Ol' Fashioned Christmas Blizzard

So if you've been dreaming of a white Christmas, the reality is, you're probably going to see it if you are staying in Kansas. As of Tuesday morning, the storm track is just about set and we are feeling a little more confident in our prediction of the storm. Heaviest snowfall should be north of Hwy 56 (so from around Scott City, to Great Bend, to Emporia. South of there, I think maybe 2-4 inches of snow (maybe a few inches for Wichita). In central and northern Kansas (the areas that were hit 2 weeks ago) could be looking at 6-9 inches by Thursday night. Wind gusts of 40 mph with snow will not be a good combination for drivers. The earlier you can get going, the better you'll be (talking Tuesday or early Wednesday for driving around the central Plains)

If you've never traveled in a blizzard, it is not much fun and is very dangerous. It is also a good idea to keep a travel kit with you, including batteries, hats, mittens, tow rope, jumper cables, scraper, shovel, and sand bags.

By the way, we had 366 phone calls Monday night with our travel hotline. We can't recall a time when we had more than 300 calls in one evening. Thanks to KFDI and the Kansas Highway Patrol for helping out.

Phone Bank and More

Just a reminder about the travel phone bank we have coming up Monday. You call us and tell us where you are going, and we'll tell you if the Christmas storm will be affecting your travel plans. It is free, unless it is a long distance phone call for you. The number is 316-436-5627. In most years, we get about 250 calls, but I would expect this year to be double that with the storm coming in for Wednesday and Thursday.

Speaking of the storm, it looks like the worst of the weather will be here Wednesday night and early Thursday. Blowing snow will be a big problem because of the north winds. I'm still trying to figure out how much we'll get, but it looks like the heavy snow bands will be over eastern KS with lighter amounts in the west. Either way, accumulations looks likely for our area by Thursday evening and the roads could be slick for Christmas Eve night. I'll try to update the blog again on Tuesday as the storm finally closes in on our area. It might be a good idea to finish your shopping Monday or Tuesday, just in case this storm turns out to be a monster. Have a great week.

White Christmas

Alright, so the topic of this blog focuses on whether or not you are rooting for a white Christmas. On one hand, it would be neat to have snow on the ground for the holiday, but for anyone traveling, it is a HUGE headache trying to fight the weather and I know my dad is at home rooting against the snow (makes it harder taking care of cattle). Slick roads, bad visibility, venturing out when it is cold, etc. just doesn't sound like a Santa bag full of fun. White Christmas's happen about once every 5-7 years, and sometimes it is every 10. We had one just two years ago when there was 4 inches of snow on the ground in Wichita, and it was driven by some strong winds. It was a disaster for last minute shoppers and some of the people that work at Channel 12 had to be picked up in 4 wheel drive vehicles. The map above shows the average possibilities of a white Christmas. It's about 10-15% for most of the state.

There is a good chance of a white Christmas this year if the storm developing next week doesn't do something crazy, like move through south Texas or Louisiana and it could happen. The computer models that we analyze agree there will be a storm next week and it will have an ample supply of Gulf moisture. So that's not the question. We'll have to figure out the track of the storm, and then how much cold air will be involved. If we knew the answers to those two questions, I could tell you all about the travel weather for next week, and then we could know for sure about a white Christmas. But that's part of the excitement in meteorology; it's always changing and we'll have 15-20 computer model outputs before the storm. So stay tuned as it will be crazy over the next 8-12 days.

Snow All Over

The winter storm is over and in the wake of the storm, the satellite shows how much of the state is covered in snow. The storm moved across northern Oklahoma, which is a perfect track for Kansas to get heavy snow. There was an enormous amount of moisture moving north out of the Gulf of Mexico, which led to the heavy snow amounts that we saw over northern Kansas.

The pattern will change soon and we do not see any major winter storms coming through for another 8-10 days. With Christmas just 2 weeks away, we start to wonder if this will be a white Christmas or not, and it doesn't look like we'll have snow on the ground for the holiday this year. As the pattern changes, we see fewer systems coming through between now and the 25th, so don't count on having snow for Christmas this year. That's good news for travelers, but for kids, I know it is a little disappointing. There is always a chance something could change, but it doesn't look to promising.

How is your holiday shopping going? I'm just getting started with mine, so don't feel bad if you feel like you've been putting it off. Have a great weekend.

Stay Warm!

Hopefully you have a way to stay warm this week. Of all the things we are questioning this week in KS weather, deciding whether or not it will be cold is not one of them. A big blast of Arctic air is coming down the Rockies on Wednesday and it will be cold with the wind out of the north.

The round of winter weather on Sunday delivered some snow to northern KS. Beloit had an inch or two and these kids were put to work clearing the driveway. There just wasn't enough snow to do much sledding. And the snow we get Tuesday will not be the good packing snow for snowmen. The temperatures will be too cold and the moisture content of the snow will be very low. It could be a mess for northern KS and near blizzard like conditions are possible Tuesday afternoon.

Millie helped Denise Hnytka pick out a tree this last week. When she was just 6 weeks old, she helped me pick out a real tree. I decided the first tree she wrapped the leash around would be the one we cut down. But this time, Denise picked the tree and Millie gave her approval. It was rather chilly last week, so we didn't spend a great deal of time thinking about it.

Woodworking and Changing Weather

Well as the holidays are looming, I'm finding myself back in the garage doing some woodworking. I'm working on a Christmas present, so I can't say what it is, but if you want to guess, that will be fine. Just after Christmas, I'll reveal the answer. This picture was taken in the early stage of construction, and I'm almost done with it now, but to prevent someone finding out what they are getting for Christmas, I can't post any additional pictures until after the holiday.

Coaches come and go, but I remember being at a KU basketball game the night Mangino was introduced as the head coach for KU football. I really can't believe it has been 8 years since he was hired. It's even harder to believe I've been away from KU for almost the same amount of time. But it will be exciting to see who they bring in to take over the job.

On a final note, the weather is changing quickly. Next week looks stormy with a chance for widespread accumulating snowfall. Southeast Kansas may get some ice, so it will be a storm to concentrate on through the weekend. Every school talk I go to now, teachers and kids are begging for "snow days", so we'll see what happens with this next system coming in next Tuesday. It should be followed by some MUCH colder air... maybe even colder than what we have had this week. Have a great weekend.

Coasting into December

I lost track of time last week with Thanksgiving. Everyone is so busy traveling and with the nice weather we've had, most of us have elected to spend more time outside. I know I've been working in the garage a ton lately, thinking spring is just around the corner. My grass is still greener than ever, and we were to have another week of warm weather, I'd probably have to mow it.

Cold weather is coming. Millie is not shedding as much anymore; indicating that it is about to get really cold and she'll need the extra hair. That's her way of predicting weather. I do think the weather is about to get stormy and much colder. I spent almost 45 minutes today just looking at the long range charts to see if I could find any similar ideas on what the pattern will be doing in the coming weeks. Although forecasting snow/rain this far in advance is very difficult, all of the models indicate that it is going to get cold very soon. Our first full week of December could be a very cold week and there is a chance we'll see snow too.

How was your Thanksgiving? I know I had more than my fair share, but I just love turkey and all the extras. Have a great week.

Busy Week

I admit I've fallen behind on blogging recently, but it looks as if so many of you are busy too because I'm not seeing too many comments on the blog lately. Tuesday I was visiting the 4th graders at Explorer Elementary School in Goddard. I even stayed and had a school lunch, but I ate with the teachers. I was just too big to fit at the kids table and they would rather visit with their friends.

This week has been very interesting with the storm that just moved into Missouri. We finally get our first wet snowflakes in central Kansas. Greenwood county ended up with about 5 inches, which was a bit of a surprise for us in the weather center. We thought it may stay just to the north of this area. For those of you in western Kansas, you've already had your first taste of winter. Although the rest of this week looks rather benign, we are still in the middle of an active weather pattern and I think we're going to get another storm just before the Thanksgiving holiday. The models are still coming around to a solution that makes sense, but I'm thinking there will be more snow in Kansas early next week. I'm not so certain where the heavier snow will be, so stay tuned for updates. There are some indications we'll get some much colder air around Thanksgiving too, but again, we are waiting for the models to latch on to this idea.

I'm getting excited for Thanksgiving. Our travel hotline will be open on Monday if you're needing to call and get a forecast for your destination.

Love the Corgis

Last week I ventured back to my old high school and middle school to talk with the kids about opportunity and setting goals. In my mind, I knew it would be a challenge keeping their attention, so I showed some storm pictures and pretended we had an opportunity to go storm chase and what kinds of things we would see. The kids did really well and in our afternoon breakout sessions, I had a chance to visit one on one with kids that had some interest in meteorology. The walls of my high school look so much smaller when I go back to visit. So many memories come rushing back when you travel back to your ol' stomping grounds.

One of the teachers at the high school shared a picture with me. It is a bunch of Corgi puppies lined up on the clothes line. She has them all named too. From the left to the right, they are Felicia Rolfe, Kim Setty, Merril Teller, Brian Heap, me, and then Millie. I wanted to share it with you because they look just like Millie when she was 6 weeks old. You can see why it is easy to get attached to an animal when they have those darn puppy eyes. Anyway, have a great week. Changes are coming in our weather and the more dramatic ones will start to take place next week. Stay tuned.

Out and About

I've been thinking about Halloween this week and trying to decide whether or not Millie should have a costume. She won't like it and I'd rather not spend money on it if she's going to tear it up (like she does with so many other toys) But we'll see what happens and what makes it on air. I understand Roger has taken some calls in Answerback on the subject. I could dress her up as a hot dog, but I know she'll be embarrassed. (by the way, this is not Millie in the picture)

I had a chance to visit the 1st graders at Southeast of Saline on Friday. They were excellent kids and had some great questions for me and when I got to the classroom, they were trying to guess the outside temperature. Surprisingly, most of them were within about 5 degrees.

For the second week in a row, we've had a big storm system drop snow on Kansas. The average first snow for NW Kansas is November 1st, so we are a little ahead of schedule, but I'm sure most people that live in western Kansas are accustomed to an early dose of winter. However, a change is expected in our weather pattern. It looks quiet and very mild for the next 8-10 days (or at least through November 10th) There's not going to be any rain or snow for several days to come and temperatures will be above normal (except for Monday where there will be a little bit of a setback behind a front) Happy Halloween everyone.

Millie's Been Busy

The weather has been very interesting this week with heavy snow in northeast Colorado and 4-5 inches of snow in northwest Kansas. The heavy wet snow this time of the year can be as detrimental as ice because the heavy snow lands on the leaves and causes branches to snap under the weight. Milder weather is coming back for the weekend and for the start of next week, but as someone has already noticed on the computer models, there are going to be some changes for the middle of next week. I would expect some colder air by Wednesday or Thursday and there is likely to be more precipitation soon. Exactly what type of precipitation remains to be seen.

Millie was in a wedding a few weeks ago. I'm posting a picture of that and she went with me to a high school career fair Thursday afternoon. I think the kids thought I was there to represent dog obedience school, not broadcasting.

Have a great weekend. I'll be here to watch the weather Saturday and Sunday and get you ready for whatever changes might be coming next week. Should be exciting.

Preparing for Winter

Wow, did anyone see the football game Sunday with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans? It was snowing like crazy because of an October Nor'easter that had a good source of moisture. Snow isn't that uncommon in October for the northeast and it is a sure sign that the atmosphere is quickly transitioning. We'll be seeing more scenes like that very soon (maybe not in Kansas, but certainly in the mountains)

I'm still waiting on pictures of Millie in the wedding that took place last week. Check back very soon because I know they will be arriving shortly. The sunshine has been a welcome sight lately and are you enjoying the warmer weather? The normal high temperature is 70, but it was hard to even imagine that last week when the highs were struggling to get into the 50s. We do have a storm coming this week. It will get here Wednesday and almost everyone in Kansas will see rain and maybe a few thunderstorms. I don't think the atmosphere will get cold enough for snow, but we should be planning ahead for the winter. This week is Winter Weather Awareness week for Kansas and it is always good to review the terminology that you'll hear us use on the air, such as winter storm watch, wind chill warning, etc. Also, look over the safety procedures for winter weather driving, preparing for a blizzard, etc. We hope the winter doesn't get that bad, but when it comes to Kansas, we never know.

Slipping into Winter

The weather this weekend had me thinking I should've been Christmas shopping instead of thinking about Halloween. I'm posting pictures from Hays, Oakley, and then from North Platte, NE where the cold air was accompanied by snow and a little ice. Some places in Nebraska had 8-10 inches of snow, which is definitely a little too early in the season for them.

A big cold spell at this time in October is usually around for a few days and then replaced by a warmer airmass. But this week will be a cloudy one with chances for light rain and drizzle. It is the warm and cool air battling, and it's going to result in clouds and some rain from time to time. We probably won't get much sunshine until the end of the week or next weekend. Anyone suffering from allergies was probably happy to see the temperatures go below freezing this weekend, except in Wichita where we haven't had a freeze yet.

Millie survived the wedding Saturday. Pictures will be coming soon, but it may take a week or two. Meanwhile, my nephew Pate is growing like a weed. My sister-in-law sent a picture, so I'm sharing it with you. Have a great week. Try not to let the cloudy, damp weather get you down.

Lovin' this weather!

This is definitely my favorite time of the year, not just because the trees are changing color, but the atmosphere is definitely changing too. The jet stream is getting stronger and we are about to see a huge invasion of cold air by next weekend. The computer models have been showing it now for about 5 days, and it looks like a big system will set up in Canada and start shoving the cold air south. Highs next weekend may not get out of the 40s in the northwest, while much of the state will see highs in the low to mid 50s. And, northwest Kansas might have a little snow flurry action at night. Stay tuned for details on the big change coming later in the week.

Millie is not getting married, but she is in a wedding next weekend. This will be a true test of her good behavior to see if she can sit still for about 15-20 minutes during the ceremony. I'm sure pictures will surface somewhere, and I'll post them when they are available.

I spent a little time down in Mexico at the end of September. It was my first time to snorkel and was fortunate enough to see an eagle ray, a big sea turtle, and hundreds of colorful fish. It was such a great experience. I did try scuba diving, but it was limited to the swimming pool since I didn't have the money or any previous experience doing it. Sure was fun, but I'm happy to be home too. Have a great week.

Atlanta Flooding

If you've been following the news lately, the flooding in Atlanta has been quite amazing. Some areas have received as much as 17-20 inches of rain and the flood waters have invaded Six Flags in Atlanta. Here is a picture of the Great American Scream Machine that has been turned into a water ride (if people were actually on it)

What is amazing is that this kind of flooding is not tied to any tropical storm or hurricane, which would be common this time of the year. And, even more interesting is that just a few months ago, this area was in extreme drought. Proof that one extreme follows another and Mother Nature really has a way of leveling things out.

On a different note, this summer was a cool one for many states. The National Climatic Data Center has discovered that it was the 34th coolest on record for the entire country. This map shows how many states recorded cooler than average temperatures for June, July, and August. An upper level storm system just parked itself right over the Hudson Bay and Great Lakes area and continued to draw in cool, Canadian air. When the excessive heat ended in early July, we spent the second half of the month and almost all of August in this cool weather pattern.

The Fair Ends Just in Time!!!

If you stopped by the KWCH booth during the fair to see Millie, I wanted to say thanks. We discovered during the fair that she is a big hit with many of you and I'm glad you enjoy seeing her on the air. We have fun with it and hope you'll continue to tune in, even if it is just to see the dog. Some of you took pictures of us at the fair and I'd like to see them if you have time to email them. My email is rjanssen@kwch.com

The weather during the fair was about as good as it gets. Other than a little rain on the first Saturday, it was mainly dry and mild. But, just as the fair ends, rain is coming back to Kansas it it will get VERY cool next week. Highs will be stuck in the 60s for most of us. Bad timing for farmers trying to plant wheat, but for any wheat that is already in the ground, this rain will help it sprout right away. And, this cool, wet pattern will be around for 5-7 days. Check out the forecast models. The upper low moves very little from Tuesday morning through Saturday morning. Forecasting in these types of situations are very tough, but it looks like a rainy and cool pattern coming up. Looking ahead, October may be off to a stormy start too. The atmosphere is definitely in a seasonal transition. Have a great week.

What is it with September?

The heavy rainfall event this week had me wondering, what is it about September that brings flooding rainfall to southcentral Kansas. It was almost one year ago to the date that record rainfall occurred in Wichita and surrounding areas. I'm posting graphics from the National Weather Service of the rainfall reports from last year and from this latest event (the one on the left is from 2009). You'll clearly be able to see that last year's event affected many people, whereas this year, it seemed to be a little more isolated. Last years big rain was driven by the remnants of a tropical system that collided with a stationary front. This year, it was a system that was much smaller. Even if you didn't have 8 inches of rain, most would agree, drier weather would be a good thing for us in Kansas as farmers get ready to plant the 2010 wheat crop. And, it is impossible to do that when water is standing in the field.

On another note, the Kansas State Fair is underway in Hutch. I mentioned in my last entry, my days will be Monday and Friday (the last Friday of the fair) and I'll most likely be up there until 7 or 7:30 in the evening. Come by and watch us do weather from the fair and yes, Millie will be with me. Pets aren't normally allowed on the fairgrounds, but they have made a special exception for us to have Millie there. Hope to see you there and hopefully, it won't rain.

Ready for the Fair??

It is that time of year again, time for the Kansas State Fair in Hutch. Channel 12 has a booth and it is nice to hear from our audience during this time. Millie has become a popular face, or icon, here at KWCH and so she'll make an appearance on Monday and Friday, September 14 and 18. Come by and see her. We are handing out her own autographed pads this year and because you are checking out the blog, you get an early look at what the picture looks like. It will be exciting to see how many of them we hand out.

Our weather was quiet over the holiday weekend. There is a huge storm system passing us by to the north, however, it will send a cold front this way that should bring some rain to the area by the middle of the week. Temperatures will be in the 80s for most of this week, but there is a big low pressure system that could be forming over the region this weekend. If the models are correct, we could get some rain for the start of the fair (which some would say it always rains during the fair) and get in on MUCH cooler air by Friday night. This will be something to watch this week. Needless to say, there is still no sign of any excessive heat building back into the region anytime soon.

Crazy Prediciton?

Sometimes I feel bold enough to step out on a limb with my forecasting and almost 2 weeks ago, I made the prediction that we wouldn't have anymore 100 degree days in Wichita. It was published in the Wichita Eagle and I ended up getting a great deal of feedback from friends and family. I'm still holding to that prediction, even though we've had some recent 100 degree days in western Kansas. I just don't see the weather pattern anytime soon allowing for it to get that hot around here. Since I made that prediction, our hottest day has been 92 in Wichita, but Medicine Lodge and Hill City have had 100 degree weather.

What did you think about our weather over the weekend? It sure felt like fall. Lows Sunday morning were in the 40s around the state. Wichita has had only 7 days with above normal temperatures in the month of August. And we finish the month with highs in the middle 70s. Very crazy. Our weather pattern has been very exciting lately. We have a system coming this way by midweek that might bring some rain, then we focus on a bigger system for the holiday weekend. We'll have details on the air this week as we get ready for the unofficial end to summer.

The Kansas State Fair is coming up. I'll be talking about it later in the week. Have a good one.

Bizzare August Weather

I have to admit, I'm loving this weather. Cool nights and warm afternoons. It has many of us thinking ahead to fall. It will be heating up soon, but I'm not seeing any excessive heat for our area any time soon.

When I got to work Saturday afternoon, there were a couple of visitors here at KWCH. Turkeys! Usually I see 5 -10 of them together, but on this day, there were just two visiting the parking lot. Hopefully eating grasshoppers. What do you call a group of turkeys? Well, I had to look it up too (thanks to the Internet, it didn't take long) but a group of turkeys is called a rafter. I didn't read enough of the article to figure out why it is rafter, but maybe someone out there knows.

At any rate, I hope your summer was a good one. We are quickly headed into fall sports and so I'm pretty excited for college football to get started. High school sports start this week too for many schools. The summers seem to buzz by so quickly and I'm already being asked "What is your prediction for winter?" I honestly don't know. I'll keep looking and analyzing, but I won't have a good idea until about November or so. Let's not rush it. Fall is a good time of the year.

Millie's Journey to Colorado

Okay, so I've been on a work sabbatical and it feels weird to be back on this Monday evening. I don't know that I've ever had so much consecutive time off from work, but it feels good to be back in the weather office and I can honestly say, I started to miss my job a little. I really didn't do anything that exciting, but I did venture out to Colorado with Millie and we did some hiking outside of Colorado Springs. There is so much to see and do in the mountains that it would be nearly impossible to get bored out there. In all of my trips into the Rockies, I have yet to go camping, but I know it would be fun. I'm sure I wouldn't sleep very good because I would have this constant fear of a bear attack. The weather was so nice at 10,000 feet, but then again we can't complain here in Kansas because we've been spoiled this summer with several 80 degree days.

Our weather looks rather quiet for the rest of the week. Temperatures will warm back into the 90s by the middle of the week, and some areas will be near 100 by the end of the work week. It's good weather for those trying to put hay for cattle, but it's hard on the fescue lawns. At any rate, fall will be here before we know it, so I guess we should enjoy these last weeks of summer. Hard to imagine some kids start school next week. The summers sure fly by.

Summer or Fall?

The weekend is winding down and as I think ahead to this week, it will be a busy one in the weather center. We've noticed a pattern or trend where it is dry in the day and storms occur at night. That same pattern will repeat itself again this week and some of us will get some heavy rainfall. We're not too worried about severe weather, but there's going to be some pockets of serious rainfall. This cool weather is probably going to make for an outstanding corn crop.

After the storms rolled through last Monday night, we had a couple of people stop by the station and hand deliver some storm shots. One of the picture in particular was quite fascinating to us here at KWCH. It is a beautiful shot of lightning right over the tower at 37th and Hillside. It takes some patience when trying to get pictures of lightning, but if you wait just long enough, you can get some really interesting shots of it. Of course, it's very dangerous too, so be careful.

It won't be long before school starts up again. Where is the summer going?
Have a great week.

Why Millie?

I received a phone call from a viewer Saturday night wanting to know why I chose the name Millie for my dog. It's a simple answer. My cousins had a dog named Millie several years ago and I remember her being a very smart dog. It was an Airedale (shown in the picture), so it's a little bit bigger than my Millie. It didn't take me long to settle on the name. In fact, by the time I picked her out of the litter, I already knew I would call her Millie. Sometimes, I call her much worse (like the day she left her initials on my sofa)

In broadcasting, we are supposed to leave our personal opinions out of our delivery. But I'm loving this weather and I could take about 3 weeks with these kind of temperatures. What do you think? Usually by this point in July, we are medium-well done (talking in terms of steak here) with temperatures well into the 90s and low 100s. We had 107 last Tuesday here in Wichita, making it the hottest temperature we've had in just over 2 years. The weather pattern is different now and there's no sign of 100 degree heat coming back anytime soon. It could be the 1st or 2nd week of August before the hot, high pressure system moves back to our region. As of right now, our long range computer data suggests the heat dome will reside over the western half of the country (out near Las Vegas)

This may be an active week with storms occurring in the evening and overnight. There will be some severe storms, so check in with us during the week. Have a good one. I like hearing from everyone, so share your thoughts on the 80 degree temperatures.

Nighttime Surprise

I received a call at 6:15 Wednesday morning from Dan Dillon at KFDI to join him on the radio with the storm warnings off to the east/northeast of Wichita. It was a little surprising to see this activity, but it often happens in the summertime. The main area for severe weather shifts into the northern Plains and with the right conditions, the storms move right down into Kansas. In this case, the storms just popped up over central Kansas just after 5 a.m. The interesting thing to me is that when I went to bed, the sky was absolutely clear, but with the right wind speed and direction and a little moisture, you can get storms to pop up even in the overnight hours.

We are about to see our 2nd heat wave here in Kansas. I heard someone reference the "death dome" the other day and they are referring to the huge dome of high pressure that is going to set up for the rest of the week and into next week. When we see this on the weather maps, the better chances for storms usually occur on the outside edges of the high pressure. We sometimes refer to this as the "ring of fire" because storms fire on the outside edges of the high pressure system.

I'm not counting the days, but fall is just about 2 months away. I like warm weather, but when it gets above 100, it is too hot for me.

Harvest Help

I had a chance to help my parents harvest wheat this week and the crop was very good. There was some worry that the wheat would be damaged with the late freeze, but it didn't affect central Kansas as much as the southern part of the state and especially those in Oklahoma. The yields were good and so was the quality. Millie and I lucked out on Thursday when a storm developed in Rice county. On the way to the elevator, we saw the heavy rain and wind, which actually looks like blowing dirt from the dust bowl days in this picture. The rain cooled the air and temperatures fell back into the 70s and 80s for the rest of the evening. It felt really good.

Friday was hot with highs in the 90s and the humidity has just been unbearable. We should have a nice break from the excessive heat for at least a little while, but headed into July we know it will soon be back.

What are your plans for the 4th of July? It won't seem like much of a holiday this year since it falls on a Saturday.

Active week

It has been a very busy week for the Storm Team. Some very impressive storms Sunday, Monday, and then Tuesday, one storm just popped up in Cowley county that could be seen from northern Kansas. We've received some great pictures from viewers and I'll post some of them here.









It is definitely feeling like summer. Still in the upper 80s at 10 p.m. at night is definitely summerlike weather.

I'll be away for a few days enjoying my new nephew. If you are familiar with previous blog entries, you already know about Wade. He now has a brother, Pate. Should be exciting. Stay cool for the rest of the week and into the weekend. Millie is loving her haircut when it gets this hot. I may be in the harvest field at the end of next week. Hope the weather is hot and dry for the farmers.

VORTEX 2 Bust?

Alright, so the VORTEX 2 crew has been chasing for a month now and they have only intercepted one really good storm and that was in Wyoming last Friday. The video is very good, so if you haven't seen it, check it out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94qCoLdpRIQ

I was hoping Kansas would come through with a good tornado for them to study, but alas, we get beat by the Cowboy State.

The only difference between this video and the one from the movie Twister is that there are no flying cows and combines in the video. And, this is not a very strong tornado, so image how it would be inside of an EF-5. This just hasn't been a good year to study tornadoes. We spent the last half of May under a huge ridge of high pressure, which meant no storms in the central or northern US. VORTEX 2 was in Kansas on Tuesday and guess what, there were no good storms for them to intercept.

We had some isolated storms pop up over parts of Kansas Tuesday afternoon. Just one tornado was reported in southwest Kansas near Greensburg. Mother Nature is just playing dirty with the residents in Kiowa county, so luckily we didn't have any major damage. The storm structure was quite amazing and that's the picture that I have for you this week.

By the way, the float trip in Missouri was fun. The weather was nearly perfect and fortunately, I remembered my sunscreen. Millie came back dog tired on Sunday. Have a great week.

Storms Return

After a rather quiet weather pattern the last few weeks, we are seeing a change in the weather pattern and getting back into a stormy period.

We watched a few storms roll across southwest Kansas on Tuesday that produced a few tornadoes. There was no damage to report and more importantly, we had some nice rainfall in areas that always need moisture. Harvest is getting closer for farmers in southern Kansas. Hopefully we don't have any real crazy weather between now and then.

Millie is enjoying the warm, summerlike weather. We are going to make an appearance at a KFDI event this Friday. Then we are off to Missouri for a float trip down the Niangua River. I'm sure I'll have some pictures for the blog next week. Enjoy the rest of the week.

In my last blog update, I touched a little bit on the changing weather pattern and how it will look more like July than late May. Well, interestingly enough, we have seen a rapid drop off in severe weather for the last few weeks. I'm not really complaining, but it is interesting to see how things have really quieted down over the central US. The Storm Prediction Center went 10 days without issuing any watches for the United States, and in the month of May, that is VERY unusual. The storm track has been so far north and it's probably going to stay there for several more days.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lebanon,+MO&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.939885,56.25&ie=UTF8&ll=37.514083,-92.504883&spn=2.060849,3.515625&z=8&iwloc=A

Now that summer is unofficially here, are you planning any summer trips? Millie and I will be headed to Lebanon, MO soon for a float trip down the Niangua River. I've been on the river before, but it was back when I was in college. It's been about 6 or 7 years, but it was so much fun and relaxing too. The scenery down the river is quite amazing and I'm sure I'll have some pictures to post when I get back. I'm going to see if Mother Nature will accept my offer to keep the storms away during those particular dates that I'll be down there.

Have a great week.

Looking Like Summer

This week's weather looks like a July weather pattern with high pressure keeping us dry and in some areas, hot. It is going to remain this way until the end of the week when the pattern turns a little more unsettled, just in time for the holiday weekend.

We had a successful live blog Sunday night on KWCH.com. There were several good questions regarding tornado safety and I had a chance to expand a little more on VORTEX 2. By the way, new research is now suggesting that if you get caught in flying debris during a storm, staying in your vehicle may not be such a bad place to seek shelter. It is suggested that you should keep your seat belt on, roll up the windows, keep the engine running, and duck as low as you can in the car or truck. One of our bloggers asked a great question Sunday night. Why do you keep the engine running? In the event of a front end impact from flying debris, the air bag will deploy if the engine is running.

The VORTEX crew has to be very disappointed in the weather pattern this week. There will be no chasing as Mother Nature just isn't going to throw anything our way. From Texas all the way into the Dakotas, there will not be much going on this week weather wise. I'm sure they don't mind a little down time, but an entire week is going to signifcantly cut into the amount of data they can collect before the first phase of VORTEX 2 ends on June 13th.

Have a great week. Enjoy the sunshine and don't forget about Eye on the Storm, Thursday night at 7:00.

VORTEX 2 Follow Up

I had a great trip to Norman, OK last Friday to check out the VORTEX 2 equipment that is out in the field searching for tornadoes to study. A well known weather researcher told me that it will cost up to 15 or 20 million dollars by the time all of the data is collected and the scientists get a chance to do the research. There are so many questions about tornadoes that we still want to try and answer, so hopefully this research will give us more answers, but I'm sure more questions will come about too. By the way, I'm doing a live, interactive blog this Sunday night. You will be able to log on to KWCH.com and talk to me about what kinds of things are going on with VORTEX 2. Should be fun.

We still have good chances for rain and severe storms into the weekend. Be sure to stay tuned.

Our weather special is going to air next Thursday night, May 21st. It will be on at 6:30 in the evening so set your DVR or VCR (if you are old school like me)

I'll be back on the air this weekend.

VORTEX2

We are about to enter a very exciting time for meteorologists and scientists that are involved with weather research. Perhaps you've already read something about the big research project that is going to get underway on May 10th here in the central Plains, but I'm actually going to be a part of it for one day. Friday, May 8, is Media Day at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK where several media outlets will be conducting interviews and getting a first hand look at the tools that will be used in the VORTEX2 study. This project is a continuation of the first VORTEX program that was conducted in 1994 and 1995. The purpose of this research is to try and learn as much as possible about tornadoes. It is also important to study the atmosphere in which they are developing. The more we know about tornadoes the better we can be when it comes to predicting them. There is going to be a fleet of 40 different vehicles used in the study, including 10 mobile radars to create a network in and around thunderstorms. Here is an example of one of the mobile radars that will be used in the program. I'll be taking pictures and gathering as much information as I can about the project and I'll have all of the great information next week.

Millie as a Model?

If you've been keeping up with the blog lately, Millie and I had a modeling session last week for Goodwill. Yes, there were other guys there so it made it a little easier to walk down the aisle. I definitely lack model skills, but I sure gave it my best. Millie stole the show though as she modeled some of the dog clothes that Goodwill makes. They have safety vests and all kinds of clothes that would look good on dogs. Millie's fan club is growing and she handles the attention so well.

The severe weather has been keeping us busy in the storm center. Sunday was especially crazy with the brief tornado touchdown here in Sedgwick county. The meteorologists at the National Weather Service think the tornado was "skipping" (meaning it was touching the ground, then it lifted, and then it came back down to the ground). Fortunately, if it had been on the ground for too long, we could've had some serious, widespread damage. The tornado received an EF-1 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. I'm attaching another picture of a shelf cloud that moved through the area Sunday evening. What I love about this picture is that you can see the intense rain and wind on the left side of the picture, but on the other, the weather just looks cloudy and quiet. The flooding has been bad too over the last few days and we really need some dry weather. Maybe western Kansas will get some beneficial rain in the coming days.

Finally, I had a school visit on Tuesday. I visited Jefferson Elementary school where I had a chance to visit with the 4th graders about severe weather. They had some really good questions for me. Maybe I'll get to visit again next year. Have a great week.