April Fools weather humor; all-time March warmth in WY, NE
I don't have an April Fools blog post for you this year, but instead thought I share with you two of the funniest weather-related stories of the year. Firstly, it turns out that you don't need to be a human to enjoy a little snowboarding. The snowy conditions in Russia this winter gave the opportunity for an intrepid crow to take up the sport in this remarkable Youtube video. I found the video over at Andy Revkin's DotEarth blog at the New York Times. The bird is a hooded crow, and has evidently been doing quite a bit of snowboarding, judging by the multiple tracks on the rooftop. Too bad us humans can't use a flap-assist from our wings while snowboarding, it might cut down on injuries!
Video 1. A crow in Russia goes snowboarding on a snow-covered rooftop.
The most insane letter ever written by a child to a TV weatherman
I've done a lot of talks about the weather to schools, and have gotten hundreds of thank-you letters from the kids afterwards. But I've never gotten a letter quite like the one KVUE morning and midday meteorologist Albert Ramon in Austin, Texas recently received after talking at a local school. A sampling:
"Some day when I become supreme Ultra-Lord of the universe I will not make you a slave, you will live in my 200 story castle where unicorn servants will feed you doughnuts off their horns."
And this: "Thank you again for teaching us about meteoroligy, you're more awesome than a monkey wearing a tuxedo made out of bacon riding a cyborg unicorn with a lightsaber for the horn on the tip of a space shuttle closing in on Mars while ingulfed in flames."
Check out the letter here.
Finally, realclimate.org has a funny April Fool's blog post today called ‘Wrong sign paradox’ finally resolved?
All-time March warmth records in Wyoming, Nebraska
Most of Wyoming and much of Nebraska set or tied their record for all-time warmest March temperatures yesterday, no fooling. A strong ridge of high pressure that generated a strong flow of warm air from the southwest was responsible. Some of the records included:
Omaha, NE: 91°F
Lincoln, NE: 91°F
Casper, WY: 77°F
Lander, WY: 76°F
Rock Spring, WY: 72°F
Worland, WY: 81°F
Laramie, WY: 71°F
Rawlins, WY: 73°F
Chadron, WY: 83°F
Sidney, WY: 83°F
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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Pretty good Geoff, being kept busy a lot. How're things with you?
if there is someone impersonating me, i would VERY much like to know about it. :)
Doing good. Hoping this is not our year for a storm. But, we are overdue.
Tropical Cyclone Advisory #39
TROPICAL DEPRESSION, FORMER PAKHAR (T1201)
9:00 AM JST April 2 2012
================================
At 0:00 AM UTC, Tropical Depression, Former Pakhar (1004 hPa) located at 13.0N 107.0E has 10 minute sustained winds of 30 knots with gusts of 45 knots. The depression is reported as moving northwest at 10 knots.
This is the final tropical cyclone advisory from the Japan Meteorological Agency..
Yeah we are. It's been a long while since i've had to put up shutters.
Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, FL. There's plenty of people like you there.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS BATON ROUGE LA
743 PM CDT SUN APR 1 2012
...THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN
LOUISIANA...MISSISSIPPI...
THE PEARL RIVER NEAR BOGALUSA AFFECTING ST. TAMMANY...WASHINGTON...
HANCOCK AND PEARL RIVER COUNTIES/PARISHES
THE PEARL RIVER NEAR PEARL RIVER AFFECTING ST. TAMMANY...HANCOCK AND
PEARL RIVER COUNTIES/PARISHES
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FORECAST CRESTS ARE BASED UPON RAINFALL THAT HAS OCCURRED ALONG WITH
ANTICIPATED RAIN FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECASTS
WILL BE MADE IF ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURS.
DO NOT DRIVE CARS THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. REMEMBER...TWO FEET OF
RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES INCLUDING PICKUPS. TURN
AROUND AND DON`T DROWN.
A FOLLOWUP PRODUCT WILL BE ISSUED LATER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO...LOCAL TV AND RADIO STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE PROVIDER...FOR
THE LATEST INFORMATION. THE LATEST GRAPHICAL HYDROLOGIC INFORMATION
CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT WEATHER.GOV.
&&
LAC103-MSC045-109-030642-
/O.CON.KLIX.FL.W.0050.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
/PERL1.1.ER.120323T1755Z.120330T0645Z.000000T0000 Z.NO/
743 PM CDT SUN APR 1 2012
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE PEARL RIVER NEAR PEARL RIVER.
* UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
* AT 7:00 PM SUNDAY THE STAGE WAS 15.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 14.0 FEET.
* FORECAST...THE RIVER IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY FALL TO A STAGE NEAR
14.6 FEET BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING APRIL 6TH. THE RIVER IS THEN EXPECTED
TO FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE ON SUNDAY MORNING APRIL 8TH.
* IMPACT...AT 14.0 FEET...SECONDARY ROADS TO THE RIVER AND THROUGHOUT
HONEY ISLAND SWAMP ARE INUNDATED. PROPERTY IN THE VICINITY OF THE
GAGE IS FLOODED THREATENING ABOUT 20 HOMES ALONG THE LEFT BANK.
A. Wannabe forecaster
B. Amateur forecaster
C. Mediocre forecaster
D. Expert forecaster
somewhers between A and B.
i am going with A 1/2 lol
E) In between c and d
Did you see this guy during cane season, he balled on the forecasting
B or C.
This after the warmest march in history....
how about ultra lord forecaster
do you have a unicorn in the backyard too
Yes, and it feeds me doughnuts off its horn.
A) 50% of the blog.
B) 30% of us.
C) 10% of us.
D) 2% of us.
The 8% are trolls.
but what category do I fit in? lol.
I'm just asking because I've been getting a lot of private emails lately saying I suck at forecasting and I should just leave.
"Marvelis."
Better than C, but not quite D... I would humbly consider myself in between B and C.
I'm guessing those e-mails are probably from trolls who are jealous of your ability... You're between B/C, better than most on here
Haha I'm an A, and a d is Levi.
It's prolly trolls don't worry about it...
I get those too, a lot more than you'd think. I just ignore them and continue on tracking the storms because when it comes down to it, only a select few are trained in what they talk about - you and I, as well as everyone else just sit down and listen and make our own interpretations of those forecasts and what the models are generally saying.
We're armchair Meteorologists.
Medioexpert
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE:
how about ultra lord forecaster
do you have a unicorn in the backyard too
Yes, and it feeds me doughnuts off its horn.
Action: Quote | Ignore User
Member Since: July 6, 2010 Posts: 45 Comments: 13855
well as long as you are not wearing the bacon tuxedo you should be ok
Woah...Am I really that bad?
you arent lame at forecasting. your similar to me...but a percentage better(maybe 40-60% lol). You WANNA BE a forecaster, but not. And you have most, if not all qualities of an AMATURE forecaster IMO. you would be foolish to not pursue a weather career:)
thats why i said A 1/2 :D
Mediocre usually means of moderate quality, or average.
I mean wannabe in the sense that I cannot forecast at all and I just try to imitate other people's forecasts.
By Jim Forsyth
Sun Apr 1, 2012 7:27pm EDT
(Reuters) - The National Weather Service on Monday plans to begin a new initiative in Kansas and Missouri designed to make people in Tornado Alley sit up and take notice when potentially devastating twisters are headed their way. Under the new system, tornado warnings will be accompanied by stark language like, "mass devastation is highly likely, making the area unrecognizable to survivors," according to the National Weather Service. Or even: "This storm is not survivable." "We call this 'impact-based warning," Dan Hawblitzel, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, said on Sunday. "The idea is to better convey the impact that a storm is likely to have on a community." Current National Weather Service tornado warnings generally cover portions of counties and urge people in the storm's path to take action. "There is quite a lot of over-warning going on; it's kind of the car-alarm syndrome," said Col Galyean, a meteorologist with The Weather Channel. "People who live in areas where tornadoes happen frequently, like Joplin, Missouri, for example, are kind of becoming desensitized to the warnings." A tornado slammed into Joplin last May, killing 161 people in the southwestern Missouri city and causing extensive damage. The new warnings will be tested in the two states through November 30. After that, a panel of social scientists and meteorologists will examine the responses and determine whether the system should be used nationwide, Hawblitzel said.
Messages such as, "Complete destruction of entire neighborhoods is likely" may get more people posting on social networking sites and taking instant action, Hawblitzel said.
Galyean and Hawblitzel say the more detailed warnings are largely made possible because of a new type of Doppler radar called dual polarization, which can measure both the horizontal and vertical properties of a storm system and can tell forecasters whether debris is being picked up by the storm, a sure sign of a destructive system.
"Right now it's tough to tell if a storm is actually causing damage," Galyean said. "This technology allows forecasters to actually see inside the storm, and see different parts of the same storm system, to better analyze its speed, direction, and destructive potential."
"This way we can be more sure that a tornado is heading straight for a heavily populated area," Hawblitzel said.
The warnings will go out to radio and television broadcasters who issue emergency warnings, to local emergency management personnel who activate sirens and dispatch emergency services, and to listeners of National Weather Service radio.
In the San Antonio area last month, many people who were caught in the path of a damaging flurry of tornadoes said they had heard the warnings, but that it was the sight of a tornado that prompted them to take action. "Forecasters do worry about that," Galyean said. "We can get the information to the public, but the key is to get the public to pay attention."
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
853 PM AST SUN APR 1 2012
.UPDATE...TODAY WAS A VERY DRY DAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE FA. NO
PRECIPITATION WAS DETECTED ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS AND
SURROUNDING WATERS ON LATEST SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGERY THIS
EVENING. THE FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS DEVELOPED DURING THE AFTERNOON
HOURS OVER SOUTHWEST PUERTO RICO...DISSIPATED RAPIDLY DURING THE
LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ONLY A FEW PASSING
SHOWERS...IF ANY...ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS THE EASTERN SECTIONS
OF PUERTO RICO. AN OVERALL DRY WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO
PREVAIL ACROSS THE FA UNTIL AT LEAST TUESDAY. BY TUESDAY NIGHT OR
EARLY WEDNESDAY...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE
LOCAL ISLANDS...SLIGHTLY INCREASING THE CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS
ACROSS THE REGION. THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SHIFT AGAIN FROM THE
NORTHEAST BY LATE TUESDAY. ONLY MINOR CHANGES WERE DONE TO THE
PREVIOUS FORECAST PACKAGE.
--Vermont has already seen more brushfires in 2012 than it normally does in an antire year.
Yes, this is real. I like the idea, but I'm also a little concerned about one issue that may arise. The first is the choice of wording. What if the phrase "unsurvivable above ground" is used, and somebody happens to survive. Then they will think they will survive every time a tornado comes (which I hope you only have to live through once if you even have to experience one). That will also continue the issue that NWS is "crying wolf".
I don't speak spanish, sorry. :P
Probably B or C.
You help me and I will help you.
oh. well in that case, B 1/3 lol
MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0408
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0823 PM CDT SUN APR 01 2012
AREAS AFFECTED...E-CNTRL/SERN IND...SWRN OH
CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH POSSIBLE
VALID 020123Z - 020230Z
THREAT FOR ISOLATED SEVERE HAIL APPEARS TO HAVE COMMENCED WITH
SCATTERED DISCRETE CELLS FORMING ALONG A SWD-MOVING COLD FRONT. THE
PROBABILITY OF A SEVERE TSTM WATCH ISSUANCE IS 40 PERCENT.
01Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACED A COLD FRONT FROM AROUND 30 S CMH TO 35
N IND...WITH SEVERAL CELLS FORMING IN THE PAST 45 MINUTES ALONG THE
BOUNDARY. EVEN THOUGH SURFACE TEMPERATURES HAD FALLEN INTO THE
MIDDLE 60S TO LOWER 70S IN THE WARM SECTOR...CONVECTION MAY REMAIN
NEAR SURFACE-BASED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. 700-500 MB LAPSE
RATES AROUND 7.5 DEG C/KM AS SAMPLED BY THE 00Z ILN RAOB ALONG WITH
EFFECTIVE SHEAR AROUND 40 KT WILL SUPPORT POTENTIAL FOR UPDRAFT
ROTATION. HOWEVER...DUE TO THE UNDERCUTTING NATURE OF THE COLD
FRONT...SUPERCELL STRUCTURES MAY BE DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN WITH THE
PRIMARY RISK BEING ISOLATED MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL.
..GRAMS.. 04/02/2012
ATTN...WFO...RLX...ILN...IND...
LAT...LON 40128492 39708306 39288252 38908259 38688289 38608319
38748420 39028502 39508597 40068617 40298599 40128492
Oh, I gotcha ;)
Also...new Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued.
since i havnt been here long and really dont have a good judgment on your foracasting abilities, would you accept a test from me?
What kind of test?
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