A Not So Peaceful Earth
Over 100 homes were lost to a bushfire along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.
Over a 1,000 acres burned in a wildfire started by a downed power line in Ventura County, California.
UK military forces were dispatched to help with flooding in northern England.
A series of tornadoes and flooding from Texas to Illinois has claimed over two dozen lives since Christmas Eve.
The backside of the front that caused the tornadoes and record-breaking heat to is now pulling in blizzard conditions to West Texas and the Plains.
Of course there are still people who claim that climate change isn’t real …
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Just had a tornado watch alert flash across the screen in south Louisiana…
Stay safe badtux.
We have been given a fire alert to prepare for evac. Extreme temperatures are predicted across the state on New Year’s Eve and danger zones have been highlighted in tinder-dry Bendigo, Ballarat and the Otways Ranges. A fire in the Otways would be catastrophic. The Otways are usually a wet forrest range, but apparently are now a ‘tinder box’.
The fire along the GOR (Great Ocean Road) has claimed about 120 homes. Firefighters continue to battle the 2286ha blaze near Lorne.
Yet another bad fire season for Vic. We are used to it, but that doesn’t mean we like it.
I hope you all stay safe. 🙂
Well, the winds took the Christmas decorations off the front of the house, but other than that all it accomplished was bringing in typical Christmas weather for Louisiana — i.e., cool and damp. What I expected when I got here, not typical summer weather!
Badtux, your front is about 20 miles to the west of me and on its way. We are under a tornado watch until 6PM.
That really sucks, Kryten. Earthquakes and wildfires were the two reasons I didn’t want to be anywhere near a canyon wall when I lived in Southern California. I thought that anyone who built a house on the edge of a canyon had a death wish. Stay cool and safe, M8.
Update: the front moved through and the temperature dropped 15°. It is raining buckets.
Weather’s been great since the front moved through — cool and sunny, instead of hot and muggy and spitting water randomly — but now I see from forecasts that another blizzard is now scheduled to hit West Texas at the end of this week. I guess I gotta get out of this place before it hits, because those morons out there really don’t know how to drive. Either that, or my Great White Whale (Chrysler Town & Country minivan) is very well suited for ice and snow, which is a good possibility given that it’s the 5th best-selling vehicle in Canada (under its Dodge Caravan nom de plume). Long, low, wide, and front wheel drive seem to be a good combo for ice and snow…
Having spent some time in San Angelo the truth is that most locals are used to ‘Farm to Market’ roads, and drive on the Interstates the same way. The number one hood ornament in the area is a deer, usually hit by a motor vehicle, not a bullet – the deer and drivers are both a bit suicidal.
The big problem are the pickups with nothing in the bed. It doesn’t make a whole lot of difference whether 2WD or 4WD, they don’t want to stay on the road.
The black ice is another local winter challenge in West Texas, especially fun on a motorcycle.
I agree that leaving early is the smart move. Travel safe…