Jacksonville, FL — Hurricane season continues through Nov. 30th - “Talking the Tropics With Mike” is updated every day.
“Infamous Ian - A Blow by Blow” * here *
A true autumn chill descended on Jacksonville/NE Fl. & SE Ga. midweek peaking Oct. 19-20:
The Orionid meteor shower peaks Fri.-Sat. Oct. 21-22. Approximately 15-20 per hour may be visible. More * here * from Sky & Telescope.
NOAA reports 2022 U.S. billion-dollar weather disasters are mounting & the final tallies are still being calculated for hurricanes Fiona (Puerto Rico) & Ian:
Speaking of disasters... WalletHub has a list of the states most impacted by natural disasters since 1980:
NOAA / SPC has come out with a new tool to show lightning climatology (risk) using interactive maps & data from 1995 to 2019. The “data viewer” can be found * here *.
The data below is for Jacksonville. No surprise that the local peak for lightning is in the afternoon hours from late May through early Oct.:
Oct. 18th marks 50 years since the signing of the Clean Water Act.
From Patty Scott:
October 18, 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of the historic Clean Water Act. This landmark environmental legislation can be credited with bringing back many of our nation’s waters from the brink of disaster.
Prior to 1972, many waterways were so polluted, they were a public health hazard. The slime, oil and debris on the surface of the Cuyahoga River in Ohio regularly ignited in flames. Lake Erie was so devoid of aquatic life, it was considered “dead.” The majestic Potomac River, covered with sewage and noxious algae, was called a national disgrace.
But, 50 years ago, the American people said “enough.” The Clean Water Act passed both Houses of Congress by overwhelming, bipartisan margins. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), formed two years prior, was charged with carrying out the ambitious goals of the Act to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.’
Thanks to significant financial investments and new permitting programs implemented by EPA, direct discharges of sewage and industrial wastes were largely eliminated. The resulting success — the work of the EPA, states and other partners— was remarkable. Once-dead rivers, lakes and estuaries now pulsate with fish and other aquatic life. People can safely swim in waters once too polluted for human contact. And across the nation, scenic urban waterfronts have revitalized communities.
But despite the tremendous progress over the last half century, today we face new and in some ways, more difficult challenges. Climate change and sea level rise pose grave new threats. Rising ocean temperatures threaten aquatic life and potentially the entire food chain. Increased acidity is bleaching coral reefs, the “rainforests of the sea,” and destroying habitat for many species of fish and marine invertebrates.
Plastic pollution and marine debris pose a threat both to life in our oceans and potentially human health. Another major challenge is polluted storm water runoff. Every time it rains, harmful pollutants, such as fertilizers, pesticides and toxic chemicals, wash off lawns and driveways into storm drains and waterways. This runoff is sometimes called “personal pollution” since it’s the cumulative impact of many people’s individual, and sometimes careless, actions.
But we should be encouraged by the resounding success of the Clean Water Act. It demonstrates that regulatory actions and citizen and community engagement can make an enormous difference.
President Nixon vetoed the Clean Water Act because he argued that it was too expensive. But thankfully, Congress followed the will of the people and overrode his veto.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided a historic investment in water infrastructure, including $12.7 billion through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund programs that were established by the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act. This funding is a significant investment in the future of clean water in the country. Improved, resilient infrastructure will have positive impacts on our waterways for years to come.
Clean water is critical to our quality of life here in Florida. It sustains our robust fisheries and a diversity of wildlife, our tourism-based economy, agricultural production as well as industry.
How can we respond to today’s water quality challenges? By joining together — citizens’ groups, government agencies, community organizations. By working together— to “adopt” and clean up local watersheds. By making tough decisions and securing tough commitments to address the problems that are still out there. By educating people about what causes pollution and the steps they can take to prevent it. And most importantly— by getting involved.
Mid Oct.- early Nov. night skies from Sky & Telescope:
Oct. 20 (morning): The waxing crescent Moon and Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, are 4½° apart.
Oct. 21 (morning): The Orionid meteor shower peaks in the dark hours before dawn.
Oct. 25 (morning): A partial solar eclipse is visible across most of Europe, northeastern Africa, the Middle East, and western Asia (but not in the U.S.).
Oct. 27 (dusk): The waxing crescent Moon and Antares, 3° apart, sink toward the southwestern horizon in twilight.
Nov. 1 (dusk): Look toward the south to see the first-quarter Moon hanging 4½° below Saturn.
Nov. 4 (evening): The waxing gibbous Moon is about 3° to the lower left of Jupiter.
Nov. 6 (morning): Daylight-saving time ends at 2 a.m. locally for most of the U.S. and Canada.
Nov. 8 (morning): A total lunar eclipse occurs, centered at 5:59 a.m. EST. Viewers in the Far West and Rockies can witness the entire event, while totality ends at or just after sunrise along the East Coast.
Moon Phases
First Quarter Oct. 2 8:14 p.m. EDT
Full Moon Oct. 9 4:55 p.m. EDT (Hunter’s Moon)
Last Quarter Oct. 17 1:15 p.m. EDT
New Moon Oct. 25 6:49 a.m. EDT (partial solar eclipse in Eastern Hemisphere)