Raining Everyday

The rain has been incredible. Everyday, non-stop torrential downpours. So I found out that we have been getting the outer bands of Cyclone Laila that is heading towards India on the East coast. this has not been monsoon rains, the monsoon rains are coming!

I have seen quite a bit of damage caused by the rains, trees falling, a brick wall that fell down but the worst part is the flooding.

Our housekeeper tells us that she walks in knee deep water to get to our apartment and that her home has been flooded every night. We offered her our guest bedroom but she wouldn't accept, we offered her additional money to take a trishaw to work, she wouldn't accept it. She said that we give her so much already.

I took a train trip with my son to Kandy (In the interior of the country). We rode by many neighborhoods of what basically nothing but shacks constructed of whatever material is available. Well these entire neighborhoods were flooded. Mind you these homes do not have running water and they don't even have outhouses as we think of them but sewage pits. Add the floods to these conditions and it's ripe for diseases. The government said that it is releasing additional money to take of the flood victims, I hope it reaches out to everyone in need.

How hot is it?

It goes without saying that it's very hot here. There are only two seasons, hot and hotter!
I work inside in a very cold air conditioned office. Come lunch time I go to the cafeteria which is my first exposure to the weather since walking to work. Since it's later, it's hotter. I can hardly describe the immediate feeling you have, your eyes squint because of the sun, you can feel the moisture already building up on your fingertips and the heat! WOW! It may not be 100F but the heat index is.

Right now it's 8:51 AM, it's 82F with 89% humidity! Yech!

The forecast calls for rain all week. We also get two monsoon seasons each year!

The Storm in the Cloud

Whistle me a tune

The first rain storm in months has just rolled in. The wind, lightning and thunder is incredible. Add in the waves crashing against the seawall and you have some great entertainment, but wait, there's more.

We have lots of windows but they are all sealed to keep out the heat. The wind is so strong it finds the nooks and crannies in the seals and sometimes it whistles. It's usually the patio doors. Well we just had a bout of whistling and Chris went to hunt it down and low and behold it was one of the casement windows. No real way to stop it short of resealing the windows which we will probably have to get maintenance to do next week.

11:43AM Sunday, December 6th

I see that some snow had fallen in Northern Virginia today, and it's chilly back home in Virginia Beach. Stark contrast to the weather we have been having in Colombo!

88 °F
Scattered clouds. Warm.

Change to Celsius

Distance:	17 mi from Colombo
Description:	Scattered clouds. Warm.
Temperature:	88 °F	Comfort Level:	94 °F
Wind:	8 mph from 30° North-northeast
Last update:	Sun 10:40 AM IST

Rain Rain Go Away

Its been raining pretty much everyday day towards the evening. It wasn't raining on my walk home today but the clouds were very dark. My protection from the rain has been a military issue camouflage poncho and an umbrella, works well, if it isn't windy. If it gets very windy and I have to walk then I'll skip the umbrella and use the hood that comes with the poncho.

Funny thing is that the glass ceiling tiles in the office attached to my apartments leak everywhere. Often times when I go to work in the morning there is a clean up crew mopping up the puddles.
The restaurant here also has a few leaks as well. They collect the water in wine buckets. Also they put cloth napkins in the wine buckets so to dull the sound of the rain falling into the bucket, otherwise, ding ding ding.

http://www.actuweather.com/report/?poi=Colombo,%20Western

4 days forecast

Today

Chance of Storm

75°F / 91°F

Tomorrow

Chance of Storm

77°F / 93°F

Saturday

Chance of Storm

77°F / 84°F

Sunday

Chance of Storm

77°F / 84°F

Colder and colder

It's 9:46PM, the wind is howling outside (30+mph) and 52F. So maybe not exactly freezing, it sure is cold. Had put away my wind breaker and take out a heavier jacket and knit cap.

Weather Report

I can't trust the weather forecasts at all!  If I were to believe them today would have been a stay in bed day, rainy and dreary.  Instead it's nice and warm and the sun is shining bright with just a few puffy clouds in the sky : )

Yesterday a fog rolled in and covered everything, it was a little brisk, maybe sweater weather at most.

Last of the warm days?

I had heard that it was supposed to get cold this weekend but looking at the weather forecast it's not going to be so bad, in the upper 60's. Today was a beautiful 77!

Waiting on the rains

We are supposed to get some real heavy rains and strong winds tonight and tomorrow:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/map/interactive/UYXX0006?from=36hr_maps&zoom=5&interactiveMapLayer=sat&animation=false

But all in all the country as a whole, especially Argentina, can use it.  Don't know if you have read the news reports about the cattle industry is suffering in both countries because of the drought.

Blah day

Rain rain and more rain! Went to church this morning and my walk to to both the bus stop and church was in the pouring rain. Thankfully I didn't wait long at all at the first bus stop and when I walked the to second bus stop the express bus was just pulling up, this made my day. See there are two buses I can take to Carassco, one being the 104 bus which makes plenty of stops along the way. Could be hard plastic seats or possibly a newer bus with upholstered seats. But, there is an express bus which costs only 5 pesos more (Around a nickel) and it's more like a tour bus with nice reclining seats and makes no stops along the way, the choice is clear! Unfortunately I can't figure out how to take that bus back.

On my way home my wait for the bus was much longer as the buses don't run as frequently on Sundays. When the first bus dropped me off at the second bus stop I was whipped by the winds and rain along the rambla. I was very happy when the bus arrived and I finally made it home.

Not ashamed to admit I took a nap after all of that, LOL.

Watched Valkyrie with Tom Cruise http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0985699/maindetails
Not to bad a movie.

Windy nights

The nights have been very cool and very windy. Right now the wind is
howling at 20+mph, it was like that last night. It is nice though, very
nice breeze blowing through the apartment. Skies were all gray today
with low clouds. Rain is foretasted for the next three days.

Hot Day

86 degrees today, sunny and hot!  The beach nearest my home was unusually packed, I had never seen so many people at that beach and in the water.
Wish I could have took a photo for you, but no camera.

Google image results for Playa Ramirez

Cold snap

Not here! I've been getting reports from back home about the freezing
temperatures, brrrr! I can't remember the last time I have been in
really cold weather, I mean Iraq, Saudi and now here.

Went to the store at 10:30 this morning and it was at least 86 and very
sunny! But we'll get our winter soon enough.

Slamming doors

The apartment tends to get a very nice breeze when you open the windows, but it never fails to happen, slamming doors! And let me tell you, they slam fast and loud!
We tried rubber door stoppers but the doors are to flush to the floor to squeeze under.

For now, we continue to use 2 liter water bottles