HEFTY SNOW PACK DEVELOPING OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST

Published 15 days ago

SNOW PILING UP TO THE NORTHWEST

THE SECOND POWERFUL SNOWSTORM OF DECEMBER HAS BROUGHT UP TO 20 INCHES OF SNOW TO NORTHWEST IOWA, SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA, AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.  COMBINED WITH SNOW ALREADY ON THE GROUND SNOW PACK HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED OVER THE PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST THE PAST 2 WEEKS.  AS OF JANUARY 5TH SNOW COVER EXISTS FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND OHIO VALLEY NORTH...CLICK READ MORE FOR THE LATEST

EL NINO DEVELOPS...ARE WE IN FOR A MILD WINTER?

Published 27 days ago

HAPPY HOLIDAY'S FROM TERRY, CAROLYN, & EDEN

Published 55 days ago

Hi everybody!  As the year comes to a close my wife Carolyn, daughter Eden, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season.  We know first hand that life is about hope, love, friends and family.  I have been abundantly blessed in all of these wonderful areas.  The support and friendship shown by so many of you during this period of transition goes beyond description and comprehension.  It is with much gratitude that I extend my best wishes for a meaningful and magical New Year. 

Peace be with you,

Terry

EDEN SWAILS....CLICK RIGHT HERE FOR A LARGER IMAGE

CITIES AT NIGHT, VIEW FROM SPACE

Published 83 days ago

Astronauts circling the Earth have the wonderful vantage point of observing the nighttime Earth from 350-400 kilometers above the surface, taking in whole regions at once. Onboard cameras and a bit of experimentation allow astronauts to take highly detailed images of our cities at night and share them with the rest of us... (click read more)

SUMMER HEAT SAFETY TIPS

Published 88 days ago

With hot, humid weather on the way, it never hurts to remind ourselves of some easy ways to help prevent heat-related issues.  Here are some good tips to help keep summertime fun and safe:

SPOOKY, KOOKY, AND CREEPY, TERRY'S HAUNTED FORECAST

Published 103 days ago

DEATHLY COLD OR FREAKISHLY HOT, THAT'S THE HAUNTING QUESTION.......

TERRY'S HOUR BY HOUR HALLOWEEN FORECAST

Spooky, kooky, creepy and fun, Halloween is fast approaching.  Come rain, sleet, snow, or sun, the little ghosts and goblins are bound to come knocking.  If you're wondering what to expect ...Click read more

INDIAN SUMMER...JUST WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO WE CARE!

Published 107 days ago

Chances are you've heard the term Indian Summer, but how many of you really know what it is?  If your curious this article will give you more than you ever wanted to know!

ARCTIC SEA ICE REACHES 3RD LOWEST LEVEL IN 30 YEARS

Published 119 days ago

SUMMER MAY HAVE BEEN COLD HERE BUT ICE AT THE ARCTIC CONTINUES ITS MELTING WAYS

THE ARCTIC IS ON THIN ICE...

On September 12, 2009, the extent of sea ice in the Arctic reached the third lowest level ever recorded since satellite records began in 1979. The National Snow and Ice Data Center estimates that the overall extent dropped to 5.1 million square kilometers, well below 2007...click read more for more details.

FREEZING TEMPERATURES COMING, WHAT'S TYPICAL?

Published 119 days ago

JACK FROST SIGHTED!, GET THE LATEST ON HIS APPEARANCE SCHEDULE

IS THERE FROST ON YOUR PUMPKIN?

For over 3 months the days have been getting shorter and the sun's rays less direct.  The inevitable process results in less solar energy and without it, the northern hemisphere is forced to grow colder.  Just like clockwork, Jack Frost is called to work and before you know it, the growing season is wrapped up for another year. For all the facts and figures on when you will need the ice scraper, click read more. 

U.S. SUMMER TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL...

Published 139 days ago

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS, U.S. SUMMER TEMPS. BELOW NORMAL           

2009-THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER

The average June-August 2009 summer temperature for the contiguous United States was below average – the 34th coolest on record, according to a preliminary analysis by NOAA's National Climate Data Center in Asheville, N.C. August was also below the long-term average. The analysis is based on records dating back to 1895.  The core of the coolness was centered on the nation's heartland where states like Iowa and Illinois had one of the coldest summers on record!  For the latest, click read more... 

SUNDAY TORNADO AND SUPERCELLS CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Published 232 days ago

Late Father's day local storm chasers Jeremy Ludin and Joel Wright headed northwest of Iowa City to capture supercell thunderstorms that produced confirmed tornadoes.  The two encountered rapidly rotating mesocyclones with classic structure.  Wish I could have been there for the action.

Jeremy did give this account of his chase in an email, "I wasn't able to hit...Click read more

SEVERE WEATHER BLOG JUNE 18th, 2009

Published 236 days ago

Powerful storms blast Missouri

Published 246 days ago

June 7th 2009 Severe Weather Summary...

A significant episode of severe weather, featuring extremely large and destructive hail and a few tornadoes, impacted portions of northwest and north central Missouri during the late afternoon and evening hours on June 7th. The setup for the event featured a slow moving warm front that was draped from far northwest Missouri southeastward into central Missouri. This front had been reinforced by a complex of thunderstorms that had impacted northern Missouri during the overnight and early morning hours prior, allowing abundant low level moisture to become pooled along the front. Strong daytime heating along and south of the front sent temperatures into the middle and upper 80s. With strong instability and moisture in place by late afternoon, conditions were ripe for rapid thunderstorm development as an upper level disturbance moving through Kansas provided the lift necessary for thunderstorms. However, it was the strong turning and increase in winds with height (known as wind shear) that set the stage for severe storms, specifically supercells.

High precipitation supercells, which occur more frequently in the eastern Plains and Missouri River valley, were the dominant storm type. While this special hybrid of supercell storms typically features a lower risk of tornadoes than their Great Plains cousins, they often do so at the expense of producing some extremely large hail. Indeed, June 7th featured some of the most destructive hail observed across northern Missouri, with two separate storms producing softball and grape fruit size hail, leaving widespread destruction to trees, homes, and vehicles.

The Vortex 2 tornado research project, in addition to many dozens of storm chasers, provided invaluable information to the National Weather Service during this event. Many pictures and data collected from these mobile teams will be added as they are received.

The images below sample just a few of the most destructive storms, with captions describing them.

Visible satellite image taken at 715 PM CDT Jun 7 2009. Note the large thunderstorms already underway. You are seeing the storm tops, which are locally exceeding 50,000 feet in height! The little 'knobs' in the middle represent overshooting tops, where the storm updrafts are so violent (locally exceeding 100 mph), that they penetrate into the stratosphere.

Four-panel radar image at the time softball size hail was falling in Oregon, MO, approx 645 PM CDT. Top left radar image shows a classic hook echo with

The winter of 2008-2009 ( a summary)

Published 252 days ago

The winter of 2008-2009 got off to a wicked start with plenty of cold and snow into mid January. However, following a record breaking surge of arctic air that allowed the mercury to hit 27 below in the Quad Cities January 15th, winter backed off. From that point on snowfall was minimal and temperatues tolerable. Here is a nice summary of the winter just past from the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities.

SNOW ROLLERS...

Published 257 days ago

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE SNOW ROLLER

Believe it or not, I have weather buddies all over the country and one of my dearest is a lady named Shirley Machonis out in Helena, Montana. Shirley forwarded me this snipit on a winter phenomena known as snow rollers. Rollers are created much like snowmen in that you start with a small ball of wet snow that you roll until it grows until the desired size. The difference ,and this is BIG is that snow rollers are created with no human intervention. All you need is