54 posts tagged with rain.
Displaying 1 through 50 of 54. Subscribe:
British Seaside Simulator
British Seaside Simulator by Mefi's own malevolent, "so we can endlessly relive the summer that's coming to an end." (info) Best enjoyed with a cup of builder's in a stainless steel travel mug. [via mefi projects]
Not Burning Man
Massive rainstorms in Nevada have deluged the dry lakebed that has served as the site of Black Rock City, the pop up home for the Burning Man festival. [more inside]
fire & rain
This is an article that talks about atmospheric rivers, which can carry more water than the Amazon River and provide California with like half its water. This is a 25-minute video that talks about how to use emergency fire shelters for firefighters. [more inside]
the flooding river tore away over 3 million cubic meters of rock & dirt
“Once the river broke the record, your mindset is, ‘It’s not going to get any higher.’” A riveting account of the horrifying 2021 "atmospheric river" storm and flooding in British Columbia that resulted in an estimated $13 billion in damages. [more inside]
Into each life some rain must fall …and fall …and fall …and fall
10 years of US weather radar in two hours [YouTube]. This time-lapse movie, starting from January 2010, shows ten years of precipitation in a mosaic of all the NEXRAD radar sites in the contiguous states. NEXRAD is a network of 159 high-resolution Doppler radars maintained by the National Weather Service. Besides precipitation intensity, Doppler radar can also detect the direction and velocity of wind inside a thunderstorm, making it invaluable for tracking tornadoes and detecting straight-line winds caused by downbursts. Many commenters on the YouTube page have identified specific timecodes in the movie where you can see noteworthy instances of severe weather such as tornado swarms, derechos, hurricanes, and nor’easters [see the end of this post for a partial list]. [more inside]
Did a million years of rain jump-start dinosaur evolution?
sights and sounds of a soaked city
The New York Times' Past Tense Blog put together a series of photos of vintage New York in the rain, paired with soundscapes by Craig Henighan. When a hard rain descends on New York, the whole city feels it. Traffic stands still, puddles get deceptively deep and even the most intrepid of us cowers in the wakes of passing cabs. Any object an unsuspecting pedestrian is carrying quickly becomes a makeshift umbrella, and actual umbrellas quickly become hazards themselves, catching the wind or flipping inside out. "When it rains, it’s a whole different scene. Things happen. People forget about you. If they see you, they don’t go putting on airs. They’re the way they are.”
Surface Microbials in the Atacama
Unprecedented rains decimate surface microbial communities in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert This driest and oldest desert on Earth has experienced a number of highly unusual rain events over the past three years, resulting in the formation of previously unrecorded hypersaline lagoons, which have lasted several months. Here we show that the sudden and massive input of water in regions that have remained hyperarid for millions of years is harmful for most of the surface soil microbial species, which are exquisitely adapted to survive with meager amounts of liquid water, and quickly perish from osmotic shock when water becomes suddenly abundant.
A literal and metaphorical autumn suddenly arrives in Albion
After an endlessly dry and hot summer (how people coped), stressing diners and hospitals and crops and disrupting trains, the tube and the Channel tunnel, with wildfires caused by barbeques and (insanely) airborne fire lanterns, some lightning and much-needed rain finally hit the UK. The infrastructure immediately failed. Music festivals (Tom Jones!) were disrupted, flooding occurred, flights and trains were cancelled, roads became impassable. The clouds arrived on cue to hide the Blood Moon while reservoir levels, even in Scotland, continue to be low. Farming reaches crisis point, but there's always imports. As usual, Brits queued for freebies, were advised to chill their sex toys, and politicians went abroad. [previously]
Climate Refugees In Artsy Suburbs
“If I have any takeaway from nearly drowning in the flash flood that swept through Ellicott City, Maryland, last Sunday, it’s that reality feels like it’s falling apart around you. “ When the Water Came for Me, a first person account of the Ellicott City flood and how thousand year storms are happening every two years.
And I think it's going to rain today
China Is Building a Rain-Making System Three Times as Big as Spain,
“Modifying the weather in Tibet is a critical innovation to solve China’s water shortage problem.”
The system could increase the water supply by five to 10 billion cubic meters a year which will help China’s acute water shortage which imperils its economic future.
China Water Crisis The big picture.
The system could increase the water supply by five to 10 billion cubic meters a year which will help China’s acute water shortage which imperils its economic future.
China Water Crisis The big picture.
Frogs and snakes living together
'One two-metre paperbark held over 500 frogs, 10 skinks, four blue-tongue lizards, three goannas and two snakes.' Broome (WA) smashes annual rainfall record in less than two months as Cyclone Kelvin caps big wet.
The story of the Rastafarians
On the day Emperor Haile Selassie visited Jamaica, a powerful storm broke out. The country, prior to the Emperor’s arrival, had been ravaged by famine and starvation. There had been no rain to water the crops for decades. The first time, in a long time, that it rained was when the Emperor set foot out of his aeroplane in that country. Jamaicans, from that time on, started to see the Emperor in a new light, they started to assume that maybe he was not just a person, but a messiah of some kind. Maybe even the messiah himself.[more inside]
Rain-activated art to brighten your day
Tiffany Quon, a third-year engineering student at the University of British Columbia, has used a hydrophobic spray to create a public art installation on the UBC campus that only appears when it rains. (UBC is in Vancouver, one of the rainiest cities in Canada.) Quon also designed the images and hand-lettering in the piece, which was part of Thrive Week, promoting mental health for the UBC community. [more inside]
life is like a hurricane, here in duck boots
mitti attar: earth's perfume
"Along with their ancient perfumery, the villagers of Kannauj have inherited a remarkable skill: They can capture the scent of rain." [more inside]
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
a mosquito being hit by a raindrop is roughly the equivalent of a human being whacked by a school bus, the typical bus being about 50 times the mass of a person. And worse, when it’s raining hard, each mosquito should expect to get smacked, grazed, or shoved by a raindrop every 25 seconds. So rain should be dangerous to a mosquito. And yetwhy aren't mosquitos hurt or killed by raindrops?
“NEVER HOLD THE UMBRELLA AGAIN WHEN WEARING THE PROTECTIVE RAIN HAT.”
I'm only happy when it...
Rainworks are positive messages and art that only appear when it rains. Peregrine Church watched a video showing off the properties of superhydrophobic coatings and got an idea uniquely suited to his environment: famously rainy Seattle.* Using a spray-on coating, he did a stencil at a bus stop. It's invisible in dry weather, but as rain hits it and the wet concrete darkens, the writing and art becomes clear. Since then, more have been added: tentacles, hopscotch grids, environmental messages, lily pads, and more. [more inside]
Mother Nature is most ruggedly, thornily savage.
My outdoor beach cafe is on fire. Apparently. So relaxing!
White noise a little too stuffy? Nature sounds a little too outdoorsy? Wish Starbucks had a cricket infestation? Mix it up with a custom ambient noise generator!
Soothing Sounds of Jazz... with rain
Jazz and Rain Feeling stressed? Listen to some cool jazz and the relaxing sound of rain.
Bumber Shoot
Francesco Maglia: The Umbrella Maker Of Milan — The Maglia family have been partners with the rain since 1854, when they began producing umbrellas in Milan. Here's our portrait of Francesco Maglia.
Rain, An Occupational Hazard
I wallow on my knees in thick mud, hoedag in hand slogging up a near vertical hillside, napalmed bare... rain whistling sideways so hard it bores through my hermetic, vulcanized head-to-toe rainsuit. I look like an astronaut traversing across an eerie, silent moon crater rhythmically bending over to scrape the ground every 6-9 steps... That was 1978 when I was a migrant treeplanter; a job the Oregon State Employment Service lists as the hardest physical work known to this office.., one person in fifty succeeds the three week training period. Like thousands of other college grads that year, I was the product of a liberal education promising an exciting, good job as reward for four years of costly training. So what the hell was I doing planting trees and eating mud for a living? Well I'll tell ya, being a rowdy forest worker in a self-managed collective of modern gypsies traveling the beautiful hinterlands of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and northern California made career pursuits or regular employment look awfully dull. Hoedad's Stories and Poems - the rise and fall of an American reforestation cooperative. [more inside]
UK: there's a big storm, a 'hurricane', coming (possibly)
The 'worst storm since 1987' is due to hit the UK over the next few days. It may also hit 'northern France and the Low Countries'. It may be 'overwhelming' and 'there is a risk of some parts getting two inches of rain in a six hour period'. The Met Office has warned that 'England and Wales will be hit by a significant storm on Sunday night with winds of up to 80mph in some areas'. They also said the predicted storm was 'not one you would see every year' and that 'exceptional winds will batter Surrey'. Drivers are advised to 'at a minimum, take a fully-charged mobile phone and warm, weatherproof clothing.' Some media outlets claim, however, the storm will only be the worst of the last five year, though in Bristol it'll be the worst in 'two decades'. Never the less, 'stay well away from trees'. [more inside]
Piano And Rain
At the end of a long work week, maybe you could use a bit of relaxation. Pleasantly soothing, delightfully literal, PianoAndRain.com does what it says on the tin. [autoplay sounds, in case it wasn't obvious]
Looking At Something
rrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnn
Water Conservation and Usage Systems
"We need the rain." So I was looking for information on water conservation and usage systems, and I found some useful resources. Here's a forum. [more inside]
Banquet on wheels
The intro scene to 'Midnight in Paris' (2011. SLYT)
BNP 2012
Arc’teryx, a high-end Vancouver outdoor clothing manufacturer, is working with the VPD's Homeless Outreach Program on the Birds Nest Project in an attempt to provide the city's homeless population with stylish waterproof capes.
The rain in Spain smells mainly of dimethyl-9-decalol
The smell of earth after rain
is called Petrichor, and it is caused by Geosmin, a sesquiterpenoid metabolite with the chemical formula C12H22O. Human sensitivity to geosmin is about 10 parts per trillion. (via)
All day I hear the noise of waters
Some random, wet images:
A seahorse on a diver’s watch.
A diver hitting an Olympic pool
Mass stingray migration off Baja
Two streams of water colliding
A photographer in the rain
Waiting for the bubble to burst
Close up of a wave
Bathtime at a refugee camp Kutupalong, Bangladesh
Water being released from a dam to prevent flooding in Jiyuan, China
Transparent Montana lake, (and more) [more inside]
A diver hitting an Olympic pool
Mass stingray migration off Baja
Two streams of water colliding
A photographer in the rain
Waiting for the bubble to burst
Close up of a wave
Bathtime at a refugee camp Kutupalong, Bangladesh
Water being released from a dam to prevent flooding in Jiyuan, China
Transparent Montana lake, (and more) [more inside]
The Fact of the Matter?
On September 24th Radiolab posted a new episode, The Fact of the Matter. It included a segment titled Yellow Rain. Radiolab's website says that it's "a detective story from the Cold War, about a mysterious substance that fell from the sky in Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam war." Robert Krulwich's interview with two of the segment's guests has prompted outrage at his treatment of them. One of the guests, writer Kao Kalia Yang, talked with Hyphen Magazine.
♫ I'd like to help you son, but you're too young to vote ♫
It being bracket season, The Weather Channel has devised an epic Weather Song tournament for those not interested in college athletics. It consists of four weather-related phenomena, with underdogs and favorites abounding. "Have you Ever Seen the Rain" trounced "the crowd-favorite Weather Girls' It's Raining Men" in the first round of the Rain Region. Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" upset Bananarama's summer-related hit in the Seasons Region. Voting is still open until tomorrow for round two of the Sun and Elements regions.
"Because clouds are boundless, weather control is boundless."
Five regional weather control programs in northeastern China seek to increase precipitation by 10 percent. [more inside]
The Big Shroom
Rain falls on Uluru
Paddle at the Point
Last Saturday in Pittsburgh, over 1800 canoes attempted to break the world record for the largest single raft of canoes and kayaks. This time lapse video shows how they did it in spite of the weather...
Nashville...Waterline?
The Middle Tennessee region, including Nashville, is experiencing extensive flooding after weekend storms dropped a record-breaking 13-15 inches of rain over the weekend. [more inside]
So much for the drought.
California's calm before the storm. It's just rain, right? Well, the meteorologists are publicly talking about a potentially epic storm that could trigger major flooding and mudslides, especially in areas effected by the state's widespread fires of the past few years. More ominously, though, is this internal email from CAL FIRE Division Chief Bob Wallen, which talks of the potential for "multiple large and powerful storm systems" with "a tremendous amount of precipitation . . . Much of NorCal is likely to see 5-10 inches in the lowlands, with 10-20 inches in orographically-favored areas. Most of SoCal will see 3-6 inches at lower elevations, with perhaps triple that amount in favored areas", with the potential for a massive snowfall, gusts in the 100-200 mph range in the high Sierras, possibly followed by plentiful warm rains that could melt the snow and cause massive flooding statewide. "The next 2-3 weeks (at least) are likely to be more active across California than any other 2-3 week period in recent memory."
CoCoRaHS - "Volunteers working together to measure precipitation across the nation."
CoCoRaHS - "Volunteers working together to measure precipitation across the nation." Sponsored by NWS, NOAA, and more... Volunteers Wanted (pdf)
Singing in the Rain
Tay it ain't so
Chocolate Rain. From Bach to Tupac, you can always expect the unexpected from Tay Zonday. Mr. Zonday has experienced some fame as of late, thanks to shock jocks Opie & Anthony. Tay is quite the original artist and is, shockingly, unsigned. So, if you know any A&R guys that are looking for new talent, please let them know! My personal favorite is his karaoke cover of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up". Although, the Darth Vader remix of Chocolate Rain is pretty friggin' sweet, too.
Talking Rainpocalyse Rental Car Blues
And that's why you always buy the loss damage waiver when you rent a car. Man flies to Seattle, rents a PT Cruiser, drives to Olympic National Park to camp. Then one of the wettest months in regional history happens. The road washes out. While he and his companion are rescued, the car remains in the park, accruing rental charges. Rental company cuts him a deal. After 43 days and $871, the car is retrieved after emergency road repairs, and it's back in service at Sea-Tac.
amazon drought nearing climate tipping point
The Amazon rainforest becomes "a desert" after three consecutive years without rain - the trees die. Next year would be the third year of an ongoing drought. The forest contains 90 billion tons of carbon (or about 45 years of stored human emmisions at current rates) - 3/4's of the carbon is released within a year of dieing. The Amazon is "headed in a terrible direction".
Executive Elm Toppled, Bushes Intact
Pull out a US $20 bill. Take a look at the picture of the White House. See that tree peeking in from the right, the 140 year old elm that's been there since Andrew Johnson? Well, it's gone. Yup. Fallen over, thanks to the soaker summer storms which have been hammering the Mid-Atlantic in recent days. Cleanup has started, but no word on whether the $20 bill will be needing another update.
..you don't wanna hear from me you just want to hear the voices..
The Rainmaker
The Rainmaker
After three long years of drought, a desperate San Diego City council, sought out a man who had been creating rain from Central America to the Yukon, a rainmaker who could bring clouds, fill dams and douse fires. For $10,000, Charles Hatfield agreed to make rain. Soon after, on January 5, 1916, it started raining and raining...and raining. So much water fell from the sky that two dams overflowed. One dam broke, unleashing floods and devastation. Instead of gratitude, the city council threatened to sue Hatfield who in the end was saved by a court ruling that deemed rain to be "an act of God."
Hatfield claimed to have invented a chemical formula to summon clouds and was credited with over 500 successes. He took his rain-making secrets to the grave. Hollywood, of course, produced a movie.
After three long years of drought, a desperate San Diego City council, sought out a man who had been creating rain from Central America to the Yukon, a rainmaker who could bring clouds, fill dams and douse fires. For $10,000, Charles Hatfield agreed to make rain. Soon after, on January 5, 1916, it started raining and raining...and raining. So much water fell from the sky that two dams overflowed. One dam broke, unleashing floods and devastation. Instead of gratitude, the city council threatened to sue Hatfield who in the end was saved by a court ruling that deemed rain to be "an act of God."
Hatfield claimed to have invented a chemical formula to summon clouds and was credited with over 500 successes. He took his rain-making secrets to the grave. Hollywood, of course, produced a movie.
The Mumbai Floods
Tuesday, July 26th, 2005, was a wet day for the city of Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay), to say the least. Within 12 hours, it rained more than half the average annual rainfall. Upwards of 400 people are believed to have died, with more in adjacent regions. In many regions, the water rose as high as five feet. All transportation links to the rest of India were severed. Within the city, many commuters who left work, for home, on Tuesday evening, didn't reach home till Wednesday night. There have been substantial financial and ecological damages. The state apparatus was caught offguard and proven unprepared; the police were nowhere to be found, and the meteorological department found wanting with their warnings. The rumour-mongering of an incoming tsunami or cyclone also didn't help, as 24 people died in the resulting stampede. Alas, just as one is relieved that the ordeal is over, it appears there's yet more to come.
Page:
1 2