Have we had ENOUGH rain yet??

[velodrome.co.nr]

hey velo - hows the snow going over your way? Saw on the news that England had a big dump of it.

more like a few inches, the country goes mad with the tiny snowflakes so it was nothing really
nice with it being christmas etc

[Lise]

Thinking of you gals (and your guys & gals) in California...NPR keeps me posted on the rain and flooding. My heart and thoughts are with you.

Lise

[caligurl]

i got rained on yesterday! when i got up to workout.. it was decent outside (well.. what i could tell with it still being dark!) then while i'm eating breakfast i keep hearing this rumbling... i thought it was trucks coming across they street (they are building a house... destoying my view ) finally i realize that's not trucks.. it's WIND! i was soooo bummed.. i'll ride in wind.. but these gusts were awful! then later after i got done eating my lunch i realized the gusts seemed to have stopped (but it was still a strong steady wind)... well... i got dressed and headed out on my bike! i started noticing the sky getting darker over by my house.. but blue sky (and a rainbow) where i was headed! niiiiiiiiiiice tail wind going up to my turn around point! then i had to turn around.... i was in my baby (granny) gear going DOWNHILL! and still only going 8-9 mph!

i got back across the highwy... turned right to get a few extra miles riding around the streets of the neighborhood.. and no sooner than i did that then it started raining.... not so bad it was cool and raining on my.. but it rained on ruby! i called hubby and he said it had been raining by our house for a while (i realized that as the streets were all wet!) dumb weather! but at least i got a ride in!

[SadieKate]

Whispering this in case I might jinx something, but the entire skyline out my west-facing office window is clear blue. I almost forgot what it looked like.

Got the lights charging at home. Night ride, here I come! Wonder how much of campus is still flooded?

Just something interesting . . .

The Sacramento Valley area is historically a giant seasonal flood plain flowing into a huge delta that is home to the world's farthest inland deep water port. West of Sacramento there is now an artifically controlled flood causeway with weirs that are opened to release water from the big rivers before they top their levees. "It's 40 miles long, nearly 10 miles wide in places, and covers roughly 59,000 acres." Just try to visualize how much water it takes to fill this thing in 24 hours. Well, it happened and there is quite a current flowing into the Delta, so there is continual outflow.

NY's Eve, they opened the weirs. In about 24 hours, the water rose from a few puddles to about 2 feet below the bridge deck. I wish I could find current photos for you all. Every morning I cross this long flat bridge (Interstate 80) over this awesome body of water. We have had massive damage in other areas of the state with incredible photos. Usually, we only see photos as rivers go over their banks and cause damage, but I find the causeway impressive because of its operation and how it protects us, not to mention the benefit it has been for fish and fowl. However, I have to say that if we get another storm with heavy rain and high winds, I'm staying home. The wind drives water across the bridge deck and the powers-that-be close the bridge. I could be stranded away from my puppydog as there only a few ways to get from Sacramento to Davis, and all require crossing the rivers or flood plains. Anyway, thought some of you might find this interesting.

http://www.watershedportal.org/news/news_html?ID=214

[Embellina]

Wow, I'm very impressed!

[yellow]

I wish I could find current photos for you all.

Welllll....you can't find sattelite prolly because of the big problems with LANDSAT 5 (FYI, most of the images of Katrina damage that we all saw were sattelite). This from the USGS website:

On November 26, 2005, the back-up solar array drive on Landsat 5 began exhibiting unusual behavior. The solar array drive maintains the proper pointing angle between the solar array and the sun. The rotation of the solar array drive became sporadic and the solar array was not able to provide the power needed to charge the batteries. Maintaining power to the batteries is critical to sustain proper operation of the spacecraft. The primary solar array drive failed under similar circumstances last January. As a result of this current situation, imaging operations will be suspended for at least the next two weeks or until attempts to solve the problem have been resolved.

Landsat 5, launched in March 1984, has performed far beyond its three-year design lifetime and has continued to collect global land surface coverage. Over 125,000 images, from the Chernobyl disaster to Hurricane Katrina, have proven invaluable for identifying the impact of natural and human-induced changes. Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 together provide full global coverage of the Earth’s surface every eight days.

[SadieKate]

Well, aren't you the sleuth! I should take some pictures myself. Looks like fairly clear weather for the next few days. Everyone can dry out of bit.

You Right Coast girls can go ahead and send some snow, but no rain. Okay?

[cindysue]

You Right Coast girls can go ahead and send some snow, but no rain. Okay?

Yes! Please, Please. I want it sunny for riding and snowy for skiing. Is that too much to ask?

[DeniseGoldberg]

You Right Coast girls can go ahead and send some snow, but no rain. Okay?

OK - you can have our snow. Do you think sending it by overnight delivery will work?

I want dry roads!

--- Denise