Online Weather School

The following article was found under the NWS weather link.   It states you are free to use the material.   I hope you can benefit from the information.

Welcome to JetStream, the National Weather Service Online Weather School. This site is designed to help educators, emergency managers, or anyone interested in learning about weather and weather safety.

The information contained in JetStream is arranged by subject; beginning with global and large scale weather patterns followed by lessons on air masses, wind patterns, cloud formations, thunderstorms, lightning, hail, damaging winds, tornados, tropical storms, cyclones and flooding. Interspersed in JetStream are “Learning Lessons” which can be used to enhance the educational experience.

You are free to use the materials in any manner you wish. We welcome your feedback on this project. Your input will greatly assist others in teaching the “hows” and “whys” of weather. Not sure where to begin? Click to see all topics in JetStream in the Topic Matrix. Contact Us:

Steven Cooper Steven.Cooper@noaa.gov
Deputy Regional Director, NWS Southern Region Headquarters, Fort Worth, Texas

Dennis Cain Dennis.Cain@noaa.gov
a.k.a. “Professor Weather”, NWS Fort Worth, Texas

High Fire Danger This Week ** ** Severe weather possible over the weekend **

Models have underestimated the depth and magnitude of cold air which invaded this weekend.  Only the ADONIS model seems to have a good grip on things and have followed it closely through Tuesday.  Just so happens I did not have to change the previous forecast for Tuesday either!

With light winds and cold air I am going 10s tonight from OKC north and east.  With dew points in the 10s there should be a nice recovery as south-southeast winds kick in Monday afternoon.  An upper ridge centered in the desert southwest will cause high clouds to ride up and over from the mountains, overspreading OK for several days to come.

It appears the ridge will scoot east right into TX for Wednesday, allowing us to switch from Northwest flow back to Southwest flow starting on Thursday.  I’m thinking when we get a more southwest flow we will get thicker masses of high clouds more often, and I have trended more cloudy on Thursday/Friday as a result.  In addition, gulf moisture will begin working into the state on Tuesday, with 50 degree dew points by Wednesday evening across the eastern half of the state.  This should allow for more mid and low clouds later in the week.

A dry line will push into western OK on Wednesday.  The DGEX wants to hold the dry line near the TX-OK border for a few days while the ECMWF and GFS push it clear into central OK.  GFS grided temps from IPS Meteostar have consistently called for a high of 87 on Thursday, and I’m buying into it.  The record high temperature for OKC is 91 back in 1991 which is unusually high for this period.  Parts of western OK may make the lower 90s.

This is where the forecast gets to be real fun.  ECMWF, DGEX and GFS are offering different solutions from run to run on what will happen.  ECMWF is now calling for a frontal passage
Friday morning, where as every run (12z, 18z, 0z) GFS had a typical continued south fetch with a warm front across Kansas, connecting to a lee side low.  Both the ECMWF and GFS 12z and 18z didn’t have any upper support until Saturday, and the main lobe passes north.  This is a change from yesterday where the GFS wanted to bring a vortmax right over Oklahoma on Sunday, causing severe weather.  Well guess what, the 0Z run comes in and has the vort max arriving Sunday again.  I’m starting to think we might have severe weather Saturday or Sunday.

The GFS, and to some extent the DGEX, have wanted to be more progressive with lows coming out of the western US, while the 0z/12z ECMWF wants to cut the low off and leave it hanging back in the eastern Pacific, a pattern we have seen numerous times this winter and may be more believable.  However, due to it’s change in the pattern from yesterday, I have tossed it’s solution out.  DGEX has a more open and wider trough while GFS has a much tighter, progressive trough.  0Z GFS picks the low up on Friday off the coast of California, and brings it east.

There is major disagreement between not only the ECMWF, but run-to-run of the GFS.  18Z had one surface low pulling out with another setting up right behind it with storms Saturday and Sunday.  New 0Z is similar.  Old 12Z had Sunday in the 60s behind a cold front.  GFS gridded temps don’t agree with MOS.  12z MOS had 60s Saturday and Sunday, gridded temps have near 80 on Saturday, with total disagreement on Sunday.  12Z had 55 Sunday, 18Z had 79 (in line with the second low winding up).   I had 84 for a high on Sunday and dropped it to 65!!  It may be more like 84 if the 0z GFS is correct.  Who knows!!!  I probably should have played the middle and gone with 72 which I almost did.  I find it hard to believe the front wouldn’t be through by Sunday though.  I can’t wait for the 0Z GFS MOS.

OKC 19/56 36/68 47/78 52/87 50/78 54/80 44/65 43/53 28/56 34/65
Wind near 20 mph: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
Pops: 20% Saturday. (maybe 20% Sunday?)
Cloud cover: AAAEEBBBUB

Thanks to Putnam Reiter for a similar discussion.

more at www.okcfox.com

Greg

Personal Observations and Funny Story

I was up rather late. Previous to the storm, I was surfing traffic exchanges and suddenly got a bad headache.  At the time, I thought that’s strange, it wasn’t there a minute ago.  Then my legs started aching.  My headache was getting worse.   I hear thunder and begin seeing a great lightning show.  That explains the headache. 

Now here is the funny part.  I decide to stand inside the storm door, video taping the lightning with one hand and holding the door open with the other as the lightning was at a distance.  There was some good CG.  Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of movement coming towards me.  My biggest fear, the fuzzy black spider or any other spider to be exact, is swinging his web right towards my face.   I closed the door quickly, trapping him inside.  Grabbing a tennis shoe, I attempted to chase him down.  After hitting him a couple times, he dropped to the floor either on my black throw rug, escaped through a small crack at the bottom of the door or is in the house lurking around.  Needless to say, that ended my video of the storm. 

The outflow boundary also hit at that point. Previous to the rain, my husband retrieved the lawn chair from the deck and the outside welcome mat took cover beside the deck.  Shortly thereafter, the high winds and heavy rain hit.  The wind was whipping the rain in all directions.  The smoker took flight and landed in 3 different areas of my front lawn.  The storm moved rapidly out of my area and things began to settle down. I continued to post in the aboutmidwestweather blog as it moved on through the city and points beyond.  Bedtime finally arrived at approximately 4:30 AM. 

We are under a slight risk of severe storms again today.  It begins again!

OU To Purchase First Of Its Kind Radar

University of Oklahoma to Purchase Radar – First of Its Kind in United States

NORMAN, Okla. – A new weather radar – the first of its kind in the United States – is being constructed and located at the University of Oklahoma to enhance education, training, research and development and encourage future innovations. 

“The new radar will contribute tremendous potential to the meteorological community for development of weather-related information services that will benefit from co-location with the core weather radar programs on OU’s Research Campus,” said Lee Williams, OU vice president for research.  “Together they will create an environment with endless potential for the university, federal, state and private-sector entities,” he said.

An agreement between OU and Enterprise Electronics Corp. will initiate construction of the new, C-band, high-resolution, dual polarization radar, which is expected to be operational by late 2008.

This radar will further OU’s vision for its weather radar enterprise, which is to further the development of OU radar meteorology so that radar-derived information can benefit decisions about  the atmospheric and hydrologic environment worldwide, Williams said

The new radar will serve as a research and development testbed for the Atmospheric Radar Research Center, an interdisciplinary university center engaged in collaborative research to define the next generation of weather radar sensors.  The center offers an exceptional radar education for OU students based on a foundation of combining meteorology and engineering expertise and training from OU’s colleges of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, and Engineering.  With the acquisition of the new radar, students and researchers will be able to perform a variety of activities, such as testing new and enhanced algorithms and developing unique hardware designs.

“The addition of this radar is invaluable to the Atmospheric Radar Research Center and radar meteorology as a whole at OU,” said the center’s director, Robert Palmer. “The radar will help us collaborate even more with private weather companies and, in turn, will help continue to foster research and development between academia and the private sector.”

EEC will design and install the radar.  A wholly owned subsidiary of Weather Services International, EEC is the largest manufacturer of commercial weather radars, with systems operations across the globe from Algeria to Zaire. 

About EEC

Enterprise Electronics Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of WSI, is recognized as the world leader in the meteorological radar field. Since its inception in 1971, the company has designed, manufactured and installed more than 900 radar systems worldwide. EEC developed the world’s first commercial Doppler weather radar system in 1981. The corporation’s range of radar systems is the product of years of experience, superior engineering and a top-ranked quality control process. EEC’s 53,000-square-foot facility is located in Enterprise, Ala.

 

About WSI Corp.

WSI Corp. is the world’s leading provider of weather-driven business solutions for professionals in the media, aviation and energy markets. For more than 30 years, WSI has focused on predicting, detecting and visualizing disruptive weather – from the severe weather that makes headlines a few weeks each year to the more subtle weather changes that affect the business operations and profits of its clients each day. WSI is headquartered in Andover, Mass., and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landmark Communications.

–END–

On the Web:

University of Oklahoma                                                                                www.ou.edu

College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences                             www.ags.ou.edu

Atmospheric Radar Research Center                                                       arrc.ou.edu

University Research Campus                                                                      urc.ou.edu

WSI                                                                                                                        www.wsi.com

Enterprise Electronics Corporation                                                           www.eecradar.com

 

Tornadoes Overhead

Entry for May 07, 2008

Today’s weather caught me off guard. Although I am a storm spotter and watch the weather closely, it can change quickly. We were receiving heavy rain periodically and more was heading our way. We were not yet in a tornado watch or warning but did have a flood watch.

My husband and I had made a run to the store to pick up a new monitor. Our storm chase partner had remained at our house. Heavy rains began again around 5 PM and suddenly the tornado sirens could be heard. What a time to be shopping with no radar or news contact!

The storm subsided and we returned home to find the tornado crossed above our house. Our chase partner was able to observe the rotation above him and feel the pressure. The tornado was rain-wrapped and was “skipping”. He also observed the funnel touch down after it passed over the lake next to us.

Others were not as fortunate. Although there were no injuries reported, many houses and trees were damaged as several small tornadoes developed. One massive tree fell on a gas meter causing the area to be evacuated. In another area, a large tree was uprooted and fell onto the balcony of an apartment. Power lines were down in different areas leaving approximately 13,000 customers with no power. Reports are still coming in on the damage.

Welcome to tornado alley!

Emergency Weather Radios For Hearing Impaired

EMERGENCY WARNINGS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING

The material provided is intended as general information on how NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) can be used as an emergency warning tool for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is not intended to be an all inclusive listing of how the system can be used, what products are available, or an endorsement of any product or vendor listed herein.

In several cases there are complete off-the-shelf NWR receiver based systems available that will perform the required emergency warning function as they come from the box. In some cases, where a home alerting system is already in place, the NWR receiver can be connected to the existing alerting system, much the same as a door bell, smoke detector, or other sensor. In other cases, persons with some electronic skills can purchase the NWR receiver and other components and assemble them into a system designed to meet their own special needs.

In simple systems, alarm devices can be directly connected (hardwired) to the output of the NWR receiver. In more complex installations, using wireless and wired remote modules, connections are made through devices that allow more remote and versatile placement of alarms. Alarms may require external power from batteries or modular power supplies. Care should be taken that the complete alerting system works when commercial power has failed. See the block diagram (below) for system layouts.

The NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) does not guarantee the proper operation of any of the equipment and systems listed herein and is not liable for any damages as a result of non-receipt of alarms, alerts, or warnings from these systems. Inclusion of a product in this document does not imply endorsement by the NWS.

The following are general questions regarding use of NWR by people who are deaf or hard of hearing:

1. QUESTION: Why should I be interested in NOAA Weather Radio (NWR)?

2. QUESTION: What good is a radio to people who are deaf or hard of hearing?

3. QUESTION: How does it work?

4. QUESTION: What should I do when I receive a Warning from NWR?

5. QUESTION: Where can I get additional information about the event that caused the Warning to be issued?

6. QUESTION: Where can I get the necessary equipment and what does it cost?

7. QUESTION: What should I do if I’m interested in using NWR to get warnings of life threatening weather or other hazards?

8. QUESTION: Where can I buy an NWR receiver and accessories for people who are deaf and hard of hearing?

9. QUESTION: Is anything being done to improve the delivery of warnings of life threatening events to people who are deaf and hard of hearing?

 

1. ANSWER: Warnings provided by NWR can save your life during periods of local severe weather or other life threatening hazard conditions

2. ANSWER: The voice broadcast of NWR is of no value to people who are deaf and of limited value to many people who are hard of hearing – very little of the audio information broadcast can be understood by individuals with moderate to severe hearing loss.

However, other non-verbal information is imbedded in these broadcasts that can provide timely, critical warnings of life threatening events to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The NWS uses something called Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology to send warnings of imminent severe weather or other hazard conditions from any of 122 Weather Forecast Offices directly into homes, offices, public buildings, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, and to many other locations using the National NWR network of transmitter stations. At least 97% of the American population is covered by NWR. The NWS is working toward a coverage level of 95% in every State.

Special NWR SAME radio receivers can be programmed to set off an alarm for specific events (tornado, flash flood, toxic spill, evacuate, etc.) and specific locations (your county) of interest to you, the listener. Some receivers are also equipped with special output connectors that activate alerting devices – bed shakers, pillow vibrators, sirens, and strobe lights or other alerting systems.

Those who use hearing aids or cochlear implants equipped with telecoils may also be able to use Aloop technology to listen to NWR broadcasts. Many receivers are equipped with external output connectors that will accept a Aneckloop. The Aneckloop creates an electromagnetic field that couples the NWR receiver to the telecoil in the hearing aid or cochlear implant, allowing the user to hear the broadcast. FM, infrared, and loop based Assistive Listening Devices can also be used. There are also some hearing aids and cochlear implants with adapter cables that can connect directly to the output of an NWR receiver.

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3.ANSWER: Forecasters at your local NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO) decide that a severe weather event is occurring or about to occur, or local authorities determine that a hazardous event (nuclear power plant problem, a chemical or biological accident, etc.) has occurred and is a threat to the local populace. The information is immediately input into a computer at the local WFO and immediately broadcast by NWR transmitters that cover the areas at risk. Digital codes are added to each broadcast identifying the event (tornado, flash flood, local civil emergency, etc.) and the location (Montgomery, Prince Georges, and Anne Arundel Counties). When the Warning is received by an NWR SAME receiver, the receiver turns itself on, sounds an alarm, activates a warning light, writes a short message (TORNADO) on the display, and activates any external devices (strobe lights, sirens, vibrators, etc.) connected to the receiver.

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4. ANSWER: If the Warning is for a Tornado or Flash Flood you should immediately take steps to protect yourself. Every household should have an emergency plan in place that includes pre-established actions that need to be taken to lessen the likelihood of injury or death. These may include moving to the basement, a special safe room, or lower, interior levels of your home during a tornado or evacuating to higher ground along a pre-established, safe route during a flash flood. Household emergency plans can be developed with assistance from your local, county, or state emergency management office and or the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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5. ANSWER: The NWR SAME Warning message broadcast you receive also triggers the Emergency Alert System at your local television stations. The message is also immediately available on the internet at sites accessible from the NWS Home Page at www.weather.gov. Either or both of these sources of text information can be monitored to get additional information, if you can do so without putting yourself at risk. There are also numerous sources of emergency information supplied by Email by various commercial telecommunication service providers on cell phones, pagers, and other personal digital devices, however, these may not be as timely as the NWS services.

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6. ANSWER: NWR SAME receivers with features useful to people who are deaf and hard of hearing, such as an output to activate external devices, an LCD display, and battery back-up power are manufactured and/or sold by several companies, including Radio Shack, Midland, Recom, Homesafe, and First Alert. Connecting some of them to external alarm devices requires knowledge of electronics and some electronic technician skills for proper installation. However, there are systems that have been assembled, tested, packaged, and marketed by Silent Call, Harris Communications, Compu-TTY, and Homesafe that are simple to install and use. The cost of a basic NWR SAME receiver is $50 to $90. Systems packaged with external alarm devices start at $100.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and NOAA collaborated on the development of an industry standard and a certification program for Public Alert (NWR capable) electronic devices that include displays and external alarms useful to deaf and hard of hearing people. Purchasing a Public Alert certified NOAA Weather Radio assures that you are getting a high quality receiver, however, you still need to make sure it works for you in your location and that it is able to activate any external alarms you want to use.

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7. ANSWER: Satisfy yourself that your area is vulnerable to weather or hazard conditions that warrant expenditure for an emergency warning system. The National Weather Service believes that NWR receivers should be as common as smoke detectors. Visit the NWS web site at www.weather.gov/nwr to learn more about NWS and NWR and to determine if the area in which you live is covered by NWR. The web site has very specific information, including coverage maps, state and county listings, and codes needed to program receivers.

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8. ANSWER:

Contact any of the vendors listed below:

Vendors of NWR receivers packaged for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

Silent Call – 800-572-5227 – www.silent-call.com
(Download catalog, page 12-14)

Harris Communications – 800-825-6758 – www.harriscomm.com
(Search on Weather)

Homesafe, Inc. – 800-607-6737 – www.homesafeinc.com

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More NWR Alerting Equipment

9. ANSWER: Yes, there are currently efforts under way that will have a direct impact on warning systems to serve the deaf and hard of hearing.

The NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) provides the direct delivery of text warning messages via Email by subscription. This provides Email delivery to any device (pager, cell phone, PDA, PC) capable of receiving text Email. Messages are selected by event type (tornado, flash flood, etc.) and issuing office (Washington, DC, New York City, etc.) and can be used to supplement NWR SAME warnings or to get specific information on severe weather anywhere in the country.

NOAA and the Consumer Electronics Association developed a standard (CEA-2009) and a certification program (Public Alert) based on NWR SAME technology. Most Public Alert certified devices are able to provide an alarm output that can drive devices to warn the deaf and hard of hearing. Public Alert certified devices are currently available from a number of manufacturers.

NOAA NWS has initiated a Weather Radio Improvement Program that includes greatly improved access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

All of these innovations have direct, significant application to deaf and hard of hearing warning improvement.

NWR Alerting Equipment

NWR Receivers with NWR SAME and an Alarm Output

Special receivers that can tune to NWR frequencies and trigger an auxiliary output on the basis of a received All Hazards warning from the NWS for a specific event in a specific state and county. Items with an asterisk (*) can be purchased as a system with external alarms (bad shaker, strobe, siren, etc.). Items in bold type are Public Alert Certified. Items in italics are out of production, but still may be available.

First Alert WX-167 Homesafe 2000HS* Midland 74-200
Homesafe 2005HS* First Alert WX-67 Radio Shack Model 250
Radio Shack Model 262 Midland WR-30 Radio Shack Model 258
Midland WR-300 Midland WR-100 Radio Shack Model 261
Reecom R-1650 First Alert WX-167 Radio Shack Model 249
Silent Call WX-67S* Midland R-300 Reecom-1630

Power Module Interface or Signaler: Converts the output of the NWR SAME receiver into a signal that is carried by electrical wiring in the home or by means of a wireless transmission that can be received anywhere in the home.

Radio Shack (X-10 Powerhouse Modules) Alertmaster AM-AX, AM-DX
Sonic Alert DS 700 Silent Call X67T*
Silent Call SC-DOT1003-2 Compu-TTY KA300TX

Remote Modules or Receiver: Receives the signal from a Power Interface or Signaler and coverts it into something that can activate an internal or external alarm.

Radio Shack (X-10 Powerhouse Modules) Alertmaster AM-RX2
Sonic Alert SA 201 & 101 Compu-TTY KA300RX
Silent Call SC-REC09214, SC- REC1001-N

Alarm Devices: Converts the alarm signal into visual, audio, or mechanical form that is more easily sensed by a person with a hearing disability. (Some of these do not meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, but may be useful in special circumstances.)

Strobe Light
Radio Shack 49-527 Homesafe Kit*
Harris HAL-2737 First Alert WX-TRS*
Harris DATA-1005 Reecom R1603
Silent Call X67-S* Midland 18-STR

Siren
Radio Shack 49-490 or 49-488

Bed /Pillow Shaker
Harris SA-SS120V, SS-SS12V , NFS-BV6670
Silent Call X67-V*, Homesafe Kit*

Appliance module
Radio Shack (X-10 Powerhouse Modules)

The above are available from the sources listed below:

Radio Shack – See local store
www.radioshack.com

Harris Communications 1-800-825-6758*
www.harriscomm.com

NFSS Communications 1-888-589-6670
www.nfss.com

Potomac Technology 1-800-433-2838*
www.potomactech.com

Homesafe, Inc. 1-800-607-6737*
www.homesafeinc.com*

Midland Consumer Radio 1-800-241-8500
www.midlandradio.com

Silent Call 1-800-572-5227*
www.silentcall.com*

Compu-TTY 1-817-738-2485 or 1970 (TTY)*
www.computty.com*

Sima Products 1-800-345-7462*
www.simacorp.com*

*Vendors of Silent Call, Homesafe, Compu-TTY, and First Alert packaged systems for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Other websites for NOAA Weather Radios:

www.noaaweatherradiostore.com*

www.weatherconnection.com

The National Weather Service does not guarantee the proper operation of any of the equipment or systems listed herein and is not liable for any damages as a result of non-receipt of alarms, alerts, or warnings from these systems. Inclusion of a product in this document does not imply endorsement by the NWS.

New Weather Projects and Training

Hail Observation Research Project (3/20/2008 8:00 pm CDT) If you live within 90 miles of Norman, Oklahoma, you are invited to participate in a National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) research project. The project is called the Hail Size Discrimination Experiment.  More information is available here. CoCoRaHS March Madness 2008 (3/12/2008 3:00 pm CDT) CoCoRaHS is a volunteer network of weather observers of all ages and backgrounds that work together to measure and map precpitation (rain, hail and snow) in their local communities. Each year, during the month of March, the coordinators for each state are challenged to increase the number of CoCoRaHS observers. Sign up today to provide useful precipitation information to your local communities and the National Weather Service in Oklahoma and western north Texas.  More information is available here. 2008 Spotter Training Schedule (11/17/2007 12:00 pm CDT) The 2008 storm spotter schedule is now available. Meteorologists from the NWS Norman Forecast Office will be providing spotter training at various locations across the region from January through March 2008.  More information is available here. Upcoming spotter talks include… El Reno, OK on 3/31/08… The spotter training schedule was last updated on 03/25/2008 at 1:12 PM CDT. New Quarterly Newsletter (3/29/2008 11:00 am CDT) The latest edition of the Southern Plains Cyclone, a quarterly weather newsletter, has been published by the NWS Norman staff.  The latest newletter can be found through the Southern Plains Cyclone web page. Weather History for March 29 Widespread severe weather across Oklahoma and western north Texas caused extensive damage on March 29th and 30th, 1993. In Oklahoma, baseball size hail, flash flooding, and high winds caused $1 million to $2 million in damage in Waurika. Several weak tornadoes also caused damage in Lincoln and McClain Counties. Over western north Texas, hail larger than baseballs fell at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, and baseball size hail fell in Crowell. Learn more about the weather history for Oklahoma and western north Texas here.

Weather Hazards | Weather Forecasts | Present Weather Local Climate Area | Original Climate Page | Weather History Office Information | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Contact Us

New Mesonet Site in Oklahoma

MESONET TICKER … MESONET TICKER … MESONET TICKER … MESONET TICKER …
March 16, 2008     March 16, 2008     March 16, 2008     March 16, 2008

The OCS/Mesonet Ticker: You’ll love our atmosphere.

A CARL Is Born

 Our world has been graced by a number of great Carls. Where would our
 understanding of the mind and Self be without the tension of Carl Jung?
 And surely Carl Jung could appreciate the ironic duality of the great
 Carl Sagan’s simultaneous enthusiasm for exploration and introspection.
 Speaking of introspection, Sandburg turned the literary lens upon our
 own country in a way that has informed generations. Carl Rogers’s
 humanism has informed scores of developments in the last 75 years.

 And, of course, no weather-blog about Carls would be complete without
 a nod to the oh-so-Tickerly-named Carl Weathers, whose gripping
 portrayal of Apollo Creed inspired, uh, somebody.

 Well, today, we announce a new entry to this list of great Carls.
 Behold CARL, the newest Mesonet site at Lake Carl Blackwell. This
 week, CARL graduated from the Mesonet spare parts pile to a bona fide
 operational station. Here are CARL’s vital statistics:

   Site:  CARL (Lake Carl Blackwell)
   Locus: 5.0 miles east of Orlando, OK in Payne County
   Lat:   36.1473 deg N
   Lon:   97.2859 deg W
   Elev:  293 meters above sea level

 We expect CARL to live up to the world’s long line of successful
 Carls. So, if you don’t mind, we want to take this opportunity to
 speak directly to CARL.

 (aside to Ticker Effects Crew: cue something dramatic, like Pomp and
  Circumstance or Wake Up the Echoes. Start faintly, then build for
  effect as our message grows more dramatic.)

   CARL, you’re in the real world now, there are -wait, just a second-

 (guys, I said cue some dramatic music)

   Sorry about that. Where were we?

   CARL, you are observing the real world now, there are no do-overs
   like back in the calibration lab. Everything you say counts now,
   unless the QA meteorologists figure out you’re lying. You alone are
   the voice of western Payne County. Well, actually, MARE has been the
   voice of western Payne County for 14 years now, but you can be a
   great helper. Don’t end up like GRAN or TULL or your anagrammatic
   kindred CLAR (although some would argue that CLAR’s failures were
   the result of a bad environment). Follow the lead of noble, reliable
   stations like LAHO, HOBA and TALI.

   Keep your soil probes planted firmly in the ground and always stand
   straight and tall, but no taller than precisely ten meters, or you
   will be out of compliance. And stay true to the atmosphere, at least
   within an acceptable and pre-determined margin of error.

   This opportunity is yours, CARL. Yours to change the world, one
   five-minute observation at a time. Think of all the drylines and
   pre-frontal troughs you’ll resolve, CARL! Think of all the micro-,
   macro-, and heat-bursts you’ll discover! Oh, the places your data
   will go, CARL!

 (crescendo, daggoneit, CRESCENDO!)

   Report the world, CARL! Count every drop, degree-day and dewpoint
   surge!

   May the wind always blow directly in your face, CARL, and may the
   sun shine brightly into your single, laterally-mounted, aluminum-
   shielded photo-voltaic eye. Because if either of these were untrue,
   you’d be doing a pretty lousy job of reporting wind direction, or
   a bird will have defiled your pyranometer, respectively.

 Carpe Auster, CARL.

March 16 in Oklahoma History:
  Record Maximum  94 F at WEATHERFORD (1916)
  Record Minimum   4 F at BOISE CITY 2 E (1923)
  Record Precip 3.44″ at BURBANK (1998)
 +Record Snowfall 13.00″ at BLACKWELL 1 W (1970)
(Oklahoma History = since roughly 1895)
+ – May include hail or other forms of frozen precipitation

March 16 in Mesonet History*:
 Record Maximum       84 F at BEAV in 2003
 Record Minimum       11 F at BOIS in 2005
 Record Rainfall   3.01″ at CALV in 1998
* – Mesonet History = since 1994

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As reported by Greg Whitworth-used with permission

Arctic Fronts Are Giving Us A Break

One of our storm spotters, Greg Whitworth is also our “radio man” while storm spotting.  He does a fantastic job of updating us on radar reports via our county radios.  He is also a forecaster for Fox 25 TV,  This is his latest post regarding our upcoming weather.  This post is used with his permission.

We seem to be looking at a dry 7 day forecast with a few fronts heading
through the area.  The system that moved through the area on Sunday is
centered in northwest OK at 8 pm.  Very little wrap around rain is
expect.  Skies should begin to clear as it moves eastward early on
Sunday.  After a period of sunshine, clouds will roll in from the west
late in the day ahead of the next system.  Winds will start out
northerly then go calm to light southerly.  Highs will be as warm as 60
in OKC, with temps approaching 70 in southwest Oklahoma.  Lower 50s are
expected across much of northeast OK.

Fire danger increases on Monday ahead of the approaching storm system.
It will be quite windy with highs in the mid 60s in many areas.  This
front is of Pacific origin and does not have much cold air associated
with it.  It looks quite impressive on satellite and radar and should
give the mountains of California 3 to 5 feet of snow.  However, the
storm system which just passed us will rob some of the moisture and it
should cross western and central OK dry.  It is coming in early which is
unfavorable for thunderstorms.  Once the system reaches southeast OK and
central Arkansas, thunderstorms may erupt along it.

Winds will be out of the north on Tuesday with highs in the 40s.  Winds
go light and variable Wednesday morning when lows fall into the 20s.
Mostly sunny skies are expected Tuesday and Wednesday with another weak
front arriving around 3 pm Wednesday.  This one has no cold air behind
it, and winds should return to the south with a vengeance by Thursday
evening.  Fire danger will be high Thursday and Friday.  A weak front
arrives just after midnight going into Friday, and will turn winds to
the north.  However once again there is no cold air associated with it,
and the upper wave with it appears to be sheered out so I will leave
Friday dry and breezy.  The 540 thickness line is seen moving eastward
away from the Rocky mountains on Thursday and Friday.  This signals
strong downsloping taking place off the Rockies which may drive
temperatures above current forecasted numbers.

Skies should clear out on Saturday with highs back into the lower 60s.
Sunday looks to be clouding up with a cold front arriving around 3 p.m.
This one has a strong 1040+ mb high up in southern Canada, driving cold
air down the lee of the Rockies.  The 540 thickness line takes a nose
dive south as well, and may be embedded somewhere in the precipitation
by Sunday evening.  This will have to be watched closely as there could
be a changeover to snow or some other form of mixed precip by Sunday
evening in western and central OK.  I have lowered temperatures
dramatically below available guidance for Monday as a result of the way
this system looks.  Keep in mind the GFS has been pulling some
flip-flops lately and I wouldn’t put a lot of faith the day 8-9 forecast
just yet.

graphics available at www.okcfox.com

Day 8-9 forecast:

next Sunday 44/57, Mostly cloudy, 30%
following Monday 30/35, Overcast.

Another Cold Front is Coming

Oklahoma has been on a roller coaster ride with the weather.   Recently we were in the upper 60’s only to drop 30 degrees within an hour.  The air was very brisk especially with the high winds.  We received rain, freezing rain, thunder, lightning  and hail.  There was also snow in the Northern parts of Oklahoma with tornadoes in the Southwest part of the state.

Tomorrow will be another temperature dropping day.  We enjoyed mild weather in the 60’s today.  Our high temperature for tomorrow will be met around midnight tonight.  By 8 AM we can expect 36 degrees and a wind chill of 24 with temperatures falling throughout the day.  The forecast indicates 32 degrees by 5 PM tomorrow.  With the arctic front, we will again receive freezing drizzle.

Stay tuned for Oklahoma’s ever changing weather.