drought update...

Although we still desperately need rainfall to continue to improve our drought situation (we are 4.93" down in 2008 & -11.90" June '07-June'08)) the latest drought update says that things are continuing to get better... although very slowly. The above graphic shows the most recent drought statement while the one to the left shows the drought statement from mid-late May. The area lakes are remaining close to full pool with the exception of Lanier which is still a good 13' down. Lake Hartwell on the GA/SC border continues to remain quite low.

It is amazing how a relatively short difference can make a difference between flood and drought. This map shows the areas of flood with green, blue, and purple and areas of below normal rainfall in yellow, orange, and red. This map is covers a period from last October. A persistent ridge of high pressure over the Southeast keeps the heaviest rainfall away from the state of Georgia. This is also the time frame that we have seen an improvement in our drought. Basically, our drought had gotten so bad last year that below average rainfall since last fall has actually improved things.

If there is some more good news, the drought is expected to improve somewhat this summer...



Finally, I want to thank Constance Benegar of Sterling, VA. for sending me this amazing picture of a double rainbow with a lightning strike in the distance! The photo was taken in Warrenton, VA. (about 45 miles from D.C.).



Looks like some of those storms that have been way to our north will impact the metro area later this week!


--Chris

back to the grind...

I hope you and your family were able to get out and enjoy your Memorial Weekend. I was actually able to get out of town and spend it with my in-laws at their lake house down on Lake Eufaula (on the GA/AL border south of Columbus).

My wife and I had not been to the lake since last Fall and what a difference as far as the lake levels. Between the heavier rains over the winter in Central and Southern Georgia and the fact that they are letting out more water into the Chattahoochee River the lake down there is at full pool. That is much improved from the more than 5' drop we experienced last year. Last Fall we were barely able to get the boat off the lift!

Much of the time we were there last week was spent fishing. Although the fish were not biting at a record rate... we did catch a few. Here is a look at an 10"-11" Shellcracker I caught. In addition to some Shellcrackers, we caught some Bream and a few Catfish (I hate taking those things off!!!). :-)


The weather was great the whole time we were there with highs in the 80s... picture perfect!

Today is my 3rd of 16 straight days working so it's a good thing I rested up! Still, my job still beats working for a living. :-)


--Chris

WGCL covers Iraq....

As you know, our weather producer, Greg Majewski, has been serving overseas in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan over the past year. The other day he sent me this picture of a flag which flew over the main palace in Baghdad in honor of CBS46 for our support of our troops serving over there. Pretty cool!

Greg, is just 20 days away from being home here in the states. He will be back at work by July 14. I suspect you will see him on air from time to time starting in August. We can't wait to have him back! That being said, Greg might not come back if he gets more visits from Scarlett Johansson! :-)



--Chris

more severe weather...

This past Tuesday we had yet another round of severe weather across northern Georgia.

This round of storms produced our 9th tornado of the year... this time in Cherokee County. The storms started around 4pm and lasted until after 9pm. We were on continuously between 6:30 and 8 as the storms rolled through the heart of the metro area. We also got some good pictures from viewers. The picture at the top of this blog entry is one of the best pictures that has been sent to me in my career. It is of a 'clear slot' that results from a 'Rear Flank Downdraft'. Tornadoes rarely occur without a RFD. In this case, we ended up with a tornado that hit Cherokee County.

Although we did have the 1 tornado, most places reported quite a bit of hail damage. The above picture was taken by a friend of mine who lives in Augusta. That's some big hail!!! Below is a map of all the areas that reported hail, wind, or tornado damage. After the worst of the storms passed, I went outside and was able to snap this picture of mammatus clouds over the studios of CBS46. You can see many more storm pictures on our website at CBS46.com. Also, here is some hail video that Tracy Thornton sent in from McDonough. This hail fell from a storm at 4pm on Tuesday. Crazy stuff!


As for the upcoming weekend, it is looking warm and pretty dry so have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

--Chris

school year ending....

As the school year is winding down my school speaking schedule has been at a fever pitch as of late. This is a popular time of year for career days which has kept me on the road quite a bit.

I really enjoy speaking to schools because each school is different and each grade is different. To quote Forrest Gump... they are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get!

This past week I spoke to a bunch of groups of kids at Green Acres Elem in Cobb County. The kids were great! I spoke to just about every grade level before the day was all said and done. The best part about it was that before I left for the day I was delivered thank you notes from one of the groups I spoke to that morning!!! Talk about fast! It took months for me to write my wedding thank yous! :-)

Here are pictures of a few of the drawings/notes...






Aren't they classic?!? :-)

Thank you notes are by far and away my favorite way to be thanked for speaking. I love the shirts, mugs, and gift cards... but nothing beats a thank you note/picture from a kid. I was telling someone at Green Acres on Friday that I actually have kept every thank you note I have received since I began my career in 1996! I have no idea what I will do with them, but I can not imagine throwing them away. Kids that made a note and gave them to me in 1996 are now in college or older!!! That will make you feel old in a hurry! :-)

Above is a picture of me with Brynn, a 3rd grader, whose school I spoke to a few weeks ago. Her mom e-mailed me this picture and said it was funny to listen to Brynn & her sister, who is in 1st grade), compare notes on what I did with the two grade levels. Before you know it I will be speaking to kids whose parents I have spoken to!

In a way I am both happy (I get a break) & sad (I will miss the kids) that the school year is coming to an end... I imagine a little bit like the kids themselves. That being said, I know that the summer will fly by and that August will be here before you know it!

Have a great summer and thanks for a great year, kids!


--Chris

stormy night (updated 5/14)...

Well, it was a stormy night across the metro area as a powerful storm system moved through the state. Most of the damage occurred just west and south of town and was associated with one specific storm cell that moved in from Alabama. You can notice that in the above image that there is a line of damage that is almost in a straight line from Carroll County to Fulton County to Clayton County to Newton County.

So far that storm has produced 3 tornadoes across northern Georgia with widespread wind damage when the tornadoes lifted back into the sky as they hop-scotched their way across the state. The first two tornadoes were rated an EF-2 on the Fujita scale (the same strength as the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta a couple months ago). Both were very short-lived, but both created quite a bit of damage near Jonesville & Cross Plains.

A third tornado came from the sky around 5:10am in northern Clayton County. This storm was also an EF-2 with winds between 111-135 mph. This storm was not but 100 yards wide, but it destroyed nearly 43 homes in Clayton County. The tornado also produced damage along its 35 mile path in northern Henry, southern Rockdale, & Walton Counties.

For more information on the tornadoes and the people they impacted you can watch many stories on our website... cbs46.com.

The compete report on the 15 tornadoes that hit the state of Georgia Sunday morning can be read on the National Weather Service website here and here.

The weather will be windy, but quiet on Monday although storms may return to the forecast as early as Wednesday.

--Chris

warming up...

We are well into spring and about a month and a half from the official start of summer. As a result we are seeing signs of the warmer weather all over the metro area. The above picture was sent in by Benny Coon from Snellville. The picture is of baby cardinals in a rose bush at his house.

If the picture looks a little familiar, Benny actually sent in a similar picture 2 years ago. I guess Benny's yard is quite the hot spot for cardinal mating! :-)

Enjoy the nice & warm weather. You know the hot days of summer are just around the corner!


--Chris

thank a teacher...

This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. Although I do not have kids of my own I do get to see many teachers in action when I visit schools across metro Atlanta every week.

The value of teachers can not be measured. They have such a huge impact on all the lives that they touch. To this day I can still name my K-6th grade teachers...

Mrs. Ralph
Ms. Manion
Mrs. Rogers
Mrs. Jerko
Ms. Shuffstall
Mr. Lambert
Mr. DeWoody

If you want to thank a teacher this week all you have to do is go to this website. They are going to create the largest thank you card project. They will take your thank you's and put them into one giant thank you for teachers.

To all the teacher's out there... have a great week!


--Chris

Saint Bobby....

This past Monday my wife and I volunteered at the Atlanta Seminole Club golf tournament & banquet. The events were held up in Alpharetta. I am the official meteorologist for the club & luckily the rains ended just in time! Anyway, my wife and I had a great time catching up with some of our fellow Seminole fans. Plus it was great to catch up with Coach Bowden. It's not every day you get to hang out with the winningest coach in D-1 football!

I gotta say, coach is looking good. :-) He told some great stories. He was engaging as ever even at the ripe age of 78. Maybe he will be on my wife's & my Christmas card this year! :-)

Here is a funny story all you true southern football fans can identify with...

You might notice that in the top picture I am wearing my Lacoste shirt. I always dread wearing it because it has that stupid alligator logo on it. It looks good and it fits good, but that stupid (UF looking) gator... so I asked Bobby if I should get rid of it and he said no! He said it was dead so I could go ahead and wear it! Gotta love Bobby! :-)

Hey folks... football season is just 4 months away!


--Chris

Soggy Saturday's...

Rain is once again in the forecast for this Saturday. This will make the 6th consecutive Saturday that we have seen rain in metro Atlanta!!

The last rain-free weekend was March 22/23. Ironically, I washed my car that day and it did not rain! Every other time I wash it... it rains!

So, you might be asking how much is all this rain helping with out rainfall deficit? It is certainly helping, but you might be surprised to know that we have a rainfall deficit for the year!

Here are the numbers...

For the last month we have received 3.17" of rain which is .42" below average

For the last 6 months we have received 21.59" of rain which is 4.98" below average

For the last year we are still running a good 12.24" below average

So, in short... the drought is not over.

As you can see by this latest map, most of Northern Georgia is still in an extreme to severe drought. While we are headed in the right direction we still have a ways to go.

We need to make sure to conserve during the upcoming summer months because while we do see a decent amount of rain... we also see a good bit of evaporation because of those hot summer days. Meaning, it will take a lot of summer rain to make a dent in the drought.

One of the better places to learn about water conservation is the waterSmart program.

As far as Saturday's rain... a cold front will trigger showers and storms that may dump upwards of 1" of rain Saturday afternoon over Northern Georgia. While the rain will be welcomed... some may be severe so make sure to keep it tuned to CBS46 and cbs46.com for the very latest should some of the storms become severe.

Have a great weekend (especially Sunday)!


--Chris

it can always be worse...

I got an e-mail from our weather producer, Greg Majewski, with the above picture attached of a sand storm in Kuwait. In case you did not know, Greg has been in Kuwait since last summer serving our country. He is in the Army Reserve and his unit was called up last year.

After almost a year over there needless to say Greg is about fed up with the crazy weather/sand storms that blow in. He said he is not sure how anyone can live in weather like they have over there. When he complains about our next 'wedge' or snow event here when he gets back I will be sure to remind him about the weather over there! :-)

Greg is safe and sound and I know he appreciates everyone's thoughts and prayers. He gets back to the U.S in late June and will be back here at CBS46 in mid-July.



--Chris