I have a special treat for you this evening. If you go outside around 9 p.m. CDT tonight, and look to the east you will see a spectacular sight. It will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, full moon you have ever seen. You’ve seen the moon when it looks really bigger than normal. Tonight will be one of those occasions.

Why is that? Will the moon be closer than normal? No. Will be actually be larger than normal? No. So what is it? Fact is, the moon will be hanging lower than normal, As a matter of fact, it will be hanging the lowest it has since June 1987. It is that proximity to the horizon that makes the moon appear to be larger. Appearances can be deceiving. It is actually an illusion. The items along the horizon, like trees, and hills and buildings fool our mind into thinking that the moon is larger than it really is.

So you will get to experience the wonderful thing that is the Moon illusion tonight, and all this week. As an additional treat, the hazy nature of a summer evening sky will likely render tonight’s spellbinding full moon a beautiful orange color. It is all a special gift to you from....Summer. Enjoy it!

P.S.

The heavens have another treat in store. Look to the west northwest tonight during twilight. You will see a bright Venus, along with Saturn and Mercury. They will be very close to one another. By Saturday, they will be so close that you can cover all three with your pinky out at arms length.

Video map discussion for Tuesday afternoon, June 21st, should be available at: http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

How about HAPPY SUMMER!! Summer officially began at 1:46 am today.

I'm beginning to feel like a broken record with little change in our pattern for the next several days. Interesting that the 12Z run of the GFS comes up with a slightly different solution especially after several days. Instead of meandering a weak low, it develops another weak low over Texas while taking the one affecting us during the next several days and pulls it out into the Atlantic. The one over Texas becomes a more significant trough toward the first of July enhancing our chances for showers.

All in all, the pattern is certainly not spectacular but interesting with a weak low meandering around.

Just a reminder that the web map discussions will end for this week after tomorrow. James is on vacation and I'll be attending some training on the graphics system we use in the Weather Center.

Hope you have a good week.

-Brian-

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A strong storm over Calhoun County earlier this morning is responsible for a major accident on 1-20 east-bound at the main Oxford exit (Exit 185). Jon Pace from WTDR radio reports that an 18-wheeler and two other automobiles collided, and there are some injuries. Traffic is slow going there, and if you have to go that way for the next 20-30 minutes, you might want to take US 78 as an alternate route.

The storm responsible for the accident also produced some hail up to dime-size, but the heavy rain was probably the biggest story! Our weathernet site on Noble Street downtown Anniston shows 2.07" of rain since midnight, and all of that came in the span of 90 minutes! The peak wind gust was only 22 MPH in downtown Anniston.

Just to illustrate how difficult it can be to forecast these storms this time of year, at 6:45 this morning there was a lone light shower north of Anniston. In 15 minutes, it grew into a monster and pounded southern Calhoun County for an hour, and now, the storm is nothing more than a few light showers over northern Clay County! And just to show how hit-or-miss it can be with the heavy rain, look at our weathernet report of 2.07" and compare it to only 0.21" at the Anniston Airport just south of I-20!

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be a nuisance again through the afternoon, and a few of them may have a chance to grow strong, so we will keep a close eye on the radar!

It is National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, and the theme is - LIGHTNING
KILLS--PLAY IT SAFE!

The following information was taken from Public Information Statements released by the National Weather Service office in Birmingham.

IN THE UNITED STATES EACH YEAR, THERE ARE ABOUT 25 MILLION CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES. WHILE LIGHTNING CAN BE FASCINATING TO WATCH, IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DURING THE LAST 30 YEARS, LIGHTNING HAS KILLED AN AVERAGE OF 73 PEOPLE PER YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES, WHILE INJURING 300 MORE. BRINGING THAT DOWN TO THE LOCAL LEVEL, ALABAMA HAS HAD 102 REPORTED LIGHTNING DEATHS SINCE 1959, WHICH RANKS 12TH IN THE NATION FOR HIGHEST MORTALITY RATE.

DURING A THUNDERSTORM, EACH LIGHTNING FLASH IS A POTENTIAL KILLER. LIGHTNING CAN EVEN STRIKE UP TO 10 MILES FROM THE MAIN AREA OF THE THUNDERSTORM. THAT IS ABOUT THE DISTANCE YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER FROM THE STORM. WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN SEE THE ACTUAL LIGHTNING FLASH, IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER, YOU ARE AT RISK OF BEING STRUCK. IN ADDITION TO THE VISIBLE FLASH OF LIGHTNING, THE CURRENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIGHTNING DISCHARGE TRAVELS ALONG THE GROUND. ALTHOUGH SOME VICTIMS ARE STRUCK DIRECTLY BY THE STROKE, MANY VICTIMS ARE STRUCK AS THE CURRENT MOVES IN AND ALONG THE GROUND.

PEOPLE NEED TO BECOME AWARE OF WHAT BEHAVIOR PUTS THEM AT GREATEST RISK OF BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AND KNOW WHAT THEY CAN DO TO REDUCE THAT RISK. THOSE IN CHARGE OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS SHOULD HAVE AND FOLLOW A SPECIFIC LIGHTNING SAFETY PLAN TO MINIMIZE DANGER TO PARTICIPANTS AND SPECTATORS. THE GREATEST NUMBER OF LIGHTNING DEATHS AND INJURIES IN THE UNITED STATES OCCURS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS WHEN BOTH LIGHTNING AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES REACH THEIR PEAKS. DURING THE SUMMER, PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WARM WEATHER TO ENJOY A MULTITUDE OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE ACTIVITIES PUT THEM AT GREATER RISK OF BEING STRUCK. EVEN INDOORS, PEOPLE MUST AVOID ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL PUT THEM AT RISK. IN PARTICULAR, PEOPLE SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM OUTSIDE DOORS AND WINDOWS AND AVOID CONTACT WITH ANYTHING THAT CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY.

IN THE EVENT A PERSON IS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, IMMEDIATE MEDICAL CARE MAY BE NECESSARY TO SAVE THE PERSON'S LIFE. CARDIAC ARREST, BURNS, AND NERVE DAMAGE ARE COMMON IN CASES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. HOWEVER, WITH PROPER TREATMENT, INCLUDING CPR IF NECESSARY, MOST VICTIMS SURVIVE A LIGHTNING STRIKE, ALTHOUGH THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON THEIR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF THEIR FAMILIES CAN BE DEVASTATING.

AS LIGHTNING PASSES THROUGH THE AIR, IT RAPIDLY HEATS THE AIR TO 50,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, MUCH HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN. DURING A LIGHTNING DISCHARGE, THE SUDDEN HEATING OF THE AIR CAUSES IT TO RAPIDLY EXPAND AND CONTRACT. THIS IN TURN CAUSES A SHOCK WAVE THAT WE HEAR AS THUNDER.

LIGHTNING CAN OCCUR COMPLETELY WITHIN THE THUNDERSTORM CLOUD, BETWEEN CLOUDS, OR BETWEEN THE CLOUD AND THE GROUND. CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING CAN BE CATEGORIZED AS NEGATIVE FLASHES AND POSITIVE FLASHES. PRIOR TO A NEGATIVE FLASH, AN ALMOST INVISIBLE NEGATIVELY CHARGED CHANNEL OF AIR FORMS NEAR THE CLOUD BASE AND SURGES DOWNWARD NEAR THE GROUND. AT THE SAME TIME, STREAMERS OF POSITIVE CHARGES SHOOT UP FROM TREES, BUILDINGS, AND OTHER HIGH OBJECTS ON THE GROUND. WHEN THESE MEET, THE CONNECTION IS COMPLETE, AND A SURGE OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT MOVES FROM THE GROUND TO THE CLOUD
CAUSING THE VISIBLE RETURN STROKE CALLED LIGHTNING.

For more information about lightning safety, visit www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov.

Above all, be lightning safe this summer.

-Brian-

Video map discussion for Tuesday morning, June 21st, should be available at: http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

How about HAPPY SUMMER!! Summer officially began at 1:46 am today.

And how about those thunderstorms last night that rolled across the Tennessee Valley dropping as much as 3 to 4 inches in isolated spots. That amount is based on radar estimates and there is a possibility those values are a bit too high due to the presence of hail. Hail is a good reflector, so rainfall estimates can be too high when hail is present. But amounts of over 2 inches probably occurred in a few spots. Storms were dying out by the time they got to my house, so I only got 0.09 in my gauge.

The east coast trough opens up to the northeast according to the GFS. However, the GFS runs today continue to leave a small remnant behind that can be identified in the GFS forecasts all the way out beyond a week. It will be interesting to see if the GFS is correct with that feature - at least it has been consistent. If it is right, we could be in for a period of enhanced showers as June ends and July begins.

GFS does not seem to be as generous with the tropics as it has been. National Hurricane Center is watching a couple of areas of disturbed weather in the tropics, however, conditions do not favor any significant development right now.

Hope you have a great day. It is Lightning Safety Week across the United States, so be sure to practice good judgment when it comes to any thunderstorms you encounter. Don't take any chances - give lightning the respect it deserves.

-Brian-

Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms already underway early this morning over parts of North and east Alabama.

One storm has practically stalled over the Oxford/Anniston area producing very heavy rain. Based on radar estimates, about 1.40 inches of rain just in the last hour.

At 7:43 am, WTDR-FM reported some flooding in downtown Anniston. Dime size hail has been reported on Highway 202 and also on Noble Street in Downtown Anniston.

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