Tag: rain

The Radar Was Crazy

The radar has been nuts tonight. Just crazy! While 99% of the state remained dry, little town sized cells popped up randomly.

There were never more than two strong cells at once, mostly just one, and they moved really s-l-o-w-l-y. That means a downpour remaining over one spot for an extended period.

I called the Meriden Police dispatcher around 10:20 PM. Was there flooding? At that moment Meriden was virtually the only town in the state getting rain, but it was enough for concern!

My guess is I use radar a lot more than you. Usually I can look at the radar and visualize what’s under the individual echoes. I never set out to master that skill. It happens over time. Radar interpretation becomes a lot easier.

It’s very unusual to see a singular strong event in Connecticut. We don’t get our weather that way (though other places do).

Earlier a cell blew through Colchester, Norwich and North Stonington before heading into Rhode Island. Later one formed over Beacon Falls. Over two hours that cell only progressed as far as Branford! I drove through a piece of it on my way home. Not pleasant.

These are made for TV storms! If you watched FoxCT tonight at 10 and 11 you might have noticed I was able to go into very specific detail. I had time and a limited set of targets!

My job was very enjoyable tonight… very satisfying. That’s a good way to start the weekend.

That Rainy Day Feeling Again

Our drought is considered “severe,” which must be less than it sounds because there are no water restrictions necessary.

We can use the rain. We need the rain. Our drought is considered “severe,” which must be less than it sounds because there are no water restrictions necessary.

On the maps Connecticut gets an “S” not an “L.” We’re in a short term drought for now.

The 00Z GFS and 00Z NAM are in. They’ve been pointing toward Saturday being just on the bad side of OK. Sunday will be rainy and gradually turn more stormy as winds pick up toward evening. Sunday will be chilly too.

A few days ago it looked like three inches or rain. Thursday it was closer to an inch. Tonight it’s somewhere in between. Yes, this frustrates me.

The exact amount of rain doesn’t matter to most people. There’s a lot more fudge factor during the summer.

This will probably be another inside weekend.

Bar Mitzvathon 2012

We are in California for a Bar Mitzvah. If you think of Bar Mitzvah at all you probably think of a Saturday morning religious service then a party at night. It usually doesn’t work that way with out-of-town guests.

So here we are in Los Angeles… cloudy, chilly, sprinkly Los Angeles. Seriously, that sucks!

I’m typing from my friend’s office in the pool house. There’s no heat. I could really use some heat right now!

I dropped Helaine off at Stef’s place in Hollywood. They are now shopping at The Grove, adjacent to the Farmer’s Market and CBS Television City.

We are in California for a Bar Mitzvah. If you think of Bar Mitzvah at all you probably think of a Saturday morning religious service then a party at night. It usually doesn’t work that way with out-of-town guests.

Last night there was a nice dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Late this afternoon we’ll attend the service at a synagogue just off Mullholland Drive in Bel Air with the reception to follow.

Nope–not done yet!

Tomorrow morning there’s a brunch for the out-of-towners at a local hotel.

This is the same way we did Stef’s Bat Mitzvah around 12 years ago. It’s amazing the organizational skill necessary to pull it all together.

In between scheduled events we’ve got our own plans. That includes dinner in Malibu tomorrow. Clicky will be attending. We’re scheduled for sunset–if it’s even visible.

If I tried to live this lifestyle on a regular basis I’d be broke before the end of the month!

By the time our Monday flight rolls around we’ll limp onto the plane then sleep to JFK.

The Sunshine State–Not!

Maybe you think you’ve seen rain, but if you haven’t seen it in Florida on a day Mother Nature feels like showing off you haven’t seen rain.

First the good news. My mom, dad, sister and I are all together. That doesn’t happen often. We (along with my brother-in-law Jeff) got to spend time together and talk family stuff. That part of the trip went well.

The weather didn’t cooperate the way my family did!

It showered on-and-off through the late morning and early afternoon. Around 4:00 PM the heavens opened!

Maybe you think you’ve seen rain, but if you haven’t seen it in Florida on a day Mother Nature feels like showing off you haven’t seen rain. Between 5:00 and 6:00 Palm Beach International Airport saw 1.69″!

I fly home tomorrow. Hopefully not through this stuff.

Forecast: Long Duration Gloom

Flowers and plants will grow. We’ll be a little less happy. No, actually we’ll be downright depressed.

Part of my morning ritual is looking at weather data so I can get up to speed. There’s a lot of green on this chart. I don’t like what I see!

First the good news. During the warm season it’s unusual to have all-day rain. Unfortunately it’s not uncommon to have long duration gloom.

The image at the top of this entry is a screencap from BUFKIT–the Swiss Army Knife of weather. The weather model is the GFS, our go-to model when looking out a week. BUFKIT is read right-to-left, so today is on the far right side and the upcoming week spreads out to the left.

Those vertical bars of green represent rain. At the moment each six hour block through Saturday has at least a tiny bit of rain.

Flowers and plants will grow. We’ll be a little less happy. No, actually we’ll be downright depressed.

The Reason For More Rain: Me!

Coincidence? I think not. I’m the moral equivalent of having your car washed.

More rain on-the-way for later tonight (I’m writing this Monday at 6:45 pm). On top of that is the chance for thunderstorms. Wind too!

I started to think about the gloom through Tuesday afternoon and realized why it was happening. I have another voiceover audition! I don’t want to say I’m jinxed, but this will be my fourth audition and each one was on a rainy day!

Coincidence? I think not. I’m the moral equivalent of having your car washed.

The Monday/Tuesday rain unfortunately is not the exception. I’ve attached a printout from the GFS model over the next week. Each of those vertical green lines represents rain. Higher lines mean more rain!

Hey California: Don’t Kvetch About The Weather, OK? (video)

I don’t want to hear it. Was that clear enough? I just don’t want to hear it was crowded at the pool or the sunshine was blinding. Stifle it.

The mercury hit 100 degrees in San Diego today! Los Angeles came in at 96 degrees. People in Southern California were kvetching about the heat!

I don’t want to hear it. Was that clear enough? I just don’t want to hear it was crowded at the pool or the sunshine was blinding. Stifle it.

Thursday in Connecticut was awful. Chilly. Rainy. Breezy. Ugh!

I left work in a hard drizzle (yes, you can have a hard drizzle) that penetrated the atmosphere so effectively umbrellas were no help!

This would probably be a good night to start drinking! I’m frosted at Mother Nature and totally envious of my daughter who’s living in the San Fernando Valley complaining about the heat.

Cut me a break!

To you Stefanie I dedicate this video.

When Rotten Weather Makes Me Happy

It’s just a shame we need a state full of minor to moderate flooding with tree limbs and power lines down to make people happy with my work!

A few days ago one of my co-workers commented on the now fallen then expected precipitation and said, “We really need the rain.” I asked her to be careful what she wished for!

For me today’s storm (the second half of a system that spanned two days with a sizable lull in the middle) was very much like a snowstorm. I came to that conclusion around 3:00 AM when I checked the radar to find the rain already a few hours west of where I said it would be. Obsessive radar gazing is a winter tic for me.

Like a winter storm a good part of the overnight was also spent rechecking computer guidance. There are more models run more often nowadays. It’s a second guesser’s paradise!

I’m not sure why I do it. There’s little upside. Mostly it’s just a way to increase my anguish while alone of the sofa in our darkened family room.

What am I supposed to do? If I find things have changed do I give everyone a call? It’s a pointless exercise I can’t shake.

When I went to sleep around 5:10 AM my driveway was still dry. My next conscious thought came a few hours later. The wind woke me! No rain was falling yet, but we were in the middle of a howling gale.

I apologize. Even though I knew it would adversely affect lots of people there was satisfaction the forecast was beginning to verify. Then came the rain–buckets of rain. A little late, but as forecast&#185

As a forecaster I see weather before it happens. The actual numbers aren’t as important as being able to paint a picture from my pre-visualization. Viewers should be left with an actionable understanding.

The forecast is never 100% accurate–never. There is always some parameter (mostly small, sometimes not) that doesn’t play out.

It’s just a shame we need a state full of minor to moderate flooding with tree limbs and power lines down to make people happy with my work!

&#185 – “As forecast” are the two most important words I can hear.