Hi folks... there is a chance for severe weather over much of the state tonight. We will be watching for you and of course you can get the latest information on Channel 13... Channel 13.2 and digital 246 on cable with Iowa's Weather Plus.
Please take a little time to go over the tornado safety rules attached below. It is so important to go over the rules and memorize them to keep you and your family safe.
www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#Safety
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
May...Above Average US Temps?!
Are you kidding me? This is amazing to those of us who are wondering if we will have a real summer. (((See Carlson's Story in the Register Wednesday)))
There is a cool wind blowing again over Iowa and now the climate numbers have reached the weather desk of TV 13. It seems the United States was above average for temperatures last month.
Most of the heat recorded in the report came from the southwestern U.S. There were record highs for Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
Here is the full report: www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/?n=season_spring09_sum
We are still way below the average for temps in June. This is great for the electric bill. Some are telling me the flowers have never looked better. Some others want to know if there will be a time when the kids will not be shivering at the swimming pools.
The week ahead is still looking cooler than the average...and there will be chances for showers and isolated thunderstorms just about every day.
The split jet stream is one of the reasons for the cooler and wet weather. The southern jet is keeping the warmer air far south of Iowa. The northern jet is sweeping in the cooler air just to the north of Iowa. We are caught in the pinch...and that means showers... and clouds. High temperatures have remained about 10 degrees cooler than normal.
The good news is we are not seeing the severe storms...most of that is over Missouri. In fact Missouri could be caught in the heavy rain pattern we had during June and July of 1993. The low that is set up off the Pacific Northwest has similar characteristics of the storm system that sent one shot of rain after another over Iowa in 1993.
There was frost last night in North Dakota. Sweater weather in summer?
Have a great one... see you on the air tonight.
Ed
There is a cool wind blowing again over Iowa and now the climate numbers have reached the weather desk of TV 13. It seems the United States was above average for temperatures last month.
Most of the heat recorded in the report came from the southwestern U.S. There were record highs for Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
Here is the full report: www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/?n=season_spring09_sum
We are still way below the average for temps in June. This is great for the electric bill. Some are telling me the flowers have never looked better. Some others want to know if there will be a time when the kids will not be shivering at the swimming pools.
The week ahead is still looking cooler than the average...and there will be chances for showers and isolated thunderstorms just about every day.
The split jet stream is one of the reasons for the cooler and wet weather. The southern jet is keeping the warmer air far south of Iowa. The northern jet is sweeping in the cooler air just to the north of Iowa. We are caught in the pinch...and that means showers... and clouds. High temperatures have remained about 10 degrees cooler than normal.
The good news is we are not seeing the severe storms...most of that is over Missouri. In fact Missouri could be caught in the heavy rain pattern we had during June and July of 1993. The low that is set up off the Pacific Northwest has similar characteristics of the storm system that sent one shot of rain after another over Iowa in 1993.
There was frost last night in North Dakota. Sweater weather in summer?
Have a great one... see you on the air tonight.
Ed
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Parkersburg...One Year Later
Memorial Day has more significance in Parkersburg, Iowa this year. It will be one year ago to the day that the little town in Butler County was nearly wiped off the map by an EF 05 tornado.
6 People were killed in Parkersburg...3 more died in the New Hartford area.
The town was changed forever...but rebirth of homes and connections between family and friends in the area is amazing. It is a testament to the community and to the caring of those who were there day one and again through the last 365 days.
Parkersburg now looks like a new housing development in any suburb Iowa. The big trees that lined the streets are gone. Now there are new sprouts and saplings. There are new and bigger homes in the place where only foundations remained after the tornado last May 25th.
The numbers are amazing. 282 homes were damaged or destroyed. The cost estimate so far is around $37 million.
This weekend Parkersburg will pay tribute to those who were killed and to those who survived. Memorial Day weekend has special meaning for those folks in north central Iowa.
The National Weather Service in Johnston has a pdf poster of the track and timeline of the May 25, 2008 tornado. You can see it and find out more about the events this weekend. www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/?=parkersburg
Have a safe weekend.
Ed
6 People were killed in Parkersburg...3 more died in the New Hartford area.
The town was changed forever...but rebirth of homes and connections between family and friends in the area is amazing. It is a testament to the community and to the caring of those who were there day one and again through the last 365 days.
Parkersburg now looks like a new housing development in any suburb Iowa. The big trees that lined the streets are gone. Now there are new sprouts and saplings. There are new and bigger homes in the place where only foundations remained after the tornado last May 25th.
The numbers are amazing. 282 homes were damaged or destroyed. The cost estimate so far is around $37 million.
This weekend Parkersburg will pay tribute to those who were killed and to those who survived. Memorial Day weekend has special meaning for those folks in north central Iowa.
The National Weather Service in Johnston has a pdf poster of the track and timeline of the May 25, 2008 tornado. You can see it and find out more about the events this weekend. www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/?=parkersburg
Have a safe weekend.
Ed
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Doppler Ground Clutter
There are many viewers who have asked about the junk that is around the center of Doppler radars. It looks like precipitation...but is always there....even on a clear night.
Here is a general explanation of ground clutter around the radar and anomalous propagation.
Ground clutter is a pattern of radar echoes from fixed targets around the radar. An example is the red and orange spots that are always around the Mega Doppler. There are farm buildings and grain silos near the radar site that always show up as red or orange spots that do not move in the center of our radar display. We built Mega Doppler outside of the metro so we would not the interference of buildings downtown. Ground clutter can hide or disrupt precipitation echoes near the radar antenna.
Anomalous propagation (A.P.) occurs with temperature or moisture gradients near the radar that cause part of the radar to bend abnormally. The beam of the radar can be turned into the ground or can bend upward. Both types of A.P. can make it look like there are large areas of rain or snow falling right around the radar. A.P. is most often visible at night with high amounts of moisture. Yellow and green are the most common colors that show up on the Doppler during anomalous propagation. The false returns are most common during nighttime hours when cooler temperatures and more moisture is pumped into the atmosphere adding to the bending of the radar beam.
We manipulate the power and tilt of Mega Doppler to eliminate most of the ground clutter and A.P.
---------------
A viewer from Ankeny noticed that it is really difficult to see storms on radar when they move over the northern edge of Ankeny. This is a portion of the email I sent to our Ankeny viewer... it will help explain why being close to the radar does not keep you safer in storms.
The issue with Ankeny is the growth of the area to the north of town since our radar was installed at Alleman. That area...just like so many in central Iowa... has expanded so much in the last several years. Many housing developments...golf courses...etc have moved very close to the radar site. This has created an issue for those who live under the dome of ground clutter that will always be a part of any Doppler radar location.
I mentioned in the earlier email we purposely put the radar site away from the downtown area of Des Moines. Since the installation of our Doppler... Ankeny and Des Moines have nearly joined at the south...and Ankeny has really expanded to the north. Alleman has expanded right under the dome of silence around the radar site.
We use this site because Alleman is one of the highest points of the central Iowa area. It is where our TV towers are located...so we own the property.
We try to eliminate as much ground clutter and Anomalous Propagation as possible... but if you are right under the radar site... there is really nothing we can do about those permanent returns of buildings and bending of the radar very close to the radar.
In the event of a very close storm over the our radar... you can cross-section the storm with the National Weather Service Doppler that is located over by Camp Dodge in Johnston. http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=dmx
You will notice they have more ground clutter than we do on a clear day... they put their radar into a "clear air" mode that really increases the junk around the center of the Doppler.... but during a storm that is right over Ankeny... this could help.
Keep that NOAA all-hazard weather radio in your home and in a place that will wake you up if the storms move through when your family is sleeping. You can even register to win a weather radio from Channel 13 by going to http://who.4wmt.com/packages/templates/anonymous/giveaway.aspx?pageid=092af6b5-e0ee-4c80-8ca0-ba046b7830ab
Here is a general explanation of ground clutter around the radar and anomalous propagation.
Ground clutter is a pattern of radar echoes from fixed targets around the radar. An example is the red and orange spots that are always around the Mega Doppler. There are farm buildings and grain silos near the radar site that always show up as red or orange spots that do not move in the center of our radar display. We built Mega Doppler outside of the metro so we would not the interference of buildings downtown. Ground clutter can hide or disrupt precipitation echoes near the radar antenna.
Anomalous propagation (A.P.) occurs with temperature or moisture gradients near the radar that cause part of the radar to bend abnormally. The beam of the radar can be turned into the ground or can bend upward. Both types of A.P. can make it look like there are large areas of rain or snow falling right around the radar. A.P. is most often visible at night with high amounts of moisture. Yellow and green are the most common colors that show up on the Doppler during anomalous propagation. The false returns are most common during nighttime hours when cooler temperatures and more moisture is pumped into the atmosphere adding to the bending of the radar beam.
We manipulate the power and tilt of Mega Doppler to eliminate most of the ground clutter and A.P.
---------------
A viewer from Ankeny noticed that it is really difficult to see storms on radar when they move over the northern edge of Ankeny. This is a portion of the email I sent to our Ankeny viewer... it will help explain why being close to the radar does not keep you safer in storms.
The issue with Ankeny is the growth of the area to the north of town since our radar was installed at Alleman. That area...just like so many in central Iowa... has expanded so much in the last several years. Many housing developments...golf courses...etc have moved very close to the radar site. This has created an issue for those who live under the dome of ground clutter that will always be a part of any Doppler radar location.
I mentioned in the earlier email we purposely put the radar site away from the downtown area of Des Moines. Since the installation of our Doppler... Ankeny and Des Moines have nearly joined at the south...and Ankeny has really expanded to the north. Alleman has expanded right under the dome of silence around the radar site.
We use this site because Alleman is one of the highest points of the central Iowa area. It is where our TV towers are located...so we own the property.
We try to eliminate as much ground clutter and Anomalous Propagation as possible... but if you are right under the radar site... there is really nothing we can do about those permanent returns of buildings and bending of the radar very close to the radar.
In the event of a very close storm over the our radar... you can cross-section the storm with the National Weather Service Doppler that is located over by Camp Dodge in Johnston. http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=dmx
You will notice they have more ground clutter than we do on a clear day... they put their radar into a "clear air" mode that really increases the junk around the center of the Doppler.... but during a storm that is right over Ankeny... this could help.
Keep that NOAA all-hazard weather radio in your home and in a place that will wake you up if the storms move through when your family is sleeping. You can even register to win a weather radio from Channel 13 by going to http://who.4wmt.com/packages/templates/anonymous/giveaway.aspx?pageid=092af6b5-e0ee-4c80-8ca0-ba046b7830ab
Tornado Alley
Is Iowa really in tornado alley? It is a great and very common question we get at the Channel 13 weather office.
It is true. The most severe weather in the country typically has a target over Oklahoma to Kansas to Missouri and Nebraska and Iowa. We get the big storms because we are located where the dry and cool air collects and meets with the warm and humid air. It is the ingredients that are needed for tornado cake...and we are sometimes the frosting on that severe offering from Mother Nature.
Last night Kirksville, Missouri was the end zone for tornado touchdowns. 3 people lost their lives in that northern area of the Show-Me state. http://www.weather.com/newscenter/topstories/todayinweather.html?from=hp_news1#stormaftermath0514
The Weather Channel has some amazing video from a storm chaser that was in the middle of that tornado. The link above is to the storm story of Kirksville.
It is amazing to see the chaser...named "Tornado Tim"... sit in his car and have huge debris thrown on to his car. His windshield wiper was snapped off.
We have great weather today... another chance for strong to severe storms. Those storms should not hit until later in the day. The weekend is still looking fabulous.
Have a great one... living in tornado alley.
It is true. The most severe weather in the country typically has a target over Oklahoma to Kansas to Missouri and Nebraska and Iowa. We get the big storms because we are located where the dry and cool air collects and meets with the warm and humid air. It is the ingredients that are needed for tornado cake...and we are sometimes the frosting on that severe offering from Mother Nature.
Last night Kirksville, Missouri was the end zone for tornado touchdowns. 3 people lost their lives in that northern area of the Show-Me state. http://www.weather.com/newscenter/topstories/todayinweather.html?from=hp_news1#stormaftermath0514
The Weather Channel has some amazing video from a storm chaser that was in the middle of that tornado. The link above is to the storm story of Kirksville.
It is amazing to see the chaser...named "Tornado Tim"... sit in his car and have huge debris thrown on to his car. His windshield wiper was snapped off.
We have great weather today... another chance for strong to severe storms. Those storms should not hit until later in the day. The weekend is still looking fabulous.
Have a great one... living in tornado alley.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
TV 13 Weather in the Register
Good morning...and hello sunshine. We need about 12 days like today to get rid of the mini-Minnesota lake-land that is going on again in Iowa.
More on the flooding in a moment.... but we are happy to let you know that we are working with the Des Moines Register to bring you the forecast on the register weather page and on line at http://www.desmoinesregister.com/
This is a great friendship that has grown through the work of our sports teams and now has become a friendship with the paper the state of Iowa reads everyday.
You will see breaking weather details and the live Mega Doppler on the register's home page and find the seven day in the paper with finer details of the next 24 to 48 hours. This is for you... another way for you to get the forecast each morning.
The flood map is looking better this morning. There are still many areas of flooding over the central Iowa area...extending into southeastern counties. There will be some improvement today... but then we hit another wet weather wall tomorrow night.
Heavy rainfall is going to come our way Wednesday night through Friday. It is looking better for the weekend.
Here is how we stack-up...or float-to-the-top right now.
Normal Rainfall for the month-to-date: 3.19"
Actual Rainfall for the month-to-date: 4.95"
Last years April rainfall to date: 5.82"
Make sure you stay tuned to Channel 13 and our digital weather channel..."Iowa's Weather Plus" on channel 13.2 or 246 on your digital cable box. Watch on line at http://www.whotv.com/ and now.. read about your weather everyday in the Des Moines Register.
Have a great day.
Ed
More on the flooding in a moment.... but we are happy to let you know that we are working with the Des Moines Register to bring you the forecast on the register weather page and on line at http://www.desmoinesregister.com/
This is a great friendship that has grown through the work of our sports teams and now has become a friendship with the paper the state of Iowa reads everyday.
You will see breaking weather details and the live Mega Doppler on the register's home page and find the seven day in the paper with finer details of the next 24 to 48 hours. This is for you... another way for you to get the forecast each morning.
The flood map is looking better this morning. There are still many areas of flooding over the central Iowa area...extending into southeastern counties. There will be some improvement today... but then we hit another wet weather wall tomorrow night.
Heavy rainfall is going to come our way Wednesday night through Friday. It is looking better for the weekend.
Here is how we stack-up...or float-to-the-top right now.
Normal Rainfall for the month-to-date: 3.19"
Actual Rainfall for the month-to-date: 4.95"
Last years April rainfall to date: 5.82"
Make sure you stay tuned to Channel 13 and our digital weather channel..."Iowa's Weather Plus" on channel 13.2 or 246 on your digital cable box. Watch on line at http://www.whotv.com/ and now.. read about your weather everyday in the Des Moines Register.
Have a great day.
Ed
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tornado Drill Day
Here we are...the peak of the severe weather awareness week... tornado drill day. Kind of sounds like the highlight of some religious holiday, but it is very important to check the outdoor warning sirens and have a chance to practice all the rules of staying safe during tornadoes.
At 9:50 a Tornado Watch will be issued for the state of Iowa. Then at 10:15 central Iowa will have our test Tornado Warning. The area sirens will sound and kids will move from their classrooms to the center of the school covering their heads until the sirens stop and the all-clear is given.
I remember doing this when I was in school. Back-in-the-day... we had one student that would quickly open the windows in our classroom. The thought was extreme low pressure in the center of a tornado was strong enough to create huge pressure in a building...making the structure implode. Now we know that is bunk. Buildings are not blown-up like a balloon with too much air... they are wrecked with high wind and the debris that is thrown through the air at 200 mph. Stay away from windows! To think I thought is was a cool honor to stay back and open the windows.. like I was little Super Ed...saving the class from eminent danger. Captain Storm Safe! Stop day dreaming Edwin! Oh yea.... anyway get away from windows and put as many walls between you and the outside. Stay low, in the center of the building. In the basement under a staircase or pool table or work bench is a good idea. If you can make a safe room in the basement with essentials like flashlight, blankets, weather radio. The Red Cross has a wonderful web site with a list of items for your family in severe weather or other hazardous events.
At 10:30 a special statement from the Severe Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Service will explain what has just happened... and end the tornado warning. The tornado watch will end at 11:00.
This is time to remember what to do during severe weather. Have a safe place for your family to meet during and after severe weather events. Think it through like a fire drill.
We will make sure you stay safe with the real warnings. Keep the NOAA all-hazards radio in your home. We have a great portable weather radio available at the a-ha! Store at the Science Center of Iowa. Take it to the outdoor events or keep it in your car...stay safe all year long.
Have a great day. The sky will be blue and the temperatures warm as the sirens sound today.
Ed
At 9:50 a Tornado Watch will be issued for the state of Iowa. Then at 10:15 central Iowa will have our test Tornado Warning. The area sirens will sound and kids will move from their classrooms to the center of the school covering their heads until the sirens stop and the all-clear is given.
I remember doing this when I was in school. Back-in-the-day... we had one student that would quickly open the windows in our classroom. The thought was extreme low pressure in the center of a tornado was strong enough to create huge pressure in a building...making the structure implode. Now we know that is bunk. Buildings are not blown-up like a balloon with too much air... they are wrecked with high wind and the debris that is thrown through the air at 200 mph. Stay away from windows! To think I thought is was a cool honor to stay back and open the windows.. like I was little Super Ed...saving the class from eminent danger. Captain Storm Safe! Stop day dreaming Edwin! Oh yea.... anyway get away from windows and put as many walls between you and the outside. Stay low, in the center of the building. In the basement under a staircase or pool table or work bench is a good idea. If you can make a safe room in the basement with essentials like flashlight, blankets, weather radio. The Red Cross has a wonderful web site with a list of items for your family in severe weather or other hazardous events.
At 10:30 a special statement from the Severe Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Service will explain what has just happened... and end the tornado warning. The tornado watch will end at 11:00.
This is time to remember what to do during severe weather. Have a safe place for your family to meet during and after severe weather events. Think it through like a fire drill.
We will make sure you stay safe with the real warnings. Keep the NOAA all-hazards radio in your home. We have a great portable weather radio available at the a-ha! Store at the Science Center of Iowa. Take it to the outdoor events or keep it in your car...stay safe all year long.
Have a great day. The sky will be blue and the temperatures warm as the sirens sound today.
Ed
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