a break from work...

It feels good to be back at work. As you know, I love my job, but as much as I love it it is also nice to get away a little bit. That's what me and the Mrs. did last week. We made a pitstop in Tallahassee to see my final FSU game of the year.
So far it has been a little rough for my Noles. The 'D' has been decimated my injuries and that is showing up on the field. We have barely half the players we had on D in the first game against Miami. Of course, you can not make excuses as injuries are a part of the game.

Our final tailgate was a lot of fun despite the loss. We always get there real early and on the menu for this game were brats with peppers and onions. Some old meteorology buddies even joined us for the fun. You can see by our flag pole that even though we are at Florida State we represent the state of Georgia well!

After the game it was off to visit my folks at the beach. We spent Sunday-Friday at the beach and had a blast. The weather was a little cool, but still a lot warmer than things here back in Atlanta. The highs were in the low 70s with lows in the 40s and 50s. Not bad. Although we did not go into the Gulf of Mexico, it is still pretty warmer this time of year... in the 70s. A little cool for me, but I know kids would have no problem getting into it. If you have never been to the Gulf this time of year I highly recommend it. To me it is the best time of year!

Well, back to the old grind. :-)


--Chris

Get Yer Hands Dirty!

We're smack in the middle of fall - there's plenty of football in the air and soon, your doorbell will be ringing with costumed visitors looking for goodies. Since we're expecting a sunny day Saturday, think about getting some fall planting done. The cooler temperatures and shorter days make for ideal soil conditions for planting perennials and woody plants. This way, they'll be ready for next yearÂ’s spring and summer gardens. And with our fickle weather, planting now could help you save money by reducing outdoor water usage.

My friends at the waterSmart Program, a statewide water conservation education campaign, asked me to pass along some helpful tips all you gardeners. First, they strongly suggest that you try to use as many drought-tolerant plants as you can. Here's a shot list of some plants and trees that don't require a lot of water:

Tulip Poplar Tree:

Butterfly Bush:

Carolina Jessamine:

Trumpet vine or creeper:

Beautyberry:

Aster:

Live oak tree:

Here are some waterSmart fall planting tips:

* Water newly-planted shrubs, trees, and turf early in the morning before plants experience water stress.

* Add organic matter or composted materials to native soils to retain more water and nutrients when planting.

* Use mulch, even when the weather is cool, to help retain soil moisture, suppress weed growth and reduce soil erosion.

Happy planting!

How Sweet It Was...

Hopefully you had a chance to come down to the Taste of Atlanta this weekend down at Atlantic Station. CBS46 was one of the sponsors of the event so we were down there all weekend handing out free gifts and meeting folks. I met so many nice folks from all over the metro area. The weather could not have been more perfect for the event with highs in the upper 60s to near 70.

My wife was able to join me at the event and we had a great time! There was such an ecletic mix of food. From the exotic to the good ol' standby's like Waffle House. The event was a huge success as they actually ended up selling out Saturday and Sunday looked like it was about as busy.

I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Needless to say, when I got home after spending two days of filling myself up... I might not eat again until Thanksgiving... O.K. make that Halloween!

By the way, CBS46 will be over in Little 5 Points this Friday and Saturday for all the festivities. Our own Gene Norman will be driving the StormTracker 46 Weather Chaser van in the parade Saturday!


See ya then!


--Chris

thanks kids!

As I have mentioned before... going out to schools and speaking to kids is one of my favorite parts of my job. Last week I was invited to come to speak at Snapfinger Elementary in DeKalb County. I ended up speaking to about 115 4th graders. I have to admit, 4th graders are my favorite grade to speak to. It is because I was in the 4th grade when I decided I wanted to be a meteorologist. Plus, by the 4th grade the kids are getting pretty smart when it comes to science, but they have not quite gotten to those crazy middle school years.

The kids at Snapfinger asked lots of good questions and I think we had a great time. Typically when I speak to schools
I do weather experiments illustrating different things when it comes to the weather. For the kids at Snapfinger I did an experiment where I make it rain inside of a jar, I showed the kids my magic frisbee which changes colors when exposed to sunlight, and I plugged a leaky jug just by cutting the air pressure. I know I enjoyed myself and it looked like the kids did too.

If you would ever like for a member of the StormTracker46 Weather Team to come visit your school or civic club just give us a call or drop us an e-mail. We would be happy to come visit!

Until then....


--Chris

A Close Call

These storms spun up quickly and could be a sign of the kind of weather we can expect from time to time this fall due to a split jet stream. When this happens, we get shots of cold air that sink into the south on the polar jet stream, along with moisture-leaden winds of the sub-tropical jet stream. When the two hook up in just the right way - they can provide the dangerous weather we saw today.

By the way, whenever we get severe weather, please feel free to share any photos you take by e-mailing us at our web site cbs46weather@cbs46.com.

These ominous clouds, called wall clouds, quickly moved in from the Georgia-Alabama border tonight and right into downtown Atlanta. Quick-thinking viewers Kim Cornwell and Patti Styles sent me these pictures of the storm as it moved through Douglasville this afternoon. The storm path nearly paralleled Interstate 20 and prompted numerous tornado warnings. Funnel clouds were sighted, but never touched the ground. These storms developed ahead of a cold front, using the warm air we've enjoyed this week as fuel. High winds in the upper-atmosphere also created a favorable environment for twisting winds that caused the funnels to appear. Here's a map of the path of the storm and times the funnel clouds were spotted:

While no funnels reached the ground to cause any damage, there were strong winds with the storms and winds gusts were strong enough to knock down trees and powerlines in Polk and Douglas counties. Also, there were a few reports of trees down on homes in Northwest Atlanta. Here's a map of the wind damage:

A Breath of Fresh Air

Recently I was invited to speak at the National Clear Air Conference in Keystone, Colorado. I didn't quite know what to expect when I headed out there - and I wasn't quite sure what we'd be doing - but I was very excited about the possibilities.
Several organizations from around the country and around the world were represented. Several of the groups were from the "emissions" field. Some attendees were government officials, others were from automobile companies, still others were from environmental management groups, and some were simply concerned citizens. I was the only media representative.
You may recall that over the past several weeks I've been bringing you stories during our 4:00 newscast about this years SMOG SEASON. Sadly, here in Atlanta we had one of the worst SUMMER SMOG SEASONS we've had in years. .... not exactly the kind of news I wanted to brag about around "clear air" table. But after listening to people from other cities around the country (and around the world) talk about their "air quality" issues - let me tell you something - we have a lot to be proud of!
I was able to share with everyone the good works and amazing effort done by the folks at our Clean Air Campaign! I was also able to talk about the educational programs that are taken into our classrooms everyday to better educate our children about the dangers of smog and air pollution. I showed how we at CBS46 are keeping our audience ahead of the game by posting the daily air quality index value as well as giving safety tips on how to stay healthy when the air is so bad.
So many of our businesses are offering alternative commuting programs for their employees. Carpooling, vanpooling, and busing have become ways of life for thousands of Atlantans that want to make a difference. And believe me, that doesn't happen everywhere.
We may not be able to solve our smog problem immediately, but we are taking steps to improve the air we breath. I shared a few of our good ideas - and I was able to walk away with a great deal more. Getting our air clean and keeping it that way has to be a priority. And hopefully conferences and efforts like this one will help us to all be breathing a little easier very soon.

Harvest Moon...

Although there is not a lot of a fall feel in the air this Sunday with high temperatures into the 80s there is a sure sign that cooler weather is on the way... the harvest moon. The harvest moon will be here this Friday night (11:13pm).

As most of you know, the harvest moon is the full moon nearest the Autumnal equinox. The moon also happens to be at perigee. That means the moon is closest to the Earth for the month. This means the moon will appear just a bit larger than it typically does.

The reason why the harvest moon gets its name is from the fact that farmers who were harvesting their crops at this time of year were able to use the extra light of the harvest moon to continue the work in the fields.

So, although temperatures are expected to be in the 80s most of this coming week have no fear, one true sign that cooler weather is coming will shine upon us this Friday.


Have a great week!


--Chris