Midday Storms Produce Some Excitement...

I wasn't going to post today since the tropics are quiet and we have nothing to talk about.   Not so fast weather breath.  My friend Paul Blanchard at Lightning Service sent me a picture taken while he was on the Westbank around noon.   He was looking back at the Belle Chasse bridge and saw not one, but two funnel clouds over the marsh. (zoom in)  Look closely as the funnel on the right looks to be touching the ground making it a water spout.  I've included the radar views.

There was a ring around the Lake of T-Storms caused by the interaction of the Land/Lake breeze.   Fortunately those storms gave us a cloud cover for much of the day and tonight's fireworks appear to be OK as most showers are fading

Where it hasn't rained, it's in the mid 90s and that will be the story for the next two days.

The upper ridge, that made June so hot, is trying to reform.  It is not as strong as last month and we are on the southern boundary with storms rotating around it.   You'll notice if we don't get the storms, the heat will be on again.

As I've mentioned, the tropical Atlantic & Caribbean are quiet, but the eastern Pacific remains active.

Hurricane Bonnie is now a Cat. 2, but is moving out into open water a threat only to shipping.  No model has any tropical activity for the next 10-14 days. Finally,

The Mississippi River at the Carrollton Gauge has dropped below 5 feet and will get below 4 feet in the next 10 days.  That means we are ready for hurricane season just in case a big storm surge would come up the river.  Not to be a "Debbie Downer" but I hate the 4th of July & New Year's Eve.   The fireworks get our dog Baily so hyped up we have to drug her so she doesn't get a heart attack.  Last night was especially bad as I had to lay with her in the shower with the bedroom TV turned up so she couldn't hear all the bangs.  I thought I was in Beirut or Afghanistan!  It was awful and I live in Metairie.  Pitiful that the right to light fireworks overshadows the right for a peaceful neighborhood.  Stay tuned!