We get lots of questions daily here at the ole weather office, so I thought on a nice day I would share a few answers:
*Will we have more freezing temperatures this season? I am 95.7 percent sure the answer is no. We have never had a freeze here later than April 23, and the pattern does not favor any really cold air moving in here for the rest of the month. Time to get out and do some planting. You are about as safe as you can be.
*Is your new morning meteorologist, Jason Simpson, related to you?
No. Jason is from Holly Pond in Cullman county; my roots involve Butler county down in south Alabama, and Tuscaloosa county. Maybe he watched too much of me growing up! Jason is very good at what he does, and he has a long, right future in television meteorology! I am planning on working with Jason, John Oldshue, and Brian Peters for a long time. I love the team we have in place now. Jason was a very, very good addition.
*I can’t remember the weather being this strange. Do you think our weather pattern is getting more severe with time?
No. I have been forecasting the weather on TV here in Alabama since 1978 (with the exception of a few years away in Dallas in the mid 1980s), and the simple truth is that our weather is “strange” every year. Tornadoes, severe storms, ice storms, hurricanes, floods, heat waves, droughts, gravity waves, and a plethora of other events happen here from time to time. Just a part of living in the south.
*What are your thoughts on the summer season ahead?
I must admit I am a little concerned about the primary jet shifting north so early in the season. We have not had a really hot summer in a number of years, so maybe we are overdue. But the real answer is I don’t know at this point; I will have some thoughts by the time we get to early May.
*Why do you wear suspenders?
I really gained weight for the first time in my grown life about 10 years ago. I bought suits and had them sized up based on the new weight, but I slimmed down in the months ahead, and all of the pants were suddenly too big. I started wearing suspenders so those "large" pants would stay up! The weight has become stable, and I just kept the "look".
*I moved here from Texas. You look familiar, did you ever do the weather on TV out there?
Yes. I was transferred from the NBC affiliate here in Birmingham to their sister station at the time, KDFW in Dallas, in the summer of 1984. I was the lead meteorologist at Channel 4 through the mid 1980s, but I am amazed people would recognize me now. I actually had some hair back then. My competition back then was Harold Taft at KXAS Channel 5, and Troy Dungan at WFAA Channel 8. Harold died of cancer about 10 years ago, and I understand Troy is going to retire next year.
*Will we have more freezing temperatures this season? I am 95.7 percent sure the answer is no. We have never had a freeze here later than April 23, and the pattern does not favor any really cold air moving in here for the rest of the month. Time to get out and do some planting. You are about as safe as you can be.
*Is your new morning meteorologist, Jason Simpson, related to you?
No. Jason is from Holly Pond in Cullman county; my roots involve Butler county down in south Alabama, and Tuscaloosa county. Maybe he watched too much of me growing up! Jason is very good at what he does, and he has a long, right future in television meteorology! I am planning on working with Jason, John Oldshue, and Brian Peters for a long time. I love the team we have in place now. Jason was a very, very good addition.
*I can’t remember the weather being this strange. Do you think our weather pattern is getting more severe with time?
No. I have been forecasting the weather on TV here in Alabama since 1978 (with the exception of a few years away in Dallas in the mid 1980s), and the simple truth is that our weather is “strange” every year. Tornadoes, severe storms, ice storms, hurricanes, floods, heat waves, droughts, gravity waves, and a plethora of other events happen here from time to time. Just a part of living in the south.
*What are your thoughts on the summer season ahead?
I must admit I am a little concerned about the primary jet shifting north so early in the season. We have not had a really hot summer in a number of years, so maybe we are overdue. But the real answer is I don’t know at this point; I will have some thoughts by the time we get to early May.
*Why do you wear suspenders?
I really gained weight for the first time in my grown life about 10 years ago. I bought suits and had them sized up based on the new weight, but I slimmed down in the months ahead, and all of the pants were suddenly too big. I started wearing suspenders so those "large" pants would stay up! The weight has become stable, and I just kept the "look".
*I moved here from Texas. You look familiar, did you ever do the weather on TV out there?
Yes. I was transferred from the NBC affiliate here in Birmingham to their sister station at the time, KDFW in Dallas, in the summer of 1984. I was the lead meteorologist at Channel 4 through the mid 1980s, but I am amazed people would recognize me now. I actually had some hair back then. My competition back then was Harold Taft at KXAS Channel 5, and Troy Dungan at WFAA Channel 8. Harold died of cancer about 10 years ago, and I understand Troy is going to retire next year.
on April 15, 2005, 7:31 pm
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