45 AM
Forecast: Muggy Sprinkles
Our high temp today will be in the neighborhood of 74 degrees! But don't get too excited, a sprinkle or two (50% chance) may add to the morning overcast dreariness. A warm front will push through after noon, hoist temperatures out of the 50s, and allow for some sun to peek through!
Tonight shouldn't dip below 60 degrees in most spots. SSW winds will be blowing at a steady fetch ahead of the cold front moving through around sunrise. Skies will also remain overcast plus RAIN may fill up rain gauges over 0.5" as the cold front rumbles up a few thunderstorms and heavy showers!
Surface Conditions map courtesy of The Weather Channel; *CLICK* FOR LATEST MAP
Saturday & Sunday:
Saturday morning will be raw & overcast. The cold airmass will be in place, however the front itself will not clear us out. Overcast skies will persist with some light rain periods, YUCK! Your wake-up temperature (around 8am) should be in the lower 50s, and slowly dropping throughout the dreary day. This trend may stall if we get a peek of sunshine by late afternoon, we might make a run at 60, before temps drop sharply after sunset--under persistent NNE breezes.
Sunday will start off chilly, in the mid-30s. However, while having nearly the same high temperature of Saturday, this day will feature SUNNY SKIES! Northwesterly breezes will finally dry us out, but watch out for a "breezy, cool" 60 degree high. At least you can leave your umbrella at home and break out the sunglasses!
Kevin Ambrose photographs blossoms in Vienna, VA
The Weather Channel's "It Could Happen Tomorrow" (San Francisco)
What impressed me right off the bat with this new episode of "It Could Happen Tomorrow" was that serious historical research went into this plausible earthquake scenario. Overall, the hype surrounding previous Tsunami or Hurricane-type episodes from The Weather Channel had based little on reality, but rather on worst-case scenario sensationalism. However, in 1906, the worst-case earthquake scenario really did happen to San Francisco. And the first 11 minutes of the episode contains quite striking readings of 1906 police reports, read by current San Francisco police officers--the carnage & chaos that destroyed 500 city blocks, killed over 3000 people, and caused 100,000 people to live in tent cities was a true cataclysm 100 years ago (on April 17).Earthquake research blossomed due to this catastrophe. However, the architectural and disaster planning benefits San Francisco yielded do not leave San Francisco invulnerable. This The Weather Channel segment states from the sometimes FEMA-sounding pedestal, that preparedness relies on the individual and not the government during the first 72 hours (during which Marshall Law will likely be declared) of what would be the country's worst natural disaster ever--topping $20 billion. Some very crude CGI pictures were rendered to illustrate San Francisco's peril after a modeled 8.0 quake hits the Bay Area and then ignites fires.
It isn't pretty, but I don't think anyone expects that it would be. The Golden Gate or downtown San Francisco under a shroud of smoke isn't really necessary. But at least the second and third segments hyping the potentiality of a 2006 disaster scenario & purported public apathy are much shorter than the stellar 11 minute retrospective of 1906.
If you are near your TV this coming Sunday night at 9:30pm, turn it to The Weather Channel and gain a little insight about the earthquake mindset of the Bay Area, and perhaps the entire "left coast" in general. You will see how, historically, preparedness is important but even those who were unaware of "tectonics" or "liquefaction" picked up the pieces and allowed a post-disaster city to grow by 10-times in the subsequent 100 years!
The Weather Channel & Erica McDonald graciously allowed me to screen this episode.
Additionally: Check BackFence.com for outdoor (and indoor!) activities this weekend.
Comments are closed for this archived entry | Link | 
Email this post
Email this post
