Storm On Its Way

Above, storm clouds heading to Continental Divide. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The expected storm is on its way.

I went 15 miles east to Thoreau to pick up a few items at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. While heading there, I saw dark clouds coming in. I even got into a hail squall as I was driving on Interstate 40. The hail was minute in size, but they were bouncing on the hood of the Mustang.

Above, the front yard and the mesas in the distance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The main part of the storm is expected this afternoon. I noticed some areas around getting downpours, especially the mesas across the valley.

We're expected to get rain and snow showers this afternoon.

I figured I'd best get what I needed before the storm arrives. 

It was nice to see open two lanes in each direction on Interstate 40 in Coolidge after over two years of road and bridge construction. 

First Snow

Above, the deck with some snow. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Finally, at long last, we had our first snow of the season.

It had been raining off and on for the better part of the day. Then, we got a somewhat intense hail storm. That lasted for several minutes. 

Then, maybe about 10-20 minutes later, snow began to fall. That lasted about an hour. It didn't stay long on the ground, but it did add moisture to the ground, which the trees needed.

Now the door's open for snow, we'll probably be getting more in no time. 

Stormy Week Starting Today

One of my phone's apps said we were supposed to get a big thunderstorm overnight last night with "penny-sized" hail. Well, it didn't happen (at least not yet).

But the week's heavy rains are expected to start this afternoon. At least that's according to the National Weather Service. That will be the case throughout the Four Corners region. Maybe that's too much of good thing? 

Their forecast or today and tomorrow:

Overnight

Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday

Showers and thunderstorms likely after noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

A More Seasonal Week Ahead

Above, Church Rock from Red Rock Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The weird weather we had over the weekend appears to be over.

We had snow showers, rain, hail and sleet at times that were topped off with gusty winds. The coming week will be more seasonal with daytime temperatures into the 60s and above-freezing temperatures at night for Jamestown, New Mexico.

According to the National Weather Service:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 61. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 32. West wind 10 to 20 mph.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 63. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. West wind 10 to 15 mph becoming south after midnight.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Windy, with a southwest wind 10 to 20 mph increasing to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 36. Windy.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 65.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.

Friday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 62.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 34.

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 68.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 39.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 72. 

Hail...Vitus!

Above, hailstones on the deck about an hour ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It looks like the National Weather Service wasn't kidding when it said we would be in for thunderstorms in the afternoon today.

A little while ago, we had thunder and almost marble-sized hail come down in Jamestown, New Mexico. It is raining hard and we're still getting occasional thunder as I am writing this. There's actually a flash flood warning out here (thank God I am on a hill).

There's no doubt about it, it's monsoon season!

Above, hail being dumped on the deck. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is just as well since Mitch Geriminsky and I are headed north. We were going to go to the Wells Fun Run, but our friend in Idaho (about 100 miles away from Wells), Bill Wilson, is fighting an infection or something related to his blood cancer. So we're headed to his house instead. (Prayers for Bill are appreciated.)

Last year in Wells, it was my turn for a medical emergency. Perhaps it's just as well we're bypassing Wells since I didn't have much good fortune there (although I am lucky that quick action by Mitch saved my bacon).

The National Weather Bureau forecast:

This Afternoon

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Southeast wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Breezy, with a southeast wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday

Scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Storm Clouds

Above, storm clouds over the mesas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today, I was going to go into Gallup with The Beast to get a new house battery (a deep-cycle marine battery) and pick up my meds. But, storm clouds have come into the area with occasional downpours and hail.

So, I will probably do so either tomorrow or Saturday.

It was forecast that we'll have a chance of snow showers, but the temperature outside is around 45°, so I tend to doubt it.

There is electricity in the clouds as the radio is crackling from it. I haven't seen any lightning or heard any thunder but, supposedly, we are supposed to get it.

According to the National Weather Bureau:

Today

Rain and snow showers likely, becoming all rain after noon. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. South wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph after midnight.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. West wind 5 to 15 mph.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. West wind 5 to 15 mph.

Light Dusting

Above, the yard area behind the garage. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We had a little bit of a light dusting of snow last night.

While watching television around 9:00,  I heard noise outside. It sounded like heavy rain. I took a look and it was snowing out. Earlier, we got a hailstorm for a few minutes.

I knew we were supposed to get showers yesterday afternoon, but the snow in the evening came as a little surprise.

The little dusting we got will probably be gone by this afternoon since the temperature will be around 46°.

Above, the view out the kitchen windows. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This coming week will be a wet one according to the National Weather Service:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 46. West wind 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 54. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Sunday Night

A slight chance of rain and snow showers after 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday

Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday

Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday Night

A chance of rain and snow showers before 11pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday

Snow showers likely. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

It's More Like "White Friday"

Above, snow mixed with hail on the ground near the GOCO Beast Barn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It appears that we had some snow showers overnight.

Above, what's left of the clouds are over the mesas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I took a look around the property this morning and saw that there was some snow mixed in with the hail that fell earlier.

Above, the driveway and front of the house. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is under an inch thick, but enough to whiten up everything. Not exactly consistent with today being "Black Friday", is it? It will probably be melted away by noon today.

I took a walk around, including near the GOCO Beast Barn and snapped some pictures. It wasn't too bad, since it was only about 35° outside.

Thanksgiving Night

Above, the deck and yard are covered with hail. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It seems that I got home from Greg Lucier's home, where we had a fine Thanksgiving Day dinner, just in time.

Above, yours truly before heading over to Greg's.

The National Weather Service said we would expect to have rain and snow showers around 9:00 tonight.

Well, it wasn't exactly rain (but the night's not over yet) or snow, but we did get a strong hail storm with some thunder and lightning to go along with it.

Right now, it is 36° outside, not cold enough for snow, but it is keeping the hail intact.

This was the first time I drove up to the upper part of Whispering Cedars at night. I've been up there many times during the day.

Maybe the snow showers will come once the temperatures dip at or below 32°.

Monsoon Storms

Above, yesterday's storm. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The monsoon storms here in Jamestown, New Mexico keep right on coming.

Yesterday, we had a mid-afternoon thunderstorm that gave us a downpour of rain and hail. But that was topped by today's thunderstorm that was directly overhead. The lightning was so intense that it seemed King Ghidorah was just right outside.

I was cutting strawberries in the kitchen when one lightning bolt seemed to hit right outside in the yard. It even gave off a smell. The rain seemed to come down in buckets.

I was checking the Weather Channel's website this evening and it looks like we're in for more thunderstorms early in the morning. So I may not get much sleep if they are anything like today's storm.

Since New Mexico has been in a drought this year, the water is very much welcome. 

Hailstorm!

Above, the front yard. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A strong storm has rolled into the Jamestown, New Mexico area, bringing with it strong winds, lightning, thunder, rain and hail downpours. All this the courtesy the the monsoon weather pattern.

Above, pebble-sized hailstones on the patio table. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Looking outside as I type this, I see that the yard is getting a very good soaking, which it needed.

I took the accompanying photos as the storm was in progress.

Morning After

A friend from Hawthorne High School, who now lives in Albuquerque, said this about New Mexico weather last night:

That's NM weather!   Wait 15 minutes and it changes.

That seems to be very accurate as the weather yesterday changed during my drive on Interstate 40 from Albuquerque to Jamestown in a few scant miles. First it started as rain. Then it changed to hail. And then it started snowing.

The same happened last evening as the weather in Jamestown went from hail to snow (it decided to skip the rain part).

The winds kicked up and it snowed most of the evening.

The photo below shows my yard from the window in my kitchen this morning:

Above, snow covering the yard. Most of it will probably
melt off by this afternoon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Home Again!

Above, that white stuff is hail. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My little trek to Albuquerque is over and I had just arrived home.

I had to go into Albuquerque to take care of a couple of things that I was unable to do in Gallup. I figured that I would take the opportunity to make it an overnighter and stay at the Route 66 Casino's RV Resort. It is located about 20 miles from downtown Albuquerque.

More about the Route 66 RV Resort in another blog post.

After taking care of business (I was done by 11:05), I headed back home. The drive home was uneventful (in a good way) until I got to about 15 miles from my exit. I drove right into a rainstorm that eventually turned into a hailstorm and then snow showers with 45 mph winds. This lasted until about a mile from my exit.

I headed into the Flying J to put some gasoline into The Beast and the storms held off until I pulled into my driveway. Then it started to hail.

Now, it is just raining.

"Godzilla" Strikes Nebraska

Well, a "Godzilla" hit Nebraska yesterday. It is a Godzilla as far as I'm concerned.

I received some bad news this morning from my tenant farmer:

Hi, Armand. Had a big storm go thru last night. It hailed and wind broke alot of corn. Turned in fields to adjuster. They will not be out for two weeks so will not have any idea till they come out to amount of damage. It is a very sick feeling when this happens. My wife and I are going to go to see her sister in Kansas City so will be gone a couple days. It was a 50 mile strip that went thru.

As bad as this is, I have to thank my lucky stars (and a little prodding from my crop insurance agent) that I got the crop insurance paperwork in before this happened. So we're covered for any losses.

Someone was sitting on my shoulder!

Having natural disasters, be it windstorms (including tornadoes), hail or other perils, striking crops are just a hazard that farmers have to deal with. It is always a risk. This isn't the first time this happened as I remembered my mom had to deal with it on more than one occasion. Sooner or later, this will happen again. We've been lucky for the past several years. That's why there's crop insurance.

It is too bad this happened as the crop this year looked great. About a week or two ago, the corn crop was waist high.

"Nature has a way sometimes of reminding Man of just how small he is. She occasionally throws up terrible offspring's of our pride and carelessness to remind us of how puny we really are in the face of a tornado, an earthquake, or a Godzilla." - Ending narrative by Raymond Burr from "Godzilla 1985."

Or a hail storm.