New ESP: Doppler Network radar display!
In addition to the new Storm Watch weather graphics unveiled Thursday night, we have a new radar display in our arsenal. It's one of the most advanced on-air severe weather tracking tools in years. KOKH joins a growing pack of TV stations with this technology. Through the ESP: Doppler Network, we can use the MagicTrak technology described in yesterday's blog to control the radar, just by pointing a finger on air at the part of the radar display we wish to change.
ESP: Doppler Radar network has the same high resolution radar data we use on our 3D Ridge Radar. Through these systems, we can show storms in 3D, making them look like you are standing outside observing a tall storm nearby. By doing this, we can find hidden areas of developing hail and rotation at various heights in the storm.
In addition, a Norman-based company, Warning Decision Technologies (WDT) has created software inside ESP: Doppler Network which alerts us to suspicious areas for developing bad weather. We can visual display developing rotation paths, hail storm paths and more.
We can monitor trends in lightning on our ESP: Doppler Network as well to see if storm complexes are strengthening or weakening. In a worst case scenario, we now have the ability to open up to 6 radar displays on different monitors in the Storm Watch First Forecast Center. Needless to say, we're watching the entire area!
-Greg
July 17, 2008
New Storm Watch Weather Graphics!
MagicTrak Technology
You may have noticed something different - we have a whole suite of new weather computers! It's the fastest, most up to date weather graphics system in Oklahoma.
We have some amazing technology to show you in the coming days. One of the first things you'll notice, the ability to control the computers while standing in front of the graphics! We can touch certain areas of the screen to bring up other maps, draw fronts, place sun symbols, zoom on the radar, storm track, label streets or even toss the temperatures on the screen with our hands. This technology has been around for about 13 years, but until recently has had limited abilities. Older systems required the meteorologist to physically touch a huge green tablet. Ours uses the camera's eye to see whatever area is farthest away from our body to point and draw. If we're not careful, you might enjoy a good belly laugh if our thumbs or parts of our arms are the most distant points! Our remote control has four buttons and a switch on it and I admit it's taking some time to getting used to it.
I have a lot more to tell you about the new system, so I'll save it for the upcoming days. If you have some recommendations for us, send 'em to weather@okcfox.com
-Greg
July 3, 2008
Why do summer storms move erratically?
Typically during the summer months, the jet stream remains in the northern US, occasionally dipping down just to the east of Oklahoma. With no upper support and light upper winds, storms move slow along fronts during the summer time and are usually very disorganized. Strong upper winds would keep the flow of warm air into the storms separated from the rain areas. However, without the strong winds, the storms often rain into the same area where they are receiving warm air. When the two areas (the inflow and outflow) mix, the storms often collapse. As they collapse, they send out a burst of cool air along the ground that acts as a mini cold front. These little fronts often generate new thunderstorms. Since the boundaries, or mini fronts, move in various directions, the storms sometimes follow the boundaries and travel in strange directions.
-Greg
July 2, 2008
Why has it been so windy?
We have seen an unusually windy spring and summer. Low pressure continues to redevelop to our northwest in southeast Colorado and also south of Denver. A ridge of hills runs east and west between Denver and Colorado Springs. This forms an "L" shape between the Rocky Mountains (which run north to south) and the ridge (running east to west). The ridge is known as the Palmer Divide. This natural boundary creates low pressure centers, which then often spin eastward. As these lows develop, the pressure dropping causes the winds to pick up over the plains, including here in Oklahoma.
For more information on this phenomenon, click here, or Google search "Denver Convergence Vorticity Zone" or "Denver Cyclone."
July 1, 2008
How Humid?
Humidity (and dew point) are typically higher in the months of July and August compared to June. The average dew point (how much water is in the air) for June is 65 degrees and peaks at 67 in July. Here's a look at how a 90 degree temperature would feel in each month with a typical dew point:
June - 90 degrees has 44% humidity
July - 90 degrees has 47% humidity
Aug. - 90 degrees has 45% humidity
Sept. - 90 degrees has 35% humidity
The average dew point for September is 59, and that's when we typically start to see cooler weather as well.
-Greg
June 30, 2008
Northwest Flow Thunderstorms
The weather pattern for the past few months has favored storms and clouds to move from the northwest to the southeast. This is a pretty typical summer type pattern for Oklahoma, but one we didn't see much of last summer. The "northwest flow" pattern helps give us night time thunderstorms sometimes. This usually happens when the winds flowing towards the Rocky mountains at ground level are out of the east blowing towards the west, or uphill. As the winds push up the Rockies, thunderstorms develop as the air moves upward. As the thunderstorms get established, they move southeastward off the mountains. By the time they reach Oklahoma, it is night time. The thunderstorms usually fall apart by sunrise.
- Greg
May 21, 2008
THE CAP
There are many spring and summer days in Oklahoma where our atmosphere is ripe and many ingredients are in place for a severe weather event. We have all seen those innocent little, white puffy clouds blossom into huge, dangerous thunderstorms in a matter of minutes.
However, the southern plains are also frequently prime for a phenomenon in the lower atmosphere called a capping inversion. This feature is commonly referred to as a “cap” or a “lid” by us broadcasters.
On a typical day, the sun heats the ground, which naturally warms the air just above it. This warm air keeps on rising into the cooler air above (warm air is less dense than cool/cold air). If there is enough moisture in place, the air will continue to rise, cool and condense, and begin the cloud formation process.
If a capping inversion exists a few thousand feet above the ground, this normal temperature profile of cool temperatures over warm temperatures is reversed. A stable environment is created as cooler, dense air is sitting below lighter, warm air.
At this point, we are considered “capped”. And if this cap is strong enough, our small clouds will stop growing as they smack into this “lid” placed on the lower atmosphere.
Here is one final point to remember…the cap is NOT unbreakable. If the air at the surface is highly unstable (i.e. relatively hot and humid), strong updrafts can “bust the cap” wide open especially during afternoon peak heating. Otherwise, the severe weather event may be a “bust”. A mid-upper air disturbance riding along the jet stream may also help to break the cap by itself or in combination with strong surface heating.
Significant severe weather is possible in these situations “if” a cap can be overcome. Even on days when this is a big “IF”, it is best for us forecasters to err on the side of safety, broadcast the severe weather potential, and sit back and see what Mother Nature has planned for us.
- Jeff
April 25, 2008
Tracking Tornado Season
We've seen several storm events this year, but only a few stick out as memorable tornado events in western and central Oklahoma. Several tornadoes have occured in eastern Oklahoma this year. So far here's what we've seen:
Oklahoma 2008: 18 (preliminary count)
Average Jan-April: 15
So surprisingly enough, we're slightly above average statewide. Nationally, we're much above normal, in part due to the tornado outbreaks in the Mississippi Valley earlier this year. We average 20 tornadoes in Oklahoma during the month of May. An average May would more than double the number of tornados we've seen so far. Who knows what the weather will bring. One thing is for sure, now is the time to be prepared. A weather radio can be a life saving device when night time tornadoes roll through your area. New radios can be programmed specifically for individual counties so the radio stays quiet when the weather is far, far away. Some models sold by Radio Shack have the ability to ignore certain types of bulletins, such as flood watches or thunderstorm watches if you do not wish to be awakened by them. If you do have a weather radio, make sure it has a fresh battery. More information on programming weather radios can be found by clicking here .
-Greg
April 19, 2008
Dry West, Soggy East
Oklahoma City has seen 140% of the amount of rainfall we usually receive by this time of the year. It's a different story out west though! According to the Oklahoma Mesonet, the western row of counties bordering Texas have seen less than 80% of normal rainfall. Parts of the western Panhandle haven't seen a quarter of an inch of rain in six months! Head the opposite direction and it continues to get wetter. Parts of northeast Oklahoma and western Arkansas are almost double the amount of rain usually seen by mid-April. Severe weather has been much more prominent in eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas as well, with several tornadoes and lots of hail and flooding. These types of patterns tend to exacerbate and continue. Dry soils in western Oklahoma favor the dry line pushing east on past the dry counties, while moisture given off by trees and wet lands in eastern Oklahoma tend to create clouds and perhaps more rain. Only time will tell if last year's record rain repeats itself farther east.
Maps showing how dry and wet our counties are can be found by clicking here, courtesy of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
-Greg
April 12, 2008
Freezing Facts
Although we've passed the average date of the last freeze in Oklahoma City, it seems the weather wants to give us one last blast of cold air.
For Oklahoma City:
Average Last Freeze: March 30
Latest Freeze Ever: May 3rd, 1954
Freeze maps for the state can be found here, courtesy of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
-Greg
March 27th, 2008
GOODBYE!!!!
Well it is with mixed emotions that I say goodbye to Oklahoma. I accepted a great position here two years ago as the Chief Meteorologist of a great department. Now two years later I am going to the wonderful city of Miami! I have accepted my dream job in Miami and I am excited and eager to start. You all have been great to me here in Oklahoma and I have many memories to last a lifetime! Thank you for being so nice and for welcoming me into your home each night. I wish you all the best!
Scott
February 8, 2008
Wild weather ride for early February!
Even though we knew that those 70s and 80s on Monday would not last very long, it sure was nice while we had them!
Temps dropped drastically on Tuesday morning behind a cold front and we've had below normal highs and lows ever since.
Many people consider groundhogs lowly creatures, but everyone had their eyes and ears pointed towards Punxsutawney, PA at Gobbler's Knob last Saturday. Our furry friend predicted 6 more weeks of winter, and with the exception of Monday, it seems to be working out so far this week. However, keep in mind that Phil's accuracy currently runs at a historically unimpressive rate...39%.
Conditions have "normalized" over the past few days which will continue into the beginning of the weekend. The forecast gets rather fuzzy (or furry) Sunday and beyond thanks to a jet stream that's having a hard time making up its mind.
Hang on tight for this wild weather ride to stay its course well into next week!
-Jeff
February 7, 2008
Have a scanner radio? Listen to us!
During severe weather, FOX-25 teams up with numerous Emergency Management Agencies and the National Weather Service to share information for the common good of saving lives. We communicate over two-way radios with storm spotters and then communicate back and forth with the National Weather Service. You can find us talking on two different frequencies with different storm spotters:
151.445 - Oklahoma County and surrounding areas
463.900 - Central Oklahoma EMCOM (Emergency Managers Communication Network)
We also monitor the National Weather Service storm spotter networks on these frequencies:
145.410 - Oklahoma Dept. of Civil Emergency Mgmt.
147.045 - Southwest Independent Repeater Assn.
443.425 - Edmond link to Northwest Oklahoma
Plus an Echolink internet link to Woodward, OK
-Greg
February 7, 2008
Tuesday's Tornados
It was called the largest tornado outbreak since May 3rd, 1999. The evening and nighttime tornado event just east of us is now being compared to a tornado outbreak in Pennsylvania and Ohio on May 31, 1985. 76 people died on that day. So far the total from this event is 57 dead: 32 in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, 7 in Kentucky and 5 in Alabama.
Why did so many people die with today's technology? First, the event occured mainly during the night when tornadoes were not visible. Many were likely in bed asleep with no weather radio or other means of waking them up to take shelter. Some small towns do not have tornado sirens either.
Secondly, many of the tornados were moving at 50 to 70 mph. During February, storm systems move much faster across the globe than they do in May. When a tornado touches down moving at 50 mph, there simply isn't that much time to get to a shelter if the tornado is in close proximity.
As our typical severe weather season begins, it's time to think about where you would take shelter, at work, at home and any other place you frequently visit.
If you're new to the area and want some ideas of where to go during a tornado, the Red Cross has good website on tornado prepardness. Click here for more information.
-Greg
January 29th, 2008
Where the winds come whipping down the plains!
The line from the musical Oklahoma couldn't be more appropriate for our weather recently. Around noon on Sunday the 27th our winds were sustained at 21 mph and gusting to near 30 mph. Since Sunday our sustained winds have been above 20 mph give or take a few hours of winds near 10 mph near 9pm Monday night. The 10 mph winds were nothing compared to sustained winds above 40 mph at both 8am and 9 am today! That's not even mentioning the gusts above 50 mph.
So why the wind? It all has to do with the pressure gradient again. I explained more about the pressure gradient in a previous blog entry but with summarize here. Think of the gradient like a steep hill. The higher the angle or more steep the hill is the faster your car would roll. Well when we have a big change in pressure systems we have the same type of "hill". Today we have a strong low pressure and cold front exiting the southern plains and a strong High pressure moving into the same area. As a result, wind, wind and more wind!
As the high pressure moves overhead our winds will die down but not for long as another change of pressure is on the way with the next storm system moving into the region Thursday.
On a personal note. . .I am an Uncle again!!!! My nephew Chase Anthony Thomas was born Jan 22nd at 1:58 p.m. He weighed 8lbs and was 21 inches long! Ok enough bragging from a happy Uncle.
-Scott
January 17, 2008
Storm Spotter Training Time!
You can learn a lot in just two hours by attending one of the National Weather Service's free storm spotter training seminars. They are being held around the state on various dates from now through March. Why so early? The National Weather Service wants you and Emergency Managers, fire department spotters, and others to be ready before our storm season is in full force. Find out more by clicking on this link:
Storm Spotter Training Dates and Times
In addition, a 3 day Severe Weather Workshop will be held March 6-8 in Norman. Unlike the free classes above, this one does have a fee. Register soon for a discounted price. Some topics this year include:
May 2007: Greensburg, Kansas Tornado
Fire Weather 2007
SPC Mesoanalysis & Forecast Tools
Satellite Interpretation
Radar Interpretation 101
Storm-based Warnings
River Forecast Center Services
Large Event Venues and Severe Weather
Check out more here:
National Severe Weather Workshop 2008
~Greg
January 16, 2008
How can ice and snow melt when it's below 32?
Sunshine is the trick! When there's snow and ice on the ground, the sun's radiation beats down on
the earth, not completely unlike your microwave oven. Some of that radiation is absorbed, mainly the infrared waves. As it takes in this heat, it causes the snow to warm. It can be 27 degrees outside and it will still melt with several hours of sun. Plus, snow melts faster in windy conditions than in calm conditions due to a process called sublimination, where a solid changes to a gas.
~Greg
January 2, 2008
Wettest Year Ends - What's ahead?
Here's a look at the statistics for 2007:
Total precipitation - 56.95"
This is 4.92" more than the old wettest year set back in 1908. It is also 21.10" above what we usually see in a year. It was a wet year statewide except for our panhandle. Check out more from the Oklahoma Climatological Survey by clicking here. The 30 day outlook for January is calling for above normal temperatures and near-normal to slightly below normal precipitation chances. See a graphic by clicking here.
~Greg
November 24, 2007
Snow: Round One!
Round one left a swath of snow from west-central to north-central Oklahoma. 4" was reported just west of Elk City, with 3.5" in Stillwater. Enid and Taloga received 2". A large storm system will swing northeast through Texas as we finish up the weekend. I am expecting another round of snow from southwest into central and northeast OK with 2-4" possible in some spots. Get the latest details on our main weather page.
~Greg
November 21, 2007
What a Wednesday!!!
What a difference just 24 hours makes in the Sooner state sometimes. Tuesday winds raced out of the SSW pumping our high temperature for the metro into the lower 80s! A new record high temperature was set at 82 degrees. Also our warmest low on record for Tuesday was also tied with temps starting out at 60 degrees for the metro. Then the cold front raced through and today we have temps 40 degrees cooler!!! This is the coldest air of the season so far and it has taken longer than average to arrive. Average temps this time of the year range in the mid 50s. The past five days our high temperature has topped out near or above 70 degrees. So far for the month of November we are running 7.73 degrees above average! The cold air that slammed through the record warmth Tuesday will stick around for the weekend. Another system moves into the state this weekend and interacts with the cold air so we could see our first snow of the season just in time for Bedlam!
~Scott
November 16, 2007
Weather on Statehood Day
100 years ago, when Oklahoma became a state, many pioneering communities had been collecting weather records for several years. In our area, Oklahomans and soon-to be Oklahomans woke up with temperatures in the 20s and 30s.
Some morning lows include:
Oklahoma City.. 29
Buffalo.. 20
Ponca City.. 27
Enid.. 28
Stillwater.. 28
Shawnee.. 32
Chickasha.. 28
Cordell.. 26
Mangum.. 37
Afternoon high temperatures warmed into the 50s and 60s. Some highs a century ago included:
Oklahoma City.. 59
Buffalo.. 68
Ponca City.. 56
Enid.. 57
Stillwater.. 62
Shawnee.. 63
Chickasha.. 69
Cordell.. 63
Mangum.. 65
~Greg
November 8, 2007
Comet 17P/Holmes Visible
It's hard to see with the naked eye - but a comet can be seen in our northeastern sky from just after sunset to a few hours afterwards. The comet is named after its founder Edwin Holmes, who saw it "exploding" some 115 years ago. Holmes is now between the size of Jupiter and the Sun, just much farther away. Photographs from spaceweather.com show the Comet "exploding" again, with it's debris growing significantly in size just since late October. If you want to see Holmes, you are best off with a telescoping lens though. It is just on the edge of the constellation Persius, beside Cassiopeia. A map can be found on spaceweather.com
-Greg
October 30th, 2007
Daylight Saving Time
More sleep is on the way and if you are anything like me then you will welcome the extra hour thans to Daylight Saving Time ending. You might think that this has happened a little later than usual and you are right. Here's why. . According to webexhibits.org On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November. An intersting note: in 2003 DST began at 2 a.m. April 6th and ended October 26th. This Sunday morning or Saturday night if you prefer at 2 a.m. turn your clocks back one hour. Of course, we can't mention turning back the clocks without mentioning smoke detectors. It is a great habit to change the batteries in your smoke detector the same time that you turn your clock for DST.
Have a great Halloween and enjoy the extra sleep!
~Scott
October 25, 2007
Average First Freeze
Freezing temperatures are possible across western and central Oklahoma tonight. Here's a look at our average first freeze dates across our area:
Oklahoma City - 11/4
Gage - 10/11
Ft. Supply - 10/19
Alva - 10/28
Ponca City - 10/29
Stillwater - 10/27
Enid - 11/2
Weatherford - 11/3
Altus - 11/3
Lawton - 11/7
Ada area - 11/2
Ardmore area - 11/9
The latest first freeze in Oklahoma City was December 8, 1998. Knowing that, you can be assured it's time to get the winter coats ready!
~Greg
October 24, 2007
Annual Rainfall Total Revised Downward
Today our annual rainfall total dropped from 54.41" to 52.99". How can this be? Recall last month's heavy rainfall event in southwest Oklahoma City. Scroll down to the September 10th blog for more details. The old fashioned 8 inch rainfall bucket measuring the 6.28" that day was about a mile and a half from the "tipping bucket" automatic rain gauge. Rainfall amounts can vary a lot over a short distance. Think about times where you may have seen the sun shining in one spot, right next to a rain shaft. After a second review of the data, National Weather Service meteorologists believe both rain gauges read an accurate total. 6.28" inches in the old fashioned bucket and 4.86" at the automated "tipping bucket" gauge. Since all other totals for this year came from the "tipping bucket" gauge, it will be accepted as the official total, lowering our annual rainfall total by 1.42". Don't worry - the wettest year record is not in jeopardy. We are still above the old wettest year total, 52.03 set back in 1908.
~Greg
October 15, 2007
Severe Weather Season Take Two
If you have lived in Oklahoma for just one full calendar year you already know that we have a severe storm season in the Spring and also one in the Fall. This fall has been lacking of severe weather due to the prolonged heat and the lack of colder air pushing southward. However, the pattern is changing and it seems our second severe weather season is upon the southern plains. Today we were under a moderate risk of severe storms. A dryline developed west of the state in the early morning hours and continued to push east throughout the day. Remember the dryline is the imaginary line of dry and moist air. When the dry air pushes into the moist air storms typically form along this boundary. That is what we saw today but thankfully the upper level winds really didn't get going to produce torndaoes. So our event today was mainly a wind and hail event. Until the colder air masses from Canada take over and winter is in full swing we will see the clash of air masses and the potential of severe storms.
~Scott
October 2, 2007
National Weather Festival and
Storm Chaser Car Show - Oct. 20
It's a learning experience and good time for kids and adults, Saturday October 20th at the National Weather Center in Norman. The second annual National Weather Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Go on a tour of the building and see the offices where Severe Thunderstorm Watches are issued for the whole nation. Meet National Weather Service forecasters and tornado researchers. Several TV personalities, including yours truely, will be launching weather balloons each hour just outside the building. There will be plenty of activities for the youngsters too. Last year a few food vendors were present and 3,000 attended the event. The auditorium area will feature several speakers this year. Hear expert opinions and inside information on major weather events that took place across our area. Don't miss the storm chaser car show outside. Some of the area's best known storm chasers will have their cars all decked out on display. There will be an awards ceremony around 1 p.m. for the wildest storm chase cars. Get more information at:
http://www.norman.noaa.gov/nwf07/
-Greg
October 2, 2007
Changes in Weather Warnings
Remember the days when a severe thunderstorm watch was for a huge rectangular shaped area, and severe thunderstorm warnings were for whole counties? The National Weather Service is reversing this, to make warnings for smaller areas. The purpose is to warn only the people affected by the storm, eventually through cell phones and pagers.
Here's an example.
Notice the rectangle in the northwest part of the county, above Duncan.
The NWS has been testing "polygon based" warnings for a couple of years. The weather service draws a box around the area affected by the storm, much like we show you the storm path on television with arrival times. By issuing warnings for parts of counties, the Weather Service can be more specific in telling the area affected. Their software automatically types up a list of cities and interstates inside the box drawn for the warning. Right now, Weather Radios can alarm for one specific county. Just a few years ago, weather radios would alarm for any county affected in their broadcast area, just like the way TV stations handle weather warnings. The technology is there to add an extra code in the weather radio broadcast to make weather radios alarm for just a specific part of a county. However, no company has manufactured such a device, and no company has made software which would allow the National Weather Service to set off weather radios just inside the polygon. The same goes with television. You probably remember the days when the tone would go off on your television and then they would say "this is a test of the emergency broadcast system." With new technology, it would be possible in the future to tell televisions in the path of a storm to turn to a specific channel for a weather update. Again, unfortunately no manufacturer has created such a device but it may happen in the future.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, which issues Severe Thunderstorm Watches for large parts of states all across the country, is moving away from issuing perfectly shaped rectangle boxes for watches too. Last year, they began issuing watches for individual counties instead of a rectangle, to leave out counties that were not expected to see severe weather. Sometimes we show the old boxes, but nowdays they work with the local weather service offices and decide together as a team which counties will be included in a watch. Here's an example.
All of this is thanks to better knowledge of severe storms and constantly improving weather forecast technology. The next 10 years will likely hold exciting changes to the way weather warnings are handled, as more weather service bulletins use the polygons and advances in computer forecasts and weather radar technology continue.
-Greg
September 21, 2007
A little more about fall
Fall is just a day away and the sun in making it's journey south. The fall equinox is called the Autumnal Equniox hence Autumn. The equniox is when the suns rays are directly overhead at the equator which is 0 (zero) degrees latitude. The sun will continue to move into the Southern Hemisphere where their days are getting longer while ours are getting shorter. Winter officially begins for the Northern Hemisphere around December 21st or 22nd. This is when the suns rays are over the tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. This is the southern most point of the sun's "travels". The reason we get colder as the sun moves south is that we have shorter days along with a lower sun angle. With a lower sun angle we have a lower intensity of the suns rays. Try this explanation at home. You need a globe and a flahslight. If you don't have a globe then you can use a basketball or volleyball as a substitute. Now take the flashlight and hold it about 8" away from the globe. Point the light directly at the equator or the middle of the basketball at it's widest point. While keeping the light aimed at the ball slowly move the light down toward the south pole. Notice how the light "spreads out" over the top part of the ball while it is more direct(intense) on the south side. This is an example of the sun angle. As a review: When you have a lower sun angle then the sun is less intense and doesn't produce intense heat.
As we get closer to fall our sun Angle is less intense and our days get cooler.
Have a great end to summer
~ Scott
September 20, 2007
Fall Equinox Upon Us
Fall officially begins Sunday September 23, at 4:51 a.m. That's the point when the equator receives equal day and night. Oklahoma Weather often ignores the calendar. It will feel more like summer with highs in the lower 90s to kick off fall, but changes are right around the corner. Someone recently asked, "when do we change our clocks?" That doesn't happen until November 4th this year, thanks to the extension in Daylight Saving Time.
-Greg
September 13, 2007
Shorter Days = Cooler Temps
Well we have seen a nice shot of cooler air earlier this week with our high temperature on Tuesday the 11th only reaching 78 degrees. But what was even more noticable was the dry air that moved into the southern plains. I am not sure about you but I had every window in my home open allowing a little "fall" air to flow through and freshen every corner. That got me to thinking about how during this time of the year we get stronger cold fronts moving through cooling us down and then we see a surge of warmer air a couple days afterwards. These cold fronts typically arrive out of Canada. How does this relate to the shorter days?
During the late summer early fall season the days get shorter rapidly and our sunset as of the 12th was 7:41 p.m. The shorter days mean less time for the sun to heat the earth and inversly the air above. So, we have colder air masses forming in Canada and then travelling southward across the U.S. This pattern of cooler days and warmer days will continue through September and even into October before our daylight is much shorter and the cooler air becomes more established. I am not sure about you but I am looking forward to more days where the windows will be open in my home and mother nature will take care of the air conditioning! Don't forget if you have any questions or comments feel free to email the weather center at weather@okcfox.com
Have a great one!!!
~Scott
September 10, 2007
6.28 INCHES OF RAIN OVERNIGHT.. IN A SMALL AREA
Around midnight rain and thundershowers developed just south of the metro. One larger storm popped up on the eastern side of Mustang and began to train over the airport and southwest Oklahoma City. See the next blog for a description of training storms.
This storm was sitting on top of my house! I was beginning to wonder if we were going to flood as the rain rate increased around 2 am. That's exactly what happened on MacArthur Blvd from SW 104 to SW 134th. Cow creek came out of its banks, and cars were stalled in high water around 8 a.m.
The automated rain gage at Will Rogers airport quickly added up the amount. Sometimes these automated gages don't read very accurate in heavy rains. The reason is the device basically
acts like its filling a glass of water, and empties it to receive more. These types of rain
gages are called "tipping bucket" gages and usually have two containers which alternately
rock like a teeter totter, filling then dumping. This gage measured 4.82 inches. A regular
"official" 8 inch wide rain bucket at Will Rogers airport received 6.28". That will go down as the official rainfall total for Oklahoma City for this date, breaking several records. The old record rainfall for this date was 2.4" set back in 1925. It's also the second most rainfall seen anytime in September. The record is 7.53 set September 22, 1970.
For the year, our total is at 50.63, making it the second wettest year on record. We have
one year left to beat. In 1908 we saw 52.03 inches of rain and it's safe to say with nearly
4 months left in the year, we will easily be the wettest year on record.
The previous night, Norman received .71" while the rest of the city saw nothing. Rainfall
amounts varied a lot across the city with this event too. Southwest OKC was dumped on while
other areas saw very little. Here's a look at the radar estimated totals with the actual
rain gage amounts listed below:
Mustang - 2.86"
OKC Fairgrounds - 2.56"
Moore - 1.84"
Midwest City - 1.75"
Bethany - 1.12"
OKC Wilshire/Broadway - 0.98"
Spencer - 0.62"
NE Edmond - 0.15"
-Greg Whitworth
September 7, 2007
TRAINING STORMS?
What does it mean when a meteorologist says a line of storms is training? Think of a line of storms working just like a train. The individual storm cells work like the train cars, moving along in a straight line. If you were in a car next to a train crossing you would see car after car pass by over the same spot. That's exactly what happens with training storms. Once cell after another "trains" over the same area. The end result can be flash flooding.
-Greg Whitworth
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2007
STICKY SITUATION
Well after a great Labor Day weekend with dry weather and comfortable humidity levels, Mother Nature turned the switch and rain returned into the forecast. What we’ve noticed is how humid and muggy it feels. More tropical moisture is being pushed into the southern plains from the SW and also from the gulf. Many of us have what I like to call the “sweat guage” or “sticky factor” when the moisture increases in Oklahoma. You walk out the door and already sweat is trickling down your back and your clothes are sticking to you. The official measurement of the “sticky factor” is the dew point. We have it on our current conditions page and even have a state map showing the current dew point. So what really is the dew point? The dew point of a given parcel of air is the temperature, to which the parcel must be cooled, at constant barometric pressure, for water vapor to condense into water, called dew. Ok so that is the fancy schmancy definition but I like to think of it simply as the measure of how much moisture is in the air. So here in Oklahoma a good reference point for a high dew point is anything above 66 in my book. When we have dew point measurements in the mid 60s we are dealing with a lot of moisture and depending on the temperature some very muggy days. As of 9:31 p.m. on September 5th 2007 our current dew point is 69 degrees hence a lot of moisture and depending on the temperature a not so fun “sticky factor”.
AUGUST - NOT A DRY MONTH, AT LEAST LATELY
August continues our streak of above normal moisture in 2007. While we think of 2005 and 2006 as the drought years, August was still wet. Average August rain is 2.48". Here's how it compares to that average.
2007 - +2.91"
2006 - +1.53"
2005 - +1.97"
The 6 days of 100 degree heat and temperatures in the upper 90s pushed August 2007 average temperature above normal. Still though it wasn't as bad as 2006. Here's a look at the past 3 years in Oklahoma City:
2007 - +3.0 degrees
2006 - +4.7 degrees
2005 - -0.5 degrees
So far for 2007, the temperature is averaging out to be slightly above average.. 1.4 degrees. One thing definately not average is the rainfall. We are on our way towards beating the wettest year on record. As of August 31st, we've seen 43.94" of rain in Oklahoma City.
-Greg
AUGUST 28th- WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE
So it has been a few days since I have last blogged and not much has happened in the weather world. The forecast was challenging watching the front moving in but all and all not much else changes the past few days. So, I had every intention to set my alarm and watch a nice space spectacular. However, the alarm didn’t go off and I slept through our lunar eclipse. OK, so it wasn’t entirely “ours” but the sooner state was in the area where we could see the eclipse.
So what is the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse? The moon doesn’t give off any light of its own and only reflects light. So during a lunar eclipse, the moon is in the earth's shadow. The earth is in between the sun and the moon. As a result it will often look dim and sometimes copper or orange in color.
A solar eclipse is different but involves all the same planets and stars but in a different order. This time the moon is in between the Earth and the Sun which temporarily blocks out Suns disk in the sky. One more point, it is dangerous to look at a SOLAR eclipse but not dangerous to look at a lunar eclipse.
If you missed this lunar eclipse don’t worry there are always two per year!
-Scott
AUGUST 24th - AND MORE RAIN..
Much of the Oklahoma City metro saw between a third and two-thirds of an inch of rain as strong thunderstorms swept through the city Friday afternoon. The southeast side of town saw thunderstorms Saturday morning. Officially at the airport, we are into our second wettest summer ever! Here's how the numbers play out:
1. 1989 - 22.12"
2. 2007 - 21.76"
3. 1996 - 19.95"
4. 1979 - 19.34"
5. 1932 - 19.26"
6. 1945 - 17.90"
7. 1981 - 17.55"
8. 1906 - 17.18"
9. 1904 - 16.86"
10. 1960 - 16.26"
Almost all of central Oklahoma has seen at least 4" of rain above what we normally see for an entire year. Western Oklahoma City has seen about 8" above the yearly total, and much of Canadian County has seen 12" more than the annual average rainfall.
Oddly enough, our neighbors have been dry. The Oklahoma panhandle is experiencing below normal rainfall, along with most of Arkansas. Arkansas experienced it's driest spring on record!
We have about 4 months left to go. Even if we were to have a long dry spell, you can bet it will still go down as one of the wettest years we've ever seen.
-Greg Whitworth
AUGUST 23rd WIND SWEPT PLAINS
It is almost the weekend here in the sooner state and it sure is windy! One of my former colleagues says Mother Nature has a way of balancing the weather across the nation and around the world. We are seeing and feeling the balancing effect today with the wind. We have a tight pressure gradient sitting over the southern plains right now. Ok you might be thinking what does that mean. Here is my science lesson for the day.
Officially pressure gradient is the difference in pressure between high and low pressure areas. Wind speed is directly proportional to the pressure gradient. This means the strongest winds are in the areas where the pressure gradient is the greatest.
Think of it like this. When you are driving or riding in the car and you come to a hill you either start to go up the hill or down the hill. How steep the hill is, is the gradient. So, when the hill isn’t that steep your car doesn’t pick up much speed on the trip down or the change from High to Low. When it is a taller hill or has a higher gradient your car would move faster on the trip down. How does that correlate to our windy days across Oklahoma?
For the past few days a high pressure area has been sitting to our SE. Now a cold front (the leading edge of a colder air mass) has been moving south into the southern plains. The difference in the High pressure to our SE and the cold front the NW has created a strong pressure gradient. Basically we have a really steep hill for the wind to travel along. Steeper hill means faster movement. So today we saw sustained winds between 20-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph.
So the pressure is balancing between the High pressure to the SE and the approaching front to our NW.
Now you know why the song says “Oklahoma where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plains.”
AUGUST 21st WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME
Hey There! Welcome to the innagural weather blog! My name is Scott Padgett and I am the Chief Meteorologist here at FOX 25. You probably know that from watching the Primetime News @ Nine, but for those of you just logging on for the first time just a hello from me to you! Let’s get right to the big story!!
Well what a weekend it was across the state. I have always and I mean always been fascinated by tropical systems especially tropical storms and hurricanes. It is amazing to see the formation of the thunderstorms and then an eye wall developing as the systems takes on a whole new form. So I was quite surprised to see an eye wall on our FasTrac Millenium early Sunday morning. Normally once a tropical system moves over land the friction from the earth and the lack of the seas moisture limits the system from remaining strong. Tropical storm Erin made landfall about August 16th, 2007 at Copano Bay, TX which is about 25 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. Erin was then downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved inland toward San Antonio and then up to near Lubbock Friday. We had been watching the system for some time and knew that rain was on the way to the Sooner State.
The cloud cover was in place and the rain started. Even some severe weather developed Saturday afternoon. No one could have predicted that late Saturday night Tropical Depression Erin would reform an eye and strengthen. At one point we saw sustained winds near 45 miles per hour. That is tropical storm strength. As is typical with tropical storms the rain is more of a hazard and not the wind. This was a historic event for Oklahoma as we were dealing with a tropical storm with a well defined eye moving out of Blaine county into Kingfisher county then Oklahoma County before breaking apart.
Rain, rain and more rain! Blaine county got hit the worst with the mesonet site west of Geary reporting 11.00” Greg Whitworth has a rain gauge in his backyard and that filled up close to seven inches. So with all of the rain from Erin and the wet June we have seen, we are now sitting at 43.54” for the year and at 5.39” for the month.
So that is it for now but keep logging back on as myself along with Meteorologist Jeff George and Greg Whitworth will keep jotting down our thoughts about the weather and anything else that strikes us as interesting. Don’t forget you can always email us here at the station and even send us pictures of weather around the state. Just click on the FOXFRAMES button on the site and you may see them on the air!