Gustav/Katrina

Louisiana will feel the brunt of the hurricane Gustav on Labor Day and it should be onshore midday Monday. This storm has some similarities and differences when you compare it to Katrina. Remember, Katrina was a powerful category 3 storm when it hit the New Orleans area and Gustav will likely hit as a category 3 storm as well. Katrina approached the Gulf Coast more from a southerly angle and Gustav will likely approach from the southeast. We hope they are better prepared to deal with this storm and from what we've seen on the news coverage, most people are heading the warning and getting out of town. The northeast side, or quadrant of the hurricane is the where you normally find the strongest winds. New Orleans could very well end up in that area Monday.

This is going to be a very interesting week in Kansas weather. Gustav will continue to track northwest and bring some heavy rainfall to Texas and southern Oklahoma. At the same time, we are watching a cold front coming in from the northwest, which will help intensify some of the rain in our area. So, what this means for you is that we will see some heavier rain showers Tuesday and Wednesday along with big temperature changes. Have a great Labor Day.

Weekend at Cheney Lake

Camping is something I enjoy doing when the weather cooperates and there is time for it. You might remember last year I posted some pictures from El Dorado Lake on a camping trip, but this year it was a trip west to Cheney Lake. The weather was almost perfect Friday evening and into Saturday with a slight breeze and the humidity wasn't unbearable. Millie discovered a love for water a few years ago, but I didn't know she was such a good swimmer until this weekend. She's has a pretty thick coat and when it's wet, it does add some weight, but that helps to build her stamina. She was able to swim about 50-75 feet out from the shoreline to fetch a stick and to hang out with the rest of the swimmers, but at the end of the day, she was pooped. This was my first adventure to Cheney Lake and we really had a great time. I know next weekend will be very busy with the Labor Day weekend campers, but if the forecast holds up, rain might dampen some of the activities..












College football will kickoff this weekend. I'm getting pretty excited to see the Kansas teams back in action. There's been a touch of fall in the air lately with the cooler weather we've been having. I'm not sure how you feel about it, but we haven't had many complaints in the storm center about the October-like weather. I know we need some dry weather though for the farmers to get some wheat planted, but this week still looks a bit unsettled. Anyone attend the Flight Festival this weekend?

Hurricane Hunting

It is something I would like to do someday before my time on earth is over, but it will be difficult to arrange it. I think it would be so cool to fly with the Hurricane Hunters to investigate some type of tropical system. The National Hurricane Center relies heavily on data from the aircraft to estimate the maximum winds inside the hurricane or tropical system. There is some rather sophisticated technology on board, including Doppler radar to help see and locate the actual center of the system. If you have time, take a closer look at the picture I posted. Although it is a little hard to read, you can see one type of radar dish is located toward the front of the aircraft with the Doppler radar in the back. A "dropwindsonde" is dropped out of the plane (hence the name) into the storm to find out temperature, humidity, and other pressures within the rainbands surrounding the eye.

As you can well imagine, it wouldn't be the smoothest ride in an airplane considering the intensity of the storms involved. I did talk to a gentlemen several years ago that flew on the aircraft and he said you definitely need a strong stomach to stand the rough nature of the ride. I'd be willing to try!!

Unusual August Weather

Even as a meteorologist, I can't believe we've had such cool weather in August for such a prolonged period of time. Through Saturday, we've had 11 days in a row with below normal temperatures and the last 90 degree reading we had was back on the 6th. We should get at least another 5 days in before the temperatures make a big jump back into the 90s, which should happen by Friday around here. It was nice to see western Kansas get some measurable rainfall, and there will be more coming at least through Monday.

The same system bringing rain to Kansas has dumped 6 inches of snow near Loveland Pass, CO. August is way to early to start talking about snow, even in those high elevations. It is going to take most of the week for it to change, but our weather pattern will change by the end of the week, allowing for the 90s to return along with a south wind. It sure would be nice to save some of this cooler weather for the state fair, which is just a few weeks away. Looks like I'll be up in Hutch on Monday and Wednesday of the fair week. Millie might make an appearance too, and I'll let you know for sure.

Vegas Trip 2008

I didn't win big in Vegas, but the 4 day adventure was sure fun and we made some good memories. I know what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, but I didn't do anything that I couldn't share with you on the blog. After all, there could be some Wichita or Kansas viewers out there and I can't embarrass myself.

There were several flight delays on the way there and coming home, but I managed to survive and my luggage was there both times. By the way, the people attending this conference have some sort of career connection to Bryan Busby in Kansas City and that's why we get together every 2 years to share some laughs, learn from one another, and catch up on where the broadcast business is going. We stayed at the Flamingo Hotel and that's where the workshops and presentations were conducted. The first night was Texas Hold'em in one of the suites at the Flamingo. I don't know how to play, so it was a sure loss of money for me. I seem to have more luck with the slot machines and even that luck runs dry from time to time.

The second day was highlighted by a presentation from Roger Edwards, a meteorologist from the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. His presentation dealt with natural disasters at large, outdoor venues such as a KC Royals game, a K-State or KU football game. What would you do or where would you go if large hailstorm or tornado hit during the game?
I did my presentation and presented some research on mobile homes and tornadoes and how they are still very unsafe. One meteorologist did a presentation on how we cover weather on the web, showing how technology has changed and is allowing you to interact more with the local meteorologists during major weather events.

Of course, this group of meteorologists has many KU and MU graduates and there is a definite (but friendly) rivalry in the bunch. The Rock Chalk chant was heard more than once during the trip. This picture is the group of KU graduates that attended the trip. We outnumber the MU graduates (insert joke here) and plan to keep it that way.

I don't want to be boring with all of the other details, but if you haven't been to Vegas, the lights of the city make for an amazing view. And if you plan to go in the summer, well, it's hot. The temperature was 105 each day we were there and at night, it's about 82. So I was happy to come home to some 80 degree weather (during the daytime)











I'll be back on the air Wednesday. Looks like more rain is coming this way with a storm from Canada. Should be an interesting one to watch. And are the kids already going back to school? Where does summer go?

Vegas, Here I Come!

I will be presenting my research information in Las Vegas and I will be sure to let you know how it goes. There will be some time for fun too, so if I don't update the blog in a long time, you'll know that I won and didn't come back to Kansas. Well, I'd have to come back to get Millie I guess. Have a nice weekend and enjoy the cooler temperatures if that's what you prefer. The chance the rain should be ending by Friday with mild weather expected through the weekend.

Hottest Day This Summer

Monday was the hottest day that we've had so far this summer. Dodge City had a high of 108, which was 2 degrees away from being the hottest place in the country. Yeah, even hotter than Death Valley if you can believe that. Surprisingly, there have not been many record highs broken, mainly because it is not that unusual to have this kind of heat, especially in early August.

We will have to watch as Edouard moves into Texas on Tuesday. I would think at some point that moisture will have an affect on Kansas weather, but it will depend on what happens in the upper levels of the atmosphere. Remember Dolly's moisture didn't arrive in Kansas until long after the storm moved inland. At any rate, we will get rid of the 100 degree heat after Tuesday. In fact, this weekend, we should be back in the 80s. Who is ready for fall??

Thanks for the birthday wishes. That is what we were celebrating Saturday night.

Brushing Up My Skill

I fell behind in blogging last week. I wish I had a good excuse, something like my computer melted in the heat, but I don't have a reason. It has been very hot the last several days thanks to a high pressure system that we talk about over and over on the air. It will ease up a bit later in the week, which should allow for some relief and at least a chance for some rain. At this point in time, I think the northern half of Kansas will have the best shot at moisture, but we will see that shift to the south by week's end. In terms of temperatures, we could see upper 80s by Friday, but it will still be humid. AND, we have another tropical system headed for Texas, so stay tuned on how that might affect our weather in the coming days. If it turns out like Dolly, maybe in 8-10 days we will get some remnant moisture to move across our state.

A group of friends ended up at Sidepockets Saturday night in celebration of something. You'll have to do some investigation on KWCH.com to find out what we were celebrating. I'm definitely no pool shark, but every once in a while, I find a lucky streak that keeps me in the game. Actually, if I hit the cue ball and avoid putting the 8 ball in at the wrong time, I'm doing pretty good.

I'm finishing my presentation on tornadoes and mobile homes and will present my research findings in Las Vegas later in the week. I've never really done anything like this before, but I've learned a great deal from this investigation and I hope to educate others. There will be a little bit of time for casinos, but I'm not much of a gambler, so I probably won't get too far from the penny slots. Should be fun, but what happens in Vegas will stay in Vegas. Have a good week.