Merging the lives of a performing arts accountant and a square dance caller

We just got a dusting of snow Sunday evening, right as the Oscars were finishing up. I was thinking that it might make the roads treacherous in the morning, but it didn't. The roads were 100% clear in town on Monday morning. What little snow we got was gone by noon.

Not so west Texas. What we got was a bit of wrap around snow, while west Texas around Amarillo was pounded by a major blizzard. The interstate was shut down; as a precaution, I-40 was shut down at Louisiana Blvd here to try to divert truckers to the fairgrounds to park and wait it out. No one got the word, so eastbound I-40 has been an absolute zoo. Later, I understand the city moved the closure to the more logical Tramway Blvd, the easternmost exit on the freeway in ABQland before I-40 enters the canyon.

Two days later, the interstate is STILL closed, which must confuse a lot of people since it's blue skies and dry roads here. The Schooltime performances at the theatre today are cancelled, since the guy can't get his van west of Amarillo. He's absolutely stuck. I don't know the details, but it was a nailbiter until the last minute. MAYBE the 250 mile section of the freeway that's closed will reopen sometime this morning, but won't do us much good. Our marketing/education team is having to contact all the teachers, APS drivers and homeschoolers to somehow keep them from showing up at the theatre, all 4000 of them. Yikes!

All that said, the cold weather appears to be going away. Heading for the 60s all next week (while Danny is in Palm Springs!)

Granby Colorado is just a few miles from the Snow Mountain Ranch we stayed at for the Denver Rocky Mountain Rainbeaus flyin. I'm so glad it was the first weekend and not the second weekend of October we were there!

Oct 1-2 high temps 78 and 75 dry and clear

Oct 8-9 high temps 34 and 37 with snow

Whew!

Last night, the weatherman on the local Channel 4 news showed a graph of dew points for the past week here.

I didn't realize that the weather service specifies that we have to have more than 3 days in a row of maximum dewpoints in the 40s to say that the summer monsoon has been triggered. The full holiday weekend was something like 43/45/42, but then it dropped back into the 30s. So 'officially' the monsoon hasn't started.

Nothing on the rain gauge while we were gone, but the airport reported 3/100ths of an inch this past Saturday. Happily, Tijeras (small town in the canyon that I-40 snakes through) got over an inch then. Yay!

I can tell SOMETHING should be happening soon. The humidity is up in the 30s right now, which makes for less effective evaporative cooling. I was sweaty on the walk home yesterday, which is rare.

Yes, this is all quite boring, but since we haven't had any significant precip here since last October, it's a desperate waiting game for us gardeners.

( This morning's garden walk )

The ".08" showing in the RAIN section of the weather gauge isn't from today--it's for the ENTIRE year. We didn't have much precip in the three months before that either.

Yes, of course it's a desert. We're at the northern end of the Chihuahuan desert. We get about 9 inches of precip a year. "Normally" that is. This is the driest year on record since records started in 1890 and HAS been for over two months.

If the monsoon is ever going to come, it won't be too soon for me. Sure, the low humidities are all well and good, but really, this is a serious drought.

Weather report, in normal screaming-at-you mode:

THE WALLOW FIRE NEAR ALPINE ARIZONA CONTINUES TO REMAIN VERY ACTIVE... PRODUCING AN EXTENSIVE PLUME OF SMOKE STRETCHING ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGERY INDICATES THE DENSEST SMOKE WILL STRETCH FROM THE RED HILL AND QUEMADO AREAS IN NORTHWEST CATRON COUNTY... THROUGH EASTERN CIBOLA COUNTY AND INTO SANDOVAL... BERNALILLO... AND VALENCIA COUNTIES. STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS TODAY WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSPORT SMOKE INTO THIS AREA. SMOKE WILL LIKELY SETTLE INTO MUCH OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AS WELL AS THE ESTANCIA VALLEY AGAIN THIS EVENING. VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED BELOW 2 MILES IN ALBUQUERQUE AND SANTA FE... WITH EVEN LOWER VISIBILITIES LIKELY IN NORTHWEST CATRON COUNTY. AS WINDS DIMINISH AND THE SMOKE SETTLES OVERNIGHT... VISIBILITIES UNDER 1 MILE WILL BE LIKELY... EVEN ACROSS THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA. AS A REMINDER... VISIBILITIES OF THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OR LESS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HAZARDOUS AIR QUALITY. THIS MEANS THE AIR QUALITY IS UNSAFE FOR ALL PERSONS. REDUCE EXPOSURE TO THE DANGEROUS SMOKE CONDITIONS.

THOSE WITH RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES OR ISSUES SHOULD AVOID USING THEIR SWAMP COOLERS AND SHOULD STAY INDOORS. THE NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ALSO RECOMMENDS THAT WHEN SMOKE LEVELS ARE HIGH... THE USE OF ANYTHING THAT BURNS SUCH AS CANDLES... FIREPLACES..OR GAS STOVES... IS DISCOURAGED.

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It's too cold when the effects of it root-kill beloved outdoor plants. :(

Otherwise, you know that Springtime will eventually come. Here in the mile-high desert climes of Albuquerque we have freezing weather normally from mid-November through late February. It's nothing like folks in the north have to withstand, but definitely too cold for low desert folk.

72 degrees at 10:30am. That ain't gonna last.

The heat wave that's stuck in the West because of this high pressure ridge is here, too. It's a bit odd to have it be near-record temps at the end of September for an extended period. Today and tomorrow are both supposed to be about 90. Definitely NOT disconnecting the swamp cooler yet!

The upside of all this for us is that we're going to have spectacularly good weather for the first weekend of the balloon fiesta. The past few years, we've had high winds or rains that keep any balloons from going up. I just hope the other effect of having this warm weather doesn't happen; thermal inversion causing smog build-up. Smog is rare here nowadays.

Full house for the flyin coming up. Unfortunately, the headline caller has been reticent about replying to me/us, so we're not sure that caller is even coming. Theoretically, we're hosting him.

ALL of the 'storms' El Niño has pushed this way through New Mexico have been busts here in town. The one that zipped south of us yesterday has brought lots of snow to Texas and Louisiana and has made Nyalins quite Boston-like it damp and chill.

We're now in for a string of ten days or so where it's 'normal' every day. No wind, no rain, no snow. Just highs in the 50s and lows in the 20s. Every day.

At least the sun is coming up earlier and setting later! Yay for that!

(all said for those east coaster types who have had to suffer through mountains of snow and west coasters through drenching rains)

Finally!

Recognition!

A hurricane is being named after me.

(applause, applause)

(bowing humbly)