A very nice weekend -- but with some low clouds & fog to start each day -- will be followed by a stormy start to the workweek. A weak upper level disturbance will move across the First Coast Mon. out ahead of the main & stronger upper level disturbance. The lead disturbance will bring just a few showers Mon. Most of the rain will fall Tue. -- Election Day. A quick shot of chilly air will follow for the middle & end of the week.
Remember to "fall back" this Sunday - turn clocks back 1 hour. Check out sunrise & sunset for Sunday:
NASA has developed a comprehensive web page full of satellite imagery of "Sandy" including a high res. timelapse from the storm's birth in the Caribbean to peak intensity near Cuba to landfall near Atlantic City -- click here.
This is cool from the Jags:
Jaguars to give $1 to Jacksonville Humane Society for every ‘like’ on team’s Facebook page
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (November 1, 2012) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have partnered with the Jacksonville Humane Society for the “Like Us, Love Them” campaign. For every ‘like’ the team gains on its Facebook page, the Jaguars will donate $1 to the Jacksonville Humane Society.
“My family and I have always been dedicated to causes that benefit or protect animals,” said Jaguars owner Shad Khan. “This is a terrific opportunity for my favorite animals, our Jaguars, to partner with one of the oldest animal welfare organizations in the country to raise money to help homeless dogs and cats in our community.”
“The Like Us, Love Them campaign is a quick and easy way to support animals in need,” said Denise Deisler, JHS executive director. “Just by clicking the like button, you are ensuring JHS has one more dollar to provide medical care, shelter and comfort to homeless dogs and cats. Support from the Jaguars is also going to help strengthen our children’s educational programs.”
Through the Like Us, Love Them campaign, the Jaguars will donate up to $50,000 to the Jacksonville Humane Society through Nov. 30. To like the Jaguars Facebook page, visit ** here **.
Earth Gauge: Lighten Up
Households in the South Atlantic region on the United States spend over 2000 dollars per year on energy. While up to half of the energy used goes towards heating and cooling, other home features like water heaters, appliances and lighting contribute to energy bills. Swapping traditional light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) is one of the easiest ways to start saving energy at home and at work, especially during fall and winter, when fewer daylight hours and cooler temperatures keep people inside.
Tip: Look for light bulbs that have earned the Energy Star, which means they meet strict energy efficiency guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Consider these facts and figures:
· An average Energy Star qualified light bulb uses 75 percent less energy than a standard bulb and lasts about six times longer.
· Energy Star CFLs emit less heat than traditional light bulbs.
· Swapping one traditional bulb for an Energy Star bulb can save 40 dollars or more over the lifetime of the bulb. Swap five and save over 200 dollars!
Get tips for purchasing CFL light bulbs – including choosing light intensity, color and size – ** here **.
(Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2009: Consumption and Expenditures; Energy Star. “Save Energy at Home: Lighting.”, and “CFLs: Savings.”)
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Climate Fact: A Growing Green Season: Autumn and Spring Contributions
Link ** here **.
In Brief: Later leaf change/leaf drop in autumn, particularly in the Southeast, Central and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, has contributed to the overall 9.6-day increase in the Northern Hemisphere’s green season since the early 1980s.
In general, plants want to remain green for as long as possible: the longer the period of the year that they can photosynthesize - use the Sun’s energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into the sugars that sustain them - the more they can grow and the more successful they will be. In the spring, the growing season begins when leaves emerge, the timing of which is mainly determined by the plant experiencing a certain number of days/hours with temperatures above a certain threshold. In autumn, the opposite process is true, with leaf change and leaf fall happening once the plant experiences a certain number of days/hours with temperatures below a certain threshold. With warmer temperatures over the past 30-40 years, plants across the Northern Hemisphere, where most of Earth’s land is, have been staying green for longer periods of the year. Analysis of radar data from satellites shows that since 1982 over the Northern Hemisphere, plants have responded to temperature changes with an overall increased growing season of 9.6 days. The biggest increase in length was experienced in Europe, with about equal contributions from earlier spring emergence and later leaf death in the fall. In North America, however, the increase of 9.4 days came almost entirely from an extension of the growing season into the fall, although earlier spring emergence, particularly from 1982 until 1999 in Alaska and the Northeast United States, also played a role. Lengthening of the growing period into the fall was particularly pronounced in parts of the Mid Atlantic, Southeast and Central United States.
(Source: Jeong, SJ et al. “Phenology shifts at start vs. end of growing season in temperature vegetation over the Northern Hemisphere for the period 1982-2008.” Global Change Biology 17 (2011): 2385-2399.)
Have a great & safe weekend!
