June 28, 2018 9:37 pm Update

I’m looking forward to the heat up north.😎 I have a stack of books to read, πŸ“š three bathing suits packed, 🏊 lots of cold drinks🍹 and water, fishing pole 🎣 and fireworks.

‘Fundamental Shift’ Needed To Protect Miners From Deadly Black Lung

‘Fundamental Shift’ Needed To Protect Miners From Deadly Black Lung

"New and tougher rules designed to protect coal miners from the coal and silica dust that causes the fatal disease black lung may not be enough to stem an "epidemic" of the worst stages of the disease or the highest rates of disease in Central Appalachia in 25 years."

"That's the conclusion of a review of the federal government's latest efforts to keep coal miners from being exposed to excessive and toxic amounts of the dust they create as they cut into coal seams."

June 28, 2018 11:49 am Update

People ask why I haven’t been making many new state land maps lately. πŸ•πŸ—Ί I’ve run out of state land to make maps of, and there aren’t that many changes to state lands from a year to year.🌳

June 28, 2018 Morning

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Next Thursday is the official start of the Dog Days of Summer 🌻. Although I guess it will feel like the Dog Days starting tomorrow 🐶. Rain shower and 68 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 66 degrees.

We might get another 2/3rd inch of rain before it’s done.💦We need it as things otherwise will get very dried out with the very hot and likely very dry weather over the coming week. Maybe thunderstorms on Tuesday but only a slight break in the heat. The potholers will be roaring but will feel nice to be in as the mercury pushes into the mid to upper 90s at least in the city.

Today will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 1pm and 4pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy β˜” , with a high of 77 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 12pm. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 77 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1901.

The sun will set at 8:37 pm with dusk around 9:12 pm, which is 2 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies β›… and 74 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. I’m glad I did a lot of packing last night because it’s going to be pretty muggy tonight as will be the coming week. There will be a west breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 16 minutes of daytime, an increase of 29 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 65 degrees at 4am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 6pm. West wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2017, we had mostly clear skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1981.

On this day in 1896, An explosion in the Newton Coal Company’s Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston, Pennsylvania results in a massive cave-in that kills 58 miners.💥 Also in 1969, Stonewall riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.🌈 Lots of explosive things happening on this day in history.

Making good progress at getting packed. This evening I will run to the store to get food, fireworks and beer, along with gas up the truck. I decided against bringing the kayak as I think it will be hot out on Lily Lake for a paddle although many I’ll change my mind. The lily’s will be out I think at this point but with the heat the fish will be down low and probably not biting. 🎣I’m hesitant to bring the kayak as when it’s on the roof of my truck it blocks the solar panel.

I put together the indicator lights last night for the two way switch to allow the solar panel to charge the starting battery and now I’m just waiting for the two way switch to arrive in the mail. 🔌 It turns out that after studying the diagram I drew I won’t need to put a diode in the line as I originally thought I would need. That said, I have plenty of other projects that I can use diodes in.

As previously noted, next Thursday is the official kick off of the Dog Days of Summer 🌻 when the sun will be setting at 8:36 pm with dusk at 9:10 pm. On that day in 2017, we had shallow fog, patches of fog, mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 84 and 57 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1919.