Ring of Fire expanding east and south
With heat warnings and advisories in nearly half of the 50 states, millions of residents are yearning for relief anytime Mother Nature can muster a storm here or there. The high pressure ridge, having clamped down on two-thirds of the lower 48 states, currently dominates the weather pattern for much of the North American continent. Temperatures late last night in the upper 90's were reported as far north as Minnesota, and today's heat index values will surge over 110 F for at least a dozen states. For guaranteed cool weather, you would have to get on a plane and fly to the safety of the Pacific Northwest, where temperatures from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA today should hold in the upper 60's. Now that feel awesome right about now, huh? (Image from NOAA/NWS Advisory Map for 7/19/2011. Dark pink are Excessive Heat Warnings, Light Orange are Heat Advisories.)
How to get through this In a life-threatening heat wave, the best actions to take are simply to drink at least 8 ounces of water every few hours if possible, and reserve outdoor activities for the early morning or after sunset. For those in public safety or utility work charged with keeping our society humming and cooled, we know you may not have the option of avoiding the heat. Take frequent breaks, constantly sip water and double check with your supervisors to make sure safety of workers is forefront in their minds. NOAA Heat Safety Tips in the previous post.
Our Tropical Team was wondering that too. Are there any indications that suggest relief will come by way of a moisture-laden tropical cyclone arriving in the U.S.?
With Tropical Storm Bret moving away from the coast, Meteorologist and Tropical Team Forecaster Randall J. from St. Petersburg, Florida took a different look at the pattern ahead, and filed this report to answer your question:
"Our team's tropical analysis for the month ahead shows that upper level wind shear over the Caribbean has become more favorable for development in the near term. Water temps in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Atlantic will continue to rise and reach their peaks moving into August. This pattern traditionally produces deep, warm pools which provides increased "fuel" for tropical storms. Looking toward end of July, there is a low chance for another storm to form in the Atlantic. Into August, activity historically increases, with September the most active month of the Hurricane season. Until a system can move from the Atlantic into a favorable shear environment over a warm waters, odds are low the tropical will deliver significant relief to the U.S. near term."
Wish we had better news for those looking to see Mother Nature throw a "Tropical Hail Mary."
Local forecaster in Seattle Times
Lead Forecaster Mark Ingalls of Kennewick, WA had an epic day yesterday, and we wanted to share the joy with you. After appearing in the Tri-City Herald front page on Sunday, he learned on Monday the Seattle Times had picked up the story, followed by the Tacoma News Tribune. Capping the media explosion was a radio interview with Seattle's KOMONews.com at 5:15 PM Eastern Monday afternoon. Our thanks to the news reporters and journalists for giving our developing Western U.S. team quality time with the public. Let your friends and colleagues know by visiting our Pacific Northwest page, in facebook, they can have equally reliable and accurate forecasting as is found throughout the East. Down in the Ring of Fire
-Storm Chaser/Forecaster Kelton H. of Nashville, Tennessee
4:25 PM EDT Monday 7/18/2011 While Tropical Storm Bret slowly churns off the coast of Florida, sadly moving away from the rain parched Southeast, a large swath of the country is faced with a smothering heat wave this week which may challenge records and tempers alike. If you want to get a guaranteed escape from the heat, check our Pacific Northwest page for details.
Multi-state special reports
HEAT WAVE SECOND LOOK Storm Chaser/Forecaster Kelton Halbert, prepared this special analysis of the impending heat wave in his website: tempestchasing.com. Collaboration credit also goes to Advisor Greg Blumberg, a Meteorology graduate from the University of Oklahoma and NCAS Weather Camp Instructor.
TROPICAL STORM BRET Storm Chaser/Tropical Forecaster Vincent Webb of Central Mississippi, in collaboration with the Tropical Team, has been posting =updates about Tropical Storm Bret off the Florida coast. Team reports are posted in our Tropical Zone on this site and our rapid update portal in facebook.
LONG RANGE OUTLOOK Long Range Forecasters Nic Robeson of North Carolina and Mintong Nan of Montgomery County, MD collaborated late last week on a 1-week analysis and projection of the heat wave. View their report in our Long Range Zone.
MICHIGAN WEATHER Forecaster Ben Redmon of Michigan Weather Watchers provided this Severe Weather Outlook for Michigan as posted on our U.S. page and in the Ohio Valley Severe Weather Zone.
LONG RANGE OUTLOOK Long Range Forecasters Nic Robeson of North Carolina and Mintong Nan of Montgomery County, MD collaborated late last week on a 1-week analysis and projection of the heat wave. View their report in our Long Range Zone.
MICHIGAN WEATHER Forecaster Ben Redmon of Michigan Weather Watchers provided this Severe Weather Outlook for Michigan as posted on our U.S. page and in the Ohio Valley Severe Weather Zone.
Our team in the news
We think you would agree that high school senior and Lead Forecaster Mark Ingalls of Southeast Washington has had a mountaintop experience in the past few days. Innovative and forward-thinking reporter Mr. Jacques Von Lunen of the Tri-City Herald in Southeast Washington State, who first wrote about Mark in their Sunday paper (below: front cover), was able to have the article also included in today's Seattle Times on page B11 and linked on the landing page of newspaper's online edition.
The abridged backstory: Last Wednesday, 7/13/2011, Mark was interviewed by the Tri-City Herald. At 4:00 AM Thursday, he started a three-day hike with friends and colleagues to one of the taller mountains in Eastern Washington, to an elevation of 12,000 feet. While away, Advisor Keith covered for him in our Pacific Northwest page on facebook.
The abridged backstory: Last Wednesday, 7/13/2011, Mark was interviewed by the Tri-City Herald. At 4:00 AM Thursday, he started a three-day hike with friends and colleagues to one of the taller mountains in Eastern Washington, to an elevation of 12,000 feet. While away, Advisor Keith covered for him in our Pacific Northwest page on facebook.On Saturday night 7/16, Mark returns home to crash and recover. This past Sunday morning, he awakens to find he is on the front page of the Sunday Tri-City Herald, the fourth largest newspaper in Washington State. By the open of business this morning, we learned that the article had been republished by the Seattle Times. For a high school student, that is a mountaintop experience.
The team congratulates Mark for representing the team so well! The invitation to join Mark's team, or any of our regional teams, is open to any high school, college or workforce weather enthusiast. Professional meteorologists and life long weather watchers alike collaborate every day on our team with high school and college students. For those who know how to embrace the meaning of team, there is a place for you too. If interested, send a simple email to info@footsforecast.org We look forward to hearing from you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment