A Quiet Week Ahead, Warming Up.

It's really hard to find something to talk about when we have no weather coming for the next 5-7 days.  However, when I walked outside this morning, and thought back to less than 3 months ago (Jan. 24th freeze), my backyard (In my humble opinion) looked stunning!  Gone were all the dead plants and flowers replaced with brilliant colors. Let's start with the back fence. Can you find it?

When we moved in after Katrina in 2006, the fence was fairly new, but I knew over time the wood would weather and look ugly.  The solution?   Plant Jasmine  It totally has covered the fence and its scent is fantastic.  The higher sun angle plus the longer day length has the rest of my yard exploding in colors.

And for those of you who have followed Bubba, my Crown of Thorns...alas he didn't survive the January freeze.  So we now have Bubba JR.   It will take him several years to reach Bubba's height (5 feet), but I have a perfect spot under my new back patio cover.

Brenda has made our patio my "happy place" where I go to relax and enjoy Mother Nature.  The only plants I'm worried about are 2 of my bougainvilleas. The top view is the one I brought into my He-shed during the freeze.

The other two?  I tried to cover them best I could and they are still alive.  However, if they don't show better growth soon, it'll be time to replace as I do want them flowering over the summer.  Back to the weather.  Remember sunny & warm California?  Not today.

Another upper low is bringing them clouds, some showers and rather chilly temperatures.

Compare that to much of the nation where it's in the 70s & 80s with even some 90s.  If you looking for change here, it'll come in the form of higher humidity as winds turn off the Gulf.

As the California storm lifts out into the central plains, that increase in humidity/dew points might produce a severe weather outbreak.  SPC has highlighted a level 3 risk centered on Iowa & Missouri for Tuesday.  It will stay well to our north.

Our only issues this week might be some dense morning fog.

Aside from my back yard, my other "Happy Place" is the beach.

Brenda painted this lady, perhaps in her wedding dress strolling near the water.  Look out Perdido Beach, her we come.  I'll try to have some great pictures to show you since our weather will remain boring.  Stay tuned!

Because We Know What's Coming, Being On The Mountaintop Is Glorious!

In San Diego, they expect this kind of weather 8 months of the year.  In south Louisiana, we might get this kind of weather 8 weeks of the year (April & October).  Who do you think appreciates it more?  Has to be us since we know in another 4 weeks, the road to Hell/Heat begins as we drop into that deep Valley we call Summer.  The upper energy that brought us a cold front & tornadoes has lifted up into Canada with a deep trough wrapping clouds around it.  

That is keeping folks in the Great lakes & Northeast in sweaters and jackets as there remains lots of gusty winds.  Another upper storm is approaching Canada with a large upper ridge in-between.

You can see the warm up moving northward into Colorado & Wyoming.  We'll be in the 80s for the next 5-7 days.

Some high, thin wispy cirrus clouds are streaking our way, but you can tell by the dew points (30s & 40s) that we have that good feel air over us.

By Monday, we'll start to feel the humidity again, but the next front won't arrive until late next week.  Finally...

Here's another close in view of Wednesday's tornado path.  It appears to first touch down over the marshes of Lake Pontchartrain crossing Hwy. 11 near Old Spanish Trail. Somehow it misses the new Fremaux shopping complex moving just south of Cross Gates before heading into Mississippi.  I'm always amazed at how one house gets severe damage while the neighbors on either side remain untouched.  Prayers out to those who have many weeks of recovery. Get outside tonight and soak in the feeling.  Stay tuned!