Another Year Over!

I find it hard to believe 2010 is already coming to a close, but here we are getting ready for another new year. There are a number of weather events that you may recall from the last year, and the two that come to my mind first is the big hailstorm that hit on September 15th. Softball size hail was reported in a few areas of southcentral Kansas and a number of homes needed repair following the storm. Overall, the tornado count was down for 2010 here in Kansas, but the storm chasers are probably the only ones that are upset about that. The other big weather story was the intense summer heat that was relentless. In fact, it was the hottest summer since 1980 for Wichita with an average temperature of 82.3, which was about 4 degrees above normal. There has been a significant lack in moisture too. The recent trends of storms passing north of Kansas will likely continue, but we hope that we'll get at least some moisture soon as the wheat crop could sure use it.

Making any resolutions for the new year? I try to avoid them because I almost never follow through with them anyway. We do have something exciting coming in 2011. Wichita will be one of the first locations to get an upgrade to the Doppler radar that we use almost daily in severe weather season. The radar was scheduled to be upgraded in early 2011, but there is a slight delay and the waiting game continues. However, we expect it will be installed before the start of tornado season in 2011. It will require some extensive training for the broadcast meteorologists, but we are excited as this is the first big change to the radar since 1988.

Happy New Year everyone!

School Visit and Millie

We had a chance to visit the 4th graders at Meadowlark Elementary School last Friday in Andover. It was fun to teach the kids about weather and to ask them about what they wanted for Christmas. As we always do, we did the cloud-in-a-bottle experiment and had them check out the weather balloon. Lots of ooohhhhs and aaaahhhhhssss.


Millie is ready for Christmas. As to what she'll get for Christmas, I'm not really sure. She needs a new dog bed and she wouldn't turn down some milk bones either. The squeaky toys are almost a joke because they hardly last for more than about 3 days, and then the squeaky is out and then comes the stuffing.


At any rate, we hope you have a great Christmas. It will not be a white one this year, as we are stuck in one of the longest dry ruts we've had in years. Storms go right over Kansas and produce next to nothing for our area. Another one will come through on Monday (Dec. 20) and produce absolutely nothing for our state. Another one may come through on Thursday (De. 23), but it looks to mainly pass through northeast Kansas, so we'll probably remain dry into the last full week of 2010. Maybe the new year will bring something for us, but these patterns are so difficult to break. One of the main reasons we are dry is because the storm track is too far north, and even when it dips down into Kansas, there just isn't moisture available until the storm gets east of us. If we are going to break this dry spell at this time of the year (which will be hard to do), we are going to have to get a system out of the southwest. Computer models indicate some kind of change in the pattern for the end of the year, but I don't think we should hold our breath just yet.

Major Winter Storm

The upper midwest has just been whacked with a major winter storm that dumped nearly 20 inches of snow in the Twin Cities. The snow was so heavy that it collapsed the Metrodome in Minneapolis on Sunday. The wind was gusting over 50 mph and the local law enforcement closed a number of roads and basically said, stay home. Even the snow plows were getting stuck in the whiteout conditions.

Anything like that in Kansas soon???? No way! Our pattern this week will allow temperatures to recover from the Arctic air that settled in over the weekend. But we do not see any organized areas of rain or snow coming this way soon. In fact, our chance at a White Christmas is going down each and every day, as the computer models do not show any big storms coming through between now and Christmas Day. Our chance of having snow on the ground Christmas morning is very low anyway, and this year as we deal with La Nina, it's even less likely that we will have snow for the holiday.

Some areas have gone over a month now without any measurable precipitation and that is not likely to change soon. I'll let you know when I see something on the horizon.

Star Spangled Banner Ooops

I wasn't there for the game, but I saw on Youtube the man singing the Star Spangled Banner at the KC vs. Broncos game Sunday (Dec. 5th) had a major oops. He forgot the part of the song "Whose bright stripes and bright stars" and ended up starting over again. You have to feel bad for this guy, and I've never sang in front of a large crowd like that, but I would imagine now he is wishing he would've had a notecard with him. You'll have to search Guy Forgets National Anthem at Chiefs vs Broncos on Youtube to see it. I've goofed up on the air before, only when I do mine, it's just me and a camera and not a huge stadium of people there to boo me.


Other than ups and downs in temperatures, we just don't see any major winter storms coming this way soon. A big one will form right over Kansas Saturday, but then quickly move on to the east. That will open the door to some Arctic air by Saturday and Sunday. The graphic attached here is showing the cold air surging south by Sunday morning at 6 a.m. It will no doubt feel every bit like December late in the upcoming weekend.

Rare November Tornadoes

It was amazing to see the number of tornado warnings Monday afternoon across the southern United States, especially for the end of November. According to the Storm Prediction Center, there were 8 tornado reports Monday in the US. One area that took a hit was Yazoo City, MS which was hit by tornadoes earlier this year. So if you ever thought that tornadoes can't strike an area twice, well, we have proof that it can happen, and in the same year
Our weather pattern will continue to be dry through the weekend. The sad thing is the same storm system that produced the tornadoes in the southeast Monday, rolled right across Kansas and didn't produce a thing (other than some light snow in northern Kansas)

We could have some light snow in Kansas early next week, but it won't be a drought buster by any means. And this time of the year, we wouldn't expect that anyway as our average precipitation drops off in the winter months.

Winter Forecast

If you didn't get a chance to watch the winter forecast Sunday night, I'm putting the basics here on the blog. All in all, we do expect this winter will be a warm one, with lengthy dry spells for the area. Last winter in Wichita, we did not see a 60 degree high temperature in the winter months, and that hasn't happened in 122 years. Last winter, Washington D.C. had 3 major snowstorms that set records and Dallas had a late season snowstorm that dumped 12 inches on the metro area. This year, because of La Nina (where the Pacific water is colder), we expect less snowfall and above average temperatures for the region. I know several areas of the state are still anxiously awaiting some moisture. There have been news articles recently suggesting the chance of ice this winter. If the colder air doesn't travel as far south this winter as it did last winter (and that's what we are looking at), then the stage could be set for icy weather in late December and January. And we'll still see some snow, but I would anticipate below normal snowfall for Kansas. What should have people talking this winter will be the warm spells that may last for several weeks at a time.

Long range forecasting is difficult, but we'll see how things turn out this winter.
In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Winter Forecast and Thanksgiving Travel

If you are interested in what could be on the way to Kansas this winter, be sure to watch Sunday night at 10 for a preview of what we think will happen this winter in our area. Last year we had a healthy El Nino, where the ocean water along the equator was warmer than normal. This year, the water is cooler than average along the equator and it is known as La Nina (click image for a larger picture). It looks like it will have an impact on the weather conditions this winter, keeping most of Kansas dry and a little warmer than normal. Previous La Nina winters have shown tendencies for below average snowfall with temperatures just above average. But we also believe there is a better chance for ice in the months ahead, which is never a good thing. As anyone knows, ice accumulation is bad for many different reasons, and we'll hope to avoid a major ice storm, but the chance is certainly there this year as the cold air may not go as far south as it did last winter. So if you remember, try to catch our story Sunday night and chat live with us just after the story airs. We can answer some questions then.


I'm posting another graphic to show the travel weather in the middle of Thanksgiving week. We shouldn't have any major storms to worry about, but light snow is possible from northern Colorado to Iowa and Minnesota Tuesday or Wednesday (most of it will pass Kansas by to the north). What is so surprising to me is the load of Arctic air that will plunge south heading into Thanksgiving day. It's not unheard of, but a strong blast of cold air (like the one we'll see next week) is a little unusual in the 2nd half of November and afternoon highs will struggle to reach the upper 30s.

Finally, Rain!!

After patiently waiting and waiting, it finally rained in Kansas. The west didn't get as much as the central or eastern parts of the state, but we have to be thankful for what we did get. It has been so dry, and I'm sure firefighters were tired of chasing after grass fire after grass fire. In some areas, the average November rainfall was doubled with just one storm system. Quite amazing for November.


Next week our weather will be staying active, with a couple of strong cold fronts coming through our area. The pattern is not one to bring much moisture to our area, but temperatures will be changing almost every other day.

There are signs the weather will stay active into the week of Thanksgiving, and a stronger system could be impacting holiday travel. So stay tuned. We have our Holiday Travel Hotline coming up on Monday, November 22nd, so you'll be able to call in and check the forecast.

November and Rainfall

If you are like me, you are wondering what happened to October. Seems like the Kansas State Fair just ended, and in 3 weeks, it will be time for Thanksgiving. We are getting desperate for rainfall and if we don't get something soon, the 2011 Kansas Wheat Crop will be in serious trouble. Most areas had less than .50" in the month of October, and we don't typically see much moisture in November. So what should we be expecting in the near future?


The pattern will continue to support big swings in the temperatures, with most of the state seeing a hard freeze by Saturday. Next week will start to get interesting with a storm system diving into the western part of the US. If we are going to get some meaningful rainfall in Kansas, we're going to need some Gulf of Mexico moisture. The next system coming in early next week will have a chance of tapping into the Gulf, but everything has to come together just right in order for us to get some decent rainfall. Usually at this time of the year, cold fronts zip through the area so fast they just don't have much time to produce rain. At any rate, the waiting game for rainfall continues and we'll hope that something changes soon.

On the road again....

Millie and I traveled to Southeast of Saline schools to talk with the 1st graders about weather (of course) Millie went in and barked at the counselors to let them know she had arrived (I never seen her do that before).

We had a great time, as we always do, hearing stories and answering questions about weather and of course, the kids expect that Millie will do some crazy tricks. They are disappointed when I tell them she doesn't do any tricks, but they still want to pet and squeeze her. She's a good sport about it.

We'll be off from school talks for a little while, but back at it again in the middle of November. Maybe by that time, we will have had a little rainfall. Even the best chances for rain lately have been duds. I wish I could change it, but for now, we'll just keep waiting.

Clark Davidson Elementary Visit

The 1st graders in Goddard were treated to a visit from Millie Tuesday. We had been invited to do a weather talk and review the water cycle with the kids. As always, they had some great stories about weather and some great questions. I always do a short quiz, putting pictures of weather measuring instruments on the board, and have them guess what we are looking at. They do an excellent job, and I always walk away amazed at how smart some of the kids are. Millie was very intrigued by the radiosonde, which is the device that I'm holding up for the kids. It is carried up by the weather balloon and measures temperature, pressure, humidity, and is tracked to see what the wind pattern is like in the atmosphere. Millie thought there was a milk bone in there, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

I'll be at East High School on Wednesday for a career fair, so we are staying very busy this week.

Sunday's double rainbow

Here is the rainbow that developed in southcentral Kansas Sunday evening before sunset.

Headed to Goddard

Millie and I will be back out on the road doing a school talk in Goddard on Tuesday. I hope to have some pictures to post soon as I'm sure we'll have a great time. We are speaking with the 1st graders at Clark Davidson Elementary school.

It was so great to finally get some rain this weekend, as the farmers have nearly finished up planing wheat and it will help getting it watered in. We have just finished off a two week stretch of dry weather, and hopefully we'll get more moisture soon. A strong cold front will be blasting through the central US this week and it's not likely to produce much moisture, but we will be in for a big cooldown and maybe the first frost for some by Thursday morning. Have a great week.

Welcome to October

Here we are launching into our first week of October and the weather has been a real treat. It's not so good if you're needing moisture, but farmers are happy with the dry stretch as they finish up planting next year's wheat crop. There will not be much in the way of rainfall this week as we have one big system on the east coast, and one on the west coast, and right down the middle of the country, it should be rather quiet.

The sunny days and cool nights are perfect when it comes to optimizing the fall color around Kansas. Assuming the trees have had enough moisture, we should have some spectacular colors here in a few weeks. I've already seen several trees around town starting to change, and it won't be long now before we have an abundance of color. If you send me your fall pictures, I'd be happy to share them on the blog. rjanssen@kwch.com Have a wonderful week.

5K Race

I am definitely not the best or fastest runner around, but the exercise gives me a little boost to get through the day. Saturday was the 5K Susan G Koman Race for the Cure in Wichita and as you can see, I didn't run it alone. Denise Hyntka and I decided to join a team of about 8 others to see if we could complete the race. I'm not sure what was harder; trying not to get runover by other runners, or just trying to keep from dying of exhaustion. The weather was ideal with temperatures in the 60s, low humidity, and light winds. It was a great time.





Storms did develop over portions of Kansas Saturday morning and afternoon. We had a couple pictures sent to us from the KSU game around 11:30 a.m. The clouds looked very ominous, and without actually being there to see the full skyline, it almost looks like a shelf cloud rolled over the stadium. Shelf clouds are associated with strong winds, and then it's usually followed up with some heavier rainfall and small hail. The game was put on hold for over an hour until the system had passed.

Holy Hail!!

As the storm clouds started building over southcentral Kansas on Wednesday, people at the Kansas State Fair were concerned they would be swept away in a tornado. The Storm Prediction Center issued the tornado watch at about 3 p.m. and it didn't take long for storms to start dropping tremendous hail. Fortunately, there were only a few tornadoes reported, and despite being in a populated area, no reports of serious injuries or major damage.




I'm posting a picture of what looks to be one of the weak tornadoes reported near Haysville, and there is a map that shows the hail swath from south of Hutch, all the way down into Cowley county. Along the path, several reports of baseball and softball size hail. The storms were extra hard on Goddard and Winfield, with 80 mph winds reported in Winfield at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday evening.

In many ways, we were lucky that we didn't have tornado warnings on the fairgrounds, and also that we didn't have any widespread damage from tornadoes. But I'm sure some roofs will need repair in the wake of Wednesday's madness.

State Fair 2010

We've had a number of phone calls and emails, and yes, Millie will be at the fair this year on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This will be her 4th year attending the fair, and I'm not sure how to read her this year. She'll probably be excited when we get there, but the attention she gets is overwhelming to her and by the end of our 2nd day there, I'm sure she'll be feeling like this:

I spent part of my day on Thursday helping my dad get ready to plant next year's wheat crop. It goes in early in an effort to allow cattle to graze it going into the winter months, and once it's in, they'll need some rain in central Kansas. The pattern may turn more active next week with chances for storms beginning in the west on Monday, and continuing area wide Tuesday and Wednesday. Still not sure how widespread it will be, but at least there is some hope for moisture. The computer models suggest it will be mild through the rest of the fair, but if for any reason we miss the rain next week, it's possible it will stay warmer than normal (highs near 90).

I'm still waiting to see when our first big cool spell will be (one that lasts more than just 2 days), but so far, we cool down for a day, and warm right back up the next. That will be the story this weekend.

Hope to see you at the fair this year.

Stirring up the Atlantic

After waiting and waiting for something to get going in the Atlantic, now it is one right after another when it comes to tropical storms and hurricanes. It could be a long, Labor Day weekend for those on the east coast with Earl passing very close to shore tonight and early Friday. It will likely be a major hurricane through Friday, before weakening over the weekend. But as you can see from the hurricane center, we have Fiona, Gaston, and maybe Hermine (the one outlined in yellow)

It will cool down for Friday and Saturday, but next week still looks hot and humid and the long range forecast keeps the above normal temperatures around until the 2nd full week of September. Maybe Millie can stir up some rain and cooler temperatures... just in time for the fair. And some say it always rains during the state fair. By the way, Millie and I will be there Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (17th), so stop by and say hello.

Corgi Flop

This video is worth watching because the corgi decides to jump off the dock after a ball, and the jump is very funny. What corgi's lack in legs, they make up for in determination, and this is definitely good for a laugh. (just copy and paste into an internet window)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glii-kazad8&feature=player_embedded

Millie chased after a white tailed deer Friday night in the back lot here at KWCH. It was one of the funniest things I've seen her do, only because you can imagine how far behind she was with such short legs. I should've tried to get cell phone video of it all, but I'm not sure you could make anything out of the video. For a minute, I thought the deer would come after Millie and chase her off, but turns out the deer was more afraid.

I can't speak for everyone, but I sure enjoyed the cooler weather last week and I am so ready for fall to settle in and stay for a while. However, the weather pattern for the next 8-10 days will support warmer weather and although we won't see any triple digits, it will be above normal and what most would consider hot for September.

Ready for A Change!

Just wrapping up a Sunday night in the weather office and I just realized my latest posting is a week old. Days and weeks just fly by and hearing the sports department talk about high school football has me scratching my head wondering where the time has gone. It's been such a hot month that it's hard to imagine suiting up in full pads with afternoon highs above 95.

We will cool off this week (after Monday). Temperatures will be back into the 70s and low 80s with some rainfall around the area. Most of it will fall in western Kansas, and should provide good moisture as farmers get ready to plant wheat in about 2-3 weeks. You can see one of our computer models has a bunch of rainfall in western Kansas at 1 p.m. Tuesday, and we'll have to watch closely and see if that shifts at all in the next 12-24 hours.

The tropics have been very quiet this year, despite the forecast of having an above average number of tropical storms and hurricanes. September is generally the busiest month for tropical activity, and it will be interesting to see if things ramp up in the coming days.

Have a great week.

BBQ Festival

I was visiting the Rooks County Free Fair Friday afternoon as one of 4 judges for their first ever BBQ tailgate contest. First prize was awarded $750, and we had to judge the groups based on the quality of the food, entertainment, creativity, and originality. The other judges included Kansas State Fair General Manager Denny Stoecklein, Kansas Secretary of Ag Josh Svaty, and Miss Kansas Lauren Werhan and we had a great time. But, our stomachs were on the verge of exploding when we left, full of all kinds of different BBQ. The winner served us some Indian Curry and had chocolate cake with a cherry filling on the bottom. The second prize winner served up Mexican food they had prepared on the grill, and in third place, we had sausage and cabbage that had been prepared in an old milk cream can. All of the food we had yesterday was excellent, and picking a winner was hard to do. The 3 hour drive back to Wichita was very difficult on a full stomach, but I was so grateful to have been a part of this first ever event. It reminded me of the many county fairs I participated in while growing up in Ellsworth county. It brings everyone in the community together and it is a great way to wrap up the summer before kids head back to school. The summer has gone so fast. My vacation is over and so it's back to the grind as we get ready for a changing weather pattern, and one that will hopefully not get as hot as it has been lately. And, maybe we'll continue to get some rainfall to green things back up.

Friend for Millie?

One of our viewers emailed in with a picture of a fox that showed up by the Keeper of the Plains Saturday morning. Catherine Walker said she spotted this fox around 6 a.m., and was so excited to share it with someone. I'm guessing she took the picture with her camera phone, but talk about being in the right place at the right time. I understand that foxes can be aggressive if you get too close, so maybe Millie is not a good match for this little guy. Makes you wonder if this fox was headed for a swim in the river to cool off.

Hot weather is going to continue (I know you are surprised). I don't mind the heat, but it would be better if we could get some rain about every 5 or 6 days. Unfortunately, the weather pattern just doesn't support any widespread moisture for several more days, but I have a feeling that when this hot, dry pattern finally breaks, we may get some serious rainfall and not be able to shut it off. It will be interesting to see how the pattern changes as we head into the first half of August.

Largest Hailstone

This may be old news by the time you read it, but the 8 inch diameter hail that fell in Vivian, South Dakota on July 23rd is challenging the record for the largest hailstone ever. It measures 8 inches in diameter and has a circumference of 18.5 inches (remember, circumference is the distance around an object) The current record is a 7 inch diameter hailstone that fell in Aurora, Nebraska on June 22, 2003 with a circumference of 18.75. Coffeyville, Kansas held the record for a number of years with a hailstone that measured 5.7 inches in diameter and had a circumference of 17.5 inches.

We should be thankful that 8 inch hail doesn't happen often. As a meteorologist, we are astounded at how strong the updraft winds(wind going up in the atmosphere) must be to keep a hailstone of 8 inches suspended for any period of time. As a rule of thumb, updraft winds of 100 mph is usually necessary to keep baseball size hail aloft, and that's only 2.75 inches in diameter.

The weather pattern continues to favor hot weather, with the main storm track going around us. It is nothing unusual for this time of the year, and we won't see many changes until we get to the end of the first week of August, or the beginning of the second full week. But lets not rush things along, because before we know it, we'll be wanting warmer weather back.

Summer Missile

You have to be careful what you leave in your car during this intense heat wave. You've probably had a CD that warped in the heat, or something else that was plastic that melted in the hot weather. I'm pretty sure I've had some chocolate candy in the car before that turned to liquid in the summer heat. And most of us have watched as TV reporters and meteorologists tried to bake cookies in a hot vehicle. One of our viewers left a can of compressed air in the vehicle and when it finally warmed up, it took off like a missile. Fortunately, it wasn't in a parking lot close to any people or other vehicles. It broke out the back windshield and the can continued to fly down the street. So I guess we can learn from this; don't leave compressed anything in the car when it gets this hot. The red circle in the picture is the can of air and it's interesting to see how far it flew down the street.

We still expect a change in the weather this weekend. It may only last for a few days, but at least we get something. If you are rooting for rain (and who isn't after the hot weather we've had), there is a chance we'll see some of that Friday night and into the weekend. It's hard to say how much, because the activity will likely remain isolated. If the humidity stays high, then that will increase the likelihood of some heavier downpours. Unfortunately, I don't see any real dramatic changes in the overall weather pattern, so the above normal temperature readings will continue into the first part of August.

12.2 Audio

If you aren't familiar with it, Storm Team 12 has a dedicated weather channel, known as Always on Storm Team 12, and you'll find it on Cox Digital Cable 675, or over the air on 12.2 Last year, we started streaming our audio from the weather center so that viewers could listen in as we analyze the storms in realtime behind the scenes. On busy severe weather days, it is one of the best places to get information because as soon as it comes into our office, you're going to hear about it. And nowadays, we have several sources of information, including our storm chasers that roam around the state, providing eyewitness reports to what the storm is actually doing.

A viewer recently commented on an improper comment she heard on 12.2, and it led to this comment on my blog:

I would truly appreciate an apology.

The open mics in the weather center are intentional because we feel it maximizes our storm coverage on 12.2, without all of the necessary interruptions on KWCH. From time to time, you'll hear us answer the phone, or discuss something that may not be directly related to storms, but we will always do our best to be aware we're broadcasting our audio for everyone to hear . You expect the best from our team and we always strive to be just that. Thanks for understanding and welcome your feedback.

Summertime in Kansas

This week looks hot with temperatures pushing 100 for many areas in the west. We are finally, for the first time this summer, starting to see what looks like a typical July weather pattern. The storm track goes north of Kansas, and we will be placed under a high pressure system in the upper atmosphere. So there will no doubt be more dry days, than wet ones in the days ahead. It also means the heat will be here to stay through the next several days.

Millie will have a photo album up on KWCH.com here in a few days. As part of the website redesign, we are adding a small section for her, so be sure to look for it soon. It's amazing to me how many people continue to come forward and say how much they enjoy seeing her in the weather center. And now I see a promotion running on KWCH with her in the Channel 12 booth at the state fair (hard to believe we are just a few months away from the 2010 state fair)

Some exciting news for me, as I will begin a 3 year term serving on the AMS Broadcast Board beginning January 1, 2011. This is a national board, made up of 12 individuals who will guide the direction of the certification program for broadcast meteorologists. So as part of the board, I'll be looking at the work of other broadcasters from across the nation, grading them on different criteria necessary to become certified. I'll also help plan the annual conference that will be held in Oklahoma City next June. So this is an exciting step for me and I'm sure I'll reference it in future blogs when something comes up. Have a great week.

Miami AMS Conference

First off, AMS stands for American Meteorological Society and they hold two conferences a year, one for broadcasters and another for scientists in general, which is usually in January. Scientists and meteorologists gathered to present information on topics such as the current oil spill, global warming, and other new discoveries in the world of weather. Aside from the meetings, we had a chance to tour the National Hurricane Center, and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (where they do extensive research on the interaction of the atmosphere with the oceans, and it's quite complex when you get right down to it). You're already familiar with the job of the hurricane center, and it turns out Tropical Storm Alex just happen to form during our time in Miami. The pictures (from left to right) include:

1) A forecaster that is looking at sea swells and weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and in the Atlantic. They have another meteorologist that is working on the Pacific forecasts, but he's on the other side of the room. 2) During hurricane events, you will see the national media do interviews with Bill Read (Director of the hurricane center) from this desk, located just off to the side of the actual forecast center. 3) The gentleman in the blue shirt is one of the meteorologists that coordinates with the hurricane hunters as they prepare to fly through Alex. While we were visiting with him about his job, data started flowing in as the reconnaissance aircraft was just entering the storm 4) This is a briefing room where research meteorologists coordinate with the hurricane center and hurricane hunters before flying into tropical storms and hurricanes. Once inside the storm, weather instruments are dropped from 10-15,000 feet to get measurements of temperature, pressure, and winds 5) Dr. Richard Wanninkhof explains to us how the ocean gives off and takes in Carbon Dioxide, depending on which part of the ocean you are looking at, and how it changes depending on El Nino and La Nina conditions.


This was such a great learning experience, and helped broaden my knowledge of tropical weather (which you don't get to use much when you are landlocked here in Kansas). Have a great week.

AMS Conference 2010

I'll be attending the American Meteorological Society Broadcast Conference in Miami later in the week. There will be several meetings covering everything from global warming to how we cover severe weather on television. Several scientists and meteorologists from across the country will gather in Miami to present research they've conducted on various topics. The National Hurricane Center is located in Miami, and we'll spend one day touring the facility and meeting the staff that is gearing up for what is expected to be a big season. Hurricane season officially started on June 1st and continues through October. The initial forecast is calling for 3-5 major hurricanes.

I'll be blogging about my Miami trip, so look for updates late in the week. It will be an educational trip for me, and a chance to meet broadcasters from all around the country. I'm sure there will be a few thunderstorms while I'm there, so I won't feel too disconnected from Kansas. And Millie will be well taken care of while I'm gone. Have a great week and stay cool.

Thinking Arbys (seriously)

I had a chance to watch the Wichita Wingnuts play Thursday evening down at Lawrence Dumont and although they didn't win, the weather was about as good as it could be for baseball. I was a little surprised when one of the employees of the Wingnuts stopped by to invite me to participate in the Arby's Wingnut shuffle. Basically, Spinner (the mascot) hides behind 3 roast beef sandwiches, and then they mix them all up and I had to guess which one he was behind. With the help of Denise Hnytka and some others close by, I was able to guess correctly and everyone in that section was given a coupon to Arby's. The craziest part was the hat, or Arby's crown they made me wear during the contest. Denise is responsible for the picture.

Jeff posted a question on the last blog entry asking if the oil will move around to the east coast and cause any kind of change in the weather patterns. There is some concern the oil will get caught in the Gulf Stream and works it's way around to the Florida Keys, and then up the east coast, but that is probably weeks, or maybe even months away. It's very unlikely that the oil will influence the overall weather pattern, but stranger things have happened. Weather patterns are influenced by temperatures in ocean, but the oil would have to be in the eastern Pacific to have much of a chance of influencing things around here, or the western half of the United States. I just hope they get it under control before a hurricane threatens that area. Time is ticking for sure.

Hurricane Forecast 2010

June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season and if they don't get the mess in the Gulf of Mexico cleaned up, can you imagine how messy that's going to be. And I wonder, with a powerful storm surge, how far inland the oil will be carried. I find myself checking about 2 times a day to see what the latest is on the gushing oil situation, just hoping to one day read that they have it contained and nearly stopped, but it still sounds like it's going to be several days or weeks before we get the good news. There is so much of the Gulf of Mexico that is closed to fishing because the oil continues to spread, but according to NOAA, 68% is still fishable. What a mess and they can't get it cleaned up fast enough.

Speaking of hurricanes, the outlook for the upcoming season has been released, and it calls for 14-23 named storms (which means the storm would acquire winds of 39 mph or higher), 8-14 hurricanes (winds of at least 74 mph), and 3-7 major hurricanes (reaching Category 3, 4, or 5). I am always a little skeptical of these forecasts, because so many variables this far in advance are unknown, but based on the warmer than normal water, and light winds aloft (due to El Nino influence), it sounds like there will be plenty of tropical weather to look at this summer and early fall.

Have a great week.

Heading Into Summer

So with temperatures pushing 90 recently, it was time for Millie to get her summer haircut. Despite her funny look, I think she really appreciates the short hairstyle for the summer. You just can't believe how thick the undercoat really is, and it takes almost an hour to complete the haircut. And when she is swimming this summer, she'll dry off faster... and there is less hair to clean up around the house.

Hope you are having a great holiday weekend. The weather pattern is about to change and look like summer for the next several days. Western Kansas could be flirting with upper 90s and 100 later in the week. It's too early to get that hot, but it is definitely possible looking at the long range forecast. We'll hope it doesn't get too dry too fast, or else we'll be hurting as we head into the long summer months.

Ironic

The farmhouse used in the filming of the movie "Twister" was destroyed by an actual tornado last week in Oklahoma. While most of the movie was filmed in Wakita, the farmhouse was located near Fairfax, OK and took a fairly direct hit from a tornado. So yeah, I find it a little ironic and more proof that you shouldn't test Mother Nature. She'll surprise you when you least expect it. There were no reports of flying cows, so this picture obviously came out of the movie. I thought you would get a chuckle out of it.

The temptation to go storm chasing in Oklahoma this past week was very high. Millie and I almost ventured down to Enid to see if we could spot a tornado, but by the time we finished our other chores, storms were already firing up and we decided to hold back. But wow, it was another very intense day. OKC is getting the springtime version of what Washington D.C. had this winter. Storm after storm.

If you read this in time, Sunday night at 10 on KWCH, we are airing a special piece that takes you behind the scenes here at Channel 12. It will give you an inside, detailed look at how we cover storms during severe weather season. Millie didn't make the cut this time around, but I couldn't tell that her feelings were hurt. She's just about over this TV thing; ready to move on to bigger and better things. Have a great weekend.

Active Week... Now a Break

We've talked over and over about the slow start to severe weather season, but suddenly this week, May showed its ugly side. Monday as we expected was a very busy afternoon with severe weather, but if there had been more sunshine, we probably would've had stronger storms rolling through. Wichita was definitely spared because the tornado finally lifted just before the storms moved into the city. The picture here are from Monday's storms. The hail fell in Inman, the shelf cloud was taken near McPherson at about 7 in the evening, and in the far right picture, you can see a funnel cloud that occurred near the Ness/Lane county line.









We had another big weather day on Wednesday. Big hail, strong wind, and 3 different tornadoes kept us busy through the afternoon and evening. It's safe to say now, severe weather season is well underway, but it may be another week or 10 days before the pattern supports widespread severe storms. That would bring us close to Memorial Day weekend, and it seems like every year, there are severe storms on a holiday weekend (sometimes it's 4th of July).

Have a great weekend. May is half over, can you believe it? The next few weekends will be full of graduations.