half full or half empty? (ngc)

[rodekyll]

It's raining a lot even for the rain forest.  Sitka is under a VERY unusual flood watch, and the streets are deep in water.  The city plumbing backed up to the point that storm water coming out my drains.  Area rain gauges have been logging up to an inch an hour for the past several days.  Official tallies are in excess of 5"/day in some places, and just over an inch/day avg for the year.  I drive past storm drains that have become geysers, blowing their lids and gratings off.  Water is ankle deep on the sidewalks -- and flowing strong enough to carry off small dogs.  My back yard and porch are inundated.  The lake across the street is a couple inches from busting brig and paying me a visit.  There is no break in sight.

This is the outwash of a typhoon.  The rain is accompanied by summer temps (high 40s/low 50s), and winds to match.  When the wind is just right the water comes in around my doors and windows.  There is another storm system stacked up right behind this one, and the biggie that annoyed the Pope in the Philippines is scheduled after that.  We're joking that the optimists see the town as half full of water and the pessimists  . . . .  you know the rest.

So if you see me float past, please toss me either a life ring or a beer.  Right now I'll go with either.

[oldbike54]

Might be time to inflate the duckie  ;D Seriously , that kinda blows . Stay safe . Wait , is the trike safe ?

  Dusty

[guzzisteve]

I think you would be full up not 1/2 full.

[LowRyter]

best of luck RK

[Jim Rich]

Sounds like some Houston rainstorms I've experienced.  Might need to keep an inner tube or canoe handy.  Hang in there buddy.         

[balvenie]

             Don't know how you do it rodekyll :o Here's hoping for you and your trike ;-T

[Guzzistajohn]

Keep your powder dry dude!

[rodekyll]

The trike is in a shop on a slope, so it's not in danger, although earlier today, a block downstream of it, the parking lot was flooded to the point that cars went in but didn't come out.  I'm at the bottom of the slope, so there's a little more drama down here.

I was talking to a guy tonight who said they get storms sometimes with maybe 8 inches of rain in a burst.  He said it lasts for the afternoon and then things are sunny and normal again.  Our rain doesn't come in brief deluges.  It happens over the course of days or weeks, not real heavy as a rule,-- maybe an inch a day -- but persistent.  One year in the 90s I recorded measurable rain every day from tax day to thanksgiving.  This month is unusual in that it's upping the bar to a couple inches +/day. 

We've been busy beavers, raising the town dam by 80'.  They said it would take three years to raise the lake behind it that amount.  Now they're saying 23 months.


Go Hawks!

[lucydad]

RK,

SE Alaska is not called a rain forest for nothing?  Man those are big Pacific clippers!  Never experienced anything like that in Anchor-town.
Houston though, you betcha:  floated away several times.  Watch for passing ships in the night?

[Arizona Wayne]

Rk, when I read the last part of your letter I started to laugh.  ;D  The wife said , what are you laughing about?  I said, come hear and read it.   When she gets to the end she starts laughing.   It's the line between disaster/comedy.  :D  I hope you are exaggerating a bit.  :-\

As for Houston, I lived in Pasadena in the `50s and almost weekly streets around us would flood, water would be up to the 1st step of the school bus, water moccasins would float by, squashed frogs would be all over the streets from cars running over them, dead cats would have maggots in no time, drains full of crawdads, etc.  Great place to be from.  ::)

[rodekyll]

The rain has throttled back a notch.  The lake dropped about a foot and the ducks have stopped doing touch-and-go's on the street.  So although the rain continues, the danger is becoming less.  They've cancelled the flood watch.

Yes, it is indeed a rain forest, and we don't whine about it; where else could I live where there are no residential water meters?  But because we do expect lots of rain is why record precip on a given day is a WOW! event.  Three days of record rain in a row rates a WOWSER!  And that's where we were yesterday.

A.W. -- The only part I exaggerated about was the small dogs.  They would have drowned before getting swept away.   :D

[freedom]

Climate change is fun!  :PICS!:

[Matteo]

When I lived there in the 80's we went 3 months without sun once. Just grey and rain, strangely lots of folks walked around without hats or umbrellas. But were as friendly as could be.

[rodekyll]

The kids up here are a few years behind American fashions, but the girls do like wearing almost nothing even in the really cold weather.  The only good thing I see coming of it is that those pasty-pale legs are easy to see in the dark.   :D


It looks like a break coming on monday or tuesday.  Here's the latest:


Special Statement

Statement as of 3:33 PM AKST on January 23, 2015

The active weather pattern will continue through Saturday. The next storm system is projected to impact northern and central Panhandle with heavy rain and windy conditions. 2 to 3 inches are expected through Saturday night...with locally higher amounts. Wind gusts of 40 mph or higher are expected.

Impacts - expect small streams to rise and approach bank full Friday night. Windy conditions may interrupt power and uproot trees. Mudslides and landslides are likely.

[Arizona Wayne]

When I lived there in the 80's we went 3 months without sun once. Just grey and rain, strangely lots of folks walked around without hats or umbrellas. But were as friendly as could be.

In the early `80s I lived in Vancouver, Wa. and 1 time we went 30 days w/o seeing the sun...............t hat got depressing since I knew the sun was on the other side of those clouds.  >:(  A bunch of us at work got on our bikes and rode past Mt. Hood  towards Kahneeta and found the sun and some warmth!!  ;D   What a difference that made for our psyches.

6 years ago I sold my `87 LM IV to a guy from Portland, Or. who belongs to the Wet Leathers club there.  :D    He rode it home.

[Brightblade]

Back water valve and a really good sump pump......

[Penderic]

These look silly ..... do they help at all?


Better to have a house that you can drain easily later!

[two-speed]

 Sounds to me like you better put the trike on "HOLD" and get busy building yourself a "ARK" ;)

[rodekyll]

The storm drains backed up my pipes to the point that the cap to the main exit trap blew off and I had my very own personal geyser behind the house.  When it subsided the main drain became completely plugged.  Now I have to find a 75' snake -- preferably motorized -- to get my plumbing back.   ::(

Also, I got caught by a gust of wind that picked up the passenger's side of the van and scooted me sideways into the center turn lane.  Luckily I was planning to turn within half a block so it looked like I planned it.


Can't build an ark.  That project would require an ark welder.

[Yukonica]

Can't build an ark.  That project would require an ark welder.
[/quote]
 umm? You live in a Rain FOREST? Get it? ...wood... boat...
Never having tried to weld wood it may be possible; probably awkward.  ;D

Other hand: there is an apartment above my shop.
Rent is very inexpensive considering the fork spring kit, center stand, rear-sets, Mistral shorties and new tires to be installed before spring.
You don't even need to bring tools. (except a wood welder... don't own one)
Bring warmer clothes: our moisture is in solid form.

[rodekyll]

Two words for you:

ironwood.   :D


The storm continues into today.  The roar of water on my tin roof sounds like a Seahawks game.

Ketchikan, the next population center south of us, got hit with 10" in a little more than 24 hours.  This was after a 36 hour period that collected 5.5".  Flooding creeks and high tides/storm surges/wind have ruined some neighborhoods.  In Sitka we got a little respite yesterday -- only 0.80" recorded at the airport.  My gauge said 1.15", but I'm closer to the hills than the airport is.

I have a C-Dory in the driveway (yes, it was there before the rain started).  If it gets really bad I'll move into it.

[Brightblade]

The storm drains backed up my pipes to the point that the cap to the main exit trap blew off and I had my very own personal geyser behind the house.  When it subsided the main drain became completely plugged.  Now I have to find a 75' snake -- preferably motorized -- to get my plumbing back.   ::(

Also, I got caught by a gust of wind that picked up the passenger's side of the van and scooted me sideways into the center turn lane.  Luckily I was planning to turn within half a block so it looked like I planned it.


Can't build an ark.  That project would require an ark welder.

I have a 100' but unfortunately I think your a little bit out of my standard service area.  And remember don't run it too far out, it sucks when it gets stuck in the main....

[Arizona Wayne]

Rk, with all the rain, flooding you folks are getting I'm surprised you still have electricity, or do you have a high generator?  Half full or half empty.......... sounds like overfull to me.  :+=copcar

[rodekyll]

This is Alaska.  High generators have been legal for some time and everyone has one. 


Oh -- wait . . .   You mean like a Honda . . .   :BEER:  <----  not beer


The storm is taking a break.  Temps plunged 20ºf and the sun is out this morning.  I guess it needs all its energy to open the Nor'eastern front this afternoon.

Good luck to all you in New England.

[Mark West]

Sure wish we could get some of that rain down here. After one of the wettest Decembers in years our total for 2015 is 0.00". If it doesn't rain for the rest of the month, it will be the first dry January on record for these parts.

Glad to hear you're getting a break however brief. Hope you come through it OK.

[rodekyll]

Earlier this morning the water dept was out fishing in a manhole down the street.  Now, (and I'm sure it's a mere coincidence  ;) ) all my drains are running free.  Maybe my blockage was magically snaked out by some sewer elves last night . . . .

I'm being sent to Ketchikan for work as soon as I can get a flight out that way, perhaps tomorrow morning.  I'll see first-hand what the flooding did.