SMOKE ON THE RADAR

If you were watching CBS 46 News Today at 6 pm (Friday, January 26), you no doubt saw the horrible apartment fire burning in DeKalb county near Pine Lake. We first got word of it at
5:30 pm and when we went on the air at 6, firefighters were battling to put it out. Thankfully, no one was hurt and because the winds were not gusty as they were on Thursday, so the wind didn't cause the fire to spread. Most of the smoke plume rose straight up in the air and then drifted to the northeast because of prevailing southwesterly winds.

Not surprisingly, the smoke was captured by our First Track 3-D radar. We usually use this sophisticated technology to track storms, but today it was able to see the smoke:

You see, the radar beam shoots out and up into the atmosphere and if any part of the beam is deflected back to the radar, the radar can measure the strength of the return. During a heavy rainstorm, a good part of the beam bounces back off the raindrops and we can tell there's a lot of rain. However, today, parts of the beam detected that there was something over Stone Mountain. That something was the smoke and ash rising from the fire down below. The signature only lasted for about an hour and then it was gone. Once the fire was out and the smoke dissipated, there was nothing left to see on the radar display.

BURNING SMART

On these chilly January nights, keeping warm is key and if you have a fireplace, you've probably been running your fireplace. For some, the burning logs provide warmth and relaxation, but others might see their fireplace as a way to cut down on fuel costs. Be careful, because that chimney can be an energy sink. When a fire is burning, up to 80 percent of heated air flows up the chimney and out of your home, and air heated by your heating system can also be pulled up and out as well! As warm air is drawn up the chimney, cooler air can be pulled into your home through leaks in doors, windows, and other openings, making your home heating system work overtime to warm things up again.

So what should you do? If you use your fireplace often, consider making it more efficient by installing glass doors. Vents along the bottoms or sides of the doors allow a small amount of air to flow into the fireplace, and the glass radiates the heat from the fire into your home, rather than outside. If you rarely or never use your fireplace, consider sealing the damper with weatherstripping to keep the cold air out.

Our friends over at Georgia Power have some more tips on fireplace efficiency at their web site: https://energycheckup.southerncompany.com/library/firepl.asp?mnuOpco=gpc&mnuType=res&mnuItem=ea

As long as we're stuck in this chilly weather pattern, you'll need these tips. Don't forget groundhog day is just about two weeks away.

SUNNY SAN ANTONIO???

Where have I been the past week? I, along with thousands of other meteorologists converged on San Antonio for the 87th annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The AMS consists of meteorologists who are scientists and researchers, government employees and of course, broadcasters. Approximately two hundred of my brethren attended training classes and gave presentations on trends in our industry and examples of how we cover various severe weather episodes.



It is an AMS tradition that strange weather occurs in the city where the annual meeting is held. This year was no exception, as an ice storm arrived in the Alamo City. Nearly everything outside of the main loop around town (similar to our I-285) was shut down and schools were closed. The normally busy shops and restaurants that line the picturesque Riverwalk were vacant as natives bundled up as best they could. Freezing temperatures arrived on Monday morning and didn’t lift until mid-day Wednesday.

In many ways, the ice that formed in San Antonio happens in a way that is similar to the kind of ice we can get in North Georgia with one notable exception. To get ice, you need two ingredients – low level moisture at around 3 to 5 thousand feet and cold air at the surface. This way, rain falls out of the clouds, but it freezes when it collects on surfaces at the ground, like trees, highway overpasses, etc. Its one of the most deceptive weather threats because it looks like its just raining. The icing occurs over the course of a few hours and before you know it, everything is covered in a cold glaze. San Antonio sits just south of an elevated piece of land called the Balcones escarpment. Cold air coming in from North Texas will cool and sink as it flows south of the escarpment. In Georgia, we sit at the tail end of the Appalachians and our cold air source comes from a wedge of air that is pushed down the east coast that banks up against the Appalachians.

Having lived in Texas for a number of years, I know how beautiful San Antonio can be, but this time around, it was a kind of winter wonderland.

Holy Cow-eta!!!!

2 tornadoes in three days! Yikes! That is what Coweta County residents dealt with the other week when a F-1 tornado struck on Friday the 5th and an F-2 tornado hit on Sunday the 7th. The two tornadoes were just miles apart!

Although the atmospheric set-up was almost exactly the same for both tornadoes the Friday storm was in the morning while the Sunday storm was in the evening... proving that tornadoes can strike any time of day.

On Sunday the 7th, meteorologist Greg Majewski and myself started tracking a supercell thunderstorm south of Montgomery, AL. around 3 in the afternoon and followed its track into the evening hours as it made its way toward the metro area. Numerous reports of damage and tornadoes followed the storm so we knew that it was going to be an active evening as the storm approached a moist and unstable atmosphere over the peach state.

The storm first hit Troup and Heard Counties prompting warnings, but we did not have much in the way of damage reports. Once the storm moved in southern Coweta County, around 6:40pm, our FirstTrack 3D radar showed that the storm was rotating and may have been producing a tornado. Indeed the storm did produce a tornado and a damage path that was 4 miles long and 200 yards wide. You can read more about the storm by reading the damage survey done by the National Weather Service.

These two severe weather episodes impacted me personally as it was the first time I was covering something that had the potential to impact my family. My sister's family lives in Newnan and my parents were up visiting them from Florida. As they watched me they carefully watched CBS46 while they waited in the hallway. Thanksfully, they tornado avoided downtown Newnan and they were safe. Still, as I tracked the tornado there were a few anxious moments for me.

We have had our FirstTrack 3D radar for nearly 2 years now and the power of our radar continues to impress me as it seems like every time there is a tornado across northern Georgia, our radar indicates it with the spinning tubes. Notice the picture of the tubes above on our FirstTrack 3D radar and how they show match exactly where the tornado touched down. Luckily we were able to be out in front of the storm and there ended up being no serious injuries.

January tornadoes are not terribly common although we have had 2 this year and we had that outbreak last year on January 2nd. Expect more active weather this winter and spring as this El Nino weather pattern promises to give us a much better chance of storm weather.

In the mean time review your families severe weather plan so you can be prepared the next time Mother Nature gets out of hand!

Have a good week.


--Chris

Comet Watching

If you're an early riser, look toward the eastern sky the next few mornings, January 10 and 11 and you might see a glimpse of Comet McNaught. Astonomers say that for ideal viewing, you'll need three things: an unobstructed view of the horizon, perfect conditions and binoculars. Basically, look in the direction that the sun is rising, say around 7:30 am. Here's what one lucky person saw in Sweden the other day:

If you don't see it, try around sunset, which is around 5:45 pm and look toward the western sky. Wait a few minutes after the sun has set and you might see it. If you do, why not e-mail me a picture and if you do, we could show it on the air. Good luck!