Tuesday, September 15, 2015

It Rained Today!

It rained for about 11 seconds 4 hours this morning.  This video was released as well today, and it's pretty funny.
And, just like that, the rain was over.  Always more anticipation than actual rain.  I will admit, I'm not quite as blasé about earthquakes, but I also don't usually feel them.

11 comments:

  1. When it does rain in LA it really tips down. We rarely get that level of violence. But then we get it so often it doesn't get a chance to get pent up. Does it quieten people after a good blast of rain ?.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yah, it's very rare that we get the constant mist/light rain like you might get there. At the beach, they'll get that wet fog mist that can last for multiple days. But our rain is usually from some kind of storm system - I think this week's was remnants from a hurricane off the Baja coast.
      What's funny is that I can't pinpoint anyone I know who reacts to it like in the video, but it's kind of this collective idiocy (driving, the news, etc) that comes about when it rains. If that makes sense. :)

      Delete
    2. Did yo see that whale telling the two tourists in the kayak to rack off and stop annoying them.

      Delete
    3. Yah, that was crazy, wasn't it?!?! I was going to say, "See, we're collectively stupid" but then I saw they were from the UK. ;)
      The Central Coast is VERY conservation-friendly so I know it wasn't an intentional annoyance, and it looks like the company has stopped any trips out for the time being because of the number of whales along the coast right now. It's crazy that they got video of it...the wherewithal it would take to keep the camera rolling when something like that is happening. I was a little frightened for them at first.

      Delete
  2. That clip is a hoot! (had to share that with some folks) Seriously, though...I do hate those rains that come down so hard you DO have to pull over when driving. Scary!

    So how much did you end up with? I thought I saw on Twitter that downtown LA got over 2"! That's a tremendous amount!

    I've never felt an earthquake and hope I never do - at least not here where I live. Because if I do, then it's the New Madrid fault and Memphis is probably no longer there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The funny thing is, we don't really get rain that is SO hard you have to pull over. It's just no one knows how to drive in the rain that they either go too slow or too fast and cause accidents. Plus, because it is usually so dry, it is said the minute the roads get wet it pulls all the oils up and makes it even more slippery.
      Yah, I heard the totals were 1.5-2" from yesterday's storm, but if you look at the totals for the month of September it says 0.5". "We" tend to exaggerate our rainy weather, so who knows.
      Earthquakes are scary, there's no denying it, and the unknown aspect of it makes it more so. There's only so much prep you can do to get ready for them. There was just another biggie in Chile today. The little ones we get (several hundred a day) are easy. These big ones, though, the thought of it causes some anxiety. Everyone always jokes that CA will fall into the ocean in our next "big one".

      Delete
    2. It's rare I have to pull over when driving, but occasionally I'll get caught in one of those gulley-washer deluges that even the fast speed wipers can't compete with!

      I guess it was about 20 years ago there was a new "awareness" about the New Madrid fault and the possibility of another big one there. It got everyone freaked out for awhile, then faded away. There was a little more talk several years ago when the 200th anniversary of the big one was marked. It's debated that if the Richter Scale had been in use then, it would have been the largest EQ to hit the lower 48 in modern history. I read an interesting book about it a few years ago, but would have to look back to remember the title.

      Delete
    3. Yes, the media grabs onto that "awareness" and whips everyone up into a frenzy, and then it dies down. It happens here too.
      Interesting about the fault line there. I have not heard of it before. It's so rare to hear about earthquakes in the rest of the US, but there have been more in recent years than I ever remember before. A lot of people blame fracking for those quakes that are popping up in odd places.

      Delete
    4. I guess growing up in this part of the country and always hearing about "when the Mississippi River flowed backwards" made a big impression. Of course we also always heard that same line about CA dropping off in the ocean with their next "big one". ;)

      I still can't remember the title of the book I read and can't seem to locate it on my shelf (or at Amazon), but here's the wiki page about the even for a brief synopsis:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1811%E2%80%9312_New_Madrid_earthquakes

      Delete
    5. And here's a 2014 article from the USGS. You can click on the map there for a closer look.

      http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/new-insight-on-the-nations-earthquake-hazards/

      Now I'll shut up about it. :) (can you tell this is one of my favorite "science geek" topics?)

      Delete
    6. Earth science is one of my favorite subjects/science units to teach. I enjoyed learning more about it in preparation and the kids find it SO interesting. So I get the science-geek stuff. :)

      Delete