WHERE TO NEXT? Arizona (again) or Florida (jail)
Added 2021-07-29 19:28:47 +0000 UTCHello Everyone.
Every other year or so I go to Arizona chasing monsoonal thunderstorms and crazy reptiles. This August I'm considering turning my sites toward Florida. 2010 was the last time I chased there mainly due to the speeding ticket I never paid. Current thinking is that sea breeze lighting storms, water spouts, surfing, snorkeling and an array of crazy wildlife is worth the risk of going to jail.
SEA BREEZE STORMS
Many afternoons roughly around the same time in July, we get a brief little lightning storm here in Houston due to the sea breeze front. Simply put, when the sun rises, the land heats up faster than the sea and the air above the land begins to rise. The air over the water is pulled in displacing the rising air over the land and a little front starts to push inland. Often on radar loops you can see the clockwork thunderstorm activity parallel the shoreline.
CIRCLE 1 & 2:
Note how the shoreline curves outward. In geography like this the sea breeze converges together inland increasing chances of thunderstorms. (similar geography around Tampa) Note the opposite in circle two. Surface air moving perpendicular to the concave shoreline tends to bow outward diverging. You can certainly get thunderstorms here, however Circle 1 in the most likely scenario.
CIRCLE 3: Here on the peninsula, you often have two sea breezes collide. Another good scenario for thunderstorm development. These are some reasons why Florida gets so much lightning.
So what should we do, go back to beautiful Arizona and catch the same old critters, or try something completely different in Florida? Tough decision... I'm leaning hard to the East, but I'll let you guys know as soon as I decide.
xox
Hank
Comments
So glad you went to AZ. I ended up in the hospital on last trip to FLA swimming with the Manatee. Aspiration pneumonia...shallow cold water snorkeling...blow don't suck. Love your descriptions and look at the whole picture.
Brent
2021-08-24 17:17:58 +0000 UTCHank, just a thought on your Florida issues. It's probably worth paying a lawyer to check into things & see if there's any way to make the old ticket/probable FTA warrant go away without spending time behind the bars. Last thing you want to have happen if you ever do chase in Florida again is to get pulled over & have your car full of expensive camera gear end up in a shady impound lot while you sit in jail.
Nate M
2021-08-02 00:09:47 +0000 UTC
