# RAIN, yea right, from Hurricane Frances........when donkeys fly perhaps



## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Well Frances has come and gone and blew or should I say trapsied past the area and all I got was some winds in 15 to 25 mph catagory, not a drop of rain, but a heap of pinestraw, small limbs and twigs and leaves all over the place...........but in town they got a 4"+ rainfall......................beats all I have ever seen. I think I am going to start ripping out my grass (if thats what you can call it now), and plant cactus and tumbleweeds....I suxcked the stream as low as possible to put as much wate rin my pond as I could, and right now that stream is not flowing at all, justs puddles here and there. I even went upstream and dug channels to allow more to flow down further so it was within range of my pump and hoses and hard lines I have........ 

Well there is always the possiblity of Ivan making its way in this area, ha ha ha ha ha........And yesterday and today we had a 100% probability of rain! I think the meteorologists of today are washouts from hamburger flipping at Mickey D's


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Hang in there Chip! It ain't over till its over. Looks like Frances may pull in some precip. off the Atlantic coast yet.


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

Hey there Chipper, come to this neck of the woods and feel free to bring your pump We recieved 15+ inches form fridayabout 11:30pm to today at 12:45 pm... Near where I work recorded over 20" in about the same time period... I really dont know how it missed you... You seem to be in the drought mode at this time... Heres hoping that you get the relief that you need


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

so ernie are you about ready to build an ark? man you guys have been nailed down there this year... 

you have power? or sustain much damage??


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Any rain yet Chippie? I have been watching the weather radar and it looks like most of AL is getting rain except for the far western parts.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Chief _
> *Any rain yet Chippie? I have been watching the weather radar and it looks like most of AL is getting rain except for the far western parts. *


Not really.........about all we got today was a sort of mist, not exactly what I would call rain. YOu could barely see it but you could feel it on your face. I think the total amount that may have come down three sheets of Bounty would have absorbed up very easy  

I live about 6 miles due south of the Regional airport in montgomery, as the crow flies. The airport has received rain almost every day for months now. The other day when I was out there to see some friend off on deployment from ther ANG base also stationed on thr Regional Airport grounds, I was told they had a record hay cutting season there this year. They contract out the cutting of grass / hay along the runways and taxi ways at the airport. Stipulation is as soon as it reaches a certain height it must be cut, raked, baled and moved off the airfield almost immediately and the folks cutting it this year have been very busy keeping up with it. 

Like I posted in previous posts, it has rained all around this little area I live in all seasonlong so far.........but this area received nil in rainfall.....when its cold out sufficient to have to wear a jacket, this area can still go in a T shirt. When surounding areas have frost, this section does not...........its usually hotter in summer and warmer in winter as compared to all areas surounding it. The county agent has stated this one area is more like a USDA zone 9 than the zone 8 it is rated at, and in some books you will see just a small section this area actually called a zone 9A. It's just a very small area, but its unique in its weather it gets as compared to surounding territory, which usually has its advantages but certainly none this year as for rainfall.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

You haven't pissed off the "Big Guy" who handles the rain department have you:question: :question: :question: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Chief _
> *You haven't pissed off the "Big Guy" who handles the rain department have you:question: :question: :question: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: *


I don't think so 
I have a feeling its more due to the amount of property taxes we pay here, it is insufficient to pay to have rain sent this way on a regular basis.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Do we need to call in the Medicine Man to do a rain dance and shake a few beads around your property Chip?   army I'm beginning to wonder.


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## memmurphy (Sep 18, 2003)

Could be all the explosions and gaseous vermin killing clouds have changed your local climate. :lmao: 

We picked up 2" in the last four hours courtesy of Frances and more to come. 

Mark


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I expected a good hosing down here but haven't gotten a drop so far.


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## snowmower (May 19, 2004)

Geez Chipmaker, even we are expecting some rain from Frances. And I am in Ottawa, ON, Canada. She's travelled a long way to water my flowers, can't believe you didn't get any.

Don't mean to rub it in. Frankly, you can keep your rain, we've had plenty this year.

SnowMower


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

How about when pigs fly Chippie?


<img src="http://www.tractorforum.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=54831">


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

They be a flyin here... We never lost a shingle.. We have had 51 1/2 inches so far this year... Yes everything is soggy...


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## Fusion1970 (Feb 23, 2004)

Havent got enough rain to swamp my immediate back yard, but I have seen pretty much a light steady rain here since yesterday. I am basically 1,000 miles North of Tampa. Theres also a pretty good wind outside right now. No, it's not much out of the ordinary, but it is pretty wild to think of what it was like in Florida, four days ago, surrounded by water. 

Chip, you are alot closer to Fl. than I am. I am not complaining about the rain, but I would provide ya some if I could. 

If rain is what you are looking for, just hold out for Ivan. It will be interesting. 

Greg


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

So far Ivan has tore the hell out of Grenada and has sustained winds of 165 mph and is a Cat. 5. Would want to be in the that path of this one either. It is headed to Jamaica now. :truth:


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

We are kepping our eye on this bad boy... Getting ready to install the shutters again..... more rain. Cant keep up with the mud from over flowing fields, hell I have cleaning up wash outs since befor frances. We have had our share of the feast that this time of the year brings the states on the or ocean coast. Cant wait for the winter months for the drying out we need.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I heard on the news that 90% of all homes on Grenada were damaged or destroyed, and that the Prime minister's home was destroyed. I'm thinking his house was probably built better than most, so it must be a nasty storm.


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## Hutch001b (Sep 16, 2003)

My folks live in a mobile home park on a man made canal on Tampa Bay in Clearwater. They evacuated for Charley and it missed 'em. They decided to ride out Frances in their home and said it was scary but it was only a tropical storm by then. The only damage they suffered was one of the hurricane awnings blew off and a few strips of roofing over their patio. Other places by them lost part or all of their roofs. They found the blown away pieces and have them back in place for Ivan. Instead of a storm surge Mom said their basin was sucked dry temporarily. Hutch


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Ernie, sorry for your troubles guy. As fast as you clean up; it starts all over again. Hope you and Hutch's parents ride it out safe and no damage.


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

Thanks Chief. If it is comming and hits the east coast as did charley we will be in a serious way... I think I will pack up the wife and pets and go to NC franklin area..


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Take this for what its worth as the forcaster that put it oput just ashort time ago is the same clown that as missed the forcasts he gave for my area since april or so. But he just stated it looks like on the most probable track Ivan is gonna head up the west side of Florida and into the Gulf within the next 72 hours.

Ernie, have you got your ark finished yet? Heck if it was not as high above seal level where i am at I would start digging a canal from the coast up to my place. I am not really all that high though, barely just past 200 feet........but I am on old river bottom.


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## memmurphy (Sep 18, 2003)

We picked up 5" from Frances here yesterday. My fancy electronic rain gauge lost communication with my computer about 12 Hrs into it. Lucky I had my plastic gauge out as back up. Counties to our East and South had 6"-10". Some of my co workers were in that area today and said roads are still flooded in places. At least it was just a little blustery with no tornados and very little lightning.

Mark


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by memmurphy _
> *We picked up 5" from Frances here yesterday. (snip made)
> Mark *


This is just something I do not want to hear about!... 

What I would not give for a full 5" of rain......lets see, 4:1 runoff fill rate would equate to 20" or so of rain in pond, with say 25% of it getting sucked up pretty fast in this dry ground we have, that would still give me approx 15", and pond is 13" low, so I would have water to spare........and the creek would once again be flowing....... my fish would have soome nice fresh cooler water, and I would not be so obsessed with this rain thing......which would be a joy for the wife so she would not have to hear me grip about lack of rainfall on a daily basis, then maybe I would still have sufficient time left for my grass to get nice and green and grow so I can utilize my GX335 more that I have this year......All of which would be great!

I have managed to put less than 15 hours on my GX335 this year, (since April) and most of that time was just hauling trash to the burn pile or using it like a cart instead of walking.


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## snowmower (May 19, 2004)

Well Chip, again, I don't mean to tease, but here is what Frances left for us.
We had hard rain all day, and I expect at least 8 inches.

Here is what my house looked like from across the street (mine is the house with the ugly taurus station wagon).
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/bwiswell/MiscPics/Jam138.jpg">

And a view from my front door looking out into street as wife pulls up.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/bwiswell/MiscPics/HurricaneFrances.jpg">

The rough dimensions for our drainage ditch is about 8' deep by about 15' wide. And the water came up over that and decided to wash the pebbles of my gravel driveway.

Looks like a little more seat time for me in the little tractor to get the parking back up to snuff. (My glass is half full).
Chipmaker, I'll gladly ship you a crate of this wet stuff, but you'll have to pay for cross border fees.

SnowMower


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Great day...........all that rain carried all that distance. And its all going down a drainage ditch..........but just think in a little while it will all be transposed to that fluffy white stuff......

Is that the reason most foks in the north have two story ouses, so they can still look outside in the winter?:furious:


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## snowmower (May 19, 2004)

> Is that the reason most foks in the north have two story ouses, so they can still look outside in the winter?


Sounds like somebody has 'precipitation envy'.:devil:  

SnowMower


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

It has stopped raining since Frances just this evening... We have topped over 20 inches w/ Frances and her aftermath/////


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

I can only believe that this time with Ivan if it follows the so called track they have for it to Panama City, we will get rain out of it. Hurricane Opal hit PC back in the late 90's (5 Oct 95 or 98 IIRC) and while it came ashore as a much lower intensity than Ivan is expected to, we got a heap of rain from OPAL, along with winds in the upper 90's and on occasion gusts in excess of 100.......I sure do not mind rain, but the wind, thats another story.

Bigget problem this time is the dry soil. Roots are not like they should be, trees still have full compliments of leaves, and wet sandy soil does nothing to retain huge oaks with even moderate winds.

I lost an old huge oak during Opal. It would have made the states book of record sized trees, but the other trees around it had grown up so bad over the years before I bought this place that the canopy was not as nice or as large and uniofrm as it should have been, but it was one beautiful tree. IIRC it was over 14 1/2' in circumference at DBH. The first limb which was about 30 feet up was over 40" in diam where it attached to the trees trunk........

It was the last tree I would have guessed that would get damaged, out of all the others we have around, but it and a post oak of about 40 feet were the only two that bit the bullet that time. The full canopy is what did it in, with the wind catching it and twisting it, it literlaly broke the tree off about 12 feet above the ground...........I cut on that tree for a ong time until I finally got it all cut up to manageable sized pieces and and flush with the ground. We had always referred to it as the Civil War Tree, as it had to be growing back then, due to its size and after getting it down to ground level the best we could determine it was in excess of the 200 year old age bracket. It was hollow as well but you could never have guesed it, but then an oak of that size usually is..


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## balmoralboy (May 22, 2004)

*big Trees*

The place we leased before this one had old elms on the property. The Dutch Elm disease got one and we had to get it cut down. Took three days and five full-size flatbed loads to haul the wood away. That one had 238 rings which put it back to about 1760.

Probably planted by the Planters after the Brits burned off the Acadians properties.


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## balmoralboy (May 22, 2004)

*hurricane Track*

Based on the weather site i use










Ivan is coming right over your version of Shangri-La!

Good Luck with it, Chip. Hope you don't lose any more trees!


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

Well Chipper you will get your wish for rain fulfilled if Ivan has his way, you may want to find higher ground:furious: just in case you get to much:lmao: .. Really. just be very careful as the winds will be very strong... Hell from Frances as a tropical storm we had lawn chairs from 3 blocks away in our street let alone all of the debris of the trees and all..Kept a vigilant eye on the neighbors around you for anything that could possibly become air born in alabama sec:thumbsup: Good luck buddy......


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

My nearest neighbor and I have got everyting and anyting that could possibly move or blow secured. About all we have to worry about is flying debris from trees and buildings now. 

The neighbor just took delivery of that new Kubota M6800 and has no place to put it in a protected shelter that would be safe from falling trees......he is in the same boat as me. I tol dhim to park it over with mine but he is afraid the creek may come up too high and flood it, but I would hope the majority of winds would be down to tolerable speeds by the time that creek could get up that high, and you would have time to move the stuff.....He is still kicking it around but I bet he winds up bringing it over and parking it in my one filed next to the pond.


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## snowmower (May 19, 2004)

He's welcome to park it at my place. Just leave the keys in case I need to move it around that yard.  

Good luck fellas. Keeping my fingers X-ed for ya.

SnowMower


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