Raining Hard in Baton Rouge

Ike is passing in front of Louisiana - heading toward Texas

Wow. The bottom just dropped out here in Baton Rouge. We're getting a hard rain. A transformer blew somewhere earlier this evening when we had a little light but gusty squall move through. This is the kind of socked in rain that causes flooding to low lying areas - and we've already had plenty of that from Gustav. This has been quite a cane season, to say the least - different from 2005 (they are all unique), yet busy in its own right...Friend Margie Kieper reminds me that peak season was yesterday. When I said "oh good", she told me she didn't mean that to be good news. I reminded her that Louisiana has never had a major cane cross over past October 1 - and...that there is nothing supposed to happen in the tropics for the next few weeks. Stone cold silence on her end. Well I spoke too soon, the rain continues but is a bit lighter now. What do they say? If you don't like the weather in south Louisiana just wait five minutes and it will change. That said, it occurs to me that weather conversations are supposed to be light fare - a way to avoid more meatier topics. You know, the  "stuff" you talk about with strangers, and when you are at a loss for words.... "well how's the weather today"? Well not so here. Weather talk long the gulf coast  is a big, serious, scary and complex conversation - bigger and badder than politics sometimes!