A rather benign weather pattern for the First Coast the rest of this week. Nights will be cool & days mild through Fri. We will have persistent onshore winds for the better part of this week into Sat. meaning:
(1) beaches will be cooler in the afternoon...milder at night (water temps. are in the upper 60s)
(2) an elevated rip current risk with somewhat higher seas
(3) overnight & early morning fog that will be locally dense
The main storm track is well to the north of the area so though fronts are making it through the area, the fronts are coming through with just a little rain. This storm track is also keeping the cold air bottled up well north of the area. So expect 4 straight days of partly sunny skies with high temperatures in the upper 60s to the 70s & overnight lows in the 40s & 50s with little if any rain. Our next rainfall opportunity of any consequence looks to be Mon. but as of right now it looks like that storm, too, will travel far to the north with just a quick band of rain accompanying a cold front for the First Coast. This storm could produce quite a mix & mess of wintry weather from Texas to the Great Lakes this weekend accompanied by some of the coldest air of the young winter. Remember....La Nina winters have a tendency to be pretty cold at the start & end (spring) but mild inbetween (particularly true for northern latitudes).
More news from our splendid Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens of the reptile-type (see photos at the bottom with the proud mom in the first photo [taken by Mark Bueshel]):
Fourteen of the Western Hemisphere’s Most Dangerous Snakes Hatched at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
Jacksonville, Florida – November 26, 2007 – Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has become Bushmaster pit viper central among zoos nationwide. The fourteen babies are the first offspring of the Zoo’s 5-year-old, 7-foot 6-inch female Bushmaster and its male mate. This is the first time the two have produced offspring. The eggs were hatched after a 75-day incubation period on September 1, 2007. Each of the neonate Bushmasters (Lachesis muta muta) were an average of 2 ½ ounces in weight and 22 ½ inches long.
The Bushmaster is native to the remote forested areas in Central and South America and the only pit viper that lays eggs. It can grow to 7 foot 9 inches long and is noted for its multiple bite strikes, injecting large amounts of venom. Even the bite of a juvenile Bushmaster can be fatal. The snakes are rare in captivity, and zoos from all over the country clamored for the babies. They will be shipped to their new homes within the next two months.
“Normally, there are no more than 12 eggs hatched--even that many is a rare occurrence,” commented Dino Ferri, curator of herpetology at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
One of the Bushmaster babies along with its female and the male parents, who have been at the Zoo since 2003, can be seen in the Lost Temple located at the back of the Range of the Jaguar.
