Edouard's effects

Tropical Storm Edouard, now merely Tropical Depression Edouard, was basically a dud around here, but it will be welcomed fondly by other parts of the state.

For the thousands who suffered from power interruption -- or the travelers who had to deal with 255 canceled flights at Bush Intercontinental Airport -- the little storm that popped up out of nowhere to threaten the Texas and Louisiana coasts likely will prompt no fond memories. But for the rest of the region, and those still standing in its projected path across the midsection of the state, Fast Eddie was likely to provide some benefit.

The anticipated downpours could significantly help areas most severely affected by drought this summer, said Texas Department of Agriculture spokesman Bryan Black. Most of Central Texas, from the heart of the state across the Edwards Plateau, is suffering drought conditions, from "extreme" to "exceptional," the worst possible ranking under the U.S. Drought Monitor, Black said.

"It really looks like the track of Edouard is heading right to that section," Black said as the storm pushed further inland. "As long as we could have some good consistent rain, that would really help us out. This could be a wonderful thing if we do not receive high winds or flooding in the area."

The one downside to Edouard's rapid disorganization as it moves northwest is that the rains probably won't reach the Midland-Odessa area, which is under "extreme" drought conditions -- just slightly less severe than exceptional. Midland has recorded only three-fourths of an inch of rain since May 1, just 15 percent of its normal rainfall, Black said.

I really hope it helps those areas. Houston, even after nearly three inches of rain yesterday, is still more than four inches below normal for the year, but we're nowhere near as bad off as they are. Whatever relief Edouard can provide, they can use.

In addition to that rain, what most of us got was an unexpected day off, which some of us used to good effect.

A few miles away in Woodland Heights, 14-year-old Grace Hartzell and three friends welcomed Edouard in a more direct fashion: by jumping in puddles.

"This is what we do in the rain," said Grace, blond hair plastered to her head and grinning face beaded with raindrops. "We love the rain."

Grace and her friend Claire Nobles, 13, wore colorful ponchos over flip-flops and pajamas. Their buddies Diego Martinez, 14, and Nathan King, 14, dripped in shorts and sneakers.

"My goal today was to get as wet as possible," Nathan said.

The four teens are best friends from elementary school. In a few weeks, they head off to different high schools. They described their rainy day antics as a last, whimsical fling of the summer.

"We might go to 11th Street Cafe and then probably just go jump in my pool afterwards, just for icing on the cake," Grace said.

But aren't they getting a little old for jumping in puddles? They seem aghast at the question.

"You can go running around in the rain as long as you want," Grace argued.

"Until you get a car," Diego said.

"And then we can go driving around in the rain," Grace said. "That would be fun!"

Claire is a neighbor of mine, so I was rather amused by these quotes. At chez Kuffner, we spent some time this morning at a neighbor's house, then Olivia went to a scheduled dentist appointment and got to visit her grandparents afterward. It was a pretty laid-back day, though feels like it left her a day behind on her routine, and I think we'll all be happy to have the girls back at preschool, but overall a pleasant enough experience, especially given the range of possible outcomes. How was your day yesterday?

UPDATE: Sadly, it looks like there won't be much drought relief from Edouard. A dud all around.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on August 06, 2008 to Hurricane Katrina