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A weather geek’s weather phobia
Posted on May 15, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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It may seem contradictory, but I have a weather phobia. Since I was a kid I have had nightmares about tornadoes.
It’s usually the same type of scenario: I’m in my bedroom, I look out the window and a tornado is headed straight toward my house. I’ve had variations on the location in the nightmare but I always look out a window and see the twister forming and heading straight toward where I am.
I’ve actually been through one tornado in my life. A friend and I were driving through Gulfport, Miss. in 1995 when a tornado blew through. We were on the highway, it was at night and the emergency broadcast was blasting on the radio. We could not see a thing because it was raining so hard and the wind was shaking the car. We managed to pull off the road and into a gas station parking lot. The roof/awning above the pumps was wobbling. The broadcast was talking about a tornado on the ground near Gulfport on US 10. We were on U.S. 10 but I wasn’t sure if we were in Gulfport. I ran into the store and saw a crowd of customers and the clerk huddled in the middle of the store, staring up at the ceiling.
“Where am I?” I asked the group.
“Gulfport,” they said.
So we waited out the storm in the store and then continued on our way, convinced we had dodged death.
Oddly enough there is a tornado watch in Gulfport today.
Given the spate of twisters that have wrecked parts of the South in the past two weeks, it seems timely to roll out some safety tips on how to survive a tornado: Check out this link for some great tips.
One thing you won’t find in this link is what to do if you happen to live in a mobile home or as they are more kindly called in the South “Manufactured Housing.” Here’s why: You are never safe in a mobile home. In fact, government safety agencies say you are actually safer going outside in a tornado, finding a shallow ditch and lying face down than you are in a tornado (that’s the official recommendation - I call it the find-your-preferred-grave-location safety method) .
I actually rode out a pretty bad storm that spawned a tornado nearby while living in a mobile home in Florida. My wife and I lay in bed at 3 a.m. and listened to branches and debris land on the roof while the lightening flashed outside like a strobe light. We heard a significant thump and then it was over. A huge pine tree snapped off about 12 feet off the ground and blocked our driveway but otherwise, we were fine. Later the storm touched off a tornado in the northern part of Columbia County, destroying a whole neighborhood and seriously injuring a bunch of people. One person I interviewed said she heard the storm coming, tried to get out of bed but when she stepped off the mattress she landed in a field, unhurt.
I think the reason why I’m afraid of tornadoes is that they are so unpredictable in their path and formation. In my nightmares, the overiding fear is that no matter which direction I try to run, the tornado will follow.
Are you afraid of weather too?
The best thunderstorm pictures ever
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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There is a huge volcano erupting in Chile causing thousands of evacuations and apparently it touched off a huge electrical storm.
Follow this link for the absolute best thundrestorm pictures I have ever seen. It does not look real but it is! In a few of them it looks like Godzilla is about to step through the smoke and flames!
Can our coast be safer?
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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Given the big storm headed our way on Friday with the potential for coastal storm erosion, the following release from the state is rather timely:
BOSTON – The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) today announced a nation-leading initiative to help shoreline communities cope with on-the-ground impacts of global climate change. Through its new StormSmart Coasts program, EEA’s Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) will help the state’s 78 coastal communities devise safe, economical, and practical ways for managing climate change-related hazards such as rising sea level and fiercer and more frequent storms.
“Climate change is an increasing concern in Massachusetts, with the erosion and flooding that it could cause along our coastlines,” EEA Secretary Ian Bowles said. “StormSmart Coasts will work directly with coastal communities, giving them the tools they need to plan ahead and effectively address these challenges.”
CZM will launch StormSmart Coasts with a series of tailored, regional workshops this month.
“With StormSmart Coasts, Massachusetts has developed a national model for implementing storm-resilient community strategies at the local level,” said Margaret Davidson, Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coastal Services Center (CSC). “CSC is so pleased to have provided Massachusetts with the Coastal Fellow who developed the program, and that our fellowships are making this kind of difference at the state, local, and national level.”
CZM developed StormSmart Coasts to provide communities along Massachusetts’s 1,500-mile shoreline with a suite of tools and strategies for managing coastal floodplains. The program offers technical assistance and legal guidance for cities and towns, regulatory tools, case studies, planning strategies, and an extensive website (www.mass.gov/czm/stormsmart). Targeted audiences include municipal officials such as staff and members of Planning Boards, Conservation Commissions, Zoning Boards of Appeals, Departments of Public Works, Building/Engineering Departments, Boards of Health, and emergency management planners.
“The cornerstone of our work at CZM is technical assistance to coastal communities,” said CZM Director Leslie-Ann McGee. “StormSmart Coasts is the result of our staff – land-use planners and coastal geologists partnering with national legal and engineering experts – working directly with local officials to develop tools that will benefit coastal towns and cities right here in Massachusetts.”
In its final report last May, the Massachusetts Coastal Hazards Commission recommended that the Commonwealth “establish a storm-resilient communities program to provide case studies for effective coastal smart growth planning.” CZM developed StormSmart Coasts in response to that recommendation.
“I’m pleased that Coastal Zone Management is launching the StormSmart Coasts Program, which will provide a wide variety of vital resources to assist coastal homeowners and town officials in preparing for and lessening the impact of damaging coastal storms,” said Representative Frank Hynes of Marshfield, a member of the Coastal Hazards Commission.
Each half-day workshop will feature specific information and examples of ways that communities can better protect property and people from coastal storms. Edward A. Thomas, Esq., of Michael Baker Jr. Engineering, a nationally recognized legal expert on these issues, has been invited to explain how communities can effectively develop plans and/or regulate. The workshops will also include a discussion of hypothetical proposed developments and ways for communities to plan, site, design, condition, and permit public infrastructure and private development to assure safety and fiscal responsibility.
For more information on the workshops, see www.mass.gov/czm/calendar.htm.
Would you want the Weather Geek in your jury?
Posted on May 6, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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So I had jury duty last week in Worcester.
Let me just say that serving on a duty is something every citizen should have the pleasure of doing at least once in their lives to dispel the notion of courtroom drama that permeates our culture via Law and Order TV and midday drivel like Judge Alex or the like.
Serving on a jury, and watching lawyers in action can be both frustrating (especially when they try to ask the same question 10 times) and fascinating. The personalities of lawyers, how they try to interact with witnesses, the judge and the jury is a calculated step and an exercise in social psychology.
But would you believe that I, the Weather Geek, was picked for a jury in a negligence case that hinged on weather? It was a slip and fall case in Worcester outside a local store. A man slipped outside a door, broke an ankle and claimed the owner was negligent. It was February and there were snow banks near the sides of the ramp outside the door. Only one problem: Both the defendant and the plaintiff agreed that there was NO ICE or SNOW on the ramp where the guy fell. So it was pretty much the shortest deliberation ever in the jury room to find for the defendant. But it was interesting to see that some of the very same exhibits used by the plaintiff were Web page images I use every day: National Weather Service daily archives.
After we made our verdict known I talked with other jurors about my blog and the specifics on the monthly climate data that the plaintiff’s lawyer was trying to say could be attributable to dangerous conditions. It hadn’t snowed a lot recently so the lawyer was saying the owner was negligent in moving the snow banks. That was a good start for him and he would have had a decent argument if his client said the ramp was icy and snow covered. It wasn’t. So he lost.
Other observations from jury duty:
People who don’t want to serve will do their best to get out of it. Example: One woman said she had a really bad headache when asked by the judge if she couldn’t serve. This was the same woman who loudly complained about not getting a cigarette break while waiting in the jury pool room. Another example? Two guys talked loudly about their lengthy criminal history as reasons why they might not be best for jury duty. One guy asked how much he should include in his jury questionaire when it asked about involvement in the court system. When told he should include everything for the past 5 years he said: “Do OUI’s count? I’m going to need a second page.”
As for the jury I was on, it was the oddest assortment of people you would pick for a jury: A journalist; a lawyer; three pregnant women; a guy using a crutch and one average white guy. We all worked well together and I think we did a good job but on the surface you wonder how some of us were picked by the lawyers.
More frost - I told you so!
Posted on April 30, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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Back on April 23 I warned people about planting tender veteables and planting too soon, going so far as to predict that we’ll see sub-freezing weather by the end of the month.
Looks like my prediction comes true tonight with widespread frost predicted for the region - enough to possible damage some of the young shoots that shot up in the past two weeks during our warm-wave. Temps should bottom out to the upper 20s under clear skies.
And to think I was done with my wood stove for the year! I had to scrap ice from my windshield this morning.
If you have row covers for any crops, go ahead and put them on tonight. If you are just dealing with some seedlings in one location you can always just put a pot over them to keep the frost off for the night. You can also put some loose hay or straw over your crops to provide a little insulation. Remember, the frostiness will only be for probably less than 4 hours.
As for rain totals, my rain gauge in Fitchburg finished up at 2.6 inches.
A good soaker
Posted on April 29, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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After last week’s dryness and brush fires the rain that fell yesterday and today was sorely needed. How much did we get? Most received nearly 2 inches.
My rain gauge on my back deck in Fitchburg was just over 2 inches at 7:30 this morning. More rain should fall throughout the day as the last of the showers with this huge storm system that spawned tornadoes in Virginia clears out.
The photo at left shows how green my grass is getting with the rain and if you look real hard you can see the spinach sprouting in the raised decks. That yellow at the right is my forsythia hedge that gets absolutely huge. I know it’s pretty and all but each year it reminds me of some Muppet creature in dire need of a haircut. Maybe Beaker if he had yellow instead of orange hair? Beaker is my favorite Muppet of all time.
Getting ready to grow your own
Posted on April 23, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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Before you take all this warm weather as a sign to start planting tomatoes, peppers, squash and other tender seedlings - Stop!
Sure it may be 80 degrees today but it will be back in the 50s again this weekend and I would not be surprised to see sub-freezing weather again some night before the month is out. Just a hunch.
However, if you do want to plant some veggies in your garden there are plenty of suitable varieties to get started. Lettuce, kale, spinach, radishes, beets, peas and maybe carrots can go in the ground now as seeds. But you really should wait until mid-May at the earliest to plant tomato and pepper seedlings and basil.
What we really need is some rain. All the perennials in my garden are up a little early this year with this stretch of warm weather. Even the mayapple is poking up everywhere - something I usually wouldn’t see until the end of the month. I’m always amazed to see what comes back from the year before and what died. It looks like I lost a few columbines, maybe a hollyhock and some strawberries and a big swath of wild geranium. However, the roses, peonies, raspberries, hostas and Asian pear trees came back great this spring.
But we still need some rain. Maybe we’ll get a thunderstorm tonight?
Has anyone ever used a rain barrel?
Good weather for the Marathon?
Posted on April 16, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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To those of you who don’t know, the Boston Marathon, which trks throught he heart of MetroWest, is probably the biggest single day annual event in the region. Weather plays a huge role not only in the actuall race but rthe festicities that surround it.
So far, the weather is looking pretty good for Monday with temperatures around 60 and partly sunny skies.
That’s a far cry from last year. A few days before the race, forecasters were hinting at the possibility of a big snow and sleet storm. Race organizers were even talking about the possibility of canceling the Marathon because of the Nor’Easter. The big storm did bring damaging snowfall to the far interior of Northern New England but most of it cleared by race time. It still made for a fairly cold and raw day.
All kinds of weather has happened on Marathon day. In recent years, we’ve had nearly 90 degree heat (the 2004 Marathon had nearly 1,100 people with heat injuries), pouring rain and typical gray springtime weather.
If you or a family member are running in the race or going to be spectators along the route, what kind of weather do you like?
So warm!
Posted on April 10, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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I’m at my desk sweating. Really.
Our building has the kind of HVAC system that does not do well on days with unseasonable temperatures. So when it’s close to 70 degrees in April it will be close to 80 degrees in our building. Those occassionally chilly days in June means it will be an ice box in the newsroom.
Dealing with a cold building is easy - wear a sweater. But when it’s hot like it is today we break out some big industrial fans that succeed in pushing the hot air around (we have no windows that open for fresh air) and making a lot of background noise. And you sweat in your cube.
Not to worry because this heat will only last one day. Friday should cool down to the 50s and we have cold rain set for all weekend. We might see some snow mix in at night. I’ll probably complain about that too.
In the meantime, warm weather in springtime means feature photos of people doing stuff outside. This picture from today’s front page is a perfect example of this. Dogs and ice cream and a dude who looks like he just stepped off a Harley hit at least different potential newspaper consumer markets.
Enjoy it while lasts!
Hurricane season prediction is in
Posted on April 9, 2008 by Rob Haneisen
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I don’t put a whole lot of weight on predicting the upcoming hurricane season in April (it runs from the end of June through November) but it gets released every year usually to moans and groans from people who live in areas prone to hurricanes.
This year Dr. William Grey is predicting 15 named storms with 8 hurricanes and four major storms (category 3 or higher). This is above normal. A normal hurricane season has 10 named storms with 6 hurricanes. Last year had 14 named storms with six hurricanes.
Anybody put any credence into these predictions? I know they are based in part on La Nina or El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean and global weather patterns but it seems a little far-fetched to me.
What’s more interesting to me is whether we’ll see a hurricane strike New England. We’re due. The last hurricane to strike New England was Hurricane Bob in 1991.
keep looking »
