Monday, August 24, 2009

"Heat Wave" Part II

This run of 100+ degree days in Austin continues....we are now up to 63 days this year!!! The fact of the matter is this shows no sign of cooling off any time soon.

What I haven't mentioned is that not only is it HOT, it is also DRY. As in no rain. I can't remember when we last had rain that lasted more than 20 minutes! Lake Travis (which is really the resevoir created where the Colorado River comes through), the streams, smaller rivers, and little lakes are nearly dried up! You can actually see islands in the resevoir! This is NOT GOOD!

The LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) has just issued mandatory restrictions on certain things related to water use. We can now only water lawns every five days. Fountains and waterfalls all over town are being turned off. Grass is brown. Trees are brown. Wind is blowing soil around. Dust devils are popping up all along the roadways in less urban parts of town. Corn stalks are brown and stunted. I can't imagine how bad it must be for the farm animals or wildlife. People are cranky and are running out of patience with the heat and each other.

Droughts don't last forever, I know this to be true. I suppose the 100+ days will go away fairly soon, even if it doesn't rain. So eventually the "Heat Wave" will dissipate; but without some serious rain, and I mean a bunch of frog-stranglin', cats and dogs, just short of flood stage, gulley-washer rainstorms, we've got a much larger and more devasting problem. Everyone depends on rainwater in one way or another. Anybody know where to find a good Rainmaker?? :-)

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