Is a local wettest year record within reach?

This morning 's Twitter TimeLine produced a Tweet from the Twin Cities' National Weather Service office informing us that this year, through yesterday, has been the second wettest on record at MSP airport. We were less than an inch from topping the record. That helps explain why the floorboards, rails, and stanchions in our deck are turning green with algae.  And, far from least, it validates the perception we shared yesterday about this having been a cool, cloudy, wet year so far. In fact, we're fascinated that three of the top five wet years have occurred this century. What those year-to-date numbers don't tell us is if the precipitation came in the form of Chinese water torture, drip, drip, drip, almost every day, or more like getting waterboarded, with intermittent deluges separated by periods in between, allowing fear to build toward terror before the next onslaught of water.

SOURCE:

NWS Twin Cities    

@NWSTwinCities

The wet weather probably has contributed to the 'mazing explosion of mushroom species all around the property. The Better Half [BH] pointed out many of the mushrooms that have popped up over the past few days. She calls the ones in the picture below, running from top center to the lower right side,  a "fairy path." BH also noted a hummingbird at the feeder this morning, so they haven't yet decided the rain will never stop and the sun will never shine around here again. I, on the other hand, have been grumping and grumbling about 20 - 30 mph winds, from almost all four compass quadrants, cooler than average temperatures, and almost no sun, again.

can you see the "fairy path" mushrooms?

Photo by J. Harrington

The winds have, once more, delivered great quantities of dead, broken, lichen-laden branches to the drive and yard. We've crossed our fingers, toes and eyes that, before we're snow-bound, we get a long enough spell of calmer, warmer (but not hot) weather to enjoy the warmth created by reducing piles of fallen sticks to ashes in our fire ring.

Meanwhile, it's time to enjoy the colors emerging in the leaves, including even some oak leaves, showing bronze, copper and gold alloys. The leaves in the picture below have been least exposed to sunlight over the Summer, so their color change is consistent with the explanation that cessation of photosynthesis leads to green (chlorophyl) draining from the leaves, revealing their "true colors?"

from copper through bronze to gold oak leaves

Photo by J. Harrington

Weather

Eve Merriam- 1916-1992

Dot a dot dot dot a dot dot
Spotting the windowpane.

Spack a spack speck flick a flack fleck
Freckling the windowpane.

A spatter a scatter a wet cat a clatter
A splatter a rumble outside.

Umbrella umbrella umbrella umbrella
Bumbershoot barrel of rain.

Slosh a galosh slosh a galosh
Slither and slather a glide

A puddle a jump a puddle a jump
A puddle a jump puddle splosh

A juddle a pump a luddle a dump
A pudmuddle jump in and slide!

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