Buresh Blog: Water less... 90 degree days... Night skies... Paddles for PanCan

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First Alert Neighborhood Weather Network. Scan below &/or click * here *:

Updated everyday during the hurricane season (through Nov. 30th): “Talking the Tropics With Mike”.

Now that we’re back to standard time, it’s time for home owners to cut back to watering their lawns & landscape once per week.

From the St. Johns River Management District:

As Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 3, the St. Johns River Water Management District reminds residents to “fall back” their clocks and reset their irrigation systems to water no more than once a week.

“With outdoor irrigation accounting for half or more of most Floridians’ water use, now is a great time to dial back and help conserve water,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Water Conservation Coordinator Deirdre Irwin. “Lawns and plants need less water in cooler months, and watering less conserves our water resources while keeping landscapes healthy.”

Public water supply accounts for the largest water use in the District about 569.5 million gallons per day—enough to fill approximately 258,289 dump trucks—much of which is allocated to outdoor irrigation. Adjusting landscape watering not only saves water but also strengthens lawns and plants by reducing the risk of mold, fungus, weak roots, weeds and pests.

The District enforces watering restrictions during Eastern Standard Time (Nov. through mid-March) to manage water resources effectively. These restrictions limit irrigation to one day per week as follows:

• Saturday for residential addresses ending in odd numbers or with no address
• Sunday for residential addresses ending in even numbers
• Tuesday for non-residential properties
• No irrigation is allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Residents can conserve water by repairing broken or misaligned sprinkler heads to prevent watering sidewalks and other hard surfaces. Overwatering can lead to runoff that carries fertilizers and pollutants into nearby waterways, affecting water quality. Contact your utility provider to see if rebates are available for system upgrades.

Learn more water-saving tips at WaterLessFlorida.com. See how neighbors across the District are making a difference by visiting the Water Less Heroes series.

And now that it’s Nov., Jacksonville *should* be done with 90 degree days. Never has Jacksonville had a 90 degree day after Halloween through Dec. (& Jan./Feb.). 2024 ended up tied for 5th most with 102 ninety-degree days.

Night skies through Nov. (from Sky & Telescope):

Nov. 10 (evening): The waxing gibbous Moon and Saturn are less than ½° apart. Some locations in the southeastern U.S. will see the Moon cover the planet.

Nov. 16 (morning): High in the west, the just-past full Moon gleams in the Pleiades. Use binoculars or a telescope to glimpse the cluster’s stars.

Nov. 17 (morning): The waning gibbous Moon is about 5° right of Jupiter.

Nov. 17 (morning): The Leonid meteor shower is predicted to peak. However, the bright Moon will hamper viewing.

Nov. 19 (evening): The waning gibbous Moon is 2½° below Pollux above the east-northeastern horizon.

Nov. 20 (night): Face east to see the Moon, two days shy of last quarter, around 4½° lower left of Mars.

Nov. 23 (morning): The last-quarter Moon follows Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, by 4° as they climb in the east.

Nov. 27 (morning): The waning crescent Moon occults the bright star Spica for viewers in central and eastern North America.

Moon Phases

First Quarter November 9 12:55 a.m. EST

Full Moon November 15 4:29 p.m. EST (Beaver Moon; also Frost Moon or Freezing Moon)

Last Quarter November 22 8:28 p.m. EST

Mark your calendars for Sat., Nov. 16th! “Paddles for PanCan” sponsored by the Mayo Clinic is a pickleball fundraiser for the local chapter - Jacksonville - of the Pancreatic Cancer Network. At The Yards 8am - noon. OneBlood will be onsite with the Big Red Bus giving you the opportunity to give the gift of blood (one pint of blood can save up to 3 lives)... Bronx Pizza will serve lunch (or a late breakfast)... the Jacksonville Salvation Army will be there with the Red Kettle... & enjoy an exhibition court where you can learn all about pickleball & play some fun games. Scan the QR codes to sign up to play (all players will enjoy the valuable swag bag just for participating!)... the 2nd image takes you straight to a safe donation for Jacksonville PanCan... & sign up * here * to make an appointment to give blood for which you will also receive a $20 eGift card, a half dozen reusable cups & a wellness checkup.

I hope to see ya’ at The Yards Nov. 16th!