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Post by loverofbeers on Sept 25, 2011 18:12:02 GMT -5
The fire appears contained, everybody is good.
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Post by loverofbeers on Sept 27, 2011 18:33:03 GMT -5
Sunday saw seventeen fires start in the area including a few spots reigniting in Bastrop, and the fire in Southwest Austin by my brother's house.
Bastrop fire week three. 98% contained, 16,000 houses burned, 2 human deaths, $250,000 in damage, and 34,000 acres caught on fire. The most expensive fire in Texas history. Another record breaks.
Lake Travis is at is third most empty ever, a dozen feet or so to go and we break that scary record. Crought will continue into the fall or spring. We will soon (Spring 2012) see rice farmers in the Hill Country losing their livlihoods, as water will no longer be diverted to their fields. More economic damage is coming in the next few years.....
Today was another triple digit day. Tomorrow or Thursday will be the LAST 100 degree day this year. Today was day 87. We have cloudy skies and cloud to ground lightning storms WITHOUT any rain happening right now. Sounds like another perfect storm for fires.
Edit.
The lightning started three small fire including one that destroyed the set for "The Alamo" movie from a few years back. Not bad news I suppose.
It rained 0.02 inches today. Yay.
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Post by loverofbeers on Sept 29, 2011 1:02:06 GMT -5
Today, September 29, 2011, will be the FINAL triple digit day this year. That is 89 days, shattering the holy hell out of the our previous record, 69 days.
Just opened a second Red Stripe. I am toasting to hoping that 2012 is a El Nino year, but it is not expected to be, so the drought should continue until at the very least until next spring. At the least.
A toast to rain, bring yourself!
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Post by loverofbeers on Sept 29, 2011 23:16:33 GMT -5
I got my math wrong. Today was day 90.
Summer ended at about four o'clock today, and fall started, at least in my view. One out of every four days this year was a triple digit day. A real cold front rolled in late this afternoon. It's going to be in the 80s (and 90s) finally. Now we need many rainstorms. Not going to rain for over a week starting two hours ago.
Tomorrow will be extremely windy, and another red-flag burn-warn day. Guaranteed that more of Texas burns tomorrow.
It rained for thirty minutes, and not hard on my part of town. We have seen less than one inch of rain in half a year.
Bohemia from Mejico is delicioso! Been drinking it since 1991, and still love it, even though it is a "yella beer". Cheers to rain on my dead lawn! Hey, most lawns have been dead for months. The City of Austin is paying people to let their lawns die and replant with buffalo grass and other hearty native grasses. What a year. Beer is good.
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Post by loverofbeers on Oct 3, 2011 1:03:32 GMT -5
The Bastrop fire started a month ago. It is still 98 percent contained and flare-ups and new mini-grass fires continue to start up and are expected to continue for possibly the next month if not longer. No rain since that tease last week with the cloud to ground lightning strikes everywhere. Small chance of rain next weekend.
When it has "rained" lately, people smile like Hindi cows. People eating outside, stay in the rain and keep eating and are happy that their drinks are being rained into, alcohol levels be damned. I hate to be rained on, but I ventured out when it sprinkled and opened my back door. The last time it really rained (half a year ago) I was soggy and miserable. I can't wait to be soggy and ecstatic.
Rain and a good Hill Country beer makes life more tolerable. It's Real Ale Oktoberfest at the moment, so Cheers Sinners!
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Post by loverofbeers on Oct 4, 2011 4:11:08 GMT -5
Another unthinkable record was broken, a huge one.
September 30, 2010 to October 1, 2011, has been the driest one year period in the recorded history of Texas. That means we saw less rain in the last 365 days than at any time period since the 1800s. Going back to the days of Santa Anna and the Alamo at the least. That is some fucked up shit right there.
Plus we had the hottest day ever in Austin history this summer.
Plus we saw the largest fire in Texas history start a month ago, and it is still burning.
Plus we saw the hottest summer (soon to be year) that any American state has ever recorded, ever.
Plus we are 14 feet from seeing our local "lake" hit it's most empty state in recorded history. Next month that record breaks.
To me this is horror.
I just want to take my dogs down to the creek for a swim and have a beer and a puff.
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Post by loverofbeers on Oct 4, 2011 18:07:41 GMT -5
"I think it's Hell". A seasoned (senior) citizen just said that about Bastrop today. A new fire erupted this afternoon and it has grown to 800 acres. The fire is a month old and ready to go at it again.
I guess 34,000 acres wasn't enough to take away from that community. This year keeps kicking us in our asses, again and again. Will it rain as forecasted this weekend? At this rate, I doubt it. I ain't holding my breath.
Update. 900 acres, a change of 100 acres in 20 minutes.
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Post by loverofbeers on Oct 6, 2011 1:46:12 GMT -5
The "news" that I already knew, that is being reported is that the drought HAS to continue until spring. After that it is a 20% chance that we will see a 5 year El Nina drought.
My only question, is the 5 year period starting at this point, or do we count the last few years? My realistic fear is that we are at year 2 or 2 1/2 of 5. Worst than the mid-1920s, but similar.
A natural pattern, or is Texas another canary in the coal mine of global weather pattern changes. Guess we get to be the eye-witnesses to what is or is not coming our way.
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Post by loverofbeers on Oct 8, 2011 1:44:29 GMT -5
If you asked a thousand people in Austin if it rained today, 990 would say no. It rained on my house again for fifteen minutes. Three miles away at my job, not one drop.
Tomorrow we will see some rain. Sunday there is a 50% chance of rain over Austin, our best forecast since maybe April or March. The weatherman two nights ago couldn't remember when was the last month we had a rain storm.
We still have seen less than 3/4 of an inch of rain in half a year. Bring the freakin' rain already, this crap got old. My dogs need to swim at least once in 2011. Total bullshit.
Update. The wind just blew by my house for a few seconds. My smile is beaming. Here comes my rain! Maybe it will take a while, but I know my weather signs. We're only going to get half an inch this weekend, but my smile is huge! Storms, come to us! Rain on my shaved noggin!
Like always, the Hillcountry's Real Ale Fireman's #4 is delicious, but honestly too light for my usual fare. Cheers Heathens! The (tiny) storm comes my way!
Hey Maple, twice tonight I drank 12 oz. of beer at work (toasting my favorite custies) in less than twelve seconds. My challenge will be tardy, but it will be here sooner or later! Cheers!
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Post by loverofbeers on Oct 9, 2011 5:08:00 GMT -5
Rain sounds woke me up.
It's incredible to me that it finally is really raining, not misting or sprinkling. Has it been six months since our last rain storm? And I just saw lightning. My backdoor is wide open. This is great. Rain that lasts more than ten minutes. Amazing. It's the little things.....
My Sunday plans are out the window, but rain, don't go away!
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Post by loverofbeers on Oct 11, 2011 13:06:32 GMT -5
It took five weeks, but the Bastrop fire is out. Fire risks will continue for at least the next few months.
That rain was glorious. It started raining at five in the morning, so I skipped going to good old Gus Fruh and falling of the side of a cliff in the dark. We need more rain, but things are looking dry again.
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