Byrd's Eye View

Amazing video from KUSA:
http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?aid=53536&bw>=


That's about as classic a hook echo as you'll see.




According to a colleague in Denver, this storm hit yesterday morning just north of Denver.   It's very unusual to have a storm like this so close to the Rockies.

The National Weather Service will have a SKYWARN Basic Spotter training class, June 2nd, 2:00 - 4:00 pm in Burlington.

This is a great class to attend if you are interested in learning more about severe weather, even if you've taken the class before. 

It's free (we love that!) and will be held at Alamance Community College, Burlington Campus Room 121, 1519 N. Mebane St.

Among the topics discussed:

• how and why buildings fall in high winds
• thunderstorm development and severity
• recognition of storm/cloud elements
• anticipating storm motion, intensity, and severity based on cloud structure
• lightning dynamics and threats

For more information, please contact Jeff Orrock at jeff.orrock@noaa.gov or (919) 515-8209, ext. 223.

The National Weather Service will have a SKYWARN Basic Spotter training class, June 9th, 7:00 - 9:30 pm.

This is a great class to attend if you are interested in learning more about severe weather, even if you've taken the class before. 

It's free (we love that!) and will be held in Lexington at the Davidson Emergency Management Building, 935 North Main Street.

Among the topics discussed:

• how and why buildings fall in high winds
• thunderstorm development and severity
• recognition of storm/cloud elements
• anitcipating storm motion, intensity, and severity based on cloud structure
• lightning dynamics and threats

For more information, please contact Jeff Orrock at jeff.orrock@noaa.gov or (919) 515-8209, ext. 223.

It was "one of those days", as they say, and I didn't have the cord to download these pictures for our newscast tonight.   Terribly frustrating on my end, and I've heard that the kids were also very let down.  I'm very sorry that I couldn't show your beautiful faces on the news tonight, but I will have them on Monday morning between 6:40 am and 7:00 am if you can set your VCR's.

Thank you for the warm welcome that you gave me when I visited!  Franklinville is a lovely town and your hospitality was greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

After years of watching tulips and daffodils bloom in the yards of my neighbors, I finally remembered to plant some bulbs last fall.  Some of them have pushed through the soil and are showing off in my front yard.  So what happened to the ones that I so lovingly planted in the back yard?

The answer:  the dog.

After kneeling, digging, positioning, covering, patting down and watering about 50 bulbs in a lovely, meandering pattern across my back yard, I stiffly stood to survey my hard work.  What I saw was my dog, Morgan (who I call Divot when I'm particularly exasperated with her), sitting happily at attention next to me.  Behind her wagging tail was a trail of freshly unearthed bulbs. 

I patted her on her smart little head and walked back to the house.

What have you planted and what are your favorite springtime flowers?

This was a HUGE snowstorm that dumped snow by the feet in western North Carolina.  I remember having a competition with a neighbor up the street to see who could come up with the most creative snow sculpture... she made a giant snail, my mom and I sculpted SPRING in huge letters across the front yard and colored each letter with food coloring.  We actually made the front page of the News & Record!

What do you remember about this historic storm?

 

Our friends at the National Weather Service are offering a Severe Weather Spotter/ Advanced SKYWARN training class in Greensboro:

• Guilford County Emergency Management Facility

          1002 Meadowood Street, Greensboro

• March 12, 2008 
• 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• FREE!

These classes are designed to help spotters better understand the meteorology and dynamics behind all types of severe weather.  The class will provide insight into the thunderstorm spectrum and how and why different types of storms develop.  Prior SKYWARN Basic training is advised.

Topics include:

• relation of instability to updraft intensity;
• wind shear impact on storm behavior and severity;
• processes necessary for tornado development;
• weather patterns conducive to severe weather outbreaks.

 For more information, please contact Steve Marks or Jeff Orrock:

Steve.Marks@guilford-es.com 

(336) 641-2278

Jeff.Orrock@noaa.gov

(919) 515-8209, ext. 223

The forecast for today still looks good for cool and rainy weather through sunset. 

Looking at the latest discussions, outlooks and model data though, I have to consider a good chance of thunderstorms that could be strong to severe overnight tonight and into the early morning hours on Saturday.

The Storm Prediction Center has the eastern half of North Carolina under a Slight Risk for severe weather, with our extreme southern and eastern counties (Chatham, Randolph, Montgomery) coming close to the highlighted area.  This Slight Risk area may be pulled westward later today.

Here is the tricky part of the forecast... 

• The Triad will be in a cool, stable wedge of air today.  (We sometimes refer to this as the Appalachian Wedge.) 
  
• A low will be moving northward from the Gulf coast.  It will come through North Carolina later this evening and overnight. 
  
• Where will that low end up traveling?  If it comes through the eastern Piedmont,  the cool air stays put and no thunderstorms for us.  If it moves through the mountains or foothills, the cool air gets mixed out by warmer air overnight, and it could provide a more unstable environment for thunderstorms to develop.

The latest models indicate that the low will be lifting northward, up the Appalachian mountains.  With that in mind, we're going to have to prepare for the chance of strong to severe thunderstorms later tonight.  The primary threat will be once again for wind damage and isolated tornadoes.

As before, please feel free to post your observations and storm reports in the comments section of this blog.  Don't forget to put the time of your observation and location.

Many thanks in advance for your documentation!

What a lovely sight in our eastern sky this morning, (March 5, 2008)!  Mercury is barely visible but Venus was big and bright.

If you look to the east in the evening, you can see Saturn.

Happy viewing!

 

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has the eastern Piedmont to the Coast of North Carolina in a moderate risk  for severe thunderstorms today.  The rest of the state is at a slight risk for severe thunderstorms.  What does that mean?

A moderate risk means that severe weather will affect 5 to 10 percent of the outlined area.  

A slight risk means that severe weather will affect 2 to 5 percent of the outlined area.

The timeframe for severe weather today is roughly between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm.  The primary threat from these storms is damaging winds, though isolated tornadoes aren't out of the question. 

Just a reminder, a severe thunderstorm produces winds of at least 58 mph, penny-sized hail or tornadoes.  All thunderstorms produce lightning, and the frequency of lightning strikes has nothing to do with whether or not a storm is severe.

Post your storm reports here, in the "Comments" section so that we can keep up with the action in your part of the Piedmont.  (Don't forget to tell us where you are!)

Stay tuned to FOX 8 and myfoxwghp.com for severe weather coverage.

 

 

You're a mean one Weather Grinch...

you really are a heel..

with no snowfall in the forecast

no wintry weather glaze.... weather grinch...

You're a bad thunderstorm without the rainbow end.....

You're a pretty monster, Weather Grinch.

Your forecast's an empty hole.

You need snowflakes.. children's laughter.

Hot chocolate, sleds and happy souls.

Weather Grinch.

I wouldn't touch you, with a

thirty-nine-and-a-half foot skiing pole.

...he'd be this dog.

 

Even though we have received some beneficial rain recently, we still have to protect our water supplies.  It will take a lot more rainfall to end the drought in the Piedmont.

Governor Easley send out some useful conservation tips that I thought you might be able to use:

As the Governor has directed, people should stop non-essential uses of water such as watering lawns and washing houses, sidewalks and automobiles.

 

In the Bathroom

• Replace older plumbing fixtures with newer, low-flow models or install water-saving devices, such as faucet aerators.
• Place a water-filled bottle or brick in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water needed to fill it.
• Put food coloring in your toilet tank and watch if the coloring shows up in the toilet bowl before flushing. If so, replace the leaking flap.
• Check tub and sink faucets for drips and replace washers and “O-rings” as necessary.
• Turn off all water to your home and look at the readout dial on your water meter. If the dial moves, you have a leak.
• Check pipes coming into the house for leaks and have them repaired immediately. Don’t forget to check outside faucets and garden hoses.
• Turn off water while lathering, shampooing, shaving and brushing your teeth.
• Plug the bathtub before turning the water on, and then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up.
• Take showers instead of baths.
• Time your shower to keep it as short as possible.
• Collect water from the bath/shower while waiting for it to heat up and use it to water plants.

 

In the Kitchen

• Run washing machines and dishwashers only with full loads to maximize efficiency.
• Avoid using sink disposals for food scraps. Composting food scraps is much more economical than using a garbage disposal.
• Don’t rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, or use a pan of water in the sink and re-use the water as long as possible.
• When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• When washing dishes by hand, use the least amount of detergent possible. This minimizes rinse water needed.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap for cold drinks.
• Don't defrost frozen foods with running water. Either plan ahead by placing frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave.
• Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Rinse them in a filled sink or pan.

 

Reuse and recycle

• Catch rainwater from your gutters with a rain barrel and use it to water your flowers and vegetables.
• Collect natural water with a rain barrel for car washing.

 

Outdoors

• Take time to locate your main water shut-off valve and the water meter in your yard. For instructions on how to read your water meter, go to: http://www.h2ouse.net/resources/meter/index.cfm.
• Use dry cleanup methods to reduce both indoor and outdoor water use.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk.
• Set lawn mower blades one notch higher. Longer grass means less evaporation.
• Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. Chunks of bark, peat moss or gravel slow down evaporation.

 

Education

• Put up signs around your home and office to remind others to conserve water.

Our friends at the National Weather Service are offering an Advanced SKYWARN Spotter training class in Kernersville!

BASIC Spotter training is a pre-requisite for this class! 

• Kernersville Fire Station, 316 Bodenhamer Street
• Thursday, June 28, 2007
• 7:00 pm
• FREE!

This class is a follow-up to the BASIC SKYWARN Spotter training that many of you have taken.  If you attend, prepare to really sink your teeth into meteorology. 

Here's a little taste of what you will learn:

• Relation of instability to updraft intensity;
• Wind shear impact on storm behavior and severity;
• Processes necessary for tornado development;
• Weather patterns conducive to severe weather outbreaks.

 

For more information, please contact Jason Beaman:

Jason.Beaman@noaa.gov 

(919) 515-8209

It's that time of year again!

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1st and ends November 30th.

Every year, we get pumped up over the outlooks issued by various agencies and experts in the field of tropical meteorology.  This year, we add North Carolina State University to the list of institutions throwing their hats in the ring.

Here's how they compare:

Dr. William Gray:  17 named storms, 9 hurricanes, 5 major hurricanes

NOAA:  13-17 named storms, 7-10 hurricanes, 3-5 major hurricanes

NCSU:  12-14 named storms, 8-9 hurricanes, 4-5 major hurricanes

Average:  9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes, 2.3 major hurricanes

I put little value on any prediction for the number of landfalling storms.  For purposes of being prepared, we all should be at any time.  It only takes one storm to call it a disastrous year.

If you are headed to the coast:

• Stay up-to-date on the forecast before and during your trip;
• Know your evacuation route;
• Heed orders to evacuate if they are issued;
• Keep you gas tank as full as possible -- evacuations take time and you'll avoid long lines at the pumps;
• Have an emergency kit with extra batteries, a radio, fresh water (one gallon per person minimum), non-perishable food, sunscreen, medication and cash.