Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘weather’

Most Mystical Incarnation

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on November 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I have a thing about fog.

Waking to a day where the view is swathed in white, neighbors fading into the background while rooftops peek above a hidden world. Sight is no longer quite as reliable. Sound is dampened, too. A car appears suddenly, and is then gone, the engine’s rumble muted and distant.

Depending on the mood, the lack of visibility can be threatening, but I tend to see it as an embrace. Wisps of moisture flow past tree limbs and flagpoles, porch steps and windshields. On days like today, those wisps extend, discover, then freeze in place. When the fog lifts, trees are covered in a shimmer of white. Magic made real.

As one writer put it, fog is water in its most mystical incarnation.

I call it a delight.

“And the fog. The purple fog, blue fog and white fog. Film noir fog. How I love the sheer romance of it; disorientating, dominating, concealing and revealing.”

― Caroline Eden, Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels

* * *

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Snow Squared

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , on February 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Tonight’s full moon is called the Snow Moon. How appropriate, as we are about to get hit with what people are calling Snowmageddon 2025.

How to see tonight’s full Snow Moon rise with the ‘Heart of the Lion’ before Valentine’s Day

The moon will be officially full at 8:53 a.m. EST on Wednesday (Feb. 12) and will be best seen at dusk at the moment of moonrise where you are. It will be in the constellation Leo, hanging above the bright star Regulus. 

And since we’re talking storms, if you’ve ever wondered why some bring snow while others bring sleet or freezing rain, check this out: Severe Weather 101: Winter Weather Types.

We may not be able to see the moon tonight, if the storm is as dramatic as predicted, but it’s nice to know it’s up there!

* * *

Photo by Ian Nicole Reambonanza on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Looking Forward to More

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on November 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Today marks our very first flecks of snow, quite small and not anywhere near accumulating, but snow nonetheless.

According to Extreme Weather Watch: The earliest in the season it has snowed in Ottawa, Ontario is October 8 which happened in 1979.

Noted here for posterity.

* * *

Photo by Annie Niemaszyk on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Is There a Word for This?

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , on October 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Is there a word like interregnum (“between two reigns”) that means “between two storms”?

If there is, I don’t know it, so for now I’m going with “intertempestas.” I’m also hoping that as Hurricane Helene recedes into the past and Milton looms in the future, the good people of Florida stay safe and recovery across the Southeast goes well.

Milton: The latest local update from the NPR Network

Extreme weather 101: Your guide to staying prepared and informed

Hurricane Helene: Where to donate money for relief efforts

* * *

Photo by Quick PS on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Para Sol

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Millions are under extreme heat warnings today as we begin a multi-day heat event, myself included. Because climate!

Public health officers across the continent are speaking out, hoping to keep people safe. A lot of outlets have dramatic headlines about this heat wave, and rightfully so. Here’s one from my locale:

Ottawa Public Health prepares for ‘life-threatening’ heat event

If you are young, old, pregnant or on diuretics, be extra careful. If you have air conditioning, you’ll probably definitely need to use it. If you do not have air conditioning or a temperature-controlled cave / subterranean lair, it makes sense to find a place to cool down.

Options: Head to a library, mall, museum, pool, rec center or coffee shop. A lot of cities have their own cooling center maps (here’s Ottawa’s, and New York’s and Austin’s, for example). You can also search for “cooling centers near me” or find more info by US state here: Cooling Centers by State.

If you have to spend time outdoors? Hats, sunblock and shade are your friends. Stay hydrated, and maybe pack a parasol.

Fun facts:

  • don’t use a fan to blow extremely hot air on yourself. This can cause heat exhaustion to happen faster (OPH)
  • Pets need to stay cool, too! (citation: common sense). For tips, see Keep pets safe in the heat.
  • Avoid or minimize drinking alcohol and caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, and some carbonated drinks) (aww, you’re no fun OPH, but mocktails are a-ok)
  • parasol: borrowed from French, “screen or canopy shielding from the sun,” going back to Middle French, borrowed from Italian parasole, from para “(it) shields, keeps out” (3rd singular present of parare “to prepare, adorn, avert, shield”) + sole “sun,” going back to Latin sōl (MW). 

* * *

Photo by guy stevens on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Don’t Be the Frog*

Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

This one’s for two of my parental units, currently on vacation in some of the hottest parts of the world right now, and everyone else facing down the record-busting summer heat.

8 mistakes to avoid if you’re going out in the heat

  1. Too much, too soon: You need to acclimatize
  2. Failing to pre-hydrate (and rehydrate!)
  3. Don’t be the frog in the boiling pot (i.e., your car)
  4. Heat + (certain) medications don’t mix
  5. Don’t ignore the early signs of heat-related illness
  6. Know when to seek medical attention
  7. Wear loose, light clothing
  8. Alcohol is a bad call

Stay hydrated, folks!**

* Note: The whole “boiling a frog” fable is, as the Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the US National Museum of Natural History said: “Well that’s, may I say, bullsh*t.” Frogs are way smarter than that.

** As mentioned in the article, alcohol isn’t a great idea when it’s hot. If you feel you must drink an adult beverage, however, irony suggests that you consider the Heat Wave.

* * *

Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Look to the Future

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , on July 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Things I’d rather not do today, but will:

  • work on the day-job project that’s been lurking on my to-do list
  • figure out what to do with the sadly inadequate results of a new brownie recipe
  • take care of some “just in case” items; thanks, tornado warning!

My future self will thank me. Probably.

“I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”

— George Burns

* * *

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

A Silver Lining

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , on August 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Thanks to the dynamics of heat, humidity, and Tropical Storm Fred muscling his way up the East Coast, most of my family members down South were under a tornado warning today. 

My father texted to say that they were in the basement because tornado. Cue a round of frantic texting to make sure my hard-of-hearing mother had, in fact, heard the warning. Half an hour later the danger had passed and thankfully, everyone was ok.

Those of you living in places like Tornado Alley, the Caribbean, tsunami-prone coastal region, anywhere currently under a fire warning or similar hot spot may not be impressed, but this is one of the first times my family has had to head to the basement for safety, hunkering down like Neolithic ancestors in caves. I doubt it will be the last. Extreme weather and other such events are on the rise. That’s the bad news. 

The good news is that unlike our ancestors, we have first responders, health care workers, disaster preparedness centers, and we can see it coming.

Stay safe! I’m off to back up my hard drive. And to celebrate with homemade pizza and ice cream, because who doesn’t appreciate a silver lining?

* * *

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Weather, Friend & Foe

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on February 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »

After crawling its way across the US, a huge storm is hitting the Northeast right now. It’s strange to look down south and see weather I’m more used to associating with Canada. 

Our weather is bright sun and blue skies today, so I’ll have to empathize by tracking weather maps and making my own snowflakes with this fun online Snowflake Generator.

To my family and friends, and all those caught in the storm, stay safe!

How to shovel snow like a pro — in the least painful way | CBC News
Snow Shoveling Safety Tips | Travelers Insurance

* * * 

In looking for projected snowfalls, I found this article on Harriet Tubman:

The role weather played in The Underground Railroad

“When the sun sets in the winter at, say, 3:30 and doesn’t rise until 6 or 7, you have much longer to travel. During the day when the sun is out, it’s much easier to see somebody in the woods — to chase somebody and follow someone.”

I also hadn’t realized that Tubman was taught to navigate by Black Jacks, or free African-American sailors.

* * * 

I’ve used this image before but it’s pretty perfect for this, so here it is again:

Read Full Post »

Kitty’s Eye View

Posted in Funny, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Here’s a cat’s eye view of the snow from yesterday’s storm.

FebStorm
We’ve had record-breaking amounts of snow (50cm, or almost 20 inches!), stuck buses, cars in the ditch and people snowshoeing in the streets. The aforementioned kitties decided to sleep through it by the fire.

Smart kitties:)

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »