Day 19?

According to our local meteorologists, yesterday marked the 18th consecutive day in which Tulsa had some amount of rainfall. As I explained to a friend recently, it's not like it is continuously raining, but, for the most part, the days have been dreary - with overcast skies, and, as the forecaster said, "some rainfall".

With our temperature expected to rise into the mid-eighties today and rain once again is forecast in the late afternoon, that means we are likely to have what is known around here as "Severe"weather. It also means - if it indeed occurs - we will reach 19 days in a row with some rain.

For the non-Oklahomans who just might read this, "Severe" weather could mean anything from a brutal series of thunderstorms to incredible amounts of hail - all the way up to tornadoes. It is, after all, that time of year. Hail here in Tulsa has caused me to have the roof of my house replaced twice in the 17 years I've live here. It also caused enough damage to one of the cars we own to have had to have significant body work done on it. While insurance covers the majority of the cost, there is still the "deductible" so it does tend to get a bit costly. Hail is sometimes described in size as from pea-size to upwards of softball size. The largest I've ever seen is about as big as a silver dollar, which, if you were dumb enough to stand out in the hail, could cause a pretty nasty bump or two on the old cranium.

When tornadoes are sighted, we have people around here that are known as "storm chasers". These folks get in their cars and follow these big storms, looking for tornadoes - often sighting them - and report to the local TV and radio stations. This has to be one of the craziest things that I've seen people do on a regular basis. (The other is "Noodling" which I will someday comment on) Thrill seekers they must be, I guess, as, oftentimes they get too close to the twisters and endanger themselves.

On the four major TV stations - affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX, AND NBC - the weather forecasters commandeer the channels when severe weather enters the viewing area. Armed with Doppler, Vortex, and all the other goodies they have for tracking bad weather, including tornadoes, they sometimes take over an entire nights broadcasting. This is especially frustrating when, like right now - during sweeps week and finale time, the actual storms are some 60-70 miles away and are heading towards a different state.

While we really do need these forecasters to keep us informed, if this afternoon turns into day 19 - but with Severe Weather - I will be so thankful for Cable TV.

Old Fart Mike