Latest news with #JohnLindsey
Washington Post
17-07-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Why this D.C. summer is so miserably humid and stormy
It's been a broken record. Every morning when Washingtonians venture outside, they are immersed in suffocating humidity, like stepping into a sauna. Then, in the afternoon and evenings, thunderstorms erupt, fueled by the saturated air. The repeated downpours have triggered flooding — and unleashed swarms of mosquitoes. D.C. area residents are growing weary. To blame is a tropical weather pattern — drawing near-record amounts of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico — that has settled over the Mid-Atlantic, the same one responsible for deadly flooding from Texas to New Jersey. National Weather Service reports indicate July has featured twice the normal number of floods across the country, and the agency has issued flood watches in record numbers for the D.C. area. The onslaught that began in June may not fade until early next week when humidity levels may ease slightly. But, even then, it's not clear if the change will be sustained. 'This has been the worst summer, I am so tired of the storms and the flooding and the MOSQUITOES that are EVERYWHERE because of it,' Dax Murray wrote on the social media platform Blue Sky. 'This has to be some sort of sick joke,' Capital Weather Gang reader John Lindsey added on X Wednesday after the National Weather Service issued its 15th flood watch since May. Summers in Washington are known for their humidity, but this one ranks among the muggiest in recent decades. Humidity is often measured by the dew point, the temperature to which air would need to cool to reach saturation. Dew points at or above 70 degrees are considered sticky and uncomfortable. From June 1 through July 16, dew points in D.C. reached 70 or higher for 573 hours, second-most on record since 1945, only trailing 1994 (603 hours). The 15 flood watches issued by the Weather Service since May are by far the most in a three-month period since 2007 when such data became available. The seven watches in June were the most issued in a single month. Already, six have come out in July, and more than a third of the month remains. D.C. has received 7.79 inches of rain since June 1, which is just slightly above normal. However, many parts of the region have received substantially more. Thunderstorms tend to be hit or miss, and summer rainfall totals often vary widely over a small geographic zone. Since May, which was also quite wet, much of the region has received 2.5 to 5 inches more rain than normal. The benefit of the frequent deluges has been the end of the drought. As recently as early May, moderate to severe drought covered much of the region. Now, it affects only portions of far northeast Maryland. A large dome of high pressure over the Atlantic Ocean, often referred to as the 'Bermuda High,' has been the primary driver of the muggy, wet weather pattern. It has remained stuck in place while persistently pumping steamy air westward and northward over the eastern and central United States while halting the eastward progression of cooling fronts. Ocean temperatures beneath the high-pressure zone are abnormally warm, intensifying the moisture transport. Meanwhile, the jet stream — or high-altitude air current that sometimes dips southward and draws in cooler air from Canada — has remained too far north to send cold fronts southward. But, lurking over the Great Lakes and Northeast, it's been close enough to supply energy for thunderstorms. This uncomfortable, tempestuous weather pattern is poised to last until at least early next week. After that, the pattern may start to change, though not necessarily in a welcome way. The Bermuda High may fade and another zone of high pressure — or a heat dome — may build over the Southeast United States and expand north into the Mid-Atlantic in seven to 10 days. That would lower storm chances and perhaps take a slight edge off the humidity. The high humidity and considerable cloud cover generated by the current weather pattern have held temperatures somewhat in check. The highest temperature so far this month is just 95, whereas upper 90s or even low 100s aren't uncommon at this time of year. But, should the upcoming pattern change materialize, we may trade oppressive humidity for punishing heat.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Paso Robles breaks heat record set in 1997. How high did it get?
Paso Robles broke a heat record at 2 p.m. Saturday, according to PG&E meterologist John Lindsey. The city hit 99 degrees, breaking its record of 97 degrees on the same date in 1997, Lindsey said in a post on X. The record came amid a heat advisory in effect in Paso Robles until Saturday at 9 p.m. Temperatures were expected to hit a high of 85 in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, while Morro Bay was expected to top out at 69 degrees and Pismo Beach at 64. Temperatures were expected to drop to 87 degrees on Sunday, before cooling down through the week, according to the service's forecast. Later in the week, temperatures are expected to drop 10 to 15 degrees below normal for SLO County, according to the service's forecast Saturday morning.
San Francisco Chronicle
30-04-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Finally, a S.F. restaurant for soup sycophants like me
I can recall parts of my life through soup. As a kid, when my mom worked late, a can of soup was a cheap shortcut to dinner. I've expressed love by making caldos. They bring to mind my grandmother, who often took me to her favorite restaurant, Souplantation, a now-closed buffet chain from a bygone era. These memories trickled back recently when I visited Rusty Ladle, a tranquil soup counter in San Francisco's Outer Sunset, mere minutes away from Ocean Beach. These soups are a remedy for the neighborhood's sharp wind chill and a soothing balm for hard times. As food prices spike and the possibility of a recession looms, affordable dining options like Rusty Ladle are more vital than ever. You leave the restaurant with a happy belly for under 15 bucks. Housed in a narrow 700-square-foot building, the counter-service restaurant offers four options (cup for $7.50, bowl for $10.50). Two are standbys, tomato soup and clam chowder, and the rest change weekly. You might find Mexican meatball stew, miso vegetable soup or gumbo. Of the classic offerings, I liked the chowder best. With plenty of Bodega Bay clams and a side of bacon bits, it was surprisingly thick for a gluten-free stew; chef-owner John Lindsey thickens it with potato starch — a trick he borrowed from celebrity chef Jacques Pépin. I was into the subtle tang and sweetness of the tomato soup, especially with a drizzle of basil cream. (If you skip it, however, it's vegan.) The tomato soup is strongest, however, as a dip for the obscenely cheesy Schmelty ($9), a grilled cheese sandwich with a shiny, crisp skirt. What makes it shine is schiacciata bread, made by next door neighbor Andytown Coffee Roasters. A specialty of Tuscany, it has a focaccia-like fluffiness and ciabatta-like texture. The soup nicely offset the sandwich's salty richness and made me feel like a kid again. I'm not the only one. Rusty is a big hit with kids, which surprised Lindsey. 'There's a lot of soup sycophants… (but) I forgot how much kids love soup.' It's an easy way for parents to get their children to eat vegetables without forcing the issue. Lindsey opened Rusty late last year. In the '90s, Lindsey worked at Zuni Café, Hayes Street Grill and the café at the now-closed San Francisco Art Institute. He stopped cooking after a back injury and took up graphic design before opening an art studio and gallery next to the building where Rusty currently resides. He saw the space transform from a bodega to a deli to a brewery, which closed in 2022. When the building was available, Lindsey seized the opportunity and returned to the kitchen. His penchant for art lives on at the restaurant. The bar is effectively an art installation. Beneath glass are rows of thousands of pennies, each of which Lindsey and his daughter cleaned, patinaed and glued to the counter. It's a memorable piece of decor that works to add age to the 6-month-old restaurant. I got the sense that many of Rusty's patrons are regulars — Lindsey confirmed that a third of his clientele are repeat customers. The bar is stocked with dozens of ways to customize your bowl including oyster crackers, seasonings and about a dozen different bottled hot sauces — I loved the vinegary burn of the Binko's Fresno pepper flavor. The restaurant has a way of making you feel like you share history with it, even with only one visit. Perhaps that's owed to the universal nature of soup. Lindsey likes to joke that he sells water. So I asked him: Why soup? 'Everybody loves soup,' he said. But his age also had something to do with it. 'I'm 59 years old, I don't want to make composed things.' He finds making soup to be a meditative art, one that can't be rushed. The humble counter nudged me back into the warm embrace of soup, my old friend. Rusty Ladle. Noon-8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. 3645 Lawton St., San Francisco. or 415-205-0860
