Friday, July 8, 2022

Still Life with Robin: The Abstract Art of the Weather Map

 by Peggy Robin


I'm on the road this weekend, and before I left, I checked with my favorite source of weather information, The Capital Weather Gang (without question the most useful of all DC gangs -- and I would bet, the nicest, too) to see what kind of conditions I'd be driving in. 

What I found when the website came up on my screen was a lovely piece of abstract art:


When I clicked on the article that accompanied the image (which was sent to me as a teaser/preview from the Washington Post as part of its afternoon e-newsletter), I found the soothing multi-colored composition is actually a weather map portending flooding and drenching rain. 

Ah well, at least for a few seconds I enjoyed the illusion that we were in a swirl of green and red and blue paints arranged by some modern artist, instead of what was the actual significance of the image: [and I quote] " heavy rain and some flooding if storms repeatedly pass — a.k.a. train — over the same area.... About a quarter to a half-inch of rain will fall in general storms, with perhaps two or more inches in any training activity."

I am fully intending to heed the warning if I should encounter any pooling of unknown depth along my route: "If you come across flooded roads: turn around, don’t drown."

While I'm away, I'll just add a short, practical note about the running of the Listserv.: It's going to be slow going, today and tomorrow. I may not be getting to review messages very often, so expect delays! If you need to post something and have it go out quickly to all -- sorry, but this is not a good weekend for speedy service! I'll be back on Monday morning and the Listserv should be back up to speed by then!
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Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

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