Violent Storms in Central U.S.

Image from AccuWeather.com

It turns out that last Wednesday's severe weather outbreak didn't impact as many people as meteorologists had predicted.  Nor was it as dangerous an outbreak as they thought it might be.  Things have changed a bit since the middle of last week, however, as severe weather has been rolling through the middle of the country. States impacted over the weekend include Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.  The weather was unstable as heavy thunderstorms and isolated tornadoes swept through.  The violent weather came eastward today. States impacted include Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and states even further eastward will be hit by the storms in the coming days. Unfortunately, according to the Associated Press, seven people have died in Alabama and Mississippi as a result of the severe weather on Monday.  Some of the images being sent to AccuWeather.com show how strong these storms are and how much damage they can produce.  I suggest people check out the site and see what's happening.

Severe T-Storms & Possible Tornadoes for the Plains

The number of tornadoes for this season is below average, but that doesn't mean there won't be any in the near future.  On Wednesday, April 23, there will be a threat for tornadoes in the middle of the country. States that will be impacted include northern Texas and most of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. According to AccuWeather.com severe weather expert Henry Margusity, "The next round of severe storms will hit Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night. The impact of the storms will be tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. Wednesday is the day when we may see over 10 tornadoes across the High Plains." Below is an image of where Henry Margusity is predicting the worst of the storms to occur. The brighter red color represents the highest probability for tornadic activity.



AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski says that "the stage is being set for violent thunderstorms to line the central and southern Plains later Wednesday afternoon and night, from Nebraska to west-central Texas."
Hopefully there isn't much of an outbreak of tornadoes on Wednesday, but even with strong storms, people need to monitor the latest weather alerts to make sure a strong storm doesn't become a tornadic storm. If there is a large outbreak, well, let's hope we don't see many more this year.

Warm to cold temps, chance of snow?

Just when you thought the wintry weather was over, it's going to return, but for just one day.

Today's weather features strong storms in the South and snow in the Midwest.  Stormy weather is occurring in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and northern Florida, while snow is falling in parts of northern Illinois and parts of Wisconsin and Michigan.

It's not like we thought the winter weather was over, right?

I remember once when I was younger when snow fell in May in upstate New York.  The snow coated the grass and it was hard to believe that it had snowed in May. Memorial Day was just around the corner.  Of course most of the snow melted during the day as temperatures warmed up.

Local new station WRGB (CBS 6) is predicting a period of snow and sleet Tuesday night as temperatures drop into the mid 20s.  According to Chief Meteorologist Steve LaPointe, "A couple of inches of snow possible in the Adirondacks, Vermont with a coating possible in valley locations."  Let's hope that the moisture passes by the time temperatures drop to freezing.

Before the potential wintry weather we will deal with heavy rain and wind, possibly causing flooding in some areas.  Thursday we get back to seasonable temperatures in the mid 50s.

According to AccuWeather.com meteorologist Jordan Root, the main threat from the storms in the South will be "damaging winds and torrential downpours, which could lead to flash flooding."

Here is an image courtesy of AccuWeather.com showing where the stormy weather will be on Tuesday.

Back in upstate New York

I'm back in Saratoga Springs, New York after vacationing in Florida for a week.  The weather was gorgeous on the beach and really couldn't have asked for anything better.  Even the day the weathermen predicted a chance of rain turned out to be a nice day.  The temperatures were in the upper 70's most of the time, sometimes in the low 80's.  We spent much of the day walking the beach or the surrounding streets close by, and also hanging out by the pool.  I went in the Gulf of Mexico a few times and tried to look for shells but the shelling wasn't very good compared to other years.  The starfish were new this year though.  I did find a few shells which I posted in my last entry and I brought those home with me.  We also played miniature golf one night at a place called Jungle Golf.  I haven't played in a couple years so that was a lot of fun.

Being back in upstate New York is a little bit of a shock since when you're in Florida you don't want to leave the nice weather.  There was a storm during the middle of the week which brought some snow and ice to upstate New York so I knew there would be about the same amount of snow on the ground.  I was hoping the snow base would be lower but it looks about the same.  I usually enjoy snowstorms in the winter, however the lasting cold this winter and the bouts of snow every now and then has left me no choice but to hope for springtime weather.  At least it looks like there will be moderating temperatures by the middle of the week.  We'll take 40 degree weather, and hope for 50 and then 60!

Florida vacation continued

Well me and my parents made it to Florida and we have been in the condo since Saturday evening.  The weather has been awesome.  Temperatures have been in the upper 70's to low 80's, and sunny.  We have been down to the pool a couple times and have walked the beach a few times. I looked for shells on Sunday and today, and it's been a lot different from the last couple of years, as there are not many shells to be found.  I had to look hard for the ones I found today, which I think are pretty nice, hopefully you do too. I found a starfish which is different, and some coral.  I took a few pictures and I'll post them below. I'll go out in the Gulf of Mexico and search for shells a couple more times. I will post if I find any more.  Here are the pictures.

Shells

Starfish

Coral

Florida vacation

I will be traveling to Fort Myers Beach, Florida later today for a vacation.  Me and my parents go every year in March, we stay in a condominium right on the Gulf of Mexico.

We visit my grandparents who are down there for a few months as they like to get away for the winter.  In previous years we stayed on Captiva Island.  To get to Captiva you need to take a bridge from Fort Myers to is the island.  We have gone to visit Captiva the last couple of years for a day trip, simply to enjoy how beautiful the island is.  It brings back memories for me because when I was younger we always stayed on Captiva Island, we only recently began staying in Fort Myers Beach.

My favorite parts of being right on the water is that there is decent shelling.  I like looking for shells, especially sand dollars.  I found a sand dollar last March that was intact, I was pretty excited.  It can be extremely difficult to find sand dollars intact.  This year I will be on a quest to find some new shells as well.  Sometimes you really have to look in the sand for these treasures, feeling the ground to come across a shell.

I'm looking forward to the sunny weather and I'm excited to go look for shells. I will update this entry once I'm in Fort Myers about the weather and if I found some good shells. I will try to post pictures too.

Warmer Air Means Thunderstorm Risk for Midwest, Southern States

After all this cold weather this season, a brief warm up is coming starting tomorrow, Thursday, February 20th and Friday the 21st. Much of the northern states have a deep snow cover, and although temperatures are supposed to rise into the low 40's and mid 50's in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, not a whole lot of snow will melt.  Same goes for Albany, New York, where temperatures will be around 40 degrees tomorrow and in the mid 40's for Friday. There is not predicted to be much of a snow melt because this warm up is not going to last long, as cooler weather comes back on Sunday where in Albany temperatures will be in the low to mid 30's.  It has been some time since we've seen temperatures in the 40's, so although a two to three day event, most residents will surely take it.  A sign that March is almost here and spring type weather is close behind.

As far as the midwest and southern states, a sure sign of spring is arriving. A severe weather outbreak is expected starting on Thursday and lasting into Friday. Cities such as Cincinnati, Ohio and Nashville, Tennessee are in line for heavy rain, strong winds, and thunderstorms. Tornadoes cannot be ruled out.

According to Severe Weather Expert Henry Margusity of AccuWeather.com, "The greatest risk for a handful of tornadoes will be where the air is the warmest and most humid, which is most likely from western Tennessee to northwestern Mississippi on Thursday."

Below is an image courtesy of AccuWeather which shows where the heaviest and highest risk of severe weather will be.

Winter Storm in Southern States; Potentially in the Northeast

Between Tuesday, February 11th and Thursday, February 13th, a winter storm is likely to cause widespread wintry conditions from Dallas, Texas across to Charlotte, North Carolina.

This is just after a winter storm caused damage in the south two weeks ago. Many residents of Atlanta, Georgia abandoned their cars on highways, staying overnight in stores, while students spent the night in school buses. Atlanta only received 2 to 3 inches of snow, but since they don't receive wintry precipitation very often, residents were caught off guard and didn't know how to react once it started snowing. Salt and plow trucks were not prepared and roads became slippery for motorists. Forecasters didn't call for snow or ice in Atlanta, so it's understandable why residents weren't ready for a round of wintry weather.

Will Atlanta be ready for round two? This time around there has already been more notice about this winter storm, called Winter Storm Pax by The Weather Channel. Forecasters are predicting significant icing for the Atlanta area. Other cities in this icing zone include Dallas, TX, Shreveport, LA, Birmingham, AL, and Charlotte, NC. It appears that the heavier icing will occur in a stripe from Atlanta to Charlotte, where a quarter to three-quarters of an inch of icing could occur. It wouldn't be surprising if some localized areas receive one inch of ice. This much icing could cause prolonged power outages. Below is an image from AccuWeather about this upcoming winter storm.

As far as our area goes, there is some question as to whether or not this storm will come up the Atlantic coast and give upstate New York a big snowstorm.  For now, forecasters will continue to monitor the latest computer models and more of a consensus will come for the middle of the week. The time frame for a potential storm would be Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. It looks like a 50% chance as of right now.

Lake-effect snow in Oswego, NY

Both photos were taken by me at SUNY Oswego in 2007

My first year of college was at SUNY Oswego on the shoreline of Lake Ontario.  Oswego, NY is known for its harsh cold and wind and enormous amounts of snow.  Oswego gets what is called lake enhancement, or lake effect-snow.  Lake-effect snow can produce very large totals of snow over a relatively short amount of time, or over a few days when totals can exceed one to two feet.  Oswego is located in a location where a snow band often sets up over the town.  When I was at Oswego I remembered many days of heavy snowfall and high snow totals, resulting in the campus being closed and classes being cancelled.  One lake-effect snowstorm left snow drifts as high as the roofs of cars.  Snow coated the sides of buildings and blanketed roads.

Lake-effect snowstorms can be an impressive event.  One thing is for sure, I will never forget the weather in Oswego, NY.  Compared to the snowstorms we get in eastern upstate NY, the storms in Oswego are more intense and produce more snow.  It is not uncommon for Oswego and surrounding towns to receive upwards of three to four feet plus.

Sometimes these lake-effect storms are called lake-effect blizzards, when strong winds can accompany lake-effect snows creating blizzard-like conditions.