Weather

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have partly cloudy skies with a slight chance for a rain shower. High will reach 81ºF. Winds will be light and variable.

Tonight we’ll have a 30% chance of a few showers with overcast skies. Low around 60 ºF. Winds light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 08%, the Dew Point is 56ºF and the outdoor temp is 56.5ºF.

The wind direction is  West Southwest between 0.0 MPH and 0.2 MPH, with a heat index of 56ºF.

The Relative pressure is 29.55, the Absolute pressure is 29.35 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:17 a.m. Sunset is 6:51 P.M. Moon rise is 12:00 a.m., Moon set is 3:14 p.m., and the moon phase is in it’s last quarter being 36% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta’s airport are:

METAR KAUG 141053Z AUTO 34003KT 10SM CLR 13/12 A2983 RMK AO2 SLP102 T01330122

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 kilometers with some cloud cover up there, no altitude measurement for it though.

We didn’t receive any rain here over the past 24 hours.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 84, the solar wind speed is 400 Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 95%.

I ran across this “recipe” in yesterday’s New York Times.  Folks, take a short break from the Hurricane and credit company hack to try this.  It won’t solve anything, but it’ll help you deal with it better!

The composition of this sundae is classic.  There’s ice cream – the flavors of your choice in whatever quantities you want; sauce –homemade hot fudge sauce based on dark chocolate (not chips, please); fresh whipped cream; and two different add-ins, toasted slivered almonds and chopped chocolate bits.  It’s the bits that are the big surprise – they’re bittersweet chocolate and salt, melted together, frozen and then cut into morsels.

INGREDIENTS

FOR SALTED CHOCOLATE BITS:

•           8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not chips), finely chopped

•           ¾ teaspoon fleur de sel (or 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt)

FOR HOT-FUDGE SAUCE:

•           6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not chips), finely chopped

•           ¾ cup heavy cream

•           3 tablespoons light corn syrup

•           2 tablespoons sugar

FOR THE SUNDAE:

•           About 3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

•           1 pint coffee (or favorite flavor) ice cream

•           1 pint vanilla (or favorite flavor) ice cream

•           Lightly sweetened whipped cream

•          

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PREPARATION

1.         To make the bits: Line a pie plate with plastic wrap. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or on low power in a microwave. Add the salt, stir to blend and then, using a spatula, spread the chocolate on the plastic, making a layer that’s 1/8-inch thick (shape doesn’t matter). Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and freeze for at least 45 minutes. When you’re ready to make the sundaes, chop the chocolate into bite-size bits.

2.         To make the sauce: Put the chocolate, cream, corn syrup and sugar in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate melts and comes to a light simmer, about 5 minutes. Still stirring, let it burble for a minute or two, then scrape it into a heatproof container. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate until needed.

3.         To make the sundaes: If necessary, warm the fudge sauce in a double boiler, or microwave on low. For each sundae, sprinkle some salted chocolate bits and almonds in the bottom of a bowl, snifter or sundae glass. Top with a scoop or two of coffee ice cream, some hot fudge sauce, almonds and bits. Finish with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce, whipped cream, almonds and chocolate bits. Serve immediately with a long spoon.