Kay's Daily Journal
April 2009
News readers 
since April 1, 2009
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2009 Old Farmer's Almanac Predictions for the Mid-Atlantic Region
April 2009
Temp. 51.5° (0.5° below avg)
Precip. 3.5" (avg)
1-5: Rain, then sunny.
6-11: Rain, then sunny, warm.
12-19: Showers, then sunny, cool.
20-24: Rain, cool.
25-30: Sunny, warm.
Historic Records For This Month
Historic Record High Temp: 89° Date - April 18, 2002; April 19, 2004.
Historic Record Low Temp: 28° Date - April 6, 2004; April 7, 2002; April 8, 2007; April 9, 2007.
Historic Record Rainfall: 0.0" Date -
Note: The Record Temperatures are for my area in Virginia over the period 1996 - 2008.
I will add more inclusive records over a larger geographic area at a later date as well as my own records at my own house started during this year, 2008.
Important April Dates
| Holidays Etc: |
Anniversaries: |
Birthdays: |
Miscellaneous: |
| April 1 - April Fool's Day |
April 13 - Justin & Alana |
None this Month |
Birthstone - Diamond |
| April 12 - Easter |
April 23 - Wayne & Dawn |
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Flower - Daisy, Sweet Pea |
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Color - White, Yellow, Colorless |
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Full Moon - Frog Moon, Pink Moon, Planter's Moon - April 9 |
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Meteor Showers - Lyrid - April 22, Predawn, 10/hr |
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Comet Thatcher |
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Earthquake Note:
The statistics used for the Daily Worldwide Earthquake Totals includes the latest Earthquakes Magnitude 2.5 or Greater in the United States and Adjacent Areas and Magnitude 4.5 or Greater in the Rest of the World.
Daily PHA Note:
Potentially Hazard Asteroids (PHA's)are space rocks larger than approximately 100m (size) that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time. 1 AU is the distance of earth to the sun, so 0.05 AU is basically about 1/20th the distance from earth to sun. So the numbers I will be displaying, hopefully daily, will represent asteroids that are passing closer to earth than 1/20th the distance between the earth and sun and could be potentially hazardous to life on earth. The statistics used in this journal are from the Space Weather web site.
One Meter = 39.37 inches (just over a yard!).
AU = Distance from earth to sun.
LD (Lunar Distance) = The distance from earth to the moon,
384,401 km or 234,484.61 miles (a km, kilometer is .61 of a mile).
Volcanoes Note:
How many active volcanoes known?
Erupting now: perhaps 20
Each year: 50-70
Each decade: about 160
Historical eruptions: about 550
These figures do not include the large number of eruptions (and undescribed volcanoes) on the deep sea floor. Estimates of global magma budgets suggest that roughly 3/4 of the lava reaching Earth's surface does so unnoticed at submarine mid-ocean ridges.
April 24, 2009 - Friday
Temperatures: Hi - 87° Lo - 42° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):26
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1054
Sunspots: 0
Yep, here we go. Hot weather. Humid weather. But at least it wasn't SUPER humid. Otherwise the 87° would have me complaining a lot more than I am right now.
The latest on Mt. Redoubt in Alaska is... The eruption of Redoubt volcano continues. Seismicity remains elevated. Thermal anomalies visible in satellite images indicate continued slow growth of the lava dome. Additional explosive events are possible with little or no warning. The volcano remains at ORANGE/WATCH and AVO is staffed 24/7.
And in our skies above....On Sunday, April 26th, the crescent Moon, Mercury and the Pleiades star cluster will line up in the western sky for a beautiful sunset conjunction.
So today was just a routine day, laundry, housework, meals, dishes, then some computer time!!! What can I say? I was afraid that folks would catch up and pass my top score in PathWords, so I practiced (and practiced, and practiced) until I beat my own top score. Now (and still holding) top score is 1100 !!!!
April 23, 2009 - Thursday
Temperatures: Hi - 73° Lo - 44° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):13
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1054
Sunspots: 0
Happy Anniversary Wayne & Dawn!!!!
Ah-h-h-h-h, FaceBook. As Seth told us, another great way to waste additional hours on the computer!!!! It's true, but it is also enjoyable!!! I'm having to make myself do my housework first before even booting up the computer. I love reading everyone's comments and playing PathWords and WordScraper with different friends!!! Brightens my whole day!!!!
Doctor's appointment today, just my quarterly checkup. A couple tests scheduled for later on, just rechecks on previous procedures. Nothing drastic. BP was a little elevated, but I know it's just going to the doctor that raises it up somewhat each time, so no worries there either. Also, the soreness in my arm and bruising is a mild case of "tennis elbow", a little tear in a tendon and a blood vessel that apparently broke. Again, no biggy. Otherwise, normal day. It was bright and sunny with a mild breeze that kept temps down abit. That's gonna change this weekend. Blah. Hot weather, I mean HOT weather coming the next few days. Boo-o-o-o-o.
April 22, 2009 - Wednesday
Temperatures: Hi - 68° Lo - 47° Rainfall Amounts: 0.1"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):27
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1054
Sunspots: 11
The PHA count has increased and a cluster of sunspots have appeared but seem to be disappearing, maybe within 24 hours according to the Space Weather web site.
We had a quick storm go thru around 2 pm today, mostly rain. Predictions are for more possibly throughout the evening.
And even though Mt. Redoubt has been downgraded from RED to ORANGE, it is still active and here is the latest: The eruption of Redoubt volcano continues. Seismic and thermal data indicate continued growth of a lava dome in the summit crater. Clear views of the volcano today show a steam and gas plume, possibly containing minor amounts of ash, above the volcano moving generally to the south. AVO field crews are working around the volcano today and are doing equipment maintenance and collecting samples and mapping eruptive products. Additional explosive events producing ash clouds, ash fall, and mudflows are possible and can occur with little or no warning. AVO will maintain 24/7 operations in order to quickly detect renewed significant explosive activity and other hazardous phenomena.
April 21, 2009 - Tuesday
Temperatures: Hi - 78° Lo - 48° Rainfall Amounts: 0.1"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):31
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1049
Sunspots: 7
So last nights storms were not too bad, at least at our house. Yes, we had rain, a little thunder and lightning, but not much else. South of us had wilder weather, with hail and some winds and one reported tornado touchdown, no damages reported. There was 1" hail in our part of the county and .88" size reported in the north end of the county. Fredericksburg also reported some hail and trees down, but all in all, not too bad.
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.2 in the KURIL ISLANDS.
And in the skies early tomorrow morning.....
Set your alarm for dawn. Just before sunrise on Wednesday morning, April 22nd, Venus and the crescent Moon will have a spectacular close encounter in the eastern sky. On Wednesday morning both will have a crescent shape. Use binoculars or a small telescope to resolve the tiny arc of Venus. For sky watchers in western parts of North America, the Moon will eclipse Venus. The event begins just after 5 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time and lasts for more than an hour.
LYRID METEOR SHOWER: The meeting of Venus and the Moon occurs smack-dab in the middle of the Lyrid meteor shower. Earth is passing through a trail of debris from Comet Thatcher, the source of the Lyrids, and this is expected to produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour over the northern hemisphere on Wednesday, April 22nd. The best time to look is during the dark hours before dawn.
Power's down again, got to shut down before I lose everything!!!
April 20, 2009 - Monday
Temperatures: Hi - 61° Lo - 54° Rainfall Amounts: 0.8"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):20
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1049
Sunspots: 0
Under a tornado watch until 10 pm. So far today we've had 8/10ths inch of rain. Small storms coming in from the southwest headed for us, so shutting down early.
April 19, 2009 - Sunday
Temperatures: Hi - 81° Lo - 51° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):27
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale in KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA.
Busy day again. Hauled some stuff to the dump out of the basement this morning, then into town to get a couple things that we need to fix some things around the house. Next we stopped at a new store that has opened in the last year to check it out. Back home, unload the few items we picked up, and eat a late lunch, or early supper. Then, believe it or not, I still had the energy to spend a couple hours in the basement again! So I've got several empty boxes and several bags of stuff ready to go to the dump again next time I leave the house!!! I'll get there, so help me, I will!
Now I'm going to kick back and watch one hour of TV then go to bed!!!! Well, I might play a couple games of PathWords or WordScraper before I actually make it to dreamland....
Here's the latest on Mt. Redoubt in Alaska: The 2009 eruption continues. Seismicity remains elevated. Web camera views of Redoubt are still obscured by clouds. AVO has no fieldwork planned for today. The volcano remains at aviation color code ORANGE and alert level WATCH.
And in the skies, the latest happenings, coming this week! MORNING METEORS: Earth is entering a stream of dusty debris from Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak during the dark hours before dawn on Wednesday, April 22nd, when observers should count 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
April 18, 2009 - Sabbath
Temperatures: Hi - 86° Lo - 44° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):24
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale in the KURIL ISLANDS and a 6.0 in the KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION.
Well, Lois has beat me, and I mean REALLY beat me by a whopper in WordScraper! Congrats!!! I've certainly got to practice this one more!!! This is fun!!! It really, REALLY brightens my days!!!
April 17, 2009 - Friday
Temperatures: Hi - 79° Lo - 38° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):34
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE.
Busy day, did a little grocery shopping as well as trips to other places in town. Finally was able to get the refills for the 5 x 7 top loading small scrapbook albums! Also, trip to the dump to get rid of some garbage and stuff... Like I said, busy day!
And I broke my own record and topped Lois's score in PathWords!!! I got a 1080!!!! Probably never be able to do better than that!!!!
April 16, 2009 - Thursday
Temperatures: Hi - 68° Lo - 38° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):47
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.7 on the Richter Scale in the SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION.
Started working on the church painting again today. I'm not really using the wet-on-wet method this time through, so I painted the sky and the first layer of clouds today. I'm taking photos of the progress which I will post at a later date. I may even start doing that for each painting also. Just to see what I'm doing at a later date. I'll probably post a new page link on the Art-Oils pages. I'll post a note and link in this journal when I have done so.
More laundry and housework! Spring cleaning is around the corner! Actually planning what I'm going to accomplish in the next 2-3 weeks, cleaning out closets and the basement!!! I'm determined to get 'er done!!
April 15, 2009 - Wednesday
Temperatures: Hi - 51° Lo - 40° Rainfall Amounts: 0.6"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):37
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.2 on the Richter Scale in KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA.
Working on laundry and housework, trying to catch up!
April 14, 2009 - Tuesday
Temperatures: Hi - 51° Lo - 45° Rainfall Amounts: 0.6"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):42
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Rained steady after midnight last night and light showers off and on all day today. Very dreary. More to come tonight thru tomorrow night also, if the reports on TV are correct.
Good news is that we got our vehicle back today! Yea!!!!
April 13, 2009 - Monday
Temperatures: Hi - 60° Lo - 35° Rainfall Amounts: 0.T"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):26
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Happy Anniversary Justin & Alana!!!!
Well, this one next article is interesting....provided the world lasts long enough....
APOPHIS PRE-ANNIVERSARY: Twenty years from today, on April 13th, 2029, asteroid Apophis will buzz Earth only 18,300 miles above the planet's surface--well inside the belt of geosynchronous communications satellites. At closest approach, the 300-meter-wide asteroid will shine like a 3rd magnitude star, visible to the unaided eye from cities in Africa, Europe and Asia. There is a small chance (1 in 45,000) that the 2029 encounter will bend the asteroid's orbit so that it returns to Earth and actually hits the planet on April 13th, 2036. Experts believe that future observations will probably rule out a collision. Nevertheless, NASA and others are thinking about asteroid deflection strategies ... just in case.
I'm wondering what a 300-meter-wide asteroid/meteorite would do to the earth if it actually hit? I'll research it and get back to you!
The latest on Mt. Redoubt is this: The eruption of Redoubt is on-going. The volcano remains at aviation color code ORANGE and alert level WATCH. Seismicity remains elevated, and many small, discrete earthquakes are occurring, suggesting that a dome continues to grow in the summit crater. Just to let you know I'm still keeping an eye out!!!
And HURRAY for the Navy Seals that rescued the Captain!!! Humble and just doing their jobs, they avoid the media. But in my eyes, they're HEROES and we as Americans should ALL be VERY PROUD!!!
WOW!! I got a 970 in PathWords on FB today!!! Lois is still ahead of me with 980, but I'm gaining on her!! However, she's killing me in WordScraper which is an online Scrabble game! Last game she beat me by over 300 points. That's pretty bad!!!
Looks like we might have some more rain coming. Started light rain around 10 pm.
April 12, 2009 - Sunday
Temperatures: Hi - 62° Lo - 39° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):29
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Happy Easter!!!!
Did you do anything special for Easter? We just did a few things around the house, worked in the basement for about 3 hours!!! That's what I call progress!!! I've been needing to work down there for SO-O-O-O-O long and now I've finally started. It's going to take months to sort everything out but I'm determined to clean out as much as I can. We still have things stored for both the boys, but it's my stuff that is the biggest problem. So I managed to create about 4 bags of garbage as well as several boxes of stuff that is ready for the dump (if we ever get our truck back from the garage!)... Anyway, I feel like I actually accomplished something yesterday. Then our little treat for Easter was fresh strawberries on the little cakey things with some Cool Whip on top. Yum-Yum!!!!
April 11, 2009 - Sabbath
Temperatures: Hi - 63° Lo - 44° Rainfall Amounts: 0.1"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):23
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Well, so much for the heavy rain. It was there on the radar, I just don't know how it missed us, but it did. Just northwest of us, it rained quite hard, but I don't know if anyone got the predicted 1" or not. We sure didn't.
April 10, 2009 - Friday
Temperatures: Hi - 84° Lo - 42° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):24
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Good Friday
Here's the latest on Mt. Redoubt in Alaska from today and yesterday: The eruption of Redoubt continues, and the volcano remains at aviation color code ORANGE and alert level WATCH. Seismicity continues to be elevated, with many small, discrete earthquakes occurring. Satellite and web camera images continue to be obscured by clouds. No ash emissions are visible in NWS radar. A magnitude 5.1 earthquake, located 175 miles NNW of Anchorage, occurred at 9:50 PM AKDT and shows up strongly on the Redoubt seismic network. And....
The eruption of Redoubt continues. Seismic and satellite data over the past day indicate continued lava dome growth. Satellite and web camera images have been obscured by clouds, but no significant ash emissions visible in radar. A satellite image from yesterday afternoon showed a continuous sulfur dioxide gas plume extending for more than 600 miles from volcano.
And lastly from the Weekly Status Report: Based on its past activity, the current Redoubt eruption is expected to continue for weeks to months. During this time, a cycle of relatively quiet periods of lava dome growth followed by explosive episodes of dome destruction will likely take place. Future explosions pose an ongoing threat of lahars in the Drift River Valley, trace to minor ash fall throughout south-central Alaska, and ash-related impacts to aviation.
Busy day, sure miss my vehicle! Well, maybe next week!
April 9, 2009 - Thursday
Temperatures: Hi - 73° Lo - 37° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):33
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Laundry & ironing and miscellaneous housework. What else can I say about today?
April 8, 2009 - Wednesday
Temperatures: Hi - 62° Lo - 33° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):41
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Routine stuff today. Man, it's forcing me to do housework, since I don't have a vehicle!!! I guess that's a good thing! Though I didn't make a lot of progress.... Laundry, supper, dishes..... seems like that's as far as I get somedays. Must be the stupid quizzes and games on Facebook taking up all my spare time!!!!!
April 7, 2009 - Tuesday
Temperatures: Hi - 53° Lo - 39° Rainfall Amounts: 0.F"(inches) Flurries several times during the day
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):40
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale in the KURIL ISLANDS. Strong aftershocks continue in Central Italy.
Be sure to check out SpaceWeather for today's date! There is a photo of the space station passing in front of the moon, the photo was taken looking through a 5 inch telescope by Pawel Warchal of Zalas, Poland. Really cool photo!
April 6, 2009 - Monday
Temperatures: Hi - 78° Lo - 48° Rainfall Amounts: 0.1"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):28
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale in CENTRAL ITALY. This one you'll hear about on the news.
Still no word about the truck, so I had to cancel my doctor's appointment. I'll reschedule as soon as I have my car back....
Watched a program this morning on the History Channel about the AntiChrist. Interesting, but boy, do they have their facts messed up. Often, when a religious concept is analyzed on the History Channel, they tend to give a negative view of anything relating to God and the Bible, almost like they think it is fiction, rather than fact. For all the scholars and supposedly brilliant men they consult and have expressing their own views, rarely do they get one that is correct. And people say the media isn't biased. And we won't even touch politics here, because we KNOW how EXTREMELY BIASED the news medias are about politics.......
We had a morning thunderstorm here today, not too much rain, but some lightning and thunder.
April 5, 2009 - Sunday
Temperatures: Hi - 78° Lo - 39° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):35
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1050
Sunspots: 0
Palm Sunday
So today Jim installed my new dishwasher!!! Yea!!!! I'm definitely a spoiled "child" of modern conveniences!!! He also fixed a couple things around the house that have been pending which is such a big help!!! Thanks Jim!!!
Looks like the stray we call "Boots" may have had her kittens. I don't know where she goes, but suspect she travels from house to house back here in the woods for food, so some lucky neighbor, hopefully not me this time, will have a bunch of new kittens. They are awful cute when they're little, though! The two surviving kittens from last July that hang around, I call them Salt & Pepper, are also expecting. I think when they have their kittens I'm going to try and catch them to get them fixed..... Fortunately, the other stray that we call Cali, seems to already have been fixed. She's a nice cat, wonder who owned her and dropped her in the woods? Or she could belong to a neighbor for all I know....
My back, shoulder & arm are still hurting some but not as bad as last weekend so that is a very good thing too!!!!
So Jim's truck has been at the shop since last Tuesday or Wednesday, I can't remember which. They told us that they couldn't possibly get to it last week but maybe, MAYBE by Tuesday of this week. I hope so, I miss having a vehicle!!!!
The latest on Volcano Redoubt in Alaska: The eruption of Redoubt continues, and the volcano remains at aviation color code RED and alert level WARNING. Small earthquakes and intermittent tremor continue at Redoubt. There is a continuous plume composed primarily of water vapor and gas, possibly with some ash, rising above the summit to less than 15,000 feet and drifting east.
There was an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale today in KYUSHU, JAPAN.
According to April 5, 2009 SpaceWeather: NO NORTH KOREAN SATELLITE: U.S. Northern Command officials have acknowledged that North Korea launched a Taepo Dong 2 missile at 10:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, which passed over the Sea of Japan/East Sea and the nation of Japan. Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean. No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan.
So there is a lot going on geologically in our world, volcanoes, earthquakes and another PHA was added today bring the total to 1050 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids in space above us. Can you believe the time of the end is near?? Believe it.
April 4, 2009 - Sabbath
Temperatures: Hi - 73° Lo - 44° Rainfall Amounts: 0.0"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):35
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1049
Sunspots: 0
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale in the PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION.
The Mt. Redoubt alert level is currently WARNING and aviation color code is RED. At 06:00 AKDT there was a significant explosive event at Redoubt. An ash cloud has reached at least 50,000 feet above sea level and is heading SE. The National Weather Service has issued an ash advisory lasting to 10am AKDT for areas from south of Ninilchik. Lightning was observed in the eruption cloud and AVO seismometers indicate a lahar in the Drift River Valley.
April 3, 2009 - Friday
Temperatures: Hi - 75° Lo - 53° Rainfall Amounts: 0.6"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):28
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1049
Sunspots: 0
Did a little local shopping today, mostly just small items. Jim's truck is still sitting to be worked on, so we'll be glad when that happens! Otherwise a normal day. It rained hard then the sun came out, then it rained hard again and then the sun came out again. No thunder or lightning but a little wind.
I want to tell you more about the sunspots, so I'm putting it here in today's journal to remind me another day. It's interesting and also concerns the weather. Global warming, my foot.
April 2, 2009 - Thursday
Temperatures: Hi - 60° Lo - 53° Rainfall Amounts: 0.1"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):21
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1049
Sunspots: 0
SPOTLESS SUNS: Yesterday, NASA announced that the sun has plunged into the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century. Sunspots have all but vanished and consequently the sun has become very quiet. In 2008, the sun had no spots 73% of the time, a 95-year low. In 2009, sunspots are even more scarce, with the "spotless rate" jumping to 87%. We are currently experiencing a stretch of 25 continuous days uninterrupted by sunspots--and there's no end in sight.
This is a big event, but it is not unprecedented. Similarly deep solar minima were common in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and each time the sun recovered with a fairly robust solar maximum. That's probably what will happen in the present case, although no one can say for sure. This is the first deep solar minimum of the Space Age, and the first one we have been able to observe using modern technology. Is it like others of the past? Or does this solar minimum have its own unique characteristics that we will discover for the first time as the cycle unfolds? These questions are at the cutting edge of solar physics.
VOLCANO REDOUBT STATUS: The number of small earthquakes per hour has continued at the elevated rate that first appeared about 8:00 AM today. Low elevation steam emissions likely continue with a small plume barely visible on cloudy satellite images. The summit is completely obscured by clouds in the most recent webcam views.
April 1, 2009 - Wednesday
Temperatures: Hi - 66° Lo - 45° Rainfall Amounts: 0.T"(inches)
Daily Worldwide Earthquakes (greater than 2.5 USA/4.5 Worldwide on the Richter Scale):28
Daily PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) Count: 1049
Sunspots: 0
April Fool's Day!!!!
There was an earthquake today measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G. No April fools....
The latest on Mt. Redoubt Volcano: The volcano continues to emit a plume of gas, steam and ash to low elevations. Winds have shifted and are blowing the plume ESE. Weak volcanic tremor is ongoing, punctuated by small, discrete earthquakes.
A little drizzle this morning then just overcast all day. Started raining around 9 pm this evening.
What's new this month? Well, I added the PHA's into the daily stats last month, so this month I'm adding the Sunspot numbers. At this time of the cycle (Hams know what I'm saying...) we should start seeing the sunspot count rise!!! But it hasn't yet.
This is from the SpaceWeather webpages: As April begins, the sun has been spotless for 24 consecutive days. How long can the blank spell continue? The longest stretch of blank suns in the past 100 years was 92 days in April, May and June of 1913. To match that streak, today's sun must remain spotless until early June 2009. That's a lot of quiet; stay tuned!
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