Beautiful Biltmore, Peaceful Tropics

 I am enjoying my vacation from the heat and humidity of south Louisiana with low humidity and comfy temps of the mountains of North Carolina.  The drive up was stunning as we moved from the rolling hills of Alabama to the Smokey & Blue Ridge mountains of Georgia & the Carolinas.

We are staying at the Inn on property at the Biltmore in Asheville, N.C.  It is a 5 star place where you only come to celebrate a special (Birthday, anniversary) occasions.  Here's my view from my room.

This is not the house where the Vanderbilt's lived  Today we took a tour of that, all 175,000 sq. ft!

It is an incredible structure built in the 1890s with all the modern technology of the times. indoor swimming pool, bowling alleys, elevators, electricity etc.  On site is a winery

Yes the Little fella bought a case, not a barrel, of some really good tasting chardonnay.  I was hoping to do a podcast, but we're having difficulty downloading images.  Back in NOLA...

Saharan Dust has shut down the MDR and the Caribbean & Gulf are quiet.  Some upper disturbances are bringing donw some storms, but most are staying to the north.  I'll try to work on that podcast, but will do one once back next week.  Stay tuned!

Road Trip, Heat Main Issue, Tropics Gone Dead

I left NOLA this AM on a road trip to see the Biltmore Resort in Asheville, North Carolina.  We have stopped in Birmingham to meet up with my old college roommate, Tom Clark & his wife, Gail.  It breaks up the 11-hour drive into 2 days.  Birmingham is a beautiful city where you begin to see some topography.  The place we're staying even has a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, so I feel right at home.

The drive over was no problem, with only a few brief showers on the way.  Our weather back home has finally taken a turn for the better as our daily shower chances have decreased.  That also means the heat becomes somewhat of an issue, but get used to it as the next three months will have daily heat indexes between 105-115 degrees.

Of course, all TV stations will be warning us about the heat as if it doesn't happen each summer.  The tropical plume of moisture coming in off the Gulf is gone, giving us several days to dry out.

Fronts stop coming, and you can see the extreme heat beginning to build over the Southwest.  Just use common sense if working or playing outdoors until October.  This is a hurricane blog, but the Tropics have gone dead.

The Saharan dust layer will keep the MDR quiet well into July, which is typical for the first part of the season. The Water Vapor view shows why nothing can form as dry air and upper lows create a hostile environment.

I don't expect us to track anything in the Atlantic Basin well into July.  Even the rest of the World is fairly quiet with the exception of the western Pacific.

There is a powerful Cat. 4 Typhoon (Mekkhala) that should just miss the Philippines along with a new Depression.  But that's it.  So, since we have nothing to track, this week's podcast will be from the Biltmore Resort, showing the beauty of North Carolina.  To watch it, you have to become a subscriber, as nearly 150 of you did last week with T.S.Arthur.

Go to bobbreck.com to sign up before the next tropical threat comes.  Stay tuned!