One of the earliest television shows that I remember is the Beverly Hillbillies. By the tine that I remember it, it came on during the morning, about 9 a.m., right after Captain Kangeroo. Thanks to TIVO, I have been recording three episodes per day. Still, it took me weeks to find the specific episode that I wanted. It is called “Granny vs. the Weather Bureau.” It is the 61st episode of the series and the 25th episode of the second season of the show.
Granny finds herself at odds with the local television weather girl. Watching her forecasts each night gets Granny riled up. On this particular night, the attractive weather person says that things will remain fair overnight. Granny’s anger boils over as she claims that it is gong rain. She bases her forecast on signs. Such as a bobcat licking against the grain means it is going to rain. Jed calls the television station and learns that she is only repeating the U.S. Weather Bureau forecast.
IJed calls the head of the local Weather Bureau, Justin Addison. Jed tries to reason with him while Granny yells in the background that it is going to rain that night. She yells, “Fine government man you are. You can’t even find my still.”
Mr. Drysdale takes Jed to see Mr. Addison. In a classic case of misunderstanding, Mr. Addison tells Jed that there is a hurricane named Daisy (also Granny’s name) and that he is going to put a stop to her. Jed thinks the weatherman is talking about Granny. When Jed asks him how he plans to put a stop to her, Mr. Addison says that scientists will fly over Daisy and drop silver iodide into her eye. Jed says, “I can’t let you do that.”
More tomorrow night.
Granny vs. the Weather Bureau
May 12, 2006, 9:32 pm
by Bill Murray
in General Thoughts
Some Hail Possible This Weekend
May 12, 2006, 1:10 pm
The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
What an incredibly nice day here... doesn't get much better than this....
Be sure and scroll down to read J.B.'s post about events going on around the nation today. That is a monster ULL (upper level low) over the Great Lakes.
WEEKEND THOUGHTS:A lobe rotating around the big upper low will bring showers to the state late tomorow, tomorrow night, into Sunday morning. As opined here in the last two discussions, the air aloft will be very cold, and some hail is likely even from harmless looking, low topped showers.
SPC has placed much of Alabama under a slight risk of severe storms in the day 2 convective outlook for the possibility of hail. The 12Z NAM puts the 500 mb temperature at Birmingham at -19 degrees (C) tomorrow evening, really cold for May. That pushes the CAPE to a tad over 1800, and droped the lifted index to -6.8.
But, there won't be much surface moisture and I am not really sure we see much thunder. Just be aware that hail, possibly large hail, is a possibility from about 3:00 p.m. tomorrow through midnight tomorrow night in passing showers and any thunderstorm that can develop.
Some light rain is possible Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon much of thet rain should be into South Alabama. A new surge of cool air also moves into the state on Sunday, and it is unlikely that we will reach the 70 degree mark.
NEXT WEEK: Temperatures will remain below normal all week. The big upper low will not move much, and there will be cloudy periods and scattered light rain on Monday, Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday. The best chance of light rain on those days will be over the northern third of the state, closer to the upper low center.
Some rain will likely return at the end of the week, one week from today, thanks to a cold front. The outlook for the following weekend (May 20-21) is not very clear with every model run looking different. We will tackle that forecast on Monday.
SKYCAM NETWORK: Don't forget you can see images and weather data from all of our SKYCAM network sites on the web:
http://www.abc3340.com/static/skycams/skycamsmain.html
Brian Peters will be handling the video updates this weekend, I will be back with my next one bright and early Monday morning by 7:00 a.m. Have a great weekend, and don't forget to CALL YOUR MAMMA!
http://www.jamesspann.com/
What an incredibly nice day here... doesn't get much better than this....
Be sure and scroll down to read J.B.'s post about events going on around the nation today. That is a monster ULL (upper level low) over the Great Lakes.
WEEKEND THOUGHTS:A lobe rotating around the big upper low will bring showers to the state late tomorow, tomorrow night, into Sunday morning. As opined here in the last two discussions, the air aloft will be very cold, and some hail is likely even from harmless looking, low topped showers.
SPC has placed much of Alabama under a slight risk of severe storms in the day 2 convective outlook for the possibility of hail. The 12Z NAM puts the 500 mb temperature at Birmingham at -19 degrees (C) tomorrow evening, really cold for May. That pushes the CAPE to a tad over 1800, and droped the lifted index to -6.8.
But, there won't be much surface moisture and I am not really sure we see much thunder. Just be aware that hail, possibly large hail, is a possibility from about 3:00 p.m. tomorrow through midnight tomorrow night in passing showers and any thunderstorm that can develop.
Some light rain is possible Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon much of thet rain should be into South Alabama. A new surge of cool air also moves into the state on Sunday, and it is unlikely that we will reach the 70 degree mark.
NEXT WEEK: Temperatures will remain below normal all week. The big upper low will not move much, and there will be cloudy periods and scattered light rain on Monday, Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday. The best chance of light rain on those days will be over the northern third of the state, closer to the upper low center.
Some rain will likely return at the end of the week, one week from today, thanks to a cold front. The outlook for the following weekend (May 20-21) is not very clear with every model run looking different. We will tackle that forecast on Monday.
SKYCAM NETWORK: Don't forget you can see images and weather data from all of our SKYCAM network sites on the web:
http://www.abc3340.com/static/skycams/skycamsmain.html
Brian Peters will be handling the video updates this weekend, I will be back with my next one bright and early Monday morning by 7:00 a.m. Have a great weekend, and don't forget to CALL YOUR MAMMA!
Friday Morning Notes--Including Some Weird Stuff
May 12, 2006, 8:21 am
Weather people are in awe of a storm system centered over Lake Michigan this morning. (Even me, who has been playing with the weather for what seems like 200 years.) Here are some interesting notes from that record storm + notes from all over. Hope this "stuff" is not boring.
* Heard a news report of 8 inches of snow on the ground at Montreal, Wisconsin. I have been completely unable to verify that.
* Wind gusts to 50 mph at Sheboygan, Wisconsin. At the town of Wausaukee, Wisconsin, one person was serious injured by a falling tree.
* And there was a tragedy 10 miles west of Allegan, Michigan late Thursday. A large tree limb fell onto a passing automobile killing the driver and injuring the passenger.
* Wind gusts to 58 mph at Standard Rock, Michigan and 63 mph at Muskegon. A gust of 69 mph was reported at Spyglass Condos (what a name) in SW Michigan.
* Grand Rapids recorded the lowest barometric pressure ever for the month of May. It dropped to 29.08 inches and records have been kept there since way back in 1897.
* Two inches of snow on the ground at Bessemer. (Michigan, that is, not Bessemer, Alabama.)
* Late yesterday a tornado touched down in an open field in Kalamazoo County, Michigan and remained nearly stationary for a couple of minutes. No damage. (Why are all of these Michigan and Wisconsin towns so hard to spell
* 3.15 inches of rain fell at Marquette in Upper Michigan overnight. That is the second greatest 24-hour amount of all time. Depere, Wisconsin was drenched with 2.45 inches.
* On visible satellite this morning, this storm system centered over the Great Lakes takes on the appearnce of a tropical storm or hurricane circulation. Of course, it is not. There are no tropical characteristics.
* This big circulation center is sending occasional lobes of moisture toward the south and SE. There was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning north of Nashville late Thursday. It is not out of the question that light rain may become mixed with snow in some of the higher elevations of East Tennessee and North Georgia over the weekend. For example, temperatures are expected to drop to 41 in Gatlinburg Sunday night and Monday morning with frequent showers in progress. I feel sure the temperature on Mt. LeConte will drop to 34 or 35, which would increase the chance of at least a snow mix. The NWS in Atlanta also points to that possibility in the highest elevations of North Georgia.
* Here in North Alabama, don't be surprised to hear of some small hail reports late Saturday and Saturday night and maybe even a few peals of thunder. The atmosphere is getting a lot colder aloft. At times like this, we can get small hail from even a low-top thunderstorm.
* A tornado touched down in two North Virginia counties this morning near Washington, D. C. Trees and power lines came down, but there were no reports of injuries. Yes, that is related to the big Michigan circulation also.
* That broad circulation also pulled down some chilly air into Alabama overnight and even a few light showers over the extreme north. Huntsville received 0.02 inches or rain.
* Enjoy our present cool spell--there will not be too many more of these. It can get extremely hot in Alabama this time of year. During May 1962, there was a long drawn out heat wave in Alabama. Of the 31 days in May, 16 days show the all-time record to be in the 1962 heat. That is very unusual. The temperature topped out at 98 at May 18, 19, 21 and 27 in 1962. Temperatures peaked at 99 on May 28 and 29. By the way, the earliest triple digit temperature on record in Birmingham occurred on June 5, 1985 with an even 100.
* In contrast to all that, here is a round up of lows around Alabama this morning. This is not an all-inclusive list. We will update in our afternoon edition if we see some temperatures lower than these:
43 in DeSoto State Park
45 in Crossville and Cullman Airport
46 at Ft. Payne Airport
47 at Tuscaloosa Airport
48 in Vinemont (Mike Wilhelm, 33/40 weather watcher)
48 also in Albertville and Muscle Shoals
49 in Pinson
49 also in East Trussville (from Jay Shelley, retired NWS) *
50 in Decatur, Huntsville, Montgomery, Shelby County Airport (NWS)
51 at Birmingham Airport
52 at Anniston
53 in Mobile
54 in Selma
*I worked with Jay Shelley for my entire 32 years in the National Weather Service. A great gentleman. He also spent his entire career at the NWS Birmingham and actually worked longer than I did.
A WEIRD ITEM:
Thanks to John T. in Hueytown for calling our attention to this. A weak tornado at Hillsboro, Ohio Wednesday night caused damage on Wizard of Oz Drive. How appropriate. Reminds me of the flash flood warning I saw one time for Boiling Springs, Texas. (Or was it Roaring Springs, Texas
* Heard a news report of 8 inches of snow on the ground at Montreal, Wisconsin. I have been completely unable to verify that.
* Wind gusts to 50 mph at Sheboygan, Wisconsin. At the town of Wausaukee, Wisconsin, one person was serious injured by a falling tree.
* And there was a tragedy 10 miles west of Allegan, Michigan late Thursday. A large tree limb fell onto a passing automobile killing the driver and injuring the passenger.
* Wind gusts to 58 mph at Standard Rock, Michigan and 63 mph at Muskegon. A gust of 69 mph was reported at Spyglass Condos (what a name) in SW Michigan.
* Grand Rapids recorded the lowest barometric pressure ever for the month of May. It dropped to 29.08 inches and records have been kept there since way back in 1897.
* Two inches of snow on the ground at Bessemer. (Michigan, that is, not Bessemer, Alabama.)
* Late yesterday a tornado touched down in an open field in Kalamazoo County, Michigan and remained nearly stationary for a couple of minutes. No damage. (Why are all of these Michigan and Wisconsin towns so hard to spell
* 3.15 inches of rain fell at Marquette in Upper Michigan overnight. That is the second greatest 24-hour amount of all time. Depere, Wisconsin was drenched with 2.45 inches.
* On visible satellite this morning, this storm system centered over the Great Lakes takes on the appearnce of a tropical storm or hurricane circulation. Of course, it is not. There are no tropical characteristics.
* This big circulation center is sending occasional lobes of moisture toward the south and SE. There was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning north of Nashville late Thursday. It is not out of the question that light rain may become mixed with snow in some of the higher elevations of East Tennessee and North Georgia over the weekend. For example, temperatures are expected to drop to 41 in Gatlinburg Sunday night and Monday morning with frequent showers in progress. I feel sure the temperature on Mt. LeConte will drop to 34 or 35, which would increase the chance of at least a snow mix. The NWS in Atlanta also points to that possibility in the highest elevations of North Georgia.
* Here in North Alabama, don't be surprised to hear of some small hail reports late Saturday and Saturday night and maybe even a few peals of thunder. The atmosphere is getting a lot colder aloft. At times like this, we can get small hail from even a low-top thunderstorm.
* A tornado touched down in two North Virginia counties this morning near Washington, D. C. Trees and power lines came down, but there were no reports of injuries. Yes, that is related to the big Michigan circulation also.
* That broad circulation also pulled down some chilly air into Alabama overnight and even a few light showers over the extreme north. Huntsville received 0.02 inches or rain.
* Enjoy our present cool spell--there will not be too many more of these. It can get extremely hot in Alabama this time of year. During May 1962, there was a long drawn out heat wave in Alabama. Of the 31 days in May, 16 days show the all-time record to be in the 1962 heat. That is very unusual. The temperature topped out at 98 at May 18, 19, 21 and 27 in 1962. Temperatures peaked at 99 on May 28 and 29. By the way, the earliest triple digit temperature on record in Birmingham occurred on June 5, 1985 with an even 100.
* In contrast to all that, here is a round up of lows around Alabama this morning. This is not an all-inclusive list. We will update in our afternoon edition if we see some temperatures lower than these:
43 in DeSoto State Park
45 in Crossville and Cullman Airport
46 at Ft. Payne Airport
47 at Tuscaloosa Airport
48 in Vinemont (Mike Wilhelm, 33/40 weather watcher)
48 also in Albertville and Muscle Shoals
49 in Pinson
49 also in East Trussville (from Jay Shelley, retired NWS) *
50 in Decatur, Huntsville, Montgomery, Shelby County Airport (NWS)
51 at Birmingham Airport
52 at Anniston
53 in Mobile
54 in Selma
*I worked with Jay Shelley for my entire 32 years in the National Weather Service. A great gentleman. He also spent his entire career at the NWS Birmingham and actually worked longer than I did.
A WEIRD ITEM:
Thanks to John T. in Hueytown for calling our attention to this. A weak tornado at Hillsboro, Ohio Wednesday night caused damage on Wizard of Oz Drive. How appropriate. Reminds me of the flash flood warning I saw one time for Boiling Springs, Texas. (Or was it Roaring Springs, Texas
Friday On My Mind
May 12, 2006, 4:45 am
The Friday morning map discussion video is on the server:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Anyone remember the song by the Easybeats?
"Monday morning feels so bad
Everybody seems to nag me
Come on Tuesday I feel better
Even my old man looks good
Wednesday just won't go
Thursday goes too slow
I've got Friday on my mind"
This will be a fine Friday. Cool temperatures, a fresh breeze, low humidity, and excellent visibility. Enjoy the day!
THE WEEKEND: That big upper low to the north looks like an inland hurricane on satellite images this morning. But, that is no hurricane. Cold air is the story, and temperatures will remain below normal here through the weekend. A lobe rotating around the upper low should bring a band of light rain to the state late tomorrow, tomorrow night, and into Sunday morning. No heavy rain, and probably no thunder. But, the air aloft is so cold a few showers might produce a little pea sized hail.
Looks like the bulk of the day tomorrow will be dry; the best chance of showers for now seems to be from about 6:00 p.m. through 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Rain amounts should be around 1/4 inch.
Sunday will be a bit of a blustery day for mid-May. Lots of clouds, some morning rain, and temperatures peaking only in the 60s.
NEXT WEEK: The upper pattern over North America is blocked, so we stay cool on Monday and Tuesday with cloudy periods. The best chance of any light rain will be over the Tennessee Valley of extreme North Alabama, but we can't rule out a light shower as far south as I-20. Highs stay in the 60s on those two days, about 15 degrees below normal for this time of the year.
At this point the weather looks dry on Wednesday and Thursday, but a cold front is forecast to bring some rain in here at the end of the week, on Friday May 19. The latest run of the GFS in house (the 00Z run) for now hints at a dry period for the following weekend (May 20-21), but don't take that to the bank just yet... we will have a much higher confidence forecast for that weekend by Monday.
LONG RANGE: No real sign of any really warm weather through the end of May on the latest GFS... the pattern does relax a bit in the May 22-25 time frame, but the amplitude increases again toward May 26-27.
I will have the afternoon map discussion video posted by 3:30 this afternoon... don't forget all of our video and audio products are now available on iTunes... just search out ABC 33/40 on the podcast section!
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Anyone remember the song by the Easybeats?
"Monday morning feels so bad
Everybody seems to nag me
Come on Tuesday I feel better
Even my old man looks good
Wednesday just won't go
Thursday goes too slow
I've got Friday on my mind"
This will be a fine Friday. Cool temperatures, a fresh breeze, low humidity, and excellent visibility. Enjoy the day!
THE WEEKEND: That big upper low to the north looks like an inland hurricane on satellite images this morning. But, that is no hurricane. Cold air is the story, and temperatures will remain below normal here through the weekend. A lobe rotating around the upper low should bring a band of light rain to the state late tomorrow, tomorrow night, and into Sunday morning. No heavy rain, and probably no thunder. But, the air aloft is so cold a few showers might produce a little pea sized hail.
Looks like the bulk of the day tomorrow will be dry; the best chance of showers for now seems to be from about 6:00 p.m. through 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Rain amounts should be around 1/4 inch.
Sunday will be a bit of a blustery day for mid-May. Lots of clouds, some morning rain, and temperatures peaking only in the 60s.
NEXT WEEK: The upper pattern over North America is blocked, so we stay cool on Monday and Tuesday with cloudy periods. The best chance of any light rain will be over the Tennessee Valley of extreme North Alabama, but we can't rule out a light shower as far south as I-20. Highs stay in the 60s on those two days, about 15 degrees below normal for this time of the year.
At this point the weather looks dry on Wednesday and Thursday, but a cold front is forecast to bring some rain in here at the end of the week, on Friday May 19. The latest run of the GFS in house (the 00Z run) for now hints at a dry period for the following weekend (May 20-21), but don't take that to the bank just yet... we will have a much higher confidence forecast for that weekend by Monday.
LONG RANGE: No real sign of any really warm weather through the end of May on the latest GFS... the pattern does relax a bit in the May 22-25 time frame, but the amplitude increases again toward May 26-27.
I will have the afternoon map discussion video posted by 3:30 this afternoon... don't forget all of our video and audio products are now available on iTunes... just search out ABC 33/40 on the podcast section!
Page :
1