We don’t need rain or anything….

Posted by Tammy on Jun 27, 2007 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

This gave me a giggle today….the Charlotte Sun updated this off and on all day. :)

Maybe it will rain tomorrow…..

The Rain Diary: Watching radars

(Last updated: 5:03 PM)

Today’s forecast from the National Weather Service calls for widespread rain after 2 p.m. You remember rain? It’s wet stuff that infrequently falls from the sky. It’s badly needed by homeowners, growers and water regulatory agencies.

So here’s the daily rain diary for June 27, 2007:

9 a.m. South Florida is getting scattered showers.

10 a.m. Radar shows showers scattered from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale. But large areas of showers and thunderstorms can be seen by Miami radar in the Florida straits. Nothing is near our area.

11 a.m. Showers are popping up all over Central Florida, south of Orlando to the Florida straits. Sebring is getting wet. Hardee County has a few showers. There are dots of rain in eastern Sarasota County.

Noon. Hot dog! Showers are lining up in Central Florida, ready to make the typical thunderstorm dash to the coast. A small but nasty thunderstorm is now moving from Highlands County into eastern DeSoto County. Light rain is around Arcadia. Alas, not even a speck has appeared in Charlotte County.

1 p.m. Time for a lunch break. Areas just north of Arcadia are being drenched and this is good news, since the runoff flows into the Peace River, source of much of this area’s drinking water. The Peace is near a record low and the flow is slower than slow. There is rain north and south of Charlotte, but not a drop is falling there at this hour. No need for lunch umbrella.

2 p.m. Everywhere but Charlotte! Huge thunderstorms are pounding Lee County in a line along the Caloosahatchee River. Another line of thunderstoms is moving west in Sarasota County. Rain is falling along the coast, as far south as Venice. DeSoto has light rain in rural areas. But Charlotte — despite towering cumulus clouds that look pregnant with precipitation — remains dry.

3 p.m. BULLETIN: The first raindrops in many a moon began falling at 3:03 p.m., followed by a clap of thunder that probably started a forest fire somewhere. A line of extreme thunderstorms had formed along the West Coast, with the strongest storms in Tampa Bay. Punta Gorda counted 21 raindrops before the storm swept into the Gulf. The National Weather Service in Ruskin forecasts these storms to continue each afternoon for days to come. Lightning, hail and strong winds can be expected near the stronger cells. As of 3 o’clock, a special marine warning was in effect for boating in Charlotte Harbor and from Englewood south to Naples.

4 p.m. Don’t know where you are, reading this, but in Charlotte Harbor the 21 raindrops long ago evaporated. Most of the rains have now moved into the Gulf. Arcadia received only .13 inches. And, wouldn’t you know it, the National Weather Service Web site crashed and the Charlotte total was not available. It did rain harder south of Charlotte Harbor than north, however.

5 p.m. Almost time to call it a day. And what can’t be said emphatically is the Summer Rainy Season began today. In some spots, it probably seems that way. And tomorrow is forecast to bring even more widespread thunderstorms. But, officially, the Charlotte County Airport was dry. Rainy season did not begin today. And the Charlotte Sun office counted 21 raindrops in its parking lot. Where’s the rain? Maybe tomorrow. Today was a preview of Upcoming Attractions.

– Tropical Bob