Holy Smokes...

As I told you the other week, I was in the Bahamas last week for the Bahamas Weather Conference. I know, I know... rough gig! Well, there actually is some work done at this conference. :-) Hurricane experts and television meteorologists from across the country attend to share information, techniques on forecasting, and how to explain these tropical tempests to the general public.

One of the hot topics had to do with global warming, its impact on hurricanes, and how much of a role humans play in global warming. As you will see in a story I am working on... you may be surprised at the thoughts of the meteorologists in attendance.

Although the conference was very interesting, one of the coolest things I saw was actually in the plane on the way to the Bahamas! Our flight took us from Atlanta across south Georgia, and off the east coast of Florida. While passing over south Georgia you could see the wildfires that had started near the Okefenokee swamp just days earlier. The picture above is what I saw looking out the window of our jet as it passed overhead at more than 30,000 feet!!

Parts of the fire still rage out of control and more than 100 square miles have burned so far. Rain would certainly help, but very little is expected between now and the end of the week. One thing that could help would be higher humidity values and that may indeed happen by mid week.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

--Chris

P.S. Here is a pic of the Mrs. and I from the conference. This was one of the few moments I was not working. ;-)

HOW BAD IS IT GOING TO BE??

We’re predicting storms for Thursday, April 26 and it will be only the sixth time this month it’s rained. We desperately need the rain, but we don’t want to see destruction or loss of life due to spring storms. So whenever I mention storms in the forecast, inevitably, someone asks me this question – how bad is it going to be? Inside, I chuckle a little, pause and then ask back, “What do you consider bad?” For some, loud cracks of thunder cause panic attacks and for others, it’s no big deal. Around here, it might be pouring on one side of town and then on the other, hardly a drop. Because we cover 54 counties (!), there might be dark skies in the Georgia mountains and sunshine in Atlanta. However, to us on TV, it’s all the same. Therein lays my difficulty in answering what might seem a simple question.

Will it be so “bad” that you might find your roof missing or a tree in your living room? Will roads flood or will you lose power? When I hear the question, “How bad will it be?” these are some of the visions that come to mind. I also have to consider who is asking the question. Is it my wife who just wants to know if she’ll have a long commute because Atlanta traffic will slow even more in inclement weather? Or is it a photographer who might have to stand in the rain while doing a live shot? Or is it a co-worker’s child, who has a bad memory of a night filled with endless flashes and doesn’t sleep well during thunderstorms?

It’s a hard question to ask because it implies so much. For instance, if it rains while you sleep, you usually don’t care that much because you won’t be maneuvering in it. But if when you wake up you can’t get out of the house because your street is now a river – that’s a different story. Our role in presenting the weather means that I have to use very precise language, but viewers also need to interpret what I’m saying. That makes it challenging whenever severe weather threatens. I really want people to know the threat and to be prepared and it’s gratifying whenever I hear that a viewer did just that and lived to tell about it.

So watch out tomorrow, take your umbrella and keep a close eye on the skies - it could be bad!

The Sun Like You've Never Seen Before

This looks really cool if you view it with 3-D glasses - I'm still waiting for mine to come in the mail so I can see what it's all about. NASA released the first of these images to tout the success of the STEREO project. STEREO stands for Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory and its actually two identical satellites studying the sun. Instruments on board the two satellites take pictures like the one above that look like 3-D when viewed with 3-D glasses. You're probably wondering why are we studying the sun?

It turns out, the sun is constantly, violently erupting mass quantities of matter into space. The energy from these solar flares travel to Earth producing both beautiful and destructive results. People who live in the Great Lakes or Canada or Alaska has frequently seen the exquisite Northern Lights. This exciting phenomenon splashes ribbons of color across the night sky as the solar energy collides with Earth's magnetic field. However, the energy can also disrupt satellites that orbit the Earth causing communication blackout and even TV interruptions. There are even instances when the solar flares can damage power grids. NASA is particularly concerned about the effect of solar flares on space-walking astronauts.

The problem with the solar flare is that we currently don't know why it's happening and NASA hopes STEREO will give some insight into what's going on inside the sun. The 3-D imagery could help NASA develop predictive models to give people on Earth a "heads-up" that a solar flare is coming. Currently, we might not have more than 24 hours' notice. We're several years away from having the same kind of prediction we have with the weather, but STEREO might be a first step. For more on STEREO, check out: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/main/index.html. Also, visit http://www.spaceweather.com where you can see the latest activity on the sun and cheery predictions on how close asteroids are getting to us.

Food!!!!!

Well, I promised you an update on the 'no food' diet my wife and I were on for more than a week... so here it is.

It actually went pretty well. I lost 9 pounds and the last time my wife told me, she had lost 10. She has not offered a final total and I know better than to ask a girl about her weight. The 'no food' part of the diet ended this past Wednesday. Started Wednesday we were allowed orange juice, Thursday we could have OJ and soup for dinner, and Friday we got to have soup and some fruit!!!

So far the diet has worked pretty well. We have done much better with our eating habits now that we are technically allowed to eat what we want. On the menu for me tonight... soup and a salad. The weird thing is that after some soup and salad I am actually full! That never would have happened before.

The true test will be this coming week in the Bahamas for the hurricane conference I am attending. Hopefully I will have the discipline to eat grill fish instead of the fried seafood. We will see! :-)

At the conference I am going to talk to several hurricane experts including former hurricane center directors, Bob Sheets and Max Mayfield. I will also talk to CBS meteorologist Bryan Norcross and noted hurricane expert Dr. Bill Gray. Yes, the guy who comes up with the big hurricane forecast every year. Here is a link to this year's forecast.

I will have much more to report when I get back. So, until then....

--Chris

spring cleaning...

Although we have been dealing with a winter's chill across the metro area it is still spring and many of us like to do a little spring cleaning around the house.

With an upcoming trip to a hurricane conference in the Bahamas (yes, there is work involved) my wife and I decided we need to shed a few lbs before we dare sport our swimsuits in public. Plus, a couple of my suites I wear at work were getting a bit snug (my wife is a great cook as you know if you read this blog regularly).

We decided on the Master Cleanser or Lemonade Diet. My wife knows several people at her work that have done it and they spoke highly of it so we are giving it a try.

If you are not familiar with it, it is a totally liquid diet. No food. Zip, zero, zilch food! Did I say no food? We are currently on day 4 of the diet. The surprising thing is we are actually surviving! Now, I am not saying I have not thought out stealing a happy meal from little kids... but we are getting by OK! :-) The second day was the roughest, but honestly you do not feel hungry. You do crave food though. Last night when my wife and I sat down at 7pm we looked at one another and did not know what to do! We typically have a glass of wine and plan on where we want to go to dinner, but not tonight! We managed to get it off our minds though by watching a movie on the old DVR.

So far in the 4 days of the diet I am down 5 lbs and my wife 8. Not too bad! We are planning on doing it until Tuesday before "coming off" the diet Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It is known as a diet, but actually it is a one of the best known methods for cleaning out your intestinal and colon walls. A spring cleaning of your body if you will.

As I said, we are getting by and I will make sure to share our results and thoughts next weekend when I blog and we are completely 'off' the diet.

Have a wonderful Easter (eat some chocolate for us) and stay warm! Warmer weather returns by mid-week!


--Chris


P.S. I want to thank Cathy Gadlage in Duluth for submitting the beautiful spring picture above!

the big catch...

Last weekend my wife and I took a trip down to south Georgia for a little R & R. We went to my in-laws lake house on the Georgia/Alabama border. Now, the name of that lake depends on where you are from. For us Georgians, the lake is known as Walter F. George, but if you are an Alabama person or drive through Alabama all the signs say Lake Eufaula. One thing I can tell you, know who you are talking to before saying one or the other. One misstep and you are in for quite a lecture!

Our long weekend trip was very quiet and relaxing. Fishing was biggest thing we did. It is a good thing we brought our own food, because we did not catch many keepers as you can see!

On the first of this month when severe storms rolled across Alabama and Georgia there were many places devastated by deadly tornadoes. I can remember calling my in-laws as we watched what we thought was a tornado move toward the lake and their lake house. This was the same cell that hit the school in Enterprise, Alabama.

Luckily, the tornado did not hit their house, but it did cross the lake and was only a 1/4 mile away. Here is a map from the Tallahassee, FL National Weather Service office showing the tornados in their coverage area. I have marked the one that shows the tornado that crossed the lake.

The tornado was rated an EF-1 and caused quite a bit of damage to a state park boat launch as you can see. Needless to say, it will quite a while before they get things cleaned up down there.




Have a great week and watch out, some cooler weather looks like it will return to the metro area by the Thursday.

--Chris