Weather

One of my interests is weather, the more inclement and violent the better. As you can see from my list of favorite websites in the right hand column, I have been interested in weather for quite a while. Let me tell you about my favorite weather patterns.

Tornados - This is my favorite form of extreme weather. As seen in the photo to the left, I even dressed up as a tornado for Halloween 2004. Since I was five years old, I have enjoyed visiting NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory website. They have research projects on tornados, thunderstorms, damaging winds, lightning, hail, winter weather and flooding, not to mention radars and satellites. How cool is that! I would like to visit them in Norman, OK one day.

Hurricanes - I am also interested in hurricanes, which I like to track on Accuweather.com. I like this site because I can watch the projected tracks of hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depression, both in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Also, you can see the tracks that previous hurricanes have taken. I remember when Hurricane Jeanne hit Philadelphia, as a tropical depression. I remember when Dad and I were driving down Henry Av., which runs next to the Schuylkill River, when it got flooded from Jeanne. Also, Dad and I visited the Wissahickon Creek afterwards, and the creek was swollen above its banks. Later we discovered that pedestrian bridge had been demolished over a tributary, Creisheim Creek. I also remember the remnants of Tammy brought bad weather to Philly. A tree along our driveway fell on the powerlines to our house, but didn't knock out the power.

Of course, everyone knows about Katrina. I had visited New Orleans previously. I am sad that the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans was devastated. I got my stuffed dolphin, Dolphy, from the Aquarium.

Thunderstorms - The type of inclement weather that I experience myself is thunderstorms. I like to count the number of seconds between the lightning and the thunder, so I can tell how far away the storm is. In early June 2006, several thunderstorms went through the Philadelphia area and wreaked havoc in the New Jersey suburbs. Damage included several housefires, downed trees and powerlines. I am not that scared of thunderstorms, unless the thunder startles me.

Floods - I like it when my Dad takes me down to the Wissahickon Creek after it floods. Particularly, when I can see the damage caused, such as once when the flood knocked out a pedestrian bridge in the park. We found parts of the stone bridge a half mile downstream. I even found the dedication plaque submerged under the water.