Teleidoscope

Wed, Jun 06, 2007

Summer Winds

Posted at 8:47 pm MDT to Weather

When my neighbor was putting up his flagpole, he contacted NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) to find out if they could recommend a model of wind speed gauge for him to install on top of it. Today has been an example of why they told him to forget it. Commercial anemometers top out at only 125 mph or sometimes 135 mph for the really expensive ones. We get gusts in that range often enough that the life expectancy of the equipment is pitiful.

The wind is not being wishy-washy about things today. My whole house is shaking and occasionally sort of bouncing on the foundation. I keep having to turn the TV up louder so I can hear it, and the satellite signal has started putting bursts of pixelation on the screen because the dish is vibrating too much. (I may switch to watching DVDs if it gets any worse.)

Lacking rain and storm surge, and with the winds blowing straight instead of curly, this isn't a hurricane. The gusts today might not even be quite enough to strip the gears in the wind speed gauge at NCAR.

And I'm always careful to keep loose objects on the upwind side close to the house. That way, if the wind picks up enough to toss them, they don't have time to build up much momentum -- or height -- and my windows stay unbroken. I just heard something thud on the front porch. I wonder what it was.

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