Blow the man down

Like their California counterparts, Atlantic coast surfers celebrate storms that are too far offshore to have any impact on residents but still kick up enough of a ruckus to create a “surf’s up!” condition at the beach. The storm du jour is Noel,

In fact, the current official storm condition – provided by our National Weather Service Forecast office – is “high surf warning.” This designation rests between “small craft advisory” and “red flag warning.” Two more designations are higher, but remain below “hurricane warning” and “Hurricane;” they are “gale warning” and “coastal flood warning.”

Areas between here and Daytona Beach are currently at the “coastal flood warning” level, and the tropical storm is generating “hurricane warning” notices off shore all the way down the coast.

Jacksonville skies are clear right now, but the speed with which clouds sailed by yesterday indicates that conditions are volatile here in “high surf warning” territory. In fact, forecasters are expecting more clouds to pass through town enroute to other destinations. Then, they say, skies should be clear for the weekend and beyond.

Thanks to the return to Standard Time on Sunday, the sun’s going to be setting an hour earlier – making days seem much shorter. Morning people are eager for the shift as they’re already rising before daylight; but I will miss the opportunity to go outside after supper and enjoy the sunset and dusk.

OK. This entry is a bit thin – perhaps not up to my usual standards. I noted that November is “Blog Posting Month” and I’m thinking about trying to rise to the challenge and to post something every day this month. For info, try NaBloPoMo (November Blog Posting Month, http://nablopomo.ning.com/ )