The Warm October Rolls On

Clouds over the last couple of days have kept the temperatures down here in Va. but the sun has already burned off the clouds today and temps will climb back into the 80's. The warmth will continue well into this week until...and we'll see, tropical depression 14 (Michael) heads up the coast (but, remember, actual storm paths and models of storm paths rarely match) and brings major rains for the southeast Wednesday and Thursday. A blast of northern air will sweep it all offshore and cool down the region for next weekend and get us back to more normal October temps.
Perhaps instead of the last 120 years for averages we should be using the last 20/30 years for averages; since the real warming of the planet has cranked up. While I have weather records in my journals back 20+ years, they are far from consistent, and I couldn't do the math/record averaging, but someone could. I bet the averages since 1990 are several degrees higher than the records back into the 1800's. The planet is warming!! And, deny all you want, we will all have to deal with this moving into the future.
A 5.9 quake rattled the northwestern edge of Haiti today, with lack of building codes, there is likely major damage. Couple of quakes along the mid-Atlantic ridge but a fairly quiet 24 hours on the big shaky planet. Less than 100 magnitude 4.5-5.9 quakes for the week, good news for Palu, Indonesia, still digging out from the recent tsunami. Wild planet!
The thin, waning crescent moon will slide between the earth and sun as a New moon just before midnight eastern daylight time Monday night. The spring tides with the new moon will add to the storm surge along the Gulf Coast as Michael heads that way. Venus is now gone from viewing until it comes out as the Morning Star in November.  Jupiter is still bright in the southwest after sunset, but is below the horizon in little over an hour past sunset (which is earlier and earlier which each passing day). Mars and Saturn are still high up in the south as the evening sky darkens. The mosquitos are bad news right now so if you are out sky viewing, slather on the repellent or make it a very quick view.
Uranus, in Aries, and Neptune in Aquarius are in good viewing positions right now, but you'll need a telescope. Uranus is bright enough to see with just good eyes in a dark location, but finding it with a scope or binocs first will aid that. Mercury is back behind the sun and out of sight right now but will make an evening appearance in late October and into November even then will not be easy to spot.
Still feeling like summer so get out and enjoy the warmth, deal with the bugs, share the planet we must. And, let's see if I can come up with a few rhymes to vent with the insanity going on both locally and nationally, today on Earth.

We've got a tweeting twit "in charge"

With tiny brain but mouth and ego so large

And, the party of denial and blame

Beer toasting their new judge with the claim,

"We don't like women or believe what they say,

So, let keep 'em underpaid, harassed and at bay

And, focus on growth and greed and war

Wave our peepees around, and get to the bar"

Closer to home, it's mostly the same

Tax dollars to buy up land that's lame

To bring business that's not coming

And, debt and excuses and chest drumming

But, keep pushing back ladies, everyday

We need these old white guys out of the way

An end to their power, control and slime

Keep pushing back, now is the time!!