Storm Tracking

Tracking summer time storms can be as exciting as tracking a snowstorm.  Only difference is these pop up showers tend to catch people off guard at the last minute as also judge by the continuous forecast of a 30% chance of rain. 

Yesterday was another prime example.  As storms fired up across the northern sections of the area, flood warnings popped up in minutes.  As interested as I was to see what was going on, I followed the radar.  Slowly the storms got closer to our area as other places such as Hazelton were caught in the deluge.  Then the skies opened and the rain poured down.  Shortly after the worse of it had passed, I headed home.  Water was gushing out of everything.  Sirens were blaring.  One car even pulled over on a well-traveled road to put the manhole cover back on as it had been moved 15 feet down the street.  If you can avoid damage, these little events can be a blast to watch.

After the rain had passed the air cooled a bit.  Not much, but enough.  Even saw a rainbow.  Without the day light heating I figured our little dance with rain was over like in many instances during the summer where the rain stabilizes the atmosphere.  I opened my bedroom window like I do every night (for now).  And on this humid night I even upped it a notch.  I opened the living room window and patio door.  First time I had ever kept anything other then my bedroom window opened throughout the night.  Then it came.  Had this been a few decades ago in a different part of the world I would have thought the German blitz had shown up above my town.  A thunderous crack awoke me.  In a daze I made my way to all the open windows and quickly shut them.  I dove back in bed trying to figure out what the hell was going on.  I grabbed my ipod and pulled up the radar to see a dandy of a storm rolling through.  So much for no storm after the sun goes down.  I had to put my headphones back in at 3 in the morning just to get away from how loud the thunder was. 

Nobody knows what today will bring.  Chances are looking good for rain.  There was already some tracking going on and I've seen estimates of up to four inches of rain in some areas.  I haven't seen any totals come out but between the past two days and the next two, some areas are going to have high totals.

Meanwhile...

Tropical system Beryl looks to come in along the Florida/Georgia before spinning back out from the direction it just came.  In other words, we won't see anything out of this system.  Tropics go pretty quiet for awhile after this one.

It is snowing in Montana.  Go figure.  I would make a bigger deal out of this if I did not have first hand experience of being stuck in a June snowstorm.

For those of us who are not into warm weather, take some relief in the long range.  Cool air is going to invade from Canada Friday and will swing into the northeast by Saturday.  However, another shot of warmth comes back from the 5th-8th.    

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Out With A Bang

It would only make sense that winter would make one final stand only one week before May.  After all our biggest snow storm occurred in October.  Even though we missed out on this one, others not too far away dealt with heavy amounts.  Like the October storm, it won't stick around long. 

I'm always up for a classic Nor'easter.  It wasn't a big story for our area.  Some heavy rain with some gusty winds.  It really didn't even live up to that.  Neither Allentown, Reading or Philadelphia hit two inches and the highest amount I could find from our area covered by the National Weather Service was 3.5 inches along the New Jersey coast.  But as the storm cranked inland it also pulled down cold air.  Really cold air.  Like 30 degrees below normal kind of cold.  Combine that with a wall of moisture and somebody was in for a treat.

That somebody went to Laurel Summit who reported 23 inches of snow.  Others got hosed.  Last I saw Pittsburgh was in for 4-6 inches.  I believe they got nothing.  And when I last looked at the water vapor and saw a dry pocket moving through central PA and NY, it was looking accurate that the predictions of very little snow for these places would be right.  Seven inches of snow later in Elmira, and I think the moisture filled back in. 

ANOTHER MAP FOR THE COLLECTION, CHECK OUT THAT DATE

Anybody remember the Monday prior to the 23rd hit 90 degrees?  Seems like an awfully long time ago now doesn't it?  Especially considering the 48 degree high yesterday.  If the long range is any indication I don't see any above normal warming trends.  If anything the next two to four weeks could be below normal temperature wise.  Makes me wonder what summer brings.

By they way, some minor news in the winter that never was.  Unless something bizarre happens which at this point I guess is possible, after having one of the snowiest seasons ever recorded last winter, Syracuse will set the mark for least snowiest (since 1950) if they can't get another six inches.  Truly a very sub-par season for many places this year.  I'm still holding out for a couple snow storms throughout the country before I hang up my winter cap in June.

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Wild Spring

Nothing surprises me in spring.  It's the ultimate battle between warm and cold as warm tries to invade and cold tries to hang on.  Friday's low for Reading was 31.  The predicted high for tomorrow is 90, then 75, then 65.  And our weather compared to many other parts of the country is extremely tame.

Like how about Amarillo.



Highways were closed and close to four feet of hail fell on some spots.  In our area that would be extreme but in the central part of the United States especially areas directly east of the Rockies, it's not uncommon.

Aspen is under a winter storm warning.  Shouldn't be much of a surprise for a ski town sitting around 8,000 feet.  Except the town has hit 60 degrees seven times already this month and skiing has pretty much ended.  Until tomorrow I suppose.  Better get out while you can.  The next seven days after that are all predicted to be warmer than their 56 degree average.





Thunderstorms in San Francisco?  Sure.  I don't know the numbers but I can say that this doesn't happen very often.

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Bring Spring

This horrendous winter is officially over.  Of course I use the adjective to describe how bad it was if you love cold and snow.  Now we are hitting the 70's like it is late May and flowers are beginning to sprout from the unfrozen soils.  This roller coaster weather that had most of the nation riding high really messes with the body and nature.  When nighttime lows dip below freezing next week killing blooming buds, I'm sure it will piss somebody else off.

No matter what you can't please everybody.  And mother nature is no exception.  Warm winter?  Angry ski resorts.  Happy local governments.  Early Spring?  Tornado season begins even earlier.  Nobody enjoys that unless you are a tornado chaser for which I guess you would since that is how you base your income.  Regardless, I will move on from this winter with no regrets.  I chalk up the warmer than average temperatures and less than average snowfall to nothing more than weather being weather.  This is what happens.  It has been this way for thousands and millions of years.  And next year can only bring the unknown.  We have far too much of this year to go to look towards next winter.

If I had told you before winter began that our biggest snowfall of the season would be in October, temperatures would consistently be well above normal from November through March and Philadelphia would receive less than five inches of snow after having two seasons of record breaking snow, would you believe it?  Let the global warming climate changers sound the trumpets.  But I digress.

How about if I told you there would be a snowstorm in April?  This year.  Hold that thought.


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I really don't think this is even necessary after this winter.  But let's go back and look at the predictions made by the local forecasters who used all their high tech computer models, pattern changes, past history and years of knowledge, schooling and studying to realize they have in reality no clue.

Remember, Philadelphia will end as of now with 4 inches of snow.  Not even going to go into temps that were predicted.  Every month was well above normal and nobody could have predicted that.

CBS:  21-28
FOX:  24-30
ABC:  22-28
NBC:  30-40
ACCU:  27

Lehigh Valley Weather:  Less than 22


We have a winner.  I will accept my gifts at a later date at the Weather Forecasting Convention in late April.

I'd like to call to the carpet Hurricane Schwartz, which by the way, will end up being a horrible nickname should there one day be a devastating hurricane with that name, for his call of 30-40 inches.  Instead I will let him off with a pass since he took a bold stand, going the furthest away from average.  The real loser of this winter's forecast goes to John Bolaris, who never even got to witness the end of it.

I look forward to the challenge again.  Or perhaps we could guess on how much rainfall will fall this summer.  I'm up for another forecast-off.  If we all recall, last season was extremely wet.  Like 30 inches of rain in two months wet.  I'm smelling a new blog post coming.

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