Stormy Michael

Not a porn star and her lawyer.

It seems like, just when we thought the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season was waning, a new tropical cyclone named Michael has formed.  Originally a tropical storm, it's heading for the Florida panhandle as a hurricane.

But it was supposed to be Category 1 or 2 hurricane. Now it's supposed to be Cat 3 - major! 

We have now had as many named tropical systems at this time in the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season as we had at this time in the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season.  (Remember Matthew?)

As the most recent track indicates, it will likely weaken rapidly once it makes landfall, but it is still going to dump a ton of rain on the Carolinas - which are still trying to recover from Florence.  And while my area may not be affected by Michael, a line of thunderstorms - pushed by yet another strong cold front crossing the Northeast - will still dump over an inch of rain on our lawns and possibly a whole forest of trees in our living rooms.  And if the two systems converge . . . :-O

Oh yeah, we on this planet have until 2030 to slow down climate change or we're doomed.  I'll address that story later . . ..   

Going to Florence

I'm headed for Italy? Ha ha ha, in my dreams!

No, alas, I'm talking about a tropical storm out in the Atlantic that one computer projection says could become a major hurricane and stay out to sea or end up being a weaker storm that makes landfall somewhere - anywhere - in the East Coast.  This storm is nine days out should the latter projection be true, so there's no way to figure out which solution is right.

But one projection - the Canadian one (ha ha ha!) - has it coming right up the coast once it reaches the North Carolina Outer Banks! 

It looks like I'm going to be on edge for the next few days as Florence makes its way across the ocean.  Right now there's no plausible scenario for this storm making landfall where I live, but that could change.  Some people are already suggesting that this could be Sandy Mark Two.  If it were to strike the Northeast, it would be around next Thursday or Friday.

To paraphrase a classic-rock lyric, I'll be praying 'til next Thursday to all the gods that you can count.

So what does it mean for my blog - particularly my White Album commentary posts?  Well, I can write them in advance (I already do, actually) and schedule them to be published should lack of electrical power prevent me from publishing them myself.  I just won't be able to promote them on social media until I get my electricity back.  My Music Video Of the Week feature?  I might have to suspend that.  One way or another, I hope to keep my blog going in some fashion.  For now, I wait nervously.  Just as I did every September - and October - for the past few years.

Brett Kavanaugh?  Please, one headache at a time . . .