Dear Rhode Island weather,
please get your shit together.
You’re ruining my ‘do,
and messing with my attitude.
Don’t taunt us with the promise of Spring,
when we really don’t know what tomorrow may bring.
Oh, wait—I know…
Rain, and snow, and terrors untold.
No, I’m not exaggerating.
You truly are exasperating.

So for fuck’s sake,
give us a break.

Image via.

You’ve all seen them around. Big enough to house an entire family, the two-toned Brown Golf Umbrella (BGU) can be a student’s godsend in a rainstorm. It can also put a BGU’s owner in a serious moral dilemma.

Let me put this disclaimer out right now: I am a proud BGU owner. It has served me well and most definitely outlived the entirely arbitrary 2-storm shelf life of your standard umbrella. It keeps both me and my none-too-waterproof backpack (do they make those?) completely dry. But, of course, one must remember: with great umbrella comes great responsibility. As a BGU owner, you have the opportunity to do a lot of good for some very wet strangers. Or you could just wreak a lot of havoc. Here are a few guidelines.

1. Umbrella envy is going to happen. You’re just going to have to accept the dirty looks. We all know that monster can fit at least 3, if not 6 Brunonians (maybe fewer post-Candyland). But hey, not everyone gets to be totally dry after a walk from Pembroke to the Ratty. That would be umbrella socialism! This gives “trickle-down” a whole new meaning. [Read more →]

Freshmen be warned, it’s the fall. And if you thought that this season meant long, leaf-accented walks of shame through the Main Green for last night’s WhisCo hook-up, you thought quite wrong. “Ooo baby it’s rainin’” and not looking to stop any time soon. In a recently posted article, weather.com tries its hand at humor and describes the ‘four letter weather words’ that it claims will define the fall season for the Northeast and Midwest. If process of elimination isn’t your thing, those two four letter words are ‘rain’ and ‘wind’ (ok, perhaps that’s not fair, since ‘snow’ is also four letters, but we’re not at Colgate and for that we can be thankful). According to the expert meteorologists (oxymoron?) at weather.com, we can expect more rainy weather than average (again, to the LA freshmen, average is more rain than you’ve ever seen in your sunkist lives) and that means you should get your rain gear together now more than ever. Rain in Rhode Island is nothing new, but if weather.com is correct (which it is roughly 20% of the time, unless the weather’s actually occurring outside your window, at which point it’s 70% accurate) this will a be a memorable few months for the precipitation fans on campus. While next week is looking sunny, just remember that weather.com also predicted heavy rain for all of Spring Weekend 2011, so consider all predictions with skepticism. Happy Thursday! Don’t blame God, blame yourself. And seriously, buy a raincoat.

Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Brown students are “very happy” with their decision to be here, we highly doubt many would rave about the weather.  We here at BlogDH understand that April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but this is getting ridiculous.  Since there is little to no chance that Providence weather will ever improve, we figured we would share a few pointers from an MIT professor on how to avoid getting drenched if you don’t have an umbrella.  Bottom line — if you move faster and lean your body forward, you actually have a better chance of staying dry.  To see the physics behind this phenomenon, watch the oddly fascinating 18-minute lecture after the jump.

[Read more →]

It’s raining; it’s pouring. The old man is snoring. Fortunately, that isn’t the only song we can listen to during this stormy time in Providence. Here’s a list of 5 of our favorite songs to listen to here at the BlogDailyHerald whenever the weather turns South. [Read more →]

Rainy Providence / Projo Blogs

Remember getting ready for summer camp and always scratching your head when it came time to pack the ambiguously named “rain gear?” This umbrella term entails waterproof shoes, a raincoat, umbrella and rainpants (if you’re feeling particularly well prepared). Well, we’re at college in New England now and every season brings its own brand of precipitation, so the correct rain gear is a must. According to weather.com, there’s a substantial possibility of rain on six out of the next nine days, including “Heavy Rain/Wind” tomorrow. If you’re from LA and don’t know what “Heavy Rain/Wind” means, here’s an illustration: on the walk from the Ratty to the SciLi your backpack will turn into a diorama of the sinking Titanic with your neuro textbook playing the part of the fabled ship. Clear? Hope so. On that note, get yourself some rain gear – the whole package, not just an umbrella – and prepare for some Noah’s Ark status weather this fall.

Most Brunonians are now back home or relaxing at a sunny vacation spot for spring break.  But back in Providence, a record amount of rain has fallen. Providence has received over 7.9 inches of rain in a 36 hour period, according to the ProJo 7 to 7 News Blog. Rainfall across New England has led to flooding, home evacuations and school closures. But the end is in sight. The high in Providence is supposed to approach 70 degrees this weekend and will be in the 60s for our return next week.