Good Old Fashioned "Frog-Stranglers".

I'll be the first to admit that I end up doing some strange things when I'm on vacation. One of them was paddling around in a canoe with my brother, my sister, and my sister-in-law. We had a lot of fun enjoying a beautiful day on the lake. But it ended up getting a little weird when we started trying to sneak up on the resident bullfrogs so I could snap a few close-ups. This shot turned out pretty neat if I do say so myself. Click on it to see it full-sized, and you get the feeling this guy is thinking, "Move along. Can't you see I'm trying to catch a little lunch?" By the way, this little excursion escalated into Steve Irwin imitations as we spoke like the Crocodile Hunter and hunted bigger game with my digital. I'll post those pictures sometime soon.
I think the picture is appropriate for the weather the next two days. Just looking at the Channel 3 Storm Alert Live Doppler radar the last couple of afternoons, you could see good old fashioned "Frog-Stranglers". Those summer downpours that can really douse a relatively small area. Who knows where that phrase comes from? I'm not sure if the origins are down on the farm, but I've heard it over the years in every state that I've lived in. And now I'm doing my part to perpetuate the archaic I guess. Anyway, because the air is saturated with water vapor right now, more of those gully-washer will pop up this afternoon and tomorrow. These kind of conditions are more common this time of year than any other. Relatively light winds above the ground and lots of available moisture. In fact the July 24 hour rainfall record was set on the 20th of July back in 1979 when 4.64" of rain fell. And Chattanooga's all time 1 hour rainfall record was established on July 27th, 1976 when 2.70" of rain fell. But the best news is our string of days with highs 90 degrees or hotter is coming to an end. So far we have had 9....today will make number 10. So heeeeeeeere we go:

Today: Partly cloudy with scattered storms this afternoon. Some could be strong to severe with heavy downpours. Highs near 95.

Tonight: Storms fade, but a few showers could linger overnight. Lows around 73.

Saturday: Scattered showers and storms. Some possibly severe with heavy downpours. Highs around 86.

Sunday: Most of the rain will be South and Southeast of Chattanooga, and moving away during the day. So I think much of Sunday looks o.k.. Highs again around 86.

Monday and Tuesday: Partly cloudy and sticky with highs 90 to 91. And a slight chance for an isolated storm popping up.

As Steve Irwin would say: "Ave a GORE-juss weekend mate!"