Fleet Week In New York City
I Took these shots today from work as the Blue Angels flew by..
« April 2006 | Main | June 2006 »
May 25, 2006
May 22, 2006
Pelicans in New England?
This weekend, we were visiting friends up in Old Lyme, Connecticut. While sitting outside and enjoying the spring sunshine yesterday (sipping coffee and chatting, no less) we looked up and saw two unusually large birds flying overhead. At first glance the birds appeared to be pelicans, although we all know that pelicans do not fly this far north. I still had a hunch, since I’ve seen lots of pelicans in my time, so I did a little research and here’s what I found.
According to the Connecticut Rare Bird Alerts archive, two or three American White Pelicans made a splash along the Connecticut shoreline in November. Three such pelicans were spotted on November 1st at Milford Point and were later seen near Silver Sands State Park (also in Milford). The following day two pelicans were seen circling the Salt Meadow Unit of the McKinney NWR in West Brook. On the 3rd, two pelicans were seen from Tuttle Point Beach and then from Lighthouse Point in Guilford. Since November 3rd there have been no more reports.
So perhaps those two pelicans coasting around the shore of the Long Island Sound in November decided to come back for the spring. If so, my question is what happened to the third pelican originally sighted on November 1st? Did he ditch out for warmer climes? Was he abducted by a shadowy government agent? Was there fowl play?
May 19, 2006
Round II Major Thunderstorms with Hail rattle NYC
Today's shot from the empire state building.
May 16, 2006
Hurricane Season 2006 - East Coast Threat - New York
I have been seeing a lot of information circulating about this years hurricane potential. I thought at first that this is all hype, trying to cover ground in the event that a major storm does strike the tri state area. However, it seems that many meterologists have identified weather cycles that indicate certain areas may be more susceptible to landfalling hurricanes. "If you examine past weather cycles that have occurred in the Atlantic, you will see patterns of storms," added Ken Reeves, Expert Senior Meteorologist and Director of Forecasting Operations at AccuWeather.com.
The current cycle and above-normal water temperatures very much remind us of a pattern that eventually produced the 1938 hurricane that struck the North East. That storm killed 600 people in New England and Long Island. The 1938 hurricane was the strongest tropical system to strike the northeastern U.S. in recorded history, with maximum gusts of 186 mph, a 15- to 20-foot storm surge and 25- to 50-foot waves that left much of Providence under 10-15 feet of water.
It is said that this pattern is similar to those of the 1930s, 40s and 50s when storms such as the 1938 hurricane, the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricanes and the Trio of 1954--Carol, Edna and Hazel--battered the coast from the Carolinas to New England. Video on Northeast Hurricane Potential
May 13, 2006
Joe Bastardi's Summer Forecast 2006 - North East
Joe Bastardi from Accuweather is forecasting that there will not be a repeat of the summer of 2005 across the Northeast, when temperatures across the Northeast averaged 3 to 6 degrees above normal.
Warm air pushing northeast from Texas and the Southern Plains will help to fuel a “combative pattern” that will lead to above normal precipitation in the Northeast, along with an above normal threat of severe weather across the region.
Bastardi’s research indicates that this spring is similar to the spring seasons in 1954 and 1985, when there was a northwest flow over the Northeast during the months of June and July. During the summer of 1985, there was a major tornado outbreak over Ohio, Pennsylvania, Western New York and Southern Ontario.
The expected spring rainfall will help to blunt the warmth as summer arrives; however, Bastardi feels this summer will mirror the past several summers, when temperatures were relative to normal in the latter half of the season.
May 09, 2006
WTF?
May 04, 2006
Triathlon wasn't canceled despite dangerous waves
The annual St. Petersburg triathlon is designed as a grueling race, butfor some participants this year it became downright frightening. A stiff wind swept east over Tampa Bay and kicked up four-foot swells that shocked and stymied many swimmers, just as some of the least experienced athletes were entering the water including Paula!
Some 50 or 60 swimmers had to be plucked from the water and taken back to shore, including the unconscious woman who was rescued after she was found floating face-down, and another woman who appeared to suffer a panic attack. That's as much as four times more than a normal running of the race.
The winds got worse as the race went on. But Paula perservered and completed not just the swim but the entire race, in one piece.
May 02, 2006
View from my office today
Firefighters are still battling New York City's biggest fire in a decade, apart from 9/11, at a vacant warehouse along the East River waterfront in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Tuesday. I took this shot from my office on the 55th floor of the Empire State Building
The fire, which is being investigated as suspicious, started around 5:30 Tuesday morning at the site of the old Greenpoint Terminal Market at West and Noble streets. It spread quickly, and nearly 350 firefighters were called in to gain control of the situation.