The Weather Authority Blog

Effects of Humid Weather

tokerson — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:32:00 GMT

Well, summer is in full swing once again....and around here, we know that with summer comes the usual heat and humidity. And as we've discovered this weekend...it's not necessarily the heat that can make summertime feel so oppressive as it is the humidity. That humidity makes it feel even hotter that it already is, can make it hard to breathe, and can even make for some bad hair days! With the weather looking rather uneventful for the forseeable future...I figured why not take a little closer look at how humidity can impact us this summer.

First of all, when we reference "humidity", we are normally referencing the relative humidity.....which is a ratio of how much moisture is present in a parcel of air compared to the maximum amount of moisture that the air could hold at that temperature. The relative humidity, since it is partially based on temperature, will change even if the amount of moisture doesn't. (RH values are normally very high overnight and early in the AM when it's cooler, and quite low during the PM hours when it's warmer.) This makes relative humidity a less-than-perfect measurement of how much moisture is in the air. Usually a better measurement to get an idea of the moisture content in the air is the dewpoint....or the temperature to which air would have to cool in order to be saturated and form dew. The dewpoint only changes as the amount of moisture in the air changes.

Now, on to how humidity affects our lives...most noticeably here in the summer. We're all familiar with the "heat index"...which is the "feels like" temperature when we factor the humidity in with the actual air temperature. The higher the humidity...the higher the heat index. But why does humidity make it feel hotter??? It has to do with evaporation. When we get hot, we of course will sweat. Sweating is the way our bodies naturally cool off....at least by the evaporation of our sweat. Evaporation is a cooling process, because energy (latent heat) is required to move from the surrounding environment (your skin and air it's in contact with) to the water molecules that make up sweat in order to break the molecular bonds of the water, turning it into a gas (water vapor). The problem with a hot and humid day in the summer is that the higher the humidity, that means there are more water molecules in the air, which slows the evaporation process, because the air simply doesn't need to take on as many water molecules. As evaporation slows down, so does our bodies' ability to cool off.

Not only does it feel much hotter with higher humidity, but it is also harder to breathe! The explanation for this continues the theme of there being too many water molecules in the air. The more space that is taken up by water molecules...the less space is available for oxygen. Less oxygen = harder to breathe.

As if being too hot and not being able to breathe was bad enough....perhaps the worst of all for the ladies is how easy it is to get "frizzies" in the summer. With more humidity comes more "bad hair days". As the amount of moisture in the air increases, so does the amount of water molecules that sneak into your hair. A strand of hair is made up of three protein layers...the cuticle (outermost), the cortex, and the medulla (innermost). The cuticle and cortex are influenced by moisture, and as moisture moves into the hair cortex, it of course will swell...causing uneven breaks in the cuticle. (Imagine what happens to a sidewalk or driveway when tree roots grow in underneath). These breaks in the hair cuticle cause the shaft to be uneven, causing "frizzies".

Thankfully, it looks like the humidity levels this week will remain quite low...so even though highs will still be quite warm, it won't be quite as unbearable.

Meteorologist Trent Okerson

Joining the Conversation

tokerson — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:31:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks, you've probably heard us talking about joining the conversation during our newscasts...and some of you may be wondering what that means and how you can participate. The idea is that times and technology are changing...and that is changing the way we bring you the latest breaking news and weather. Instead of just telling you the story on air during the newscasts, we can update you on multiple media platforms from work and home, 24 hours a day....and now more than ever, viewers have several ways to contribute videos, comments, and reports to us...adding value to our newscasts. This is extremely valuable to us in the weather department, giving us more eyes out in the field. Here is a rundown of some of the new features that we are integrating into our news and weather coverage, and some tips on how to use these features for folks that are new to the technology.

Twitter:

Twitter is a social networking site that is based upon the "microblog"...a short statement of less than 140 characters. We use Twitter to "tweet" short weather updates, including brief forecasts, watches & warning info, and links to other websites. To use Twitter, you'll need to register for a free account. Once you've signed up, go to our Join the Conversation page by clicking here, then you can click the "Follow" buttons on the News, Weather, or Sports boxes to get instant updates from us on your Twitter page. You can also "tweet" updates to us by sending us a direct message from your Twitter account.

Facebook:

Facebook is another social networking site which offers a wide range of features and applications. The Weather Authority uses FB to post slightly longer updates, with the capability of adding pictures, video, and links to other sites. Here, you'll find more in-depth information that many times we don't have time talk about in our weathercasts. This is also a great place for you to share your questions, comments, and pictures. To get in on our Weather Authority FB page, you'll need to create your own FB account, which is free. One you've joined and logged in, click on the white box in the upper right hand part of the screen, and type in WPSD....there, you can click on WPSD Local 6 The Weather Authority and become a fan. This will link your personal page with our page, and anytime we update our page, it will update to your page as well.

YouNews:

YouNews is very similar to YouTube....a place for you to upload your pictures and videos...videos that may sometimes be used on our newscasts. Whether you are a trained storm spotter, or just have a video of weather from your backyard, log in to YouNews and send those videos our way. You can access YouNews via our Join the Conversation button...or you can click here.

E-Mail:

This one's not quite as new of course, but still just as important. As you've been faithful with doing over the past few years, continue to share your comments and pictures with us by email at storms@wpsdlocal6.com.

That's the scoop....we've already got a huge number of fans and followers sharing with us, and we're looking forward to even more. If you have any questions on how to use any of this new technology, feel free to email us.

Meteorologist Trent Okerson

VORTEX2 Wrap-up

jrukavina — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:09:00 GMT

The skies are filled with cumulus clouds as I find myself drving back to Paducah after a week-long trip to the central Plains states. The towering nature of the cumulus indicate that showers and storms are developing...something the VORTEX2 crew has been waiting for. The only problem is that those storms are here, not in their chase domain.

The weather pattern is still quiet in the typicial Tornado Alley and chasing operations have been slow or non-existant for the VORTEX2 crew. No tornadoes. Only storms that produce microbursts, wall clouds, hail, and classic supercell structure. It does not sound as interesting as tornadoes but those storm dynamics that fail to produce one are critical to their research as well. They are trying to collect data to find out why some supercell storms do and do not produce tornadoes. I think they are getting their fill of the "do nots"!

Our experience with the VORTEX2 crew will be unforgetable. The folks at the Storm Prediction Center and National Weather Center in Norman, OK were gracious enough to give us special access to their operations on Monday. We spoke to lead forecasters who decide when and where to issue severe weather watch boxes across the county when severe weather is possible. The process of preparing people for threatening weather starts with them and filters down to the local National Weather Service Office and ultimatly to me, the local broadcast meteorologist.

Greensburg, Kansas will always be in my heart after talking with the residents there who survived and strive to rebuild their town better and stronger. Their mission to become Greentown, USA is inspiring and refreshing. Every single resident there shares the passion for a better tomorrow. Their progress is coming along but support is needed for them to keep it going, depite their positive attitudes!

Then came storm interception. Mini-weather balloons were launched from moving vehicles into the storm, pods were deployed in front of the approaching storm, and Doppler on Wheels scanned the storm from the surface. Taking all of that in was a great learning experience, watching the different operations work together to collect one large data set for research. Call is a classroom if you will for a meteorolgist. There is no greater resource than mother nature itself when it comes to higher learning in Meteorology. I feel blessed to have been along for the ride.
I want to sincerely thank our sponsor of the coverage we provided of VORTEX2 both on the webchannel and through Skype and Justin.tv. ROBERT ALEXANDER was very generous and I am grateful for his support for continuing education for both the viewer and myself. THANK YOU!! :)

Intercepting Storms - What a Thrill!

jrukavina — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:39:00 GMT

The sky turned dark and the wind picked up as we got in place to intercept our first severe thunderstorm. We streamed to the web as a wall cloud began to develop on the South side of the storm. Early in the day, we decided to tail along with the Mesonet/Pod 9 Vehicle for VORTEX2 so that we could watch them deploy instruments in the path of the storm.

That choice proved to be a good one and exciting as well. We positioned our vehicles about 4 miled ahead of the approaching storm, watched them place their pods, then sat back and enjoyed the structure of the storm. AMAZING! For a day that was suppose to be fairly inactive and non-severe, we picked the right storm to chase and it paid off. What a beauty!

After the storm passed, the Mesonet/Pod 9 Vehicle went back and recollected their pods and the data stored. Despite not seeing a tornado, they did collect useful information on why the storm did not ultimately go on to spawn a tornado. Something they also need to figure out about supercell storms.

Many chasers outside of the storm converged in the same area since there was only a few locations to choose from to chase. We ran into fellow alum and former instructors from Mississippi State University (who did intercept a tornado last week), led by Dr. Mike Brown. We also stopped for a quick chat with the team from the College of Dupage, led by Paul Sirvatka.

The next fews days look bleek for the VORTEX2 crew. The weather pattern is of Mid-Summer, with any energy well north into Canada. Looks like they will not be chasing for a few days. In light of that, Brian and I have decided to pack it in and head home rather than waste the gas and money to travel with the research team. Though a little disappointed we didnt see more, we were so thankful for the opportunity and getting to chase on a spectacular storm..even once...was worth it. The dedication of the researchers/scientists in the field on this project is inspiring. We will be posting some of the interviews we conducted while on the road and sharing the great storm intercept video from Wednesday!

Chasing on Hold While Greensburg Rises

jrukavina — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:14:00 GMT

New Photos Here of Greensburg, KS.

Rolling into town was surreal. There were barely any trees left in the town of Greensburg, Kansas, much different from the other small town we have traveled through to get there. It was 2 years ago that a deadly EF-5 tornado nearly wiped Greensburg off the map. Remnants of old trees still stand with hardly any branches or leaves. Constuction overwhelms the small town. New houses are being built everyday. A new business comes to life every few months.

The people we spoke to were hospitible. They didnt mind sharing how they survived such an awful storm. They were proud of the community they had built before the storm and now they are proud to start over and make it count. Making it count....building with the environment in mind. The town will now be know as Greentown, USA. Each new business will have to become Leed Platinum Certified (superior "Green" buliding codes). We had already seen signs of growth even in the short time we visited. The 5-4-7 Art Center, the John Deer Dealership, the Chevy Dealership, the Hospital, the local High School...all built (or in the process of being built) Green!

What was most impressive was how many homes have been rebuilt in just 2 years. Hundreds of families were displaced and ended up living in FEMA trailers unitl they could get back on thier feet. Today, 900 residents are back in homes...all of them incorporating "Green" living. Many have solar paneling, improved insulation, and water efficient usage.

2 lives were lost when the twister swept across town on the night of May 4, 2007. Amazing considering that the tornado was rated EF-5. Those two resident who lost their lives took shelter in the basement. They did the right thing as many others did. There really is no safe place in a storm like that. One eyewitness, Ruth Ann, told us that all they could do was pray as the storm hammered everything around them.

While we have not yet gotten to storm chase, we have seen what mother nature can do. Greensburg, Kansas is a small town on the map but has made a BIG mark on the meteorology community. What a shinig example of being prepared and turning tragedy into triumph.

As I write this, I am excited to tell you that we have now met up with the VORTEX2 chase team and plan to be out in the Panhandle of Nebraska for storms Wednesday.

Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Rukavina

Setting Forth on the Wide Open Great Plains

jrukavina — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:13:00 GMT

Got on the road at 6 am this Sunday morning with sunshine at our backs, headed West. Should take about 10 hours to get to Norman, Oklahoma where we will meet up with the VORTEX2 (V2) chase team. I could hardly sleep I was so excited for this trip! A once in a lifetime opportunity I have been blessed with all thanks to NOAA and Local 6, along side my generous sponsor, Robert Alexander Auction Group.

As passionate as I am about weather, meterorology, and storm chasing, I have never been given the chance to storm chase in the Great Plains...home to the tradtional and ultimate Tornado Alley. Sounds scary? To a storm chaser this is the grand daddy of playgrounds. No horsing around on this range...we are taking part in the largest tornado research project in US history!

Another tidbit for those of you who know me...I find severe weather forecasting my most challenging (and rewarding) reposonsibility as a meteorologist. I have tracked supercell thunderstorms, damaging wind events, and tornado outbreaks but yet I have never seen a tornado in person! While most people look at this force of nature as a dangerous phenomenon that must be avoided, meteorologist and scientists cant help but be drawn to its mysterious nature and beauty. Sitting in front of a tornadic supercell thunderstorm is a classroom in itself. I cant wait for summerschool!

We will be traveling in the Media Vehicle for V2 Monday-Thursday. I will have access to internet in the vehicle so that I can bring you streaming video, blog updates, tweets from Twitter, and chat with viewers while on the road. I encourage anyone who wants to ask questions or make comments to feel free to contact me while chasing. I will do my best to respond quickly. If we are on the scene of a large tornado, I may be a bit "distracted" but I will also upload and share any video/photos we do capture.

Speaking of photos...as we arrived in OK City, we took a moment to visit the OKC National Memorial. Click here for a look at the photos we took.

Any questions can reach me by jrukavina@wpsdlocal6.com or on Twitter.com/wpsd_weather!

Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Rukavina

Wednesday Severe Storm Outlook

jrukavina — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:50:00 GMT

A MODERATE risk of severe storms has been outlooked by the Storm Prediction Center for parts of our region for Wednesday for the afternoon and evening hours.

The main threat will be damaging winds and very large hail but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. The area at highest risk, Southern Illinois. Not what folks there want to hear on the heals of a derecho event this past Friday. The entire area is at risk for strong storms, especially if the sunshine breaks out in full and the dewpoint nears the 70-degree mark. With a few meso-scale boundaries nearby, we may see enough lift during the afternoon to give us storm development ahead of the main cold front that will likely push through later Wednesday night.

A good thing to do before the storms arrive is to make sure any storm debris left by this past Friday's event is clear from window areas around your home and business. While it is impossible to clear away all debris in such a short period, minimizing more damage from flying debris may help you in the long run.
For everyone, try to review severe weather safety before storms roll in. This time of year, storms can evolve and change quickly, leaving you little time to prepare.

The latest models (as of 8 pm Tues) show three time periods where we might see strong storms. A warm front lifts through the region early in the morning giving areas north of the Ohio River a threat of strong storm early. By early afternoon, instability increases during the heat of the day and may bring a round of strong storms before sundown. The third time period would be later Wednesday night and Thursday morning as a cold front plunges southeast over our area. This would likely also bring the threat of severe weather with it. Some models do indicate the threat for tornadoes, so be ready for anything. Prepare now for less stress later!

Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Rukavina

An Inland Hurricane? A Tornado? A Tornado-cane? What Happened on Friday?

tokerson — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:07:00 GMT

This past Friday, a thunderstorm complex moving across the area brought winds of 80-100+ mph to parts of southeast MO & southern IL, causing extensive damage & power outages. This joins last March's major flooding event in SEMO & So. IL, Hurricane Ike, Winter Storm 2009, and the extreme wind event of Feb. 2009 as the latest in a series of rare & extreme weather events to ravage this region. The question that many folks are asking (besides when are we ever going to catch a break?) in the aftermath is.....what happened? What was that...a hurricane?....a tornado?.....something else?? In short, Friday's storm as a whole is what we refer to as a derecho, basically a long-lived straight-line wind damage event caused by the outflow winds from a bowing squall line, what we call a "bow echo". This is what caused major damage across much of southern MO, up to around Poplar Bluff, then the bow echo part of the complex started to weaken. What caused the extreme damage in our area was a feature on the northern end of that bow echo, something called a "line-end vortex", an area of cyclonic winds that develops into a "comma-head" shape. To be brief, this "comma head" took on a life of its own, developing into a small-scale area of low pressure....referred to as a mesoscale convective vortex (MCV), or "meso-low" for short. With an area of low pressure, winds from the surrounding areas spiral inward toward the center of circulation in a counterclockwise direction....similarly to what occurs in a tropical system. This MCV deepened over our area....and the lower the pressure drops, the faster it draws air into its center. Also, the smaller the area of circulation, the faster it will spin (think about what happens when a figure skater brings their arms in.....they spin faster). So, while this system looked like a hurricane, because it didn't originate over tropical water, it wasn't a true hurricane...however winds peaking at 106 mph would put it in the same category as a Cat1 hurricane.

This storm has caught the attention of weather experts around the country....one in particular that has chronicled the extreme weather over our area is Stu Ostro from The Weather Channel. He has posted an extremely interesting blog about this event, which you can view by clicking here. Kind of a long read, but very very interesting.

Also, for a radar loop of the event, click here to check out a blog from accuweather.com.

-Meteorologist Trent Okerson

10th Anniversary of May 3, 1999 OKC Tornado Outbreak...& more

tokerson — Sun, 03 May 2009 01:23:00 GMT

--This Sunday will mark 10 years since one of the worst tornado outbreaks in U.S. history....including perhaps the single most powerful tornado ever measured by Doppler radar...an F5 that brought incredible damage to communities to the south of Oklahoma City, and had estimated winds at 318 mph. This is one of the most well-documented tornado outbreaks on record, and the NWS at Oklahoma City has compiled a ton of information including some amazing damage photos and radar image from that outbreak in a special web page you can view by clicking here.

--The monthly outlook for May is out.....looks like we can expect a wetter-than-average month, with seasonably warm temperatures. For a look at that monthly outlook, click here.

--This past Thursday night, a small tornado touched down briefly in extreme southeast Graves County, near Lynnville, KY....click here for the storm survey from NWS Paducah.

--Not sure what your view on the global warming/climate change debate is (I'll refrain from sharing my views for now)....regardless, I ran across an interesting blog from one of the Weather Channel's senior meteorologists on a split in that debate (click here to read that blog)....and a new website that offers a wide range of information on climate change and its impacts (click here to access the site).

That's all for now....time to get back to work and see what I can do about getting some drier weather back in the mix!

-Meteorologist Trent Okerson

I want your storm stories!!

jrukavina — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:58:00 GMT

One of my passions for Meteorology is the historical accounts people share with me about past events. Whether you went through a big snow storm, a wicked tornado, or severe drought...I want to hear from you!

I am looking at collecting stories from local folks to compile & create a journal for others in our region to view. If you are interested in helping me with this project, please type your eyewitness account in a word document and email it to me at jrukavina@wpsdlocal6.com. If you know someone who would like to offer their stories and they do not have access to a computer, have them hand-write their account and send it to me at 100 Television Lane, Paducah, KY 42002.

The more detail, the better. I want to read your stories and feel like I was there with you when you experienced it! It does not matter how long ago your storm story is from, I welcome them all. (In fact, I hope to get some information about tornadoes from our deep past!)

If you have any questions, please email me at the address above or reply to this post!

Thanks!

Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Rukavina

Strong Storms Target the Mid-South Thursday

jrukavina — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:42:00 GMT

3 years ago Thursday, a deadly tornado ripped across the Missouri Bootheel and ultimatly took aim on Dyer Co. Tennessee, taking the lives of 16 people in Newbern. We are officially entering the peak of severe weather season for our region.

A vigorous storm spring storm system will exit the Central Plains early Thursday and bring the threat of severe storms by late afternoon and evening. As a warm front lifts through the region, warm and moist Gulf air will overtake the region coupled with plenty of shear (spin) in the atmoshere to even give us the threat for a few tornadoes.

(Outlook for severe weather Thursday from SPC)

(tornado risk Thursday from SPC)

Showers and storms are a sure bet for the entire region but the strongest severe weather dynamics are likely to fall over Western Kentucky and NW Tennessee. We feel that the timeframe of this event would be from 3-7pm. This of course coinsides with the heat of the day in which any breaks of sunshine would fuel more storms.

Take a few minutes to review severe weather safety for work and at home before storms roll through to make sure you are prepared. We will be updating folks during all newscasts during the day and of course cutting in for severe weather. Check out our new feature for even more updates through Twitter! It's located on the front of our weather page on the right-hand side.

Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Rukavina

Wild Saturday Weather

tokerson — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:58:00 GMT

2:30 PM Update--Just pulled down a Tornado Watch from SPC for parts of the area until 9PM.

A very potent late-winter/early-spring type of storm is continuing to wreak havoc across a large part of the U.S., bringing everything from an historic blizzard across the Plains, to multiple rounds of severe weather to the deep south. As the center of this storm passes right over the top of us, we have a chance for parts of the area to see both severe weather and wintry weather over the course of just a few hours. The SPC has parts of the Local 6 region under a slight risk of severe weather for this afternoon.

As of midday, not much is going on. The broad rain shield that brought morning showers to most of the region has pushed north, and on the ENE side of the low, a dry slot is forming, allowing for the sun to break out in a few spots.

Any sun that we see will combine with rising temperatures and dewpoints to destabilize the atmosphere, aiding in the redevelopment of some scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Models are showing a narrow band of modest instability (MLCAPE 500-1000 J/kg) developing across parts of western KY & west TN. As the cold front associated with this storm system swings through this afternoon, it may be enough to spark a broken line of storms east of the Mississippi River. Because instability values (what results in the explosive vertical development of severe storms) are low, these storms would likely be elevated, low-topped supercells.....the elevated nature means that they would develop in a very cold mid-level of the atmosphere, leading to a large hail threat. However, even though these storms may not be your typical supercells.....wind shear indicies are very high, which means isolated tornadoes/damaging winds can't be ruled out. Based on current surface temps & dewpoints, it looks like anything that develops this afternoon will be limited to the extreme southern tip of IL, western KY, and west TN. Areas east of the Lakes will have the greatest chance of seeing severe storms. Any storms should be out of the area by sunset.

The other side of this storm has the look of something we'd see in January. As the cold-core upper low takes off toward to NE later this evening, winds will turn around to the southwest, bringing in cold air, and possibly bringing some wrap-around showers that could mix with or change to sleet or snow showers, especially north and west of the Ohio River. Surface air temperatures will stay a few degrees above freezing....and ground temperatures are well above freezing...so no accumulation is expected. However, Winter Weather Advisories are in effect tonight along and northwest of a line from Springfield, IL, to St. Louis, MO, and down I-44 to Springfield, MO, where anywhere from 1-5" of snow is expected....so be advised if you are traveling in that direction. Let's get that snow over and out of the way now, because Opening Day at Busch Stadium is only 9 days away!

Keep it tuned to Local 6 this afternoon for the latest if severe weather does threaten.

Meteorologist Trent Okerson

Update: Severe Storms Take Aim on South Fri/Sat

jrukavina — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:18:00 GMT

Thursday Evening Update: Models are still indicating a good chance of a severe weather outbreak for the South, with most of the activity staying just south of our region. We will see showers and thunderstorms increase during the day on Friday ahead of the system. As mentioned in the previous post, we are still concerned about how far north the associated warm front will progress.

Right now, Saturday morning/early afternoon is the greatest chance (if any) of seeing the severe storm move into Western Kentucky and Northern Tennessee. Because the risk moves our way before sunrise Saturday it is best to be prepared with the help of a weather radio so that alerts can wake you if still asleep.

Aside from severe storms, we will certainly see additional heavy rainfall with this storm system on the order of 1-2 inches. With a saturated soil and winter storm debris blocking many drainage areas, we may very well see localized flooding.

(Friday Outlook)

(Saturday Outlook)

Wednesday Post: For the past week weather models have grabbed our attention concerning an outbreak of severe weather across the Southern US. As usual, our area will be a close call to whether or not we see much of it but with this type of system, it is worth being prepared for.

Right now, models project a developing low pressure system over the Southern Plains to move into the Missouri Oazarks up over Southern Illinois Friday night into Saturday morning. Ahead of this, a warm front will lift through NW TN and Western Kentucky on Friday. This has us concerned about severe weather developing along that warm front Friday afternoon/evening. Gulf moisture will be rich and there will be shear (spin) in the atmoshere. The warm front may serve as a suitable lifting mechanism of that moisture and give us the threat of severe storms, including tornadoes.

Of course we are still 2 days away from the outcome but knowing that this is the prime time of the year for severe weather to strike our region, we need to prepare. The image below is the outlook for severe weather on Friday from the Storm Prediction Center.

Aside from the storms themselves we will possibly see high winds and drenching rains.As the center of low pressure slides just to the NW, it will stengthen and untimatly increase the pressure gradient. When that happens, high winds are likely. Several rounds of rain may lead to localized flooding issues especially since Tuesday night's rain added 1-2 inches to the rain gauge.

Stay with the Weather Authority blog for updates on Thursday and Friday.

Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Rukavina

Anything Unusual for Spring???

tokerson — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:27:00 GMT

You know when you aren't seeing new blog posts here that everything in the weather department is fairly uneventful....as has been the case for a couple of weeks now. And really, aside from a heavy rain threat during the middle of this upcoming week....things look like they will continue to be quite normal for the first few days of this spring. And there is good news to report from NOAA...the latest spring outlook shows the Mid-Mississippi & Lower Ohio Valleys enjoying a relatively "normal" spring. In coming up with seasonal outlooks, forecasters look at teleconnections......where changes in conditions in one part of the world have an effect on the weather is a far separate region. Two of the teleconnection we frequently pay attention to are El Nino & La Nina.....which are the sea-surface temperature trends of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. We are coming out of a moderate La Nina....which typically results in warmer and wetter seasons in our area....especially in the cooler months of the year. This La Nina is weakening.......and the result will be an "equal chance" of above, below, or normal precipitation and temperatures for our part of the country. Here's hoping this spring brings more warmer days, just enough rain to keep things green & in bloom, not much severe weather, the return of my short game and ability to keep it in the fairway, and a lots of winning baseball in St. Louis! (Sorry Cub fans.....don't hold it against me.)

Meteorologist Trent Okerson

Tuesday Night Storm Update and Cooler Temperatures on the Way

kmounce — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:39:00 GMT

Overnight Update: Severe threat appears to be winding down. Some strong wind gusts have been reported, but have been near or below 50 mph. A large batch of rain, heavy at times, will continue to push through. For details on the chilly air moving in, check out the bottom of this blog.

Evening Update: Spring is just around the corner and our weather pattern sure is acting like it. After severe storms brought 4 tornadoes to the region just two days ago, another round of strong to severe weather is possible Tuesday night (3/10/09). This time, damaging winds appear to be the greatest threat, but an isolated tornado is possible.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed the NW half of our area in a slight risk for severe weather. This includes the communities of Paducah, Carbondale and Cape Girardeau, however, the entire region could experience strong storms.

There are a few details, which could keep our storms below severe limits. For one, many parameters for severe weather are marginal. Second, the overnight arrival of these storms could cause them to lose some of their punch.

Whether or not storms are severe, colder air will be spilling back in. Once the cold front pushes through, overnight lows will actually drop into the upper 30s! Our afternoons are going to be chilly too. Through the end of the week, highs will stay in the 40s (our average high is in the middle 50s)! The return of below average temperatures means those shorts might have to go back in the drawer...at least for a few days.

Meteorologist Kyle Mounce