Musings While On Cloud Nine

Musings While On Cloud Nine

Just thinking …

*The weather pattern is setting up almost perfectly for an East Coast snowstorm but so far that pattern has produced only a big rainstorm with the heavy snow much farther west. There is still hope for snow lovers that perhaps this weekend that first big storm will come along. But it’s getting to be nail-biting time for those who want to see a white Christmas.

*Did you see where several rivers in Rhode Island were in flood stage this past weekend? The results weren’t as severe as the record floods this past spring when the Pawtuxet crested nearly 12 feet above flood stage but for many it brought the same heartaches they’ve going through year after year with no resolution to the flooding problems in their neighborhoods in sight.

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*Weather Trivia Quiz: In an average coastal snowstorm what is the most commonly used ratio of liquid to snow? In other words one inch of liquid equals how many inches of snow?

*The Patriots just seem to be getting better and better with each passing (no pun intended!) game. Some fans are worried that they’re peaking too early and will lose their mojo by the playoffs. I say, what do you want them to do, play mediocre ball for a couple of weeks and then turn it on? C’mon, let’s face it. They’re peaking at just the right time and building toward the playoffs.

*It's looking more and more like Newport has lost out on its “second chance” bid for the 2013 America’s Cup races. Nothing is final yet but Tuesday night the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a Host City Agreement with the cup organizers. There had been a snag in the negotiations and organizers had reached out to Newport, and that rekindled hope that the City By the Sea still had a chance. Apparently all it did was pressure San Francisco into getting the agreement done. Newport still has a good shot at getting the preliminary races in 2012.

*It seems like the wind power issue in waters off the Rhode Island coast continues to be a fluid process. Last week Deepwater Wind LLC, which has planned a pilot project off Block Island, announced a proposal that would build the largest offshore wind farm in the United States in Rhode Island Sound. The 200 turbine project would provide power for multiple states along the East Coast and is expected to be up and running by 2015. There are, of course, lots of state and federal hurdles to leap over before that happens.

*With all the big bucks being thrown around by the big rich boys in Major League Baseball, including the Red Sox, Yankees and Phillies, it’s interesting to note that this year’s World Series was played by teams with the 10th and 27th largest payrolls. Payroll rankings for the teams that made the playoffs: 1. Yankees, 4. Phillies, 10. Giants, 11. Twins, 15. Braves, 19. Reds, 21. Rays, 27. Rangers.

*Christmas is just over a week away! Wasn’t it just Labor Day?

*Weather Trivia Quiz Answer: The most common ratio used is one inch of liquid equals ten inches of snow. However, those ratios can vary widely from storm to storm and area to area within the same storm. For instance, when the air is relatively mild and moist the ratio can be as little as 4 inches of snow to 1 inch of liquid. When the air is arctic cold, the ratio can be as high as 20 inches of snow to 1 inch of liquid or higher.

*Ooooops … gotta go … I hear sleigh bells but there’s no snow on the ground and it's way too early for Santa.