Forecast models have finally come into agreement regarding the weather pattern for the weekend into early next week -- mostly dry but cool, especially early next week.
The front that moved throught the First Coast early Thu. is stalled across South Florida & will serve as the focus for a disturbance moving out of the Gulf of Mexico that'll cross Florida Sat. Rain will be widespread with some heavy rain for that part of Florida from about I-4 south. Showers will be more spotty & not as heavy north of I-4 to about Gainesvill, Palatka & St. Augustine...just a few sprinkles will be possible as far north as Jax. Temps. will be mild in the low 70s but cooler to the south where cloud cover will be thicker along with those few showers.
By Sun., the disturbance will be long gone & northeast winds will build into the area as low pressure develops well into the W. Atlantic. Temps. will still make it into the low 70s except at the beaches where it'll stay in the 60s & there will also be an elevated rip current risk. Some real cool air will move into the area Mon.-Tue. with afternoon highs only in the 60s & lows in the 30s inland early Tue.
So for Easter Day:
7:26am (sunrise): Clear to partly cloudy & cool. Wind: NE 5-10 mph. Temps. in the upper 40s inland to the upper 50s at the beaches.
Noon: Partly sunny. Wind: NE 10-20 mph. Temps. mid 60s at the beaches to near 70 inland.
5pm: Partly sunny. Wind: NE 10-20 mph. Temps. in the 60s at the beaches to low 70s inland.
For those traveling within about a day's drive of Jax...wet Sat. Central & South Fl., dry all other directions....dry all directions Sun.
Earth Gauge: Smarter Sprinkling
March is a great time to inspect your sprinkler system because it gives you a chance to fix any problems before peak watering season begins. Keeping your sprinkler system in tip-top shape can reduce the amount of water your system uses by up to 15 percent – that’s about 9,000 gallons of water each year, or the same amount that would flow from a continuously-running garden hose in one day!
Tip: Look for broken or clogged sprinkler heads, leaks, and misdirected spray (make sure you’re not watering the sidewalk!). You can also ask an irrigation professional to inspect your system for any problems.
Want to save even more water this spring and summer? Install rain or soil moisture sensors. Rain sensors detect rainfall, and override any scheduled watering when adequate rainfall has occurred. Soil moisture sensors detect moisture at the level of your lawn’s roots – they are more complicated to install, but are more accurate than rain sensors and can add up to bigger water savings.
(Sources: U.S. EPA. Watertalk. February 2008 Newsletter; Water Use it Wisely. “WaterWise Landscaping and Watering Guide.” )
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Climate Fact: Right Whales and the North Atlantic Oscillation
The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a cyclical change in the difference in atmospheric pressure between a low pressure center around Iceland and a high pressure center around the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic. When this difference in pressure is larger (i.e. the low pressure center is especially low and the high pressure center is especially high), the NAO is in a “positive” phase, whereas when the difference in pressure is smaller, the NAO is in a “negative” phase. This oscillation affects weather throughout the World. In the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf Region of the North Atlantic (which is where North Atlantic Right Whales feed), positive phases mean warmer water, more phytoplankton, and more Calanus finmarchicus, the species of copepod (tiny crustaceans) that constitutes the largest portion of the Right Whale diet.
Negative phases correspond to the opposite conditions. The population size of North Atlantic Right Whales fluctuates along with the NAO, as fewer calves are born and more whales die in years when food is less abundant. The index has been mostly positive this winter, and is currently hovering around neutral.
(Source: Greene CH, Pershing AJ (2004) Climate and the conservation biology of North Atlantic right whales: the right whale at the wrong time? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment: Vol. 2, No. 1 pp. 29–34)
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Climate in the News: Calamai, P. "Vanished "bridge" jolts ice pack sleuths" – The Toronto Star, 17 March 2008
Attempts to study the Arctic are being impaired by the rapid melting of the Region's ice cover.
Also from Earth Gauge...This weekend marks the United Nations' World Water Day and World Meteorological Day.
The international observance of World Water Day - March 22nd - grew out of the 1992 United Nations' Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), as a way to promote the fact that water is the fundamental ingredient for life. This day is part of a larger ‘Water for Life Decade” initiative that seeks to have international commitments on water issues fulfilled by 2015. This year’s theme is sanitation. Although sanitation is not as big of an issue in the U.S. as it is in developing nations, there are simple ways your viewers can promote better sanitation in their communities.
Encourage your viewers to make sure that their septic systems are properly maintained. Having these systems inspected annually for leaks and pumped regularly can cut down on the amount of nutrients that find their way into groundwater supplies, and ultimately our rivers and streams. How often a tank needs to be pumped depends on the tank's size and the size of the household. Remind viewers that dumping grease and chemicals such as paints, oil, and solvents down their toilets and drains is also bad for water quality.
Many cities rely on Combined Sewer Systems (CSOs), which is a system where both household wastewater and storm water flow into the same collection system. During heavy rainfall events, it is not uncommon for CSOs to become overwhelmed, and when this happens, a combination of untreated sewage and storm water is discharged into local rivers and streams. Viewers can help to reduce the occurrence of these events in three ways: diverting home downspouts so that roof-top runoff flows onto their lawns instead of into the sewer system; reducing the amount of paved surfaces contained on their property; and avoiding activities such as running the washing machine and dishwasher when it is raining heavily.
World Meteorological Day (WMD) is celebrated on March 23rd to commemorate the beginning of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1951. The theme this year is observing our planet for a better future.
