Friends Visit Meridian...
* It's good to see some familiar faces around Meridian this weekend. Storm chaser Greg Nordstrom and others are in town this weekend, and it's certainly nice to be spending time with old friends. Greg is a bright meteorologist, and his passion for weather and storm environment observation is unmatched. And, he's an all around cool guy to boot.
It's also nice to see Jason Simpson, former chief meteorologist here at Newscenter 11. Jason is in town for the Saturday wedding of our colleague Emily Graham. It's certainly nice to spend some time with Jason; we've been friends since our days at Mississippi State.
Joining this band of merry men is my significant other, Tara Golden. Tara is a meteorology student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. It's always nice to spend time with her. Throw in a few old friends, and this promises to be a very enjoyable weekend.
* I'll be working tomorrow and Sunday, which look like pretty typical summer days. We'll see some moisture moving in from the Atlantic, and this increase in moisture could bring a few more showers and storms in here by late this weekend and into early next week.
Lots of Heat
Hot air will continue to build in to our area. The huge ridge to our west that has been dominating the weather pattern will gradually push eastward. In other words, expect more heat and no rain. Highs will soar into the middle 90s for the next few days. Lows should drop into the upper 60s to right about 70 all week.
A typical summer pattern has taken hold over the region. Only a slight chance of rain will return early next week, but moisture is limited. We really could use some rain around the twin states. Maybe all the gardens will get some rain before to long.
Lightning Safety Week
* We are in the midst of National Lightning Safety Week. Lightning is quite a prolific killer, but it takes it only takes its victims a few at a time - so it doesn't get nearly the publicity of tornadoes or hurricanes.
* The thing we preach about lightning safety is that if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. A great rule of thumb is the 30/30 rule:
30 seconds: Count the seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder.
If this time is less than 30 seconds, lightning is still a potential threat. Seek shelter immediately.
30 minutes: After the last lightning flash, wait 30 minutes before leaving shelter. Half of all lightning deaths occur after a storm passes. Stay in a safe area until you are sure the threat has passed.
* Here's a link to the National Weather Service page on lightning safety:
NWS Lightning Safety* Make sure that you and your family stay safe from lightning!
Summer Solstice Tonight
Today will be nice with sunny skies and cooler than average temperatures. The average temperature for this time of year is 91, but we will see temperatures in the mid to upper eighties this afternoon. This is nice considering the humidity is low as well so it will be a nice day to get out today and even tomorrow. However the humidity and warmer temperatures will return later this week.
The weather has not always been this nice during this time of year. Back on June 22, 1969 Kemper county reported 1.75 inch hail. This is a little unsual since our severe weather usually occurs in the spring time and in the fall but it is not uncommon.
On another note, tonight or rather at 1:46 AM tomorrow morning, the Summer solstice will occur. This indicates the official beginning of summer even though many of us are already experiencing summer. Today will be the longest day of the year. Cool huh?
Sunday Night Musings...
* The Spurs vs. Pistons game is actually a close game tonight. As of 10:30 pm, the Spurs are currently leading Detroit by a score of 74-73, with around 6 minutes left in the game. I love close games, but I hope this one does not go into overtime. That would mean an even later night at work for me.
* It was interesting to hear and see the commentators at the U.S. Open today. They kept talking about "having some weather a few miles away from the course." I couldn't help but wonder if they didn't look out the window and see the weather that was unfolding above the golf course. Just because it isn't raining doesn't mean it's not "weather." Funny stuff.
* The National Weather Service is providing "Weather Trivia" on their website, and I thought that might make for an interesting read on some of these slow summer days. Here's the trivia for June 20 (Monday):
On this date in 1997, extensive flooding of roads and streets occurred in Ackerman as well as Starkville.
In 1998, hail damaged many houses and automobiles in Ellisville, MS causing $50,000 in property damages.
I'll post some of these trivia items from time to time. Check the NWS Trivia site out for yourself:
NWS Jackson Weather Trivia* Interesting note: The GFS is trying to hint at some sort of tropical system in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Trusting the synoptic scale models' forecast of any tropical system is asking for trouble, but it's interesting to see. Furthermore, the GFS is really the only model suggesting this scenario. But, we'll watch it. If this even were to happen, the system would probably move well east of here. Here's the output from the 18z (midday) GFS:
GFS Valid 1PM Tuesday
