Close Call

Three weeks ago astronomers discovered an asteroid that has since been named 2015 TB145. What makes this particular asteroid notable is that it is currently passing Earth at a very close 300,000 miles away. NASA is saying that this is the closest flyby of an asteroid to Earth until asteroid NEO 1999 AN10 passes us at less than 230,000 miles in 2027. But given that we've only know about 2015 TB145 for 3 weeks it might be a safe bet to wager that there will be other close flybys before then that we don't know about yet.

Weird Weather

So far today we've had rain, lightning and thunder, hail, and strong winds. The temperatures are quite a bit cooler than normal, the day is wetter than usual, and the global warming nuts still believe that we're going to roast to death.

Epic Freeze

The evening of Friday, December 12, 2008 was the beginning of the coldest period of time I remember here in Seattle. While attending a performance at Kent Meridian High School the temperatures dropped and it snowed a couple of inches in an hour’s time. In most of the country, people wouldn’t think much of seeing snow in December, but this is Seattle. We don’t get much snow around here and usually not while it’s still technically Fall.

What made this weather even more unusual was that it was cold, really cold. For us to get snow we need moisture in the air, which usually comes to the region via southern air currents. Cold weather comes from the arctic, but that air is almost always very dry. This particular weather front had both, with enough cold air to cool off the warm southern air, and enough moisture in the air to blanket the region in snow. Both the huge quantities of snow that fell, and the cold temperatures lingered for several weeks. Snow was on the ground at my house for almost 3 weeks, other places had it longer. I noticed last night that there are still patches of snow at church that have not melted yet, 5 weeks later.

So far this has been a rather typical January. It’s a few degrees cooler than usual, but still above freezing most of the time. January and November usually fight it out for the title of “Wettest Month of the Year” and this January is getting a strong head start. Combine that with the tons of melting snow and many parts of the region are seeing dangerous flooding. But if we didn’t have Al Gore’s global warming invention to protect us from the extreme cold, we would probably be frozen solid right now.

Let it Snow?

It's snowing outside right now, with some areas within 20 miles of here expecting 5-6 inches.  It's been snowing for the past few hours and sticking in many places.  Sadly I have no snow at my house (like usual).  Good thing we have 'global warming' or we would have frozen to death long ago.  I wish I had 6 inches of snow right now, I haven't seen that much snow in my yard since I was little.

We're All Going to Die (Again)

With just enough snow to cause everyone in the area to go into a panicked frenzy (about an inch in my neighborhood) we set out for our third Bible Quiz meet of the year on Saturday. My team did relatively well but still not as great as they should have been. Oh well. Afterward we had a party up in the hills, where there was a pleasant 3-4 inches of snow. It was enough to sled for a while, and more than enough to make going up and down the 20% grade driveway much more interesting than normal. Then it rained that night and melted all the snow.

It kept raining to the point where a few cities have now broken the record for most rain ever in December; Bremerton got 12.5 inches of rain in the last 48 hours. School went into emergency closure this afternoon after we got there because the roads in the area were deemed too dangerous due to flooding; therefore they told everyone to leave campus by 3:30.