Let's dance For the record, I am not much of a dancer. The only thing that I was good at in high school dances was making a fool out of myself. Over the years, I've tried to pull it off with my wife and daughters, even going so far as attending square dance lessons with my youngest. David Bowie's "Let's Dance" was a hit back in the day, and "Rock Lobster" by the B-52's brought the attendants to the floor. Of course, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin was the last slow song of the night before everyone hit the exits. Atmospheric dancing is quite common at higher latitudes, so this is a neat setup to watch with the two upper lows to the southwest. The one closest to Maine absorbs into the deepening trough over the south. The two become one, and then race against Melissa to the northeast. A good soaker is on the way Thursday 8 AM (12z) to Saturday 2 PM (18z) - Guidance has come into fair agreement on timing, with some wiggle room on Melissa's track. Rain showers are expected to enter southern and western areas in the latter part of Thursday afternoon and expand to the north and east overnight. Rain becomes heavy at times (risk of thunder) overnight, tapering to showers over the south by Friday morning. The steadier rain exits the north and east by early afternoon. For Halloween night-related activities, expect breezy conditions and a risk of showers, with a greater chance over interior areas. The storm intensifies as it approaches the Canadian Maritimes and brings the risk of rain and elevation snow showers through Saturday, along with a gusty northwest wind.  With Melissa's forecast track slightly closer to the mainland and the timing of the trough interacting and moving up slightly, rain totals increase. Locally heavy downpours may cause isolated flooding due to runoff on hardpan soil. Urban areas may deal with leaf-clogged storm drains. The Friday morning commute could be slow going due to ponding on roadways. The south-facing slopes of the mountains may deal with some trail erosion, and this hit of rain will no doubt get the cascades and waterfalls moving. All in all, this storm will pass through with little drama. With the wind picking up from the east/northeast Thursday night, then shifting to the northwest on Friday, I can't rule out isolated power outages through Saturday. The wood fired oceanside sauna |
Mike Haggett
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