BIG TROUBLE DOWN UNDER

Even though we're not tracking hurricanes anymore in the Atlantic, the season continues on the other side of the world. Australia, which is in the Southern Hemisphere, is approaching their peak at the end of their summer/beginning of their fall. A week after powerful Cyclone Larry Hit, Cyclone Glenda , packing winds of 175 mph is sliding along the western coast of the continent. That makes two category 5 hurricnaes in the span of a week. This unusual occurence could also mean that the factors spawning strong hurricanes are a world-wide phenomenon, not just something that affecting the Atlantic.

You can check out the action on the Bureau of Meteorology web site for Australia at http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDE00902.loop.shtml. As you watch the loop, you'll notice something odd. Glenda is spinning in the "wrong" direction. From our view, the cloud blob appears to be turning in a clockwise direction. Hurricanes, turn in a counter-clockwise direction. But, if you were standing at the equator, looking "down" at the storm, it would appear to be turning counter-clockwise. It's all a matter of perspective.

Finally, the storms are called Cyclones down under and not Hurricanes. The name we use has its origins from native people in the Carribbean. In the Western Pacific Ocean they are called Typhoons and in the Indian Ocean simply Cyclones.

It's All In A Days Work....

A couple of weeks ago I put you on allergy alert. The spring season is here and that means the beautiful trees, green grasses, and colorful flowers that we love during this time of the year will be making some people around these parts pretty miserable. And indeed that has been the case. Well now the blonde town crier speaks again and this time I'm talking about something that's a little more serious. Instead of an alert I'm passing along more of a warning - get ready, our summer smog season is just around the corner.
Here in Atlanta there is always some degree of air pollution floating around out there - but the warmer temperatures of the spring and summer combined with a few other key atmospheric conditions can turn a tolerable level of pollution into a life or death situation for people with asthma or respiratory problems.
I will be working with the folks at the Clean Air Campaign this year in trying to get the word out about the seriousness of our dirty air - and ways that every single person around here can help to make a difference. In the next couple of weeks we'll be introducing you to folks around the city that are making the commitment to cleaner air --- and inturn making Atlanta a healthier place to live.
I hope you'll watch and join in our efforts to get and keep our air clean. And don't forget, starting in May we'll be giving you the daily Air Quality Index reading and keeping you on top of any code orange or code red alerts that are issued.

Spring Break

With the cold weather here in the metro area and the kids across northern Georgia on or about to be on Spring Break I know a lot of you will be heading to the beaches of Georgia and Florida.

I will be headed down to Grayton Beach, Florida for a little R and R myself before we get to the heart of severe weather season in April and May. I know the extra rest now will be needed once those storm get going later.

I was checking the water temperatures in the panhandle and the Georgia Coast and lets just say... you gotta be brave to get in the water! Still air temperatures along both coasts should be pretty nice this week with highs generally in the 70s and only small chances of rain.

Make sure to stay tuned to CBS46 because Gene Norman and Laura Huckabee will be giving you your Florida and Georgia beach forecasts to get you prepared if you are traveling south. If you will be sticking around town we will have you covered with the weather forecast for your neighborhood as well.

Have a great week and I will have some pictures of my vacation next week.


--Chris

Late Freeze???

This weekend we could see freezing temperatures around the metro area!! It may come as a surprise to you, but it should not because a late March freeze is not uncommon.
We probably got spoiled by the warm weather of last week, however... looking back in history Atlanta's last freeze is usually during the last week of March. The latest freeze ever for Atlanta is April 25. That occurred back in 1910. So, be careful what you plant or you might get burned!

Although the snow fizzled before it got started last night... we were pretty close to getting an inch or two in the mountains. How rare is a March snow? Fairly rare, but not unheard of. Remember the superstorm of 1993? That was on March 12-13. In March of '86 we got 1.2" of snow and in '96 we got .20" of the white stuff.

From what I can tell by digging in the record books I was unable to find an April snow for Atlanta. Soooo, if we can make it past next weekend we are probably in the clear as far as snow.

Right now the forecast looks pretty good for the last week of March. Things should begin to warm up and we will push 70 by the middle part of next week!

Have a great weekend!


--Chris

Touch-A-Truck Thanks...

I just wanted to thank everyone that stopped by the Touch-A-Truck event Saturday in downtown Kennesaw. I was there with our StormTracker46 Weather Chaser van and got to meet so many viewers both young and old.

The organizers did a great job getting trucks of all types. There were fire trucks, police trucks, front end loaders and much much more. The kids had a great time crawling in, through, and over all of them.

Despite having lived in Georgia for over 20 years it was my first visit to downtown Kennesaw and it certainly was a treat. Being a history buff it was cool to see The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. If you have not done so already, get the family together and check it out!

A great event coming up in Kennesaw will be on Saturday, April 8 when they have the annual Easter egg hunt. For all the scoops you can click here.

Although spring will officially begin Monday (3/20) at 1:26pm it certainly won't feel very springy. As a matter a fact, temperatures are expected to remain below average all week!

Lets hope it warms up by the time the Easter bunny comes hopping to town!


--Chris

USING RADAR WHEN THERE'S NO RAIN

If you watch CBS 46 Weather, you know we have this powerful tool called First Track 3-D radar. It picks apart storms to show us where the most dangerous winds, hail and possible tornadoes are and where they're going. But did you know it can see other things? Well, today, as I was driving into work, I saw this dark smudge on the horizon. I figured it must have been a big fire and when I got to work, I found out that indeed, there was a big fire in Cobb county. The plume of smoke was visible on our First Track 3-D radar and I recorded this image:

The blue blob is the plume of smoke, circled in white. The arrows indicate the direction of the wind, which was from the northwest. This picture was taken a little after 1 pm, nearly two hours after the fire started. As you can see the smoke cuts across the Brookwood split, where I-75 and I-85 join, just north of downtown. Then the smoke continues into Decatur.

So, even when there isn't any rain out there, the radar beam can see small particles, like dust and show us where they are and where they're moving. Pretty neat, huh?

Just a Few Reminders

We are entering the time of year that many people walk the wire on - Spring. You've got to be crazy not to love the beautiful colors, gentle sweet smells, and goldenly warm temperatures of the approaching season. But if you're an allergy sufferer ( which praise the Lord above, I am not) this time of the year is utter misery.
I have done many a story on the allergens around this place. Trees are your initial problem pollens but before long, grasses are giving 'em a good run for their money.
The doctors offices will be filling up quickly for shots, pills, and nose squirting devices promising a little relief from all of the beauty that flourishes throughout this area.
Remember, we'll be doing a daily pollen count during our weathercast - to give you an idea of just how much kleenex you'll need to stash away in your pockets and purses.
A Polish friend of mine once told me, "Laura, remember, the most beautiful flowers are usually poisonous." We weren't exactly talking about allergies - but you get the idea.
So here's to one of the most beautiful seasons in the south - which is also an enormous pain in the ----." (nose)
Have a great day.

Achewwww!!

Yep, it's that time of year again... the time for sniffling and sneezing! With temperatures near 80 this weekend it seemed like the whole city was in Piedmont Park. While walking through the park I could not help but notice all the trees beginning to show their leaves. Those leaves mean one thing... ALLERGIES!

Of course I did not have to take a stroll through the park to know the pollen season is here... just walk through our newsroom and you will see plenty of weepy eyes and folks sneezing.

Luckily, I am one of the few folks that is blessed and does not have big allergy problems. Why, I am not sure. Maybe after having lived here in the south for more than 20 years that helps! In the mean time I will knock on wood and keep my fingers crossed!

The pollen count Friday was 124 and I would suspect it will be even higher Monday. If there is any good news, we will get a little rain relief Monday night to wash some of that pollen out of the air... temporarily.

In the mean time, grab your tissues and your mister/inhaler/medicine and think summer!


--Chris Smith

Spring Comes With A Price

If you're like me, waiting on Spring to arrive is like waiting on grass to grow. I'm so ready for it to be warmer and sunnier for more hours of the day, that I have become a little irritated. Ah, but it does pay to be patient (or at least that's what I hear). This week has been well worth the wait. It's been warm enough to turn the heat off, cool enough to keep the air conditioner off. You've gotta love it!
The only problem is - now mother nature is calling in the note....
The price is a round of showers and storms that have already produced several tornados on their way through the south today.
A Thursday night of CSI and Without A Trace - serenaded by the pitter patter of hard hitting raindrops on your roof - and an occasional crescendo of erupting thunder ???? Sounds like a winner to me.
In all seriousness - stay with us in the event of any possible chance of severe weather. The CBS46 Weather Team will always give you advance notice of any showers or storms that could move into your neighborhood.

A Dry Weekend!!!

If it seems like forever since you went through a weekend without having to use the umbrella you would be right. January 7-8 was the last time we escaped a weekend without rain! Mother Nature did her best to get some rain in here this evening, but the rain held off until after midnight!

With the nice spring weather we are really beginning to see some nice color. The Bradford Pear trees look like giant balls of cotton and I even caught a few cherry blossoms popping out a little early in midtown! The forsythia (see above) are in bloom and you know the tulips are not far away!
I know there are lots of pretty places around northern Georgia and we want to see your pictures. Just e-mail your signs of spring to us at cbs46weather@cbs46.com. Let us know where you took the picture and who knows... you might end up seeing it on the news!

The weather this week looks pretty nice so get out and enjoy it!


--Chris

In Like A Lamb?

According to a weather proverb, March is supposed to come in like a lamb and go out like a lion. Or is it the other way around? Either way, March is a month with many weather surprises as the atmosphere balances the cold air dropping out of the arctic and the warm air trying to rise up from the Tropics. These collisions can lead to strong storms and even big snow storms (anyone remember the Storm Of The Century in 1993?). According to the Climate Prediction Center, March should be a fairly seasonable month as far as temperatures go, but we could see slightly more rain than normal. So what is normal? Well, our average low temperature in March is 42 and our average high is 64. March is, on average, our wettest month averaging 5.77 inches of rain. If you want another take on this long range forecast, check out what the Farmer's Almanac has to say:

March 2006:
1st-3rd. Generally fair.
4th-7th. Clear and warmer.
8th-11th. Fair and pleasantly mild.
12th-15th. Stormy over the Mississippi Valley. Increasing clouds farther east, with warm temperatures.
16th-19th. Squally Gulf Coast north into Tennessee River Valley. The Carolinas, Georgia and Florida remain dry.
20th-23rd. Clearing for the Mississippi Valley. Showers farther east.
24th-27th. Fair returns. Windy for the Gulf States.
28th-31st. Showers, then fair.

Oh well, at least this weekend will be dry for a change. It's only the second time in 2006 that we'll have a weekend without rain. Enjoy!

Gene Norman