Hey everyone, this is Drew McCombs, the new weather intern. I'll be checking in every now and then for the rest of the summer, so I figured I'd introduce myself. I'm 23, and I will be entering my second year of grad school in the Broadcast Meteorology program at Mississippi State this fall. I did my undergraduate studies at Alabama and got a B.S. in geography. I'm hoping these degrees will be good enough to make me a pretty good meteorologist some day.
For my first go at this, I'm going to tell a little about the storm chase I went on a couple of weeks ago. Every year the meteorology department at MSU embarks on a two week trip to the Great Plains where 15 or so lucky students get the opportunity to go on a guided storm chase led by several professors and instructors. This year was no different and I was one of the students chosen to head out to the Plains.
We left on the Sunday after our exams (May 14), and everyone was excited about the possibility of seeing some good storms even though the GFS had been painting a pretty bleak outlook for storms for several days. The forecast was so devoid of any possibility of severe weather for the first week we were out there, that we headed out towards the panhandle of Texas to do some sightseeing. By our second day we had made it to Canyon, Texas, which is just south of Amarillo.
Now, I didn't know a whole lot about Amarillo before I went there, and I still don't know much about it now, but I do know one thing: the biggest steak you will ever see is available there. One other thing. Several weeks before the trip began, I was nominated by everyone to be the one to try and eat the thing.
More on my experience at the Big Texan Steakhouse next time.....
Drew McCombs
abc3340wx2@gmail.com
Intern Season Is Here...
June 7, 2006, 8:42 pm
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
Bad Day in Boston
June 7, 2006, 3:59 pm
A strong low pressure area off the New England Coast is bringing real foul weather to that region of the country.
Late this afternoon, Logan Airport in Boston reported visibility only 1/2 mile in heavy rain, 54 degrees, with winds out of the NE gusting to 45 mph.
Offshore, the Boston Buoy was reporting 11-foot waves.
Late this afternoon, Logan Airport in Boston reported visibility only 1/2 mile in heavy rain, 54 degrees, with winds out of the NE gusting to 45 mph.
Offshore, the Boston Buoy was reporting 11-foot waves.
The Weather Heats Up
June 7, 2006, 2:44 pm
The Wednesday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Looks like the GFS and the NAM were correct; nothing on radar at mid-afternoon, and nothing upstream over Tennessee at the moment. The chance of rain through Saturday at this points looks so small it isn't really worth the mention on the forecast.
Hot weather is returning; we should be close to 90 tomorrow and Friday, with low 90s over the weekend.
NEXT RAIN? We will bring in at least some risk of widely scattered afternoon showers or storms on Sunday afternoon as the heights will be a little lower, and air aloft a little cooler. Also, a surface front will be north of the state Sunday, which might send an outflow boundary down this way.
That surface front will drift down toward the Alabama/Tennessee border, where it will most likely stall out Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully it will bring one or two decent showers to most Alabama neighborhoods; it is getting pretty dry so a little rain will be a good thing.
In the Birmingham metro, we have had only one good downpour in the last 28 days (June 2 when 0.63" was measured at the Airport).
LONG RANGE: The GFS shows a pretty hot pattern by June 20 with a large heat bubble covering much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation. The 500 mb heights rise to 5940 meters north of here; if that is correct we will be hot and mostly dry in the June 19-24 time frame.
TROPICS: Conditions are quiet now, but the Canadian GEM model continues to suggest some kind of tropical storm forming in the Gulf over the weekend. The latest run (the 12Z run) of the GEM takes the system to the Louisiana coast, west of New Orleans, late Sunday night or early Monday. Then, it drifts eastward, winding up over extreme South Alabama by Tuesday. Since no other model shows this, including the ECMWF, we have to discount the Canadian solution as an outlier. But, the idea isn't completely out of the question.
Enjoyed a quick drive down to Clanton today to speak to a group of cable TV technicians and engineers... I probably should have picked up some fresh peaches, but time didn't allow it today. I will be back in Chilton County soon enough!
The next map discussion video will be on the server by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Looks like the GFS and the NAM were correct; nothing on radar at mid-afternoon, and nothing upstream over Tennessee at the moment. The chance of rain through Saturday at this points looks so small it isn't really worth the mention on the forecast.
Hot weather is returning; we should be close to 90 tomorrow and Friday, with low 90s over the weekend.
NEXT RAIN? We will bring in at least some risk of widely scattered afternoon showers or storms on Sunday afternoon as the heights will be a little lower, and air aloft a little cooler. Also, a surface front will be north of the state Sunday, which might send an outflow boundary down this way.
That surface front will drift down toward the Alabama/Tennessee border, where it will most likely stall out Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully it will bring one or two decent showers to most Alabama neighborhoods; it is getting pretty dry so a little rain will be a good thing.
In the Birmingham metro, we have had only one good downpour in the last 28 days (June 2 when 0.63" was measured at the Airport).
LONG RANGE: The GFS shows a pretty hot pattern by June 20 with a large heat bubble covering much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation. The 500 mb heights rise to 5940 meters north of here; if that is correct we will be hot and mostly dry in the June 19-24 time frame.
TROPICS: Conditions are quiet now, but the Canadian GEM model continues to suggest some kind of tropical storm forming in the Gulf over the weekend. The latest run (the 12Z run) of the GEM takes the system to the Louisiana coast, west of New Orleans, late Sunday night or early Monday. Then, it drifts eastward, winding up over extreme South Alabama by Tuesday. Since no other model shows this, including the ECMWF, we have to discount the Canadian solution as an outlier. But, the idea isn't completely out of the question.
Enjoyed a quick drive down to Clanton today to speak to a group of cable TV technicians and engineers... I probably should have picked up some fresh peaches, but time didn't allow it today. I will be back in Chilton County soon enough!
The next map discussion video will be on the server by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!
MY TINY CORNER OF THE WORLD--6/7/06
June 7, 2006, 9:45 am
A nice cool and very pleasant walk with Little Miss Molly in My Tiny Corner this morning. Out very early and the first thing that Molly did was stop in a grassy area and individually sniff every inch of 22 blades of grass. (I actually counted them) I guess I should rename her Little Miss Columbo or Miss Sherlock. I don't understand why she does that. It was a mixed bag this morning, stop and go, backtracking and then full speed ahead. I am amazed at the strength in her little short hind legs. If my hind legs were that strong, proportion to size, I could pull the Orient Express.
There was just enough breeze to wiggle the leaves on the rooms (branches) of the Old Crow Motel. Reminded me of the Aspen trees out west, often referred to as Quaking Aspen. This is because even a light wind will cause the leaves to quiver and this makes a pretty sight in sunlight. Especially in autumn when the aspen turn brilliant yellow.
ON A SAD NOTE:
It is not unusual for me to get an e-mail that
brings me back to reality and makes me ever so thankful to have Little Miss
Molly by my side. Monday this note from Mary Lackey in
Anniston. She said:
"Go ahead and keep telling everyone to love and enjoy their pets and to be
thankful for every day they have with them. I came home yesterday to find my
little Pomeranian named Buttons had passed away while I was at work. It is a
terrible thing to know that this happened to him and I wasn't there to hold
and comfort him at the end. I am so thankful for the 8 wonderful years we
had together. I only wish we could have had so many more. Thanks for letting
me share my story and you are welcome to use it, especially if it will make
even one pet owner think twice and love their pet a little bit extra every
day. Give Little Miss Molly an extra special hug for me."
I could not help but think of Buttons Monday night as Molly and I were having
a long ballgame and when I picked her up and tucked her into bed. I
am very lucky and ever so thankful. Life goes on.
There was just enough breeze to wiggle the leaves on the rooms (branches) of the Old Crow Motel. Reminded me of the Aspen trees out west, often referred to as Quaking Aspen. This is because even a light wind will cause the leaves to quiver and this makes a pretty sight in sunlight. Especially in autumn when the aspen turn brilliant yellow.
ON A SAD NOTE:
It is not unusual for me to get an e-mail that
brings me back to reality and makes me ever so thankful to have Little Miss
Molly by my side. Monday this note from Mary Lackey in
Anniston. She said:
"Go ahead and keep telling everyone to love and enjoy their pets and to be
thankful for every day they have with them. I came home yesterday to find my
little Pomeranian named Buttons had passed away while I was at work. It is a
terrible thing to know that this happened to him and I wasn't there to hold
and comfort him at the end. I am so thankful for the 8 wonderful years we
had together. I only wish we could have had so many more. Thanks for letting
me share my story and you are welcome to use it, especially if it will make
even one pet owner think twice and love their pet a little bit extra every
day. Give Little Miss Molly an extra special hug for me."
I could not help but think of Buttons Monday night as Molly and I were having
a long ballgame and when I picked her up and tucked her into bed. I
am very lucky and ever so thankful. Life goes on.
by J.B. Elliott
in Miss Molly
A Warming Trend Ahead
June 7, 2006, 6:00 am
The Wednesday morning map discussion video is on the server:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Another comfortable morning.... Tuscaloosa is at 55 degrees as I write this. Very nice.
Some interesting issues in the days ahead.
TODAY: Can storms move into North Alabama later today or tonight in this northwest flow pattern? The NAM and the GFS say no, but they also said no in a similar situation last Sunday. As it turned out on that day a few severe storms moved into the northern part of the state, and very healthy storms developed as far south as central Alabama. And that was in a fairly dry airmass like this one.
So, while it does look like most neighborhoods around here will stay dry, we sure won't eliminate the chance of a few isolated storms later today or tonight. They could be pretty strong over the northern third of the state if they do form, but SPC has taken Alabama out of the slight risk area for today.
TOMORROW - SATURDAY: These three days look mostly dry, and fairly hot in the afternoon. We should rise into the upper 80s tomorrow, then be close to 90 on Friday, with low 90s to follow on Saturday. The GFS goes nuts and is showing 96 for Birmingham on Saturday; that seems a little too hot. Lots of sun each day as the upper air high to the west tries to slip in here. The warmer air aloft should keep most communities dry.
SUNDAY: Heights are a little lower, and a surface front will be north of here. We will mention a chance of widely scattered afternoon showers or storms, especially north of Birmingham.
GULF OF MEXICO ACTION? The Canadian Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model develops a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, and moves it to near Panama City on Sunday. Guess this is possible, but no other model I see shows this. The Canadian takes the system to near Dothan by Sunday night and early Monday. We will keep an eye on future runs... an interesting concept, but we don't buy it for now.
NEXT WEEK: The upper high drifts back to the west, and a surface front will drift in here early next week which should mean an increase in the number of scattered showers and storms. We could use the rain. By Wednesday, the GFS shows a nice eastern U.S. upper trough which might push the front down into deep South Alabama. If that happens we might get a temporary shot of cooler air.
LONG RANGE: The upper ridge rebuilds in the June 18-22 time frame, and we should rise into the low to mid 90s if this is the correct solution with no organized rain areas.
Today I will be speaking to the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers down in Clanton. The next map discussion video will be posted here by 3:30 this afternoon!
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Another comfortable morning.... Tuscaloosa is at 55 degrees as I write this. Very nice.
Some interesting issues in the days ahead.
TODAY: Can storms move into North Alabama later today or tonight in this northwest flow pattern? The NAM and the GFS say no, but they also said no in a similar situation last Sunday. As it turned out on that day a few severe storms moved into the northern part of the state, and very healthy storms developed as far south as central Alabama. And that was in a fairly dry airmass like this one.
So, while it does look like most neighborhoods around here will stay dry, we sure won't eliminate the chance of a few isolated storms later today or tonight. They could be pretty strong over the northern third of the state if they do form, but SPC has taken Alabama out of the slight risk area for today.
TOMORROW - SATURDAY: These three days look mostly dry, and fairly hot in the afternoon. We should rise into the upper 80s tomorrow, then be close to 90 on Friday, with low 90s to follow on Saturday. The GFS goes nuts and is showing 96 for Birmingham on Saturday; that seems a little too hot. Lots of sun each day as the upper air high to the west tries to slip in here. The warmer air aloft should keep most communities dry.
SUNDAY: Heights are a little lower, and a surface front will be north of here. We will mention a chance of widely scattered afternoon showers or storms, especially north of Birmingham.
GULF OF MEXICO ACTION? The Canadian Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model develops a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, and moves it to near Panama City on Sunday. Guess this is possible, but no other model I see shows this. The Canadian takes the system to near Dothan by Sunday night and early Monday. We will keep an eye on future runs... an interesting concept, but we don't buy it for now.
NEXT WEEK: The upper high drifts back to the west, and a surface front will drift in here early next week which should mean an increase in the number of scattered showers and storms. We could use the rain. By Wednesday, the GFS shows a nice eastern U.S. upper trough which might push the front down into deep South Alabama. If that happens we might get a temporary shot of cooler air.
LONG RANGE: The upper ridge rebuilds in the June 18-22 time frame, and we should rise into the low to mid 90s if this is the correct solution with no organized rain areas.
Today I will be speaking to the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers down in Clanton. The next map discussion video will be posted here by 3:30 this afternoon!
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