Buresh Blog: Hurricanes Andrew & Harvey... Clay Co. Hurricane Kits... Shorter Days... Fall Foliage

Jacksonville, Fl — “Talking the Tropics With Mike” - updated every day.

Speaking of the tropics.... the last week of Aug. is notorious for big U.S. hurricane landfalls. It was 30 years since Cat. 5 Andrew’s hit on South Florida on Aug. 24th. The storm single handedly changed building codes in Florida. Action News Jax reporter Jessica Barreto’s mom evacuated for Andrew - see her story below:

And 5 years ago Aug. 25th, Cat. 4 hurricane Harvey hit the southeast coast of Texas then stalled producing biblical amounts of rain across metro Houston & nearby areas.

Meanwhile... the tropics have been “nice” & quiet so far this season/year. We have a ways to go but *so far*, so good. My tweet below shows just how quiet using a metric called the ACE - Accumulated Cyclone Energy (a combination of how many tropical cyclones, how long the storm lasts & how strong the storm is):

Staying on the topic of the tropics... Clay County will be giving out some hurricane kits Sunday, Aug. 28:

Clay County Habitat for Humanity is partnering with State Farm to offer 100 hurricane kits to low-income individuals and families in Clay County, Florida. The hurricane kits will include a hurricane radio that has a flashlight and phone charging capabilities, a manual can openers, a pack of bottled water, a disaster preparedness guides which includes evacuation routes, and other items. The bottled water was generously donated by Niagara Bottling in Middleburg.

Youth volunteers will be packing the kits prior to the distribution. The youth volunteers are from the Diocese of St. Augustine, Crossroads Lutheran Church, students from Fleming Island High School, and North Florida Sigma Lambda Gamma. State Farm agents Diane Banks, Barbara Coleman, Katherine Baustert, and Ron McCann will be in attendance. Below are the details of the event.

Date: Sunday, August 28, 2022

Location: ReStore of Clay County Habitat for Humanity - 1717 Blanding Blvd., Middleburg, FL 32068

Volunteer Kit Packing: 1:00-2:30 p.m.; lunch break at 2:30-3:00 p.m.

Drive Through Distribution: 3:00-5:00 p.m. or until supplies run out

Autumn (Sept. 22) can’t be far away as our days are already getting shorter. NE Fl. & SE Ga. will lose 2-3 min. per day through Sept.

So it won’t be long when fall foliage starts to kick in at northern latitudes:

Yankee’s longtime fall foliage expert, Jim Salge, published his much-anticipated annual fall foliage forecast today, reassuring readers that despite the extreme drought conditions they may be seeing in populated areas, the northern regions and the mountain areas aren’t as impacted and will still have amazing fall foliage that should appear on time.

In his annual forecast published on NewEngland.com, Salge, a former meteorologist at the Mount Washington Observatory, notes that varied drought conditions will be the biggest factor in this season’s foliage, affecting much of southern New England: “We feel that the foliage will be on time across far northern New England, but it will trend later than normal the farther south you go. The wave of peak color will start in late September as usual; after that, its southerly progression may slow or stall, leading to foliage color lingering into November in southern New England. Where the drought has had less impact — especially in the White Mountains, the Green Mountains, and the mountains of western Maine — we should see typical foliage conditions, which is to say the colors should be spectacular.”

The forecast also describes several other conditions that will come into play this year, including pockets of defoliation caused by the spongy moth. However, Salge is concerned the biggest impact on leaf peeping may not be foliage conditions so much as “the backyard effect,” a term commonly used in the ski industry to describe when there’s no snow in the cities and urban centers, and people forget how great the skiing could be in the mountains.”Given the drought-stressed trees and browning lawns in New England’s population centers, we’re worried that people may not be willing to travel to see what should be a great show this year. Therefore, our advice: Don’t cancel your foliage travel plans, be willing to explore, and hope for rain!

In addition to this forecast for the New England region, NewEngland.com has again published its national fall foliage predictions. Highlights include:

Mid-Atlantic – A strong foliage season is anticipated, especially in the Adirondacks, the Catskills, the highlands of Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Southeast – Expect a bright show, with peak colors perhaps a bit later than historical average times due to hot summer temperatures.

Upper Midwest – The region has little drought, and the spring and summer setup has been good for forest health. We expect foliage will be bright and on time this season, if not a little early.

Mountain West – Hot and dry summer conditions should push the show early and brief.

Pacific Northwest – A return to mostly normal weather, and foliage, this year.

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