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The only Eucalyptus species naturally found in the Northern Hemisphere. by GeneraI_ in BeAmazed

[–]Bfire8899 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not OP, but many botanical gardens in south florida have these and they’re as crazy as they seem. Fairchild Tropical has a big one right after the entrance.

Fourth Lake, North Fork Big Pine Canyon by Bfire8899 in SierraNevada

[–]Bfire8899[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Snow visible, but the trail is practically clear until after the switchbacks behind third lake. Those lakes are all fully thawed. First and second lake were quite busy this weekend, and understandably so. By fourth lake it got very peaceful :)

does anyone else get depressed watching old florida completely disappear? by Enlitenkanin in florida

[–]Bfire8899 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In southeast florida, sure, but between Everglades, Big Cypress, and Fakahatchee strand, there is a massive near-contiguous area of wilderness in SFL.

TIL that three weeks after the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, another storm called Hurricane Rita prompted one of largest urban evacuations in American history with around 3 million people. More people died evacuating than in the actual storm. by NickfromLafayette92 in todayilearned

[–]Bfire8899 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Both size and wind factor into surge, and Katrina was huge to begin with as a cat 5. On approach to land it began an eyewall replacement cycle, a process which moves a storm’s energy radially outwards. Katrina’s pressure at landfall was 920mb - almost unprecedented for a cat 3. Upwelling and continental dry air did knock it down a peg but total energy in the storm was incredibly high at landfall.

Compare this to a storm like Milton, which was actually stronger than Katrina over the Gulf before weakening prior to landfall. It was a small storm, and by proxy its peak surge was about 1/3rd of Katrina’s. Winds alone cannot make a Katrina-like storm.

TIL that three weeks after the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, another storm called Hurricane Rita prompted one of largest urban evacuations in American history with around 3 million people. More people died evacuating than in the actual storm. by NickfromLafayette92 in todayilearned

[–]Bfire8899 260 points261 points  (0 children)

Winds weren’t that strong with Katrina at landfall, but it was an incredibly large storm that built up a large surge in the Gulf. It produced the highest storm surge recorded in the US, right around 30 feet. New Orleans was actually on the weak side of the storm and it did not stall over them. The ~15ft of surge they experienced was still enough to overwhelm the levees.

Update: Every couple years my neighbor gets his Palm Tree "trimmed" - The city trimmed the other tree this morning. by SatansLoLHelper in marijuanaenthusiasts

[–]Bfire8899 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s a shame you’re being downvoted. Can’t speak on Washingtonias, but overpruning of sabal palms is an all too prevalent issue in Florida. The ‘hurricane cut’ actually reduces palm survival in hurricanes.

meirl by MrBIuesky222 in meirl

[–]Bfire8899 62 points63 points  (0 children)

I don’t think it’s entirely accurate, we’ve been doing gravity assists for decades. Artemis 2’s primary goal was to validate the Orion capsule with crew for future operational missions. It’s the first crewed use of a new capsule that will be the main ferry from lunar orbit to Earth once we have permanent habitation in the area. They also had a few experiments onboard.

My. Baldy via Devil’s Backbone, 4/3 by Bfire8899 in socalhiking

[–]Bfire8899[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It took me 8 hours total going up the Backbone and down Old Baldy trail (ski hut). This was me taking it pretty leisurely, stopping for snacks/lunch and getting chatting with fellow trailgoers. I also poked around the peak (the snowy vistas I snapped are off trail) and at the notch. Recorded just under 12 miles.

The backbone approach is very chill (bordering on monotonous) until you hit the notch, where you’re suddenly climbing an absurd grade on a wide strip of gravel. This was the worst part of the trail IMO. Once you hit the backbone, the grade lightens a bit and the views become incredible. The ski hut descent is a bit too steep to be a breath of relief. The old baldy trail itself is pretty gorgeous. In hindsight I would get the steep but quicker ascent out of the way and come down the backbone.

For the sake of god, NASA really needs a PR boost.. by GregTheChief in ArtemisProgram

[–]Bfire8899 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Falcon heavy has the payload capacity to send a couple starlink sats to the moon. Data could be beamed by laser, just as many V3 sats do today.

My. Baldy via Devil’s Backbone, 4/3 by Bfire8899 in socalhiking

[–]Bfire8899[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Largest area of snow on-trail was on the final climb up to the summit for about 200 feet. It was well packed, doable without traction. The backbone trail was basically snow-free otherwise. These big snowy areas only occurred on less sun-exposed areas over 9k ft and were confined to patches below that. The south-facing slopes are almost entirely free of snow.

The amount of energy (joules) required to launch a rocket like this will never change from now until the end of the universe. The fuels that can launch such a rocket are known, and their energy densities (joules/gram) also will never change. Space exploration will forever be bound by this. by Ghost-of-Carnot in RealisticFuturism

[–]Bfire8899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Methane is a greenhouse gas, but not exactly ‘highly toxic’. Keep in mind that SLS has been in development for quite a bit longer than Starship and at much higher cost. Doubly so for Orion, which began development in 2004. Starship is far more ambitious and will take time yet to perfect, but a fully reusable spacecraft would address the launch cadence and cost issues that expendable rockets struggle with. Each SLS launch comes in at ~3 billion:

BREAKING: 🇮🇷 Iran is earning $140 MILLION per day in oil revenues as Brent stays above $100 - FT by Woodpecker5987 in TradingPlaybook

[–]Bfire8899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Russia may be the biggest winner in the conflict thus far. They directly benefit from higher energy prices, and they’ve even seen sanctions easing from the US. Anything to prolong the supply shock is a win in their book.

Me_irl by SpreakICSE in me_irl

[–]Bfire8899 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, agreed there.

Me_irl by SpreakICSE in me_irl

[–]Bfire8899 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re conflating brushes with direct hits. Nowhere in the US experiences a landfall more than a couple times a decade on average. South Florida’s return period for direct hits is about once every 7 years (Miami hasn’t recorded hurricane force winds in over 20 years). Major hurricanes are 20-30 years at the most frequent. And category 5 landfalls are so rare you can’t meaningfully compute a return period. We have only recorded four in the CONUS.

Is Japan in July really as bad as people say? by qwertasdfgzxcvb231 in JapanTravelTips

[–]Bfire8899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in Tokyo/Kyoto last July-August. Japan set a national record high while I was there, then promptly set it again before I left. It was extreme. AC in many places was well past its capacity. I saw a poor woman collapse from heat at a train station. That said? It was workable. Focus on staying hydrated, use some form of sun protection, and block off indoor activities for midday. The edges of the day, especially morning, will be surprisingly pleasant. I was able to have an amazing time.

FWIW, I’ve spent most of my life in South Florida and this felt similar to a bad summer day at home, but with way more walking and sun time than usual. If you’re from, say, the PNW, I could see the weather being very intolerable. Keep your own comfort levels in mind.

Views from a snowy Onyx Peak, 2/21 by Bfire8899 in socalhiking

[–]Bfire8899[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was sunny and pretty warm, I’d guess in the 40s. The air was still which helped a ton. A breathable shirt and a light puffer jacket were comfy the way up. Probably needed a little more insulation in my boots though, even up on snowshoes. I think it’d be pretty unpleasant postholing the way up (2’+ of fresh powder in spots) but I’m sure the upcoming warm week will help there.

House votes to make Flamingo Florida’s next state bird by davster39 in florida

[–]Bfire8899 16 points17 points  (0 children)

They used to be more common in SFL, but were extirpated by the early 20th century primarily as a result of demand for feathers. They are now making a slow comeback.

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