July 21, 2017 Evening

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Happy Weekend! Once I get off the bus and pack the coolers in the back of my truck, I’ll be off for my first day of vacation. Mostly sunny and 87 degrees in Albany. There is a west-northwest breeze at 13 mph. The dew point is 64 degrees.

It’s summer and there is virtually no traffic heading out to Delmar but I’m sure I would have hit traffic getting onto the Thruway. That said leaving home 15 minutes later and skipping the Thruway I should make it out to Brookfield well before dark so I can gather some firewood for a small campfire. 

The sun will set at 8:26 pm with dusk around 8:59 pm, which is 51 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for mostly clear conditions and 79 degrees. The dew point will be 64 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 8 mph.

Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low of 63 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. West wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light southwest after midnight. In 2016, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 71 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1970.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon. The New Moon will be tomorrow with a chance of showers. The Strugeon Moon is on Monday, August 7th. The sun will rise at 5:37 am with the first light at 5:04 am, which is 56 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 9 hours and 12 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 48 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be partly sunny, with a high of 85 degrees at 5pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 9am. West wind 3 to 6 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 94 degrees. The record high of 102 was set in 1926.

Looking ahead to Sunday, a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. Light and variable wind becoming northeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 65 at 8pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

In four weeks on August 18 the sun will be setting at 7:51 pm, which is 34 minutes and 43 seconds earlier then today. In 2016 on that day, we had partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 86 and 64 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 80 and 60 degrees. The record high of 95 degrees was set back in 1913.

Looking ahead, September 1st is in 6 weeks, Average High is 70 is in 2 months and Autumn Begins is in 9 weeks. I better enjoy my summer vacation because autumn is just around the corner. 

See y’all later. I should have decent smartphone reception where I am most of the week so I will continue post interesting photos of my trip and various updates but I’ve somewhat fallen behind on maps, so many may be classic maps from the past few years. Come August though I’ll try to be back in the map business once again. 

Enjoy your weekend! Happy dance. 

Memphis Uses Data and Innovation to Curb 911 Abuse

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Memphis Uses Data and Innovation to Curb 911 Abuse

"In a way, 911 is a victim of its own success. Most everyone knows to call in the case of an emergency, but plenty of people, and especially “frequent flyers,” use 911 as basic healthcare. The rate of non-life-threatening calls in Memphis is right at the national average, according to estimates from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. “In the past, our model has always been, it doesn’t matter what the call is—we’re going to send an ambulance and we’re going to give you a ride to a hospital,” says Andrew Hart, division chief for Emergency Medical Services at the Memphis Fire Department."

"Since April, however, the city has been engaged in an experiment to take some pressure off the emergency dispatch system. A committee of civic, healthcare, and faith leaders launched a program called Rapid Assessment Decision And Redirection (RADAR). For weekday daytime calls that are very likely to be non-emergent in nature, Memphis partners with a faith-based organization, Resurrection Health, to steer residents away from the ER and send healthcare providers directly to them."