The sun came out in full force today across the western US. A notoriously cloudy place is Forks, WA. (Recently most famous for the setting of the Twilight series of books and movies). It is, in fact, one of the cloudiest places in the entire country. The author of this series chose the setting of Forks because of its cloudy reputation. For the folks not familiar with Forks, it is located in the northwest corner of Olympic National Park:
Not only does that region get more than their share of rain, it also very cloudy compared to elsewhere around the nation. Each month only features a few completely clear days, on average:
Month
Avg. Cloud Cover
Days Clear
Days Partly Cloudy
Days Cloudy
1
6.4
4.1
5.0
22.0
2
6.3
3.9
5.3
19.3
3
6.2
3.5
8.1
19.4
4
6.1
3.6
8.1
18.3
5
6.1
3.1
10.0
18.0
6
6.1
3.3
9.1
17.6
7
5.5
5.3
11.0
14.7
8
5.2
6.1
10.9
13.9
9
4.8
8.0
10.2
11.8
10
5.7
5.1
9.6
16.3
11
6.4
3.1
6.6
20.3
12
6.4
4.2
5.7
21.0
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the sunniest place in the country is (you probably guessed it) in the Southwest. No surprise here. Sunshine abounds in this region today as well. Yuma, AZ is the sunniest city in the country with the average of sunny days out of the year at 90%. The Grand Canyon will be heating up today as highs approach the low 80s. Hikers will need to stay hydrated!
Today will be no exception to this pattern as the southwest will be feeling the heat. The National Weather Service has already issued Excessive Heat Warning for Yuma and surrounding areas.
Even outside of the warned area, temperatures will soar into the 90s.
Moms – find a shady spot and enjoy this Mother’s Day weekend!
Continue to check back here from more weather updates.
Friday Storm Reports. Strong to severe T-storms swept across Texas yesterday, as many as 4 tornado touchdowns reported in the Brownsville area, hail up to 2″ in diameter north of Dallas. Click here for an interactive map, courtesy of NOAA and Ham Weather. The threat of severe storms lingers in the Houston area through the morning hours today.
Meteorological Miracle. Yesterday’s blustery cool front is pushing east, plenty of sun for the Upper Midwest today and Mother’s Day. The northeast warms up, the next chance of showers late Sunday into Tuesday for much of the eastern seaboard. Meanwhile record heat settles over the Pacific Northwest over the weekend with the warmest temperatures of the year so far. NAM model data courtesy of NOAA.
Record Rainfalls For Some in Minnesota To Start Early May. Here’s an excerpt of the latest WeatherTalk entry from Dr. Mark Seeley: “According to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center over the first 7 days of May, Minnesota weather observers reported 62 new daily rainfall records, an exceptionally large quantity of records for such a short period of time. Some examples of the record amounts of rainfall include:
May 1st: 1.73 inches at St Cloud Airport
May 2nd: 2.05 inches at Windom and 2.10 inches at Elk River
May 3rd: 2.21 inches at Zumbrota and Wabasha
May 4th: 1.70 inches at Amboy
May 5th: 2.41 inches at Winnebago and 2.33 inches at Sherburn
May 6th: 2.78 inches at Marshall, 2.86 inches at Hawley, 3.06 inches at Redwood Falls, 3.50 inches at Hastings, and 3.62 inches at Pipestone
The 3.62 inches of rainfall reported at Pipestone on May 6th was a new state record for the date, beating the 3.48 inches that fell at Minneota on May 6, 1983.
Chicago Weather Trivia. Here’s a Friday tweet from WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling – another (very) warm month shaping up for The Windy City
April Warming Trends. Here’s an interesting nugget (and YouTube animation) from NOAA: “After a decade of warmer than average Aprils in the U.S., few highest monthly maximum temperature records for April remain from the 20th Century. This image plots the decade in which the highest average April temperature record was set for different regions of the country, starting in 1911 (i.e., 1911-1920) and running through 2010, using data from the NOAA National Climatic Center’s detailed archives. The records broken in 2011 and 2012 are shown separately. Most of the pixel colors are associated with the 2001-2010, 2011 and 2012 time periods. Gray indicates no data (records) are associated with that area of the country.“
Stunning Waterspout Images From Louisiana. I can’t recall the last time I saw 4 waterspouts in the same photo. Climate Central has a terrific article about the recent rash of waterspouts (tornadoes over water) off the coast of Louisiana; here’s an excerpt: “Severe weather affected Louisiana on Wednesday, with a damaging tornado in Grand Isle, and simultaneous occurrences of multiple waterspouts over the nearshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The waterspouts — technically tornadoes over water — were caught on camera by a National Weather Service employee and many others. For background info on waterspouts, check out this video from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).”
Upper left photo credit: “Twin waterspouts seen off the coast of Grand Isle, La., on May 9. Click on image for a larger version. Credit: Capt. Danny Wray, via NWS/Facebook.”
Upper right photo credit: “Four waterspouts seen at once off the La. coast on May 9. Credit: WRAL Mike Maze via Facebook.”
Waterspout, Haboobs And More. Here’s a great article (and waterspout explanation) from meteorologist Jason Samenow at The Washington Post: “Waterspouts are defined as tornadoes over water but can form under different circumstances – either in fair weather or in tornadic thunderstorms. NOAA explains: The tornadic waterspouts may often begin as tornadoes over land and then move over water. They also form in severe thunderstorms over a body of water. They can wreak havoc with high winds, hail, and dangerous lightning.
“Mammatus”. Photo from the Bismarck National Weather Service, via Mark Zuckerberg: “Mammatus clouds that rolled through Minot during last night’s thunderstorms. Photo courtesy of Sean K.”
Most Expensive Weather Disasters Of 2012. 7 of the top 14 weather disasters worldwide during the first 4 months of 2012 were in the USA. Chart courtesy of Aon Benfield.
Russian Satellite Presents The Earth From Top To Bottom (Imagery). This never gets old, seeing Earth from space. Here’s a new perspective (from a Russian weather satellite). Details from The Capital Weather Gang: “Who doesn’t love NASA’s stunning “Blue Marble” full disc images of Earth? We now have a new source of high definition hemisphere-spanning imagery: the Russians. Their new geostationary satellite, Electro-L, launched in January 2011, produces ultra-high resolution images of our planet, 121 megapixels to be exact. Gizmodo provides more details on Electro-L: Elektro-L is now orbiting Earth on a geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers [~22,000 miles] above the equator, sending photographs of the entire planet every 30 minutes using a 2.56 to 16.36 Mbits per second connection with ground control. The images—and the video of the Northern Hemisphere—combines four light wavelengths, three visible and one infrared.”
Photo credit above: “Full disc satellite image of Earth from Russian Electro-L satellite (Russian Earth Observation centre).
Hail And High Water Grips South Texas. Here’s some wild video from AP, showing the flash flooding and large hail that pounded the Corpus Chrisi area of south Texas late Thursday: “Hail and heavy rains pounded Corpus Cristi, Texas on Thursday. One resident took advantage of the flooded streets to go street-surfing. (May 11).”
Driving Through A “Haboob”. Funny word huh? It’s Arabic. Are these on the increase or in a YouTube world are we just doing a better job of capturing the sandstorms that have always been there? Same question with tornadoes. Wish I had a good answer. Here’s some YouTube footage from the Phoenix area – these massive sandstorms (often triggered by thunderstorm downdrafts whipping up sand and dust) can drop visibilities close to zero at times: “Driving home through a miles wide AZ dust storm.”
Failing Satellites Jeopardize Weather Forecasting, Report Says. God help us if we lose our Eye in the Sky and can no longer monitor weather from a constellation of satellites. More from The L.A. Times: “WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. satellites watching Earth is expected to plummet by 2020, and weather forecasting, including hurricane tracking, could suffer as a result, a new report warns. The study, released last week by the nation’s top science advisors, estimated that the fleet of science satellites operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would “decline precipitously” from a peak of 110 probes last year to fewer than 30 in 2020. The drop is a result of several factors, including budget problems and rocket accidents, and scientists said the United States risked blurring its vision of Earth if it did not act quickly to replace satellites expected to die during the next eight years.”
Photo credit above: “Science satellites operated by NASA and NOAA track a broad range of environmental markers, including the thinning of ice sheets and changes in cloud cover and temperature. (NASA / June 26, 2010).”
House Slashes Funding Increase For NOAA Climate Website. Meteorologist Jason Samenow at The Washington Post has more details: “Of a possible $1.4 billion dollars in proposed spending cuts in the Departments of Commerce and Justice for 2013, the U.S. House Representatives voted to approve none of them. None of them except a piddly $542,000 for a NOAA climate website. The amendment was approved 219-189 Tuesday evening TheHill.com reported. The NOAA “climate website” is Climate.gov – a portal to NOAA’s climate information. The website – currently in a prototype stage – provides a rich set of climate information, tools, and data resources. With a little investment, it has the potential to provide tremendous benefits to decision makers.”
When Disaster Strikes The Nursing Home. Here’s an excerpt of a New York Times story: “As hailstones the size of golf balls beat thunderously on the roof of the nursing home, an urgent announcement rang out from the loudspeakers. “Everyone needs to go out into the halls now,” Kaye Russell, 70, remembers a nurse’s assistant saying. Staff members began rolling patients in wheelchairs through the doorway. “Put your heads down; arms over your head, everyone.” “Everybody was crying and praying,” said Ms. Russell, who has multiple sclerosis and had been recovering from a bout of pneumonia at the facility, Green Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Arlington, Tex. Suddenly, the roof began to shake, windows blew out and the nursing home was filled with a trainlike roar. Ms. Russell’s daughter, Lori Coakley, a physical therapist at the facility, rushed down the hall and threw herself on top of her mother.” Photo: Randy Widmayer. Over The Rainbow. Thanks to Joseph Rudd from Central Kentucky Interiors in Muir Station, KY for passing this one along.
Warming Trend. The 6-10 Day temperatures outlook from CPC, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, shows a strong warm bias from eastern Minnesota into New England next week – that should translate into a streak of 70s, even a few 80s. Map: Ham Weather.
“Vegas Sunrise”. Thanks to Thomas Dodson for passing this one along – very nice.
April Heat. Although not as extreme as March, April set hot-weather records across much of the west and southwest. All-time April monthly record highs were tied or broken at the following locations:
Phoenix, Arizona: 105°F on April 22 (previous 105° April temperatures occurred on 4/20/1989 and 4/29/1992)
Las Vegas, Nevada: 99°F on April 22 (tying old record set 4/30/1981)
Reno, Nevada: 90° on April 23 (old record 89° 4/30/1981)
Elko, Nevada: 87° on April 22 (old record 86° 4/30/1981). This also beat the previous so-warm-so-early-in-the-season record by 4°.
Ely, Nevada: 86° on April 22 (old record 82° 4/28/1992)
Winnemucca, Nevada: 90° on April 22 and 23 (tying old record set 4/30/1981)
Death Valley, California: 113° on April 22 and 23 (tying old record set on April 24, 1946). This temperature may also tie the U.S. national record for the month of April if one disavows a suspicious reading of 118° from Volcano Springs, California in April of 1898.
Grand Junction, Colorado: 89° on April 23 and 24 (tying all-time April record also set on 4/29 and 4/30, 1992)
Amarillo, Texas: 99° on April 25 (old April record 98° on 4/22/1989 and 4/22/1965)
Lubbock, Texas: 104° on April 25 (old April record 100° on 4/16/1925 and /22/1989)
Midland, Texas: 104° on April 25 (old April record 101° on 4/21/1989)
Abilene, Texas: 104° on April 25 (old April record 102° on 4/16/1925)
Childress, Texas: 106° (old April record 102° on three occasions, most recently on 4/3/2011)
The month was the hottest April on record for much of northern Texas (again):
Drought Hits Spain’s Wheat Crop. Dry weather is becoming a problem across parts of Europe; hardest hit: Spain.
Grain crops in Spain are suffering after an unusually dry autumn and winter. The amount of rainfall has been just half of normal in key grain producing regions.
In late April, increasing rainfall has started to improve the situation, particularly in the northern half of the country. If rain continues to fall regularly throughout May, there’s a chance that barley and wheat yields could rebound.
Spain is not the only European country grappling with a weak wheat crop. Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and other countries will likely see reduced yields as well due to dry weather. A cold spell at the end of February in Poland and Germany has also harmed crops.
Image Of The Day: Ice Melting On Russia’s Lake Baikal. Details from NASA’s Earth Observatory: “For several months each year, Russia’s Lake Baikal is covered by a thick layer of ice. Formation begins in late-December, and by mid-January the entire lake is usually blanketed. Come spring, the lake begins its long, slow melt. Patches of open water usually appear in the southern part of the lake in early May and move progressively northward. But it isn’t usually until late June that the last remnants of the ice have disappeared from the northern reaches of the lake.”
Texas Tornadoes. More than half a dozen tornado touchdowns were reported Thursday from San Antonio to Corpus Christi. For an interactive map of hail, damaging wind and tornado reports, clickhere. Map courtesy of Ham Weather.
Better Forecasts Are On The Radar For Duluth. Every NWS Doppler is getting a software/hardware upgrade to “dual-pol”; the Duluth News Tribune has details: “The radar at the National Weather Service office in Duluth will be out of order for a few days but will come back online better than ever. Crews are installing a new type of radar, called dual polarization, that will be better able to detect heavy rain that could cause flash floods, see through storms to identify the debris clouds caused by tornadoes and even tell the subtle difference between rain, sleet and snow. It’s part of a $50 million upgrade to the U.S. radar system that will see all 160 National Weather Service and military radars upgraded to dual polarization.”
Photo credit above: “The National Weather Service Duluth office radar dish as seen inside the large radar dome. The radar is being upgraded to give forecasters more live data on severe thunderstorms, rain and winter storms. The dish pointed straight up to allow crews to install the upgraded equipment. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com).”
Hurricane Irene Ranked Most Costly Category 1 Storm. Meteorologist Andrew Freedman at Climate Central has more details: “Hurricane Irene, which first made landfall in North Carolina on August 27, and went on to cause devastating flooding in several Northeastern states, is now ranked as the costliest Category One storm to strike the U.S. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Irene caused $15.8 billion in damage, much of it due to inland flooding. This ranking is a testament to how much expensive real estate the storm struck, as it marched up the eastern seaboard, passed directly over New York City, and swept through northern New England.”
Hubble To Use Moon As Giant Mirror To Observe Venus Transit. This is pretty cool – here’s an except from a post at gizmag.com: “From Earth’s perspective, on June 5 and 6, Venus will pass across the face of the Sun. By observing the tiny fraction of sunlight that passes through Venus’s atmosphere using the Hubble Space Telescope, it is hoped that the planet’s atmospheric makeup can be determined. Though we already know the nature of Venus’s atmosphere, it is hoped the event will help astronomers hone techniques, already in use, that may one day help to identify Earth-like planets in far-away solar systems. The catch? Hubble cannot observe the Sun directly. Instead it will look at the Moon to observe reflected light.”
Weather Fit For A Prince? Prince Charles doing the weather on TV? I think the seventh seal has been broken now. If Snooki winds up anchoring the NBC Nightly News I’m heading for the hills. More (including a video) from TVNewser. Hey, he did an admirable job! “Viewers of the BBC News in Scotland received quite a surprise today. The regular weather anchor took a break, and instead the forecast was delivered a by a special guest: The Prince of Wales himself, Prince Charles.”
Happy Wednesday and thanks to the National Weather Service out of El Paso, TX for sharing this picture on their Facebook page. It’s a double rainbow! See more pictures here
Highs Yesterday
The cold front sweeping through the eastern half of the country continues to cool things down. Highs yesterday were a little cooler than they were over the weekend. This is certainly a nice little reprieve from the heat and humidity we were dealing with a week ago.
Highs Today
It’ll be a little cooler yet again today with the exception of places out west and through the Plains.
High Temps From Normal
A ridge of high pressure out west is allowing temperatures to be a little warmer than normal.
Forecast Today
The most unsettled weather will be along the elongated cold front sweeping from the Eastern Seaboard into the Gulf Coast of Texas. A few thunderstorms could produce heavy rain and maybe strong strong winds or hail.
Severe Threat Today
Areas shaded in orange stand the best chance for hail, high winds and heavy rain, but again the threat is fairly limited today… good news!
Heavy Rain Forecast
Look at the rainfall forecast over the next 5 days, note the heavier rain across Texas and also in the Northeast. It is going to be quite soggy over the next couple of days there, bring something waterproof!
“After a decade of warmer than average Aprils in the U.S., few highest monthly maximum temperature records for April remain from the 20th Century. This image plots the decade in which the highest average April temperature record was set for different regions of the country, starting in 1911 (i.e., 1911-1920) and running through 2010, using data from the NOAA National Climatic Center’s detailed archives. The records broken in 2011 and 2012 are shown separately. Most of the pixel colors are associated with the 2001-2010, 2011 and 2012 time periods. Gray indicates no data (records) are associated with that area of the country.“
Thanks to the National Weather Service out of Las Vegas, Nevada for sharing this picture on their Facebook page. A dust devil actually caused some damage to a local establishment near Las Vegas, see more picture HERE
Thanks for checking in and have a great rest of your week!
Thanks to the National Weather Service out of Seattle Washington for this beautiful sunrise picture from earlier today.
High Temps on Monday
Quiet a temperature change from what we had last week.
Forecast Highs Today
These are the forecast highs for today, which shows a continued cooling trend. Note the 60s showing up across west Texas!
High Temps From Normal
This pocket of cooler air associated with an upper level low and scattered rain/thunder, will keep temperatures in west Texas nearly 20° cooler than normal!
Storm Reports Last Week
The good news is that severe weather is not expected to be as widespread as it has been over the last several days. In fact, over the last week, there have been over 2200 PRELIMINARY hail, high wind and tornado reports!
Today’s Thunder Potential
Note the red areas across the Deep South… this is along the leading edge of the cooler push of air as it drops south and east.
Severe Potential
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a SLIGHT RISK of severe weather today across parts of Texas and New Mexico on the tail end of the cold front sweeping south and east. Hail, high winds and heavy rain look to be the primary threat, but we can’t rule out an isolated tornado.
Rain Forecast Along Front
Look at the rainfall forecast along the cold front from the Northeast to the western portions of Texas. There will be pockets of heavier rain, but more so through southwestern Texas where flash flood watches have been posted.
Flash Flood Risk
The National Weather Service continues Flash Flood Watches until late this afternoon for flash flooding potential. Rainfall could be 2″ to 4″
Dino Farts Caused Global Warming?
Thanks to Gizmodo for this… who would ever thunk it? Dino farts… Really?
“A lot of dinosaurs were big eating machines. Now, scientists have calculated how much gas they would have expelled as a result of their digestion—and the quantities they produced probably meant that they warmed their own climate through letting rip.”
