Outlook for October

I showed it on our 9 p.m. news Tuesday night, but the outlook for October is very simple for our part of the country. According to the Climate Prediction Center, we're going to have near normal moisture and temperatures through the upcoming month. We start out with average highs in the middle 70s, but by Halloween, our average high drops into the lower 60s. Looking out as far as I can on the models, we won't see any real drastic changes in our weather until the middle of the month. Then we'll start to transition to an active pattern with more drastic temperature variations. It's a little scary to think that in some years, we get snow in the month of October. I remember trick-or-treating several years ago in 4 or 5 inches of the white stuff. Fortunately, it is a rare occurrence to get snow this month.

Ready for Fall?

I'm ready for some fall-like weather and what we've been getting lately is more typical of late August or early September. It's not uncommon to still get 90s in September, but typically at this time of the month, we are getting more 70s than anything else. I guess Mother Nature is trying to even things out after the very cool start to the month.

Just a reminder that Woofstock is coming up next Saturday at Sedgwick County Park. The festivities start at 10 a.m. and Millie and I plan to be out there early in the day. I'll have to be at work in the afternoon, so our time there will be short. I've never been before, but I hear it's perfect for dog lovers and it benefits the Kansas Humane Society.

I'm also gearing up for a presentation at Holiday Galleria that is put on by Junior League of Wichita. So I'll be at Century 2 next Sunday for a weather presentation at 1 p.m. This will be a busy week. Hope all is going well for you and have a wonderful week. Enjoy the cooler weather too!

A Warm Stretch

It is ironic how Mother Nature works. We had our cool, fall weather at the beginning of the month and now, it still feels a little like summer with highs reaching the 80s in the afternoon. There will not be a big change in our weather until next week when we see a storm system develop over southern Canada and then dive into the upper Midwest. As it does so, it will drag some much cooler air into the area by Tuesday and Wednesday. It is not likely that we will get much rain with the cooler weather, but it will definitely feel like October by then.

Millie just celebrated her 4th birthday on the 23rd. So now, she is just a little older than I am. I won't reveal my age on the blog, but if you figure that Millie is 4 in people years, then in dog years, she would be 28. I'm running late on her birthday present, but she hasn't complained about it yet. I'll be back on the air Saturday.

Woofstock is Coming!

Woofstock is going to take place on October 4th at Sedgwick County Park which will benefit the Kansas Humane Society. I've never been before, but for any pet lover, it's going to be a big day I'm sure. Millie is not a big fan of "dog clothing", but in an effort to help promote the event, I convinced her. The clothes are very nicely constructed from the good people at Goodwill Industries. Millie and I will be out there for an hour or two, so be looking for us.

This week will be rather quiet again. The main storm track will miss us to the north and so there will not be any big temperature variations through the next 7 days. We had a chance for rain in the forecast for Wednesday, but the main energy will pass to the north and so we've decided to keep it dry. Our next chance at seeing some more cool, Canadian air will not be coming until late in the weekend. The models are not indicating any significant moisture return soon, so look for mainly dry weather for several more days to come.

How about some sunshine!!

This has been a very busy week with the Kansas State Fair going on in Hutchinson. Millie made an appearance on Wednesday and was very good. She sat in the window of the KWCH booth for about 4 hours and surprisingly, never complained. Thanks for coming up and saying hello; we like to hear from the viewers to see how we are doing.









What an amazing rain event we just had here in Kansas. Rain amounts over 10 inches were common in west Wichita and the flooding has been very significant. I am attaching the storm total precipitation as estimated by the Doppler Radar from Wichita. Very impressive to say the least. You can hold off on building a boat for now because the next 8-10 days look dry as we see a huge change in our weather pattern. Basically, high pressure will dominate both at the surface and in the upper atmosphere, which means we are in for sunny and mild weather. The leftover moisture from Ike will pass to our east, bringing heavy rainfall to the Mississippi Valley.

Football, Rain, and the Fair

There is a bunch of stuff going on at this time of the year. We have high school and college football games galore and now the Kansas State Fair is underway. Weather is a significant factor in both and for the first weekend of the fair, the weather has been rather cool. It seems like we get a wide variety of weather during the fair, so I'm anticipating some hot weather before the 10 day event comes to an end. It will turn off warm and breezy for Wednesday, but it doesn't even last for 24 hours. So we are in a very active weather pattern. This cool weather has people getting nervous about a long, cold winter. I don't think we should jump on that bandwagon yet, because these big changes in weather are common at the onset of fall, and it doesn't officially begin until September 22nd. Warmer weather will be back very soon.

I attended my first high school football game here in Wichita Thursday night. It was Heights vs. Bishop Carroll and as I walked up to the gate, I noticed everyone had to enter through a metal detector. I really couldn't believe it, but if it means keeping us safe, then I'm all for it. It's just a sign that times are different than they were when I was in high school.

I am headed to the fair Monday afternoon and Millie will be with me on Wednesday. She'll be close by my side so that someone doesn't mistake her for other Pronto Pups that are common on the fairgrounds.

Fall Already?

I think it's funny how the calendar rolls over to September and just like that, Mother Nature changes the weather on us. It's good football weather and the cool down comes just in time for the Kansas State Fair. I've posted a map of the fairgrounds so you can find our booth. It's in front of the Eisenhower Building.

My mom claims that it always rains during the Kansas State Fair, so I did some checking to see if there was any accuracy behind it. Actually, over the last ten years, 2000 was the only fair that turned out dry during the ten day event, so yes, more often than not, it does rain (and I don't normally doubt my mother; she's a smart lady) It will rain during the fair this year too, probably Friday night. I briefly spoke with Denny Stoecklein, General Manager of the Kansas State Fair, on Wednesday and he told me that if we have to get rain during the event, he hopes it comes during the overnight hours, or on Tuesday or Thursday. He said those are usually the slow days on the fairgrounds. And he did approve for Millie to make an appearance on Wednesday. We'll be up there in the afternoon, so come find us at the booth.

On an unrelated note, someone posted a question on the last blog entry wanting to know if I know the other meteorologists at the other stations in town. And yes, as a matter of fact, I know them pretty well and they are wonderful individuals. We do run into each other on occasion, and of course we tease each other about who is the better forecaster in town. It is just part of the competition involved in TV, but I think they are both great meteorologists.