How times change. Just a few years ago, most folks (myself included) never heard of words like blogs and podcasts. As the radio and TV business continues to change like a meteor streaking through the night, you better keep up with those kind of buzz words or you will be left in the dust.
We started podcasting about one year ago. Podcasts are audio programs that can be heard on a computer, or a portable music player like an iPod (that is where the name podcast came from). Our podcasts are fairly short (one to two minutes generally), and consist of a short Alabama weather discussion and forecast for the next five to seven days. The podcasts are available twice daily, and the listening growth is simply phenomenal.
We are about to embark on a new podcast project called “Weather Brains”. This will be a long form show (30 minutes), and will be all about weather. The show will feature all of my associates; J.B. Elliott, John Oldshue, Jason Simpson, Brian Peters, and Bill Murray. And, we plan on having nationally known guests. We will talk about anything and everything related to weather. And, this really won’t target just those people in Alabama, it is hoped we will have a large amount of national distribution. You will be able to subscribe to Weather Brians from iTunes, or via RSS through other podcasting programs. The show will automatically be downloaded to your computer, and then to your portable music player when you sync it up.
We hope to have the first show available within three weeks. This will be a show for real weather weenies and geeks… we will have details on this web site
http://www.weatherbrains.com
Stay tuned!
Weather Brains To Launch Soon
January 5, 2006, 10:21 pmA Winter Chill Returns
January 5, 2006, 2:50 pm
The Thursday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
Once again, "change" is the weather word for the next few weeks.
TONIGHT/TOMORROW: A winter chill returns. We will drop to near freezing by daybreak tomorrow, and then stay brisk and cold through the day tomorrow. Highs will be only in the low 40s with a chilly north wind. I think there will be plenty of cloudy periods with a few peeks of sun during the day. Moisture is pretty limited, but I guess a few sprinkles or flurries are not totally out of the question.
We drop into the mid 20s by early Saturday morning with a clear sky.
WEEKEND WARMUP: We rise to near 50 on Saturday afternoon, and into the low 60s Sunday as another warming trend begins. The air will be dry and there is no chance of rain over the weekend.
NEXT WEEK: THe GFS continues to show a weak surface front drifting in here and stalling out. That might trigger a few showers late Monday through Tuesday, but with the main dynamics well to the north, rain amounts should be light and spotty. The week looks relatively mild with highs mostly in the low to mid 60s. Not bad for early January in Alabama.
LONG RANGE: The 12Z run of the GFS shows a series of waves which would bring a few rainy periods and a few quick shots of cold air into the state through mid-month. We won't even try to get into specifics in this difficult pattern.
NAO: Still stays in neutral territory over the next few weeks if the GFS is correct. As long as the North Atlantic Oscillation stays neutral, the weather will remain changeable. Periods of cold air will be short lived. We need that NAO to go negative to keep the eastern U.S. trough in place for a longer cold wave.
2006 SEVERE WEATHER DVD: Don't forget to pick up your free copy of the Alabama 2006 Severe Weather DVD, which highlights the wild and historic hurricane season of 2005. Get them at Trussville Mazda, Med Center Mazda, Sonic Drive In locations, Alabama's First Federal Credit Union, and Bedz Express.
I will have the next map discussion video on the server by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. Hey, our 10:00 news will hit the air on time tonight for the first time this year!
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
Once again, "change" is the weather word for the next few weeks.
TONIGHT/TOMORROW: A winter chill returns. We will drop to near freezing by daybreak tomorrow, and then stay brisk and cold through the day tomorrow. Highs will be only in the low 40s with a chilly north wind. I think there will be plenty of cloudy periods with a few peeks of sun during the day. Moisture is pretty limited, but I guess a few sprinkles or flurries are not totally out of the question.
We drop into the mid 20s by early Saturday morning with a clear sky.
WEEKEND WARMUP: We rise to near 50 on Saturday afternoon, and into the low 60s Sunday as another warming trend begins. The air will be dry and there is no chance of rain over the weekend.
NEXT WEEK: THe GFS continues to show a weak surface front drifting in here and stalling out. That might trigger a few showers late Monday through Tuesday, but with the main dynamics well to the north, rain amounts should be light and spotty. The week looks relatively mild with highs mostly in the low to mid 60s. Not bad for early January in Alabama.
LONG RANGE: The 12Z run of the GFS shows a series of waves which would bring a few rainy periods and a few quick shots of cold air into the state through mid-month. We won't even try to get into specifics in this difficult pattern.
NAO: Still stays in neutral territory over the next few weeks if the GFS is correct. As long as the North Atlantic Oscillation stays neutral, the weather will remain changeable. Periods of cold air will be short lived. We need that NAO to go negative to keep the eastern U.S. trough in place for a longer cold wave.
2006 SEVERE WEATHER DVD: Don't forget to pick up your free copy of the Alabama 2006 Severe Weather DVD, which highlights the wild and historic hurricane season of 2005. Get them at Trussville Mazda, Med Center Mazda, Sonic Drive In locations, Alabama's First Federal Credit Union, and Bedz Express.
I will have the next map discussion video on the server by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. Hey, our 10:00 news will hit the air on time tonight for the first time this year!
A Shot Of Colder Air
January 5, 2006, 12:38 am
The Thursday morning map discussion video is on the server:
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
OK... I am cheating a bit. I did the video, and am writing this update, at the midnight hour Wednesday night waiting for the Rose Bowl coverage to complete. What a great game. But, the 00Z runs are in the house.
COOL DOWN: After another spring-like day yesterday, temperatures will cool down about 15 degees today across the state with highs between 50 and 55 for most places. The sky will be cloudy at times, but no rain is expected during the day.
Tomorrow, a very deep upper trough will swing through, and should bring a cold day to Alabama. Temperatures will have a hard time reaching the low 40s, the sky will be cloudy much of the day, and brisk northwest winds will make the cold air even more uncomfortable. We will maintain the chance of a few sprinkles or flurries late tonight or tomorrow morning, but measurable precipitation isn't likely.
The mercury should drop into the mid 20s by early Saturday morning.
WARM UP: The cold air exits stage right over the weekend, and we warm up. We expect a high near 50 on Saturday, and then low 60s are possible by Sunday afternoon. No rain for the weekend.
NEXT WEEK: A weak front will bring the chance of a few showers Monday night and Tuesday, but the main upper support will remain well to the north of Alabama. A big rain event doesn't look likely.
LONG RANGE: In this difficult pattern, I still don't trust any specific model solution. The GFS is trying to develop a major storm in the southwest U.S., moving it in our direction in the January 18-20 time frame.
"Changeable" is the word for sure in this forecast package.
WEATHER BRAINS: We are working on getting our new long form podcast together... this is going to be a ton of fun. We hope to have the first edition available within the next 3 weeks or so. If you like to read this blog, you will love Weather Brains. Even if you don't have an iPod or MP3 player, you can listen on your computer.
ABC 33/40 DOPPLER RADAR: Looks like we stripped some gears up on the radar antenna last week... technicians from Denver will be in town today to make the repairs, and hopefully it will be back online this evening.
I will have the next map discussion video available by 3:30 today....
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
OK... I am cheating a bit. I did the video, and am writing this update, at the midnight hour Wednesday night waiting for the Rose Bowl coverage to complete. What a great game. But, the 00Z runs are in the house.
COOL DOWN: After another spring-like day yesterday, temperatures will cool down about 15 degees today across the state with highs between 50 and 55 for most places. The sky will be cloudy at times, but no rain is expected during the day.
Tomorrow, a very deep upper trough will swing through, and should bring a cold day to Alabama. Temperatures will have a hard time reaching the low 40s, the sky will be cloudy much of the day, and brisk northwest winds will make the cold air even more uncomfortable. We will maintain the chance of a few sprinkles or flurries late tonight or tomorrow morning, but measurable precipitation isn't likely.
The mercury should drop into the mid 20s by early Saturday morning.
WARM UP: The cold air exits stage right over the weekend, and we warm up. We expect a high near 50 on Saturday, and then low 60s are possible by Sunday afternoon. No rain for the weekend.
NEXT WEEK: A weak front will bring the chance of a few showers Monday night and Tuesday, but the main upper support will remain well to the north of Alabama. A big rain event doesn't look likely.
LONG RANGE: In this difficult pattern, I still don't trust any specific model solution. The GFS is trying to develop a major storm in the southwest U.S., moving it in our direction in the January 18-20 time frame.
"Changeable" is the word for sure in this forecast package.
WEATHER BRAINS: We are working on getting our new long form podcast together... this is going to be a ton of fun. We hope to have the first edition available within the next 3 weeks or so. If you like to read this blog, you will love Weather Brains. Even if you don't have an iPod or MP3 player, you can listen on your computer.
ABC 33/40 DOPPLER RADAR: Looks like we stripped some gears up on the radar antenna last week... technicians from Denver will be in town today to make the repairs, and hopefully it will be back online this evening.
I will have the next map discussion video available by 3:30 today....
Page :
1