First Freeze

Our first frost/freeze is right on schedule for most of the area. Anyone suffering from allergies is probably ready for the relief that comes with the colder temperatures, but now we have to face the realization that we are headed into winter. As I get older, I realize why my folks were so bummed about cold weather and snow, but there isn't much we can do other than look forward to next spring.
I spent Saturday afternoon at the KU/Texas Tech game (or bloodshed maybe a better descriptor). It was hard to stay focused on the game after it was apparent that KU wasn't going to come out victorious. At any rate, it was great to be back in Lawrence to see the campus again and I'm just amazed at the fall color that dots the landscape. They've made so many changes to the campus since I left that it almost makes you feel old.

Sunflower Showdown is coming up next weekend. Post your guess to the outcome of that game on the blog and lets see how you do. I'm guessing that KU will win because of the home field advantage, so I'll say KU 27 KSU 14. The switch to HD is coming this week. Look for it Tuesday. Have a great week.

Fall Color from Space

Just a follow up from my previous blog entry regarding the HD transition. We are very, very close and I know it has taken a little longer than expected, but we are excited about the debut and that should happen on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed and get ready for a great picture.
Winter makes an early appearance here in Kansas with snow in the northwest. I guess it's Mother Nature's way of getting us ready for the winter months ahead. What you probably didn't know is that this is winter awareness week in Kansas, so what better way to get people thinking about winter than delivering some snow to parts of the area. It would be nice to enjoy the fall instead of jumping right into winter though. Speaking of fall, take a look at this satellite image of the fall color in the Northeast. You can actually make out the red and orange foliage in the trees. In the lower elevations of the Appalachian Mountains, the tree color is still mainly green because the temperatures are a little warmer during the day. If you look even closer at the picture, you'll see the dense population along the coast (the gray color) Boston and New York are just two major cities that show up nicely on the image.

This is a very high resolution picture taken from one of NASA's expensive satellites.

I'll be watching the Jayhawks play football this weekend in Lawrence. I'll have a report for you on Sunday when I return to the weather office. Enjoy this winter, err, fall weather I mean.

High Definition Growing Pains

The level of stress at KWCH has been rather high the last few weeks as we get ready to make the move to HD. So many things have changed behind the scenes for us in order to make it happen. Anyone with an HD set, we hope you enjoy what you see and we would of course like to hear your feedback. Millie in HD is a little scary; you can count her hairs.

This is going to be another active week in the weather department. Millie is already starting to forecast the change and she decided to go for her last swim on Saturday. And, she is once again molting, trying to get ready for the colder weather that awaits later in the week. A HUGE upper low is going to setup over the central US and for the first time this fall, we may actually get some wet snowflakes in the state. The posted model data is for 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. Right now, it would be in extreme northern Kansas Wednesday night into Thursday morning and there wouldn't be any accumulation, but it will certainly catch some by surprise. Meanwhile, a cold rain is expected for the rest of the area Wednesday into Thursday.

Fall in Full Swing

Fall color is everywhere, you just have to take some extra time to look for it. Close friends of my family were recently visiting eastern Colorado and had some time to take pictures for us. The aspen trees are loaded with a bright yellow color at this time of the year. Some of the maple trees around town are starting to take on more of a reddish-orange color and it just makes for an awesome scene going into the winter months. I know the allergy sufferers are anxiously awaiting that first hard freeze of the season, but I don't think we're going to get it for at least 2 more weeks.

Meanwhile, this huge storm system over the Rockies is producing heavy snows. It was snowing at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning in Gillette, Wyoming and will continue to do so through the rest of the weekend. Kansas will get in on more heavy rain Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Moisture coming in from Norbert in the Gulf of California will set us up for flooding rains by Monday. Be sure to check back for more on the storm. Should be an interesting one to track.

Fall Color

This is my favorite time of the year with all of the leaves changing color and we've had enough rainfall in this area to help bring out the best color in the trees. Sometimes the summer heat and drought is stressful on the foliage, so the fall color just isn't that great. If you get some good pictures of fall color, please send them to me so I can post to the blog rjanssen@kwch.com

We are still watching a big system for the weekend. Computer models still show snow for the northern Rockies and parts of the northern Plains. Should be interesting to track this weekend. I'll be doing some yard work and enjoying the nice weather on my days off. See you back on the air Saturday.

BUSY Weekend

Millie had a record number of appearances this weekend and our energy is running low on this Sunday. Woofstock took place on Saturday at Sedgwick County Park and they raised over 200,000 dollars through the event. I should've taken some pictures of Millie, but I forgot my camera. However, Millie and I attended Holiday Galleria Sunday afternoon and we did get some pictures of her with the kids. We talked about weather balloons, the water cycle, and how we forecast weather. The adults outnumbered the kids, but I'll talk to any group about weather. Then to finish the weekend, we attended a special church ceremony that was solely for animals. I guess you could say Millie was a feature at the ceremony, even though she didn't have much to say. So, several different stops this weekend and we were grateful to be invited to so many different places.

Our first good fall storm system will track across Kansas on Monday bringing rain to the area. Once we dry out on Tuesday, we have several mild and dry days waiting for us the rest of the week. However, next week another storm system will be brewing out to the west and this one will have a taste of winter with it. If the computer models hold, parts of Colorado will be getting snow and we will be in for some much cooler air. Highs could drop into the 50s for areas in the west, but there is still some degree of uncertainty as to what will happen with the system next weekend. I'll update you later in the week.