Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Hurricane Season is Heating Up... and Other Weather Woes


Isaiah 25:4~~ For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

It's so neat to know that God is in control of the weather here on this earth which He created. While Tropical Storm Dean and Hurricane Flossie continued to churn in the central Atlantic Ocean and close to Hawaii, respectively, Tropical Storm Erin came into being in the central Gulf of Mexico today and is poised to dump massive rains on an already soaked Texas Gulf Coast. Of course, we here in the Florida Gulf Coast will continue to monitor Dean (I don't like that name for a hurricane!). I am keeping my grandson Josh on Thursday and think we will get out and do a little "hurricane preparedness shopping."

Across the United States, a large dome of high pressure once again baked the southern Plains and South. Widespread triple-digit heat was experienced with numerous places setting or tying daily record highs across the Deep South. Temperatures were not that extreme over South Texas due to the presence of clouds and thunderstorms. Thunderstorms also soaked parts of the Gulf Coast and Florida. Despite the passage of a cold front and the arrival of cooler air, a disturbance was responsible for bringing showers and thunderstorms to the northern Plains. The cold front itself was the culprit behind rain and thunderstorms starting the day over the western Great Lakes. The front later passed mainly dryly through the rest of the Great Lakes. To the east, an area of high pressure promoted plenty of sunshine and low humidity to the Northeast. Meanwhile, monsoonal moisture and daytime heating touched off thunderstorms across the Rockies and Southern California in the afternoon. The Northwest had a dry day with hot air in place across the interior. With the immediate coastline being the exception, temperatures also became quite warm west of the Cascade Mountains.

We are hot here (it is 94 this afternoon with a heat index of 99), but we haven't reached the century mark on the thermometer this summer. Our temps have been nothing like our family and friends have been experiencing back home in T-Town where the temps have gone above 100 degrees for several days in a row. We need to pray for those who are so very severely affected by the extreme heat and for those who will be adversely affected by the tropical storms and perhaps even hurricanes in the coming days, weeks, and 3-1/2 more months of hurricane season. We shall keep an eye on the weather news and be ready to board up should a storm be headed our way. And to think, God already knows the outcome of all of our weather woes. We can trust Him!!

The Blue Angels ~~ Flying High in the Sky This Morning...

Psalm 37:4~~~ Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Sometimes you just have to do fun things with a teenage missionary guest and a teenage grandson who are staying at your house. This morning, it was my fun privilege to take Joel Schuler and my grandson Jarrett out to the Naval Air Station to watch the Blue Angels practice. The Blues do this a couple of times per week and it is so much FREE fun to go out and watch. Their practice lasts for 45 minutes and is pure exhilaration the entire time. After their practice, we made our way to the Museum where the six Blue Angel pilots assemble to sign autographs after their flight time. Joel (age 16 ~~ pictured below) has aspirations to be a missionary pilot so he was especially awed and inspired by the BLUES today. I am going to remember Joel in prayer as he has one more year of high school and then will be pursuing his desire to serve the Lord in missions aviation. As for me? I love the Blue Angels and consider it a privilege to see them any time that I can ~~ just 20 minutes from our front door. WOW!!!