What has meteorology taught me this semester?

This semester meteorology has taught me a lot.  Things such as finding out what symbols are displayed during a forecast at the 6 o' clock news or how or what creates a thunderstorm.  This class has been tremendously helpful as far as preparing for oncoming weather dangers.  Knowing how to prepare my family for the problems El Nino or La Nina can present allows for me to get my family as protected as possible.  When I lived in Louisiana, my parents always had an evacuation kit with unperishable items like spam, peanut butter and water. Louisiana is known for hurricanes and tornadoes and evacuation kits were standard ways of preparing.  After, moving away from Louisiana and residing here in Arizona, I have become accustomed to not having to worry about extreme weather besides well heat.  Taking your class has opened my mind to be prepared as my parents were and are. We may never know what tomorrow's weather can bring us. Knowing what I know now with weather systems, I know what conditions can create a tornado or why cities such as San Diego receives such much rain and why Yuma receives so little. It is amazing how everything makes sense now that I understand things such as what creates fog or what instruments we utilize to test and/or predict weather.  I know this may not be part of the blog criteria but you have may this class very enjoyable, interesting, and a worth taking. Thank you Professor Esslinger!!!

Warming of the World

There is a strange theory going about stating that the Earth's sudden warmer temperatures is creating a complete chaos of the Earth's weather system.  Our world has experienced its share of freaky weather such as crazy hail storms, wild fires, floods as well as unnatural weather systems.  Much has been said about the increase in the Earth's overall weather system.  We are experiencing hotter summers and colder winters. Could these theories acutally mean the end of the world in 2012? Or are these theories myths to create a situation in where Earth's citizens are enticed to go "green".  I personally believe it is a mixture of both.  The warming of the Earth may have caused some of these freaky weather situations but I believe a political skew has been added to create a sense of urgency to force individuals to go "green".  This process of going "green" helps a nations economy become richer.  Meaning it allows for individuals to buy more expensive but more cost effective and greener products.  The purchasing of these products allows for nations to grow richer since money is going back into the economy. Although, I have noticed much stranger weather on my days of leaving on this Earth, I must certainly believe that politicians such as Al Gore is blowing the warming of the Earth a little more than what it actually is.  The urgency placed on this situation, I believe, comes at a great time because it gives individuals the sense of knowing the importance of making the world a safer place for our children and grand kids.  I do not like the way politicians are bringing about the rising situation of the Earth's warming. There are other ways of letting the public know instead of creating a chaotic situation amongst our population. How do you feel about this topic?

Black Friday Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It was 6:00 pm Thanksgiving night and my family decided to brave the elements and shop for early specials.  Our first stop was going to be Toys "R" Us since I believe they were to open at 10:00 pm. To prepare I put a leather jacket over my short sleeved polo shirt and thought I would be warm enough. Boy, was I in for a very long long night. The first couple of hours while standing in line were fine until the wind started to blow and then it became very chilly. So, like a true wimp I took shelter in my car a turned up the heater.  Well, little did I know I did not have much gas so I could not run the engine as long as i wished.  I decided to fall asleep knowing I had to be at work for 3 am that morning. When I awoke at 12:30pm Friday, my feet were numb from the chilly temperatures. However, I had to get ready for work, if I had remembered correctly there were no indications of cloud cover when I looked at the sky while waiting in line.  I figured it will be chilly still since clouds were not overhead to trap what little heat the Earths surface contained. I wrongly estimated the days temperature and simply overdressed. The morning temperature was 50 and would later rise close to 80 degrees and it perplexed me. I thought the temperature would be still cold and windy, maybe it is a good idea that I not become a meteorologist.

"The Big Stripe"

Apparently, there is an extreme cold front hitting the United States early than expected. The cold front goes as far northwest as Montana all the way to the east coast of the Carolinas.  After this low front passes through the midwest and east coast, a push of Canadian air will make its way south.  The Canadian air will cause tremendously frigid temperatures for places that are not use to getting significantly chilly during the holiday season.  I wish Yuma could get some of the cold front. It has been years since I have experienced a white Christmas.  While our high temperatures will reach close to 70 degrees, Montana will have temperatures as low as 13 degress and the Carolinas will be in the 40's.  It is making me shiver just thinking about it. If you think those are cold, below is a graphic that of the expected lows for Sunday, December 5.

The temperatures displayed are unreal. Negative 2 in the state of North Dakota, I would not know how to prepare for such weather.  I would probably overdress and end up sweating which will cause me to become sick with the flu.  States that will experience the Canadian cold air will have snow fall much earlier than expected.  Although, I would love to have or experience a white Christmas, one thing that I would not like to have to go through is scooping up the snow from the driveway and sidewalks plus laying salt to ensure the snow melts in those areas.  One other problem that would arise could be the infamous black ice. I've driven through black ice when it snowed back in 2003 while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.  That was one scary ride. Also what didn't help was the fact that I did not know how to drive in these type of conditions.

A Hurricane this late...

Apparently, a hurricane decided to rear its head into the Gulf of Mexico.  Hurricane Tomas formed in the Gulf of Mexico and was heading straight towards Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.  Tomas, a category 1 hurricane, has, so far, the intentions on hitting the continental United States. But, its torrential heavy rains can wreck havoc on the islands such as the Carribbeans, Cuba and the Bahamas. Many meteorologists are concerned over the city of Port-Au-Prince because its shores are very shallow and the storm surge the hurricane may create will devastate the entire city.  Most of Port-Au-Princes industrial buildings are located on the shore between to mountains or ridges.  To many that experienced Hurricane Katrina and lived in New Orleans know this scenario far too well.  The heavy rains may create flash floods and mudslides causing in more damage.  Even though Tomas is only a Cat 1, the eventual rain can burden the Haitian economy with millions, maybe billions, in damages.  I have never heard of a hurricane forming this close to Thanksgiving.  I know that its not impossible but in my twenty eight years it is something new.  I pray that those living within the islands take shelter and hopefully the storm will not make an impact as some have predicted.  Although, the storm is expected to weaken sometime Saturday afternoon, it can still reach warmer waters and make Tomas stronger.  If this situation occurs an unforseen low pressure may scoot the storm further northeast. 

Tornadoes

Tornadoes occur more frequently within the continental United States, however, under the right conditions a tornado can occur anywhere in the world.  The Midwest is a haven for tornado formation because maritime tropical air from the south mingles with continental polar air from up north to form unstable conditions. These conditions can cause severe thunderstorms, hail, flash flooding and the occasional tornado. According to Wikipedia and http://www.weather.com/, there have been a reported 1407 tornadoes, but, only 1019 have been officially confirmed.  Of the 1019 confirmed tornadoes there were 36 casualities. Plus, there were 3 confirmed deaths in other regions of the world.  According to the Enhanced Fujita scale, which tracks the wind speed and damage a tornado creates, most of the tornadoes which touched down within the United States were either EF0 or EF1.  Recently, the United States had its largest outbreak of tornadoes within a 4 day period (occurred Oct 24-27, 2010); however none of the tornadoes went above a category EF2.
The largest casualty total for a tornado occured in the year of 1925. It was "widely accepted" that 695 people died within a tri state area.  The "tri-state tornado" happened in Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois.  Most of the people that perished were those that resided within southern Illinois. 

Tornadoes are one of nature's greatest phenomenoms but also a major threat to civilization.  A tornado can wreck havoc on a major city if the right conditions intensify to create an EF5.  Imagine the damage a 200 mph tornado can create, if we know how much damage a 125 mph hurricane can make.  I love states such as Texas and Louisiana, but, I moved away from those states because 1.) Texas is, I believe, the major hub for tornado formation and 2.) Louisiana gets its share of tornadoes too, but you also have to wonder about the chance of a hurricane coming ashore.  So, that's why I reside in little old Yuma, Arizona. Sure there's a chance a major earthquake may hit since we live along a fault line but I will take my chances.

Chilly weather this week

It has been rather chilly especially in the morning here in Yuma.  It feels as though I am living somewhere else, like Santa Barbara, CA, instead of in Arizona. Here's a link into Yuma's monthly weather for October, http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/USAZ0275.  As you can see there was a dramatic decline in temperature from October 4 to the 5 and also from October 17 to 18.   What is ironic is that we have had an abnormal high temperature for the month of October and also an abnormal low temperature.  The cold weather has me already thinking about Christmas, matter of fact, just yesterday I went to Target to buy a couple of pine scented candles.  It seems as though this winter will be much colder than ones that I've experienced in Yuma.  My first year in 2005 was pretty chilly but other years were sort of warmer and wetter.  I know in class we discussed La Nina and El Nino, and right now we are experiencing La Nina. It's forecast that we will have a drier and warmer Christmas, but I am going to have to disagree with a portion of that statement.  I believe we will have a drier Christmas but I feel that this year will be much chillier. So, what exactly is causing such a dramatic decline in temperature for us this year?  I tried researching it but came up empty.  My prognosis is that we are experiencing a cold front a lot earlier this year from northern Canada or Alaska. But, I believe "usually" rain is associated with the cold front that comes from up North every winter. However, I am grateful for an early break from the hot weather we were experiencing in the beginning of October. Hopefully we will have great weather for a while, that is until July comes around.

What is a Nor'easter?

So, I was scanning my 5th favorite website, http://www.weathers.com/, and came across a system called the Nor'easter.  I thought to myself, what in the world is that?  Supposedly, according to Wikipedia (my 3rd favorite website), the Nor'easter is a macro scale storm system along the east coast of the United States. This storm can cause major flooding, hurricane type force winds and heavy rain or snow.  On Thursday night, the east coast would feel the impact of the Nor'easter storm which will bring 40 to 50 mile per hour winds.  Meterologists expect that the strong gust of winds will topple trees and knock out power to thousands of eastern American citizens.  It is reported that rain can average levels of up to 1-2 inches, although higher amounts of water is not uncommon.  Usually, after this storm flows through the east coast cool cold weather comes in from England accompanied by snow (Christmas time already!). 



The storm system will cause a lot of headaches for those that are traveling.  Those traveling through by plane will experience heavy delays or even cancellations due to the fact that the winds are so strong it may cause planes to crash.  Heavy traffic congestion is also expected on highways and interstates too. Coming from a relatively large city (New Orleans), I know it must be hell going through these traffic congestions.  I could remember it would take me 2 1/2 hours to get home from the French Quarter.  Just imagine how long it would take these guys to get home. I love rain and snow just as much as the next guy but just being in heavy traffic and add the strong gust of winds is one of the main reasons I can not see myself living along the northern east coast. I love my southern states a lot more.

Crazy Weather hits Arizona

http://www.weather.com/outlook/videos/iwitness-amazing-video-of-hail-storm-18431

A wicked hail storm moved over the Phoenix/Glendale area in Arizona on Tuesday.  It was reported that golf sized hail was pelting Phoenix for a good 5 minutes.  Not only did central Arizona get hit with a hail storm but northern Arizona became a haven for tornadoes, which is not common in the state of Arizona.  According to a report on cnn.com, it was said that temperatures
dramatically dropped from the mid 80's to the 50's. By looking at the video I felt really concerned about the citizens within the central Arizona area. Imagine being caught in a hail storm such as the one displayed in the video.  While I witnessed the video showed in my blog, I couldn't help but wonder about many of those that had cut rate insurance such as the Allstate commercials and the so called "mayhem". The hail caused a tremendous amount of damage which could turn a nice looking car into junk.  In another video which failed to upload on this blog showed the aftermath of the hail storm.  Fog began to rise due to the evaporation of the ice crystals and created an eerie scene. It was a scene seen on a Nightmare on Elm Street movie. As for the tornadoes in the Flagstaff area, there were no reported injuries or deaths but many citizens were left homeless due to the damage the storm caused.  Thankfully, the tornado did not cause much damage as we all know how damaging a storm system such as this can be. On, Tuesday I traveled to San Diego for a seminar and the storm system that  I witnessed over the mountain tops were both beautiful but at the same time scary.  The temperature changed about 20 degrees as we neared the low pressure system.  But I must say it felt great to be in a cooler temp than what we were experiencing in Yuma at that time.

More Flooding

More flooding this week has presented problems for the United States however in a different region.  The eastern region of the US has face constant downpour enabling cars to be engulfed by high waters, as shown in picture above.  The downpour is in relation to Tropical Storm Nicole which may bring flooding throughout the eastern coast from the Carolinas to Maine.  It was just reported today that not only will people within the region have to worry about flood water but now there is a high wind advisory all along the Atlantic coast. 

As you can see it is a major front infiltrating the Atlantic coast with low pressure and bringing lots of rain with it.  Someday maybe Yuma, AZ can get rain like this again.  I remember back in 2005, my first year here in Arizona, I experienced what was called monsoon season and it was raining practically everyday during one month.  I have yet to experience anything like that again.  Of course it'll rain every now then but they are just teasers. My first son was born in 2008 and he'd never experience rain at all until he was almost two.  The family took a little trip to visit grandpa and grandma in Spring, Texas, which is a subdivision of Houston.  The visit was in the month of August, which for anyone familiar with weather it was hurricane season.  It poured the entire time we were there and there was a Hurricane that was heading our way, which actually caused damage to downtown Houston and major roof damage to Reliant Stadium.  Since, my son hadn't ever seen rain or even knew of the word, he would and was very scared especially during the lightning storm.  My parents house overlooks a lake so it is quite funny when something we (as adults) think is beautiful or just WOW someone as is petrified or terrified of the same situation.

Unexpected Flooding

Floods across the Midwest are causing havocs for those that live throughout the region.  Record amounts of rain drenched the region with amounts of up to 11 inches.  The rain has closed roads and has caused one city mayor to call for a state of emergency.  The downpour has caused rivers and streams to overfill causing added headaches to citizens affected by the floods.  Reports indicate that although rain showers have stopped there is a strong low pressure frontal system pushing its way to the upper Midwest area.

I guess not only are Minnesota Viking fans dealing with a 0-2 record but now they must deal with these unforgiving weather conditions.  Okay, that was a joke I had to throw in there but on a serious note, I hope all those within the region can overcome the adversity the flash floods have placed upon those citizens.  I can remember back in the 80's, when I lived in New Orleans, we experienced my first flooding.  Streets were flooded and impassable.  To get somewhere many New Orleanians would paddle their way in personally owned boats. I thought it was cool back then but now since I have responsibilities it would not be so funny if one did not have flood insurance. Floods cause major damage to cars and homes and without flood insurance, the expense of paying out of pocket can cause a financial strain. Although Yuma rarely receives rain, the area I live in floods from time to time.  When I was presented with flood insurance, I did not hesitate to make sure my family and I are protected from the wrath of torrential downpours.  Personally in my own opinion, floods are more dangerous than a hurricane. Some times you can wait out the effects of a hurricane but when a flood comes into town you have to evacuate.  Article and pictures courtesy of http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/flooding-midwest-thursday_2010-09-23?page=2.

More Hurricanes

Hurricane Karl has strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico posing an imminent threat to the citizens of Mexico (good luck Cancun).  While in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Julia seems to have joined forces with Hurricane Igor creating a tag team duel, just like Starsky and Hutch. Hurricane Igor seems like it is on a mission for Haiti, Cuba and quite possibly the Florida Keys.  Of the three storms, Hurricane Igor is the strongest as a Category 4 and depending on its movement the storm may become a dangerous Category 5 but only time will tell.  As for Hurricane Julia, which is the youngest of the three, she does not look like she is of danger to the United States or islands within the Gulf of Mexico.

Here's an awesome photo taken from space of Hurricane Igor. Hurricanes, from a photo standpoint, are an amazing spectacle to observe but are very dangerous for all in its path. Hurricanes, even when weakened to a tropical storm when it makes landfall, can drop a tremendous amount of rain and produce winds knocking over 100 to 200 year old oak trees.  Damages from these storms can range in the upper millions. I hope and pray that those who are within a hurricane zone have their emergency kits available and have an escape route.  I am originally from New Orleans and one of the reasons why I am in Arizona (although I miss my home food so very much) is because of the hassle of dealing with tropical storms and hurricanes.  Each region within the United States has their own weather situation but Yuma, Arizona seems to have minimal weather threats.  So from a "keep your family safe standpoint", this guy made a great choice.  My references were taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100914/ts_alt_afp/atlanticusweatherstorm_20100914153458

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100916/sc_afp/mexicoatlanticusweatherstormstrength

Tropical Storm Hermine

According to http://weather.yahoo.com, the death toll from Tropical Storm Hermine has climbed to 6. Hermine caused a lot of flooding through much of the southern Midwest states. San Antonio reached record numbers for rainfall during this time of year. My parents who reside in Spring, Texas, which is a suburb of Houston, said there satellite dish was struck by lightning and the storm blew out one of their televisions. The lake behind their home was rising at an alarming rate, but the water technicians for the subdivision were able to drain most of it before the water became a problem. When I lived in Killeen, Texas, we had several storms that would bring tremendous amount of rain and lightning our way. Tornadoes were also a common occurrence. I use to hate and love when it would flood. I loved it because work was normally cancelled and I use to hate it because I always had damage either to my vehicle or my house.

Hurricane season

Hurricane Earl is bound to make landfall sometime early Saturday morning.  It is currently riding up the eastern side of the United States. Being originally from the great state of Louisiana, several stories pop up in my mind of what my family has gone through. I personally did not feel the wrath of Katrina but had several family members that did and are still trying to recover. But, I did witness Hurricane Andrew in the fall of 1992.  My father who worked with Exxon (now known as ExxonMobil) gave us a heads up on the storm before any of the forecasters could.  Since, he flew out to oil rigs often, he had to know the weather details. The ironic thing about the situation was the fact that we knew way in advance but didn't try to evacuate until I believe a day prior till it made landfall in Louisiana.  I can remember us being stuck in traffic for hours on the hurricane evacuation route which basically was along I-10. I can also remember that we wasted a lot of gas that day. First, we were heading north towards Baton Rouge but since the traffic was so thick we decided to head east towards Biloxi. My dad was trying to out play the hurricane. If I could recall I believe Andrew stayed stationary for a bit in the gulf which made my dad change his mind. My dad did not know what path the storm was going to take and meterologist gave an extensive path for Andrew that ranged from the Florida panhandle all the way to Texas. So, my dad just decided to drive the family back New Orleans and rent a hotel for the duration of the storm. We decided to get a room near the top floor since we knew about the levy problems since 80's but Louisiana never did anything about it until it was too late with Katrina. Anyhow, that night was a crazy one even though the storm did not hit New Orleans directly we still felt a little of Andrews impact.  Hurricane Andrew ended making landfall close to Morgan City, Louisiana and I can remember looking out over the Superdome and seeing lightning and the electricity shut off.

After the storm passed and left the state of Louisiana and towards Mississippi, we decided to go home to scope out the damage.  Hurricane Andrew managed to knock down 2 very old magnolia trees and a couple of other minor mishaps, but the one thing my dad did not want destroyed was.  His fishing boat, in which he and his buddies had just finished 3 months prior, was now gone.  His boat cost approxiamately $16,000 to build but thank goodness for insurance.  After Hurricane Andrew, my dad decided to take a job opening with Exxon in Santa Barbara, California. He did this for 2 reasons and they were: 1) to not worry about the danger of hurricanes and 2) so his children can have an opportunity to enjoy the state of California for the first time. Everything was going swell until 1994 when an earthquake shook up southern California. My mom went crazy and told my dad she would much rather live through a hurricane because you have time to prepare than go through another earthquake. So, we moved back to Louisiana a year later. 

Double Whammy

In an article on yahoo.com called "Niger hit by 'double disaster'" (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100824/wl_afp/nigerfaminefloodsbritainaid) the country bordering Nigeria was devastated by heavy rain which caused a tremendous amount of flooding throughout the region.  The flooding only made matters worse for those living in Niger due to the fact that food is/was scarce throughout the country. The little vegetation that farmers, within the region, were able to grow was washed away from the onslaught of down pouring rain. What is ironic about the situation is that many  Nigeriens were praying for rain to fall in order for their crops to grow.  The Nigeriens received rain, which I'm pretty sure they are grateful for, but received more than they could handle. Another factor weighing in on the seriousness of the flood was malnutrition among the women and children in the country. The United Nations, which is trying its best to bring food and water to the region, is afraid of the probable outbreak of malaria.

Here is an example of a Nigerien child suffering from malnutrition

The outbreak of malaria could cause a high death toll for the country.  Six citizens have already perished due to the combination of the drought and monsoon like rains.  Also lost during the flooding were homes, clothing as well as livestock (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11063255). An interesting fact is that there are now three regions within the world that have a considerable amount of homeless due to flooding that have happened worldwide.  China has more than 1 million homeless, Pakistan has 20 million and Niger has a little over 100, 000 that are now homeless.  Could the outbreak of heavy rains and flooding be an adverse effect of global warming? Or could this be just a coincidence?  This is an issue that is quite debatable and is maybe a major topic being discussed in meteorology classes around the world. As for my opinion, I am still teetering on if global warming is as real as it is portrayed.