Tuesday, November 10, 2009

A few thoughts about John Owens

First of all, dedicated readers, thank you for supporting this blog. I have a great time producing it, and hopefully you're getting something from it too. NO, it's not ending, but it is moving to http://cordillerablogs.com/mmadson, NewsFirst 5's corporate Website, so please follow me over.

That being said, another television station recently announced that one of their longtime sports anchors, John Owens, would be ending his association with them in December.

I worked with John for almost two decades, and as this chapter in his broadcast life comes to an end, there are a few things I'd like "on the record"

1) John is one of the kindest, most even-tempered human beings who has ever been on the planet. He made me feel like a member of his family from the moment I walked through the door of that station, and continued to do so as the years went by.
2) John lives and loves sports, with a background stretching back to his own high school basketball, extending through interviews with some of the greats (Muhammed Ali comes to mind) to locker room interviews with some of your favorite Colorado teams. He's even been known to take a portable TV when he and his wife go shopping so he can keep up on the games while she shops.
3) His on-air work will always be part of the broadcasting record of southern Colorado. He's been with us through it all.
4) For some, this will be even more important. He's a good dad and husband. You have to be to raise a daughter who becomes a PhD.

So John will be leaving the place where we've gotten used to seeing him for all of these years, but it doesn't mean...
a) He's getting ready to die
b) We won't see him somewhere else sometime

If we see him doing what he loves to do somewhere else, HOORAY!
If not, then hopefully it's because he's using the time to do more of what he likes to do.

In the final analysis, "You did a GREAT job, Big Daddy"!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Why are nights so much colder in Pueblo?

If you're a weather watcher (and you should be, because as Ben Franklin said, "some are weatherwise, some are otherwise"), you've probably noticed that often the overnight lows in Pueblo are colder than the readings from Colorado Springs.

At first glance, it doesn't seem logical, because Pueblo is further south and lower in elevation, and those are both factors that should keep it warmer.....but....the big difference is the Arkansas River.

It's a perfect channel for cold air, either from the higher elevations, or from the eastern Plains to find its way directly into the city.

Colorado Springs doesn't have a major river channel running through town to accomplish the same thing (Fountain Creek doesn't count)...and that's the major reason for the difference (with tonight being a good example).

Friday, November 6, 2009

Wind gusts from Friday, 11/6/2009

Some of the power of the jetstream overhead found its way to the surface in southern Colorado Friday, and here are some of the gusts from the NewsFirst 5 WeatherBug Net stations.

91 mph - Monarch Pass
53 mph - Woodmen Valley (Colorado Springs)
48 mph - USAF Academy
45 mph - Salida/Pueblo West
44 mph - La Veta Pass
42 mph - Gleneagle
38 mph - Briargate
36 mph - Divide/Monument
34 mph - Buena Vista
32 mph - Pueblo airport/Rye/Canon City
30 mph - Woodland Park
29 mph - Cheraw/Fort Carson
28 mph - Trinidad
26 mph - Cripple Creek/Fountain/Calhan
25 mph - Downtown Pueblo
22 mph - Fowler
20 mph - Downtown Colorado Springs

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Why are weather conditions so different across town?

Another "Ask Mike" question today. "Why are weather conditions so different from one side of Colorado Springs to the other? It can be warm at Fort Carson and freezing near Peterson Field, or vice versa. What's going on?"

GREAT question, and there are a few factors at work. The first one is that if the air is moving uphill, it cools and is more likely to form clouds. If it's moving downhill, it tends to be warmer and drier. That's true whether it's moving from north to south (Monument to Pueblo) or from Broadmoor Bluffs to Peterson AFB (west to east).

The other factor is elevation. Cold air sinks, and tends to pool in the lower elevations, so we can have days with cold temperatures and lingering low clouds/fog at the lowest elevations, while a quick trip to the west on Highway 24 (to higher elevations up Ute Pass) will quickly bring you back into the world of mild temperatures and sunshine.

Combine those basic principles with the great variety of terrain we have in southern Colorado, we can have situations where snowfall totals vary widely from block to block, and a drive from one side of town to the other is like traveling to a different state.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Question about pollen and weather conditions

Mary Lou "Asked Mike" "with such swings in temperature these days, when can allergy sufferers be confident that outside allergans are finally dead for the winter?

The answer is...the pollen part is a bit out of my area, but with springlike conditions over the next few days, anything that's still alive and that can respond to highs in the 70s and 80s may "puff" out a little pollen. It also depends what area you live in.

Today is a good example. There are two allergan reporting stations in Colorado Springs, and as of this afternoon, one was reporting traces of sage, ragweek, goosefoot, pigweed, saltbush and Russian thistle. The other one (and the one I'd trust more) was reporting nothing.

Remember that there are also things inside your home that can trigger your allergies, and an "allergy pro" can help you get a handle on these.

For more information, I'd refer you to the William Storms Allergy Clinic www.stormsallergy.com.
(I've interviewed him for stories in the past, and was impressed with what he knows).

Don't forget to "Ask Mike" your weather-related question. I've got the answer to another interesting one tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Haier 7" Portable Digital LCD-TV

How about a technology review today? (I spent a lot of time doing these for a national radio audience with my show "Technology Today", so just to keep from getting rusty, I'll do one of these once in awhile.

Before the switch-over to all digital television in Colorado, I kept a little 3" color portable analog tv in my briefcase, and it was handy to be able to fire it up, check any developing situations, get the latest on any game that interested me, etc.

That all ended with the digital switch-over. No analog signals available anymore (and carrying a digital converter box that's 3 times the size of the tv doesn't work for me).

Being an inveterate shopper, I've been demo-ing various units, waiting for the right price, and it finally happened.

The well-reviewed Haier 7" portable digital LCD-TV (HLT-71) went down to $99.99 at my local Target, and snagged the last one in the case.

Set up was "interesting". With any digital TV, you need to let it do a "channel scan" to establish what signals there are in your location. Plugged it in, screwed on the REALLY long antenna (a good thing), and ran the scan. Only got the local PBS channel.

OK, I was indoors (where I watch most of my tv shows) and in my basement in an area where a bluff blocks many of the tv signals anyway.

Undaunted, I took everything upstairs to the bedroom on the highest level and with the least house between me and Cheyenne Mountain. BINGO! everything was there. The picture is outstanding, the audio clear, and there are LOTS of channels available.

Remember that one of the rules of digital tv is that either you get a signal, or you get nothing, so those snowy, "I can almost see what's going on" days of marginal analog signals are gone (Darn!).

Since I'm in a poor reception area, I was impressed that there's a room in my house where I can get as many signals as I do, and I get the one I was most interested in (NewsFirst Now, Newsfirst 5's weather channel).

So here are the specifications..
The 7" portable comes with the antenna, an AC adapter, remote control, and has a built-in HD tuner. It will show off your favorite programs in 16:9 widescreen format, has 2 built-in speakers that crank out sufficient audio (and it's not bad), and a little piece that extends from the back to serve as a stand.

Inputs/Outputs include most of the standard ones you'd expect..coaxial audio, headphone jack and A/V out to connect to your home audio system.

It's about the size of a book (one by almost everybody but Steven King), comes with a 1 year warranty (which I hopefully won't need), and has rechargeable batteries.

Oh, one thing you need to know is that it only pulls in signals if it's stationary, so this isn't the choice for you for your boat or RV, but for a "bedroom digital", a "see my Ipod movies on a bigger screen", or an "I want to keep an eye on the game while my significant other shops" TV, I think we have a winner.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Chinook Winds

One of the most amazing weather phenomena we have east of the Rocky Mountains is Chinook winds, those westerly breezes that blow down the slopes of the mountains, making the snow disappear almost like magic.

As the wind moves down the east slopes of the rockies, the air becomes so warm and so dry that in most cases, the snow doesn't melt, it goes directly from snow to water vapor (which may be why some call these winds "snow eaters").

In any case, they'll be blowing for the next few days in southern Colorado, so expect rapidly disappearing snow and above-average highs.

By the way, we aren't the only place in the world that experiences these winds. The general category of "downslope" warming winds is "Foehn", from Austria, where they were first categorized. The Santa Ana of California works by the same process.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Northerly winds and snowfall totals

The current storm is a good case-in-point for the effect of northerly winds in the NewsFirst 5 viewing area, and the key principle is, where the wind forces the air uphill, you get more snowfall, where it's moving downhill, there's less.

Everybody got the cold and the wind, but keep in mind that a northerly wind moves to lower elevations (it's going downhill) from Monument, through the Colorado Springs Metro area to Pueblo, and the snowfall totals reflect that. They're higher in Monument, Palmer Lake, Black Forest, Pine Creek, northern Briargate, etc, and in the eastern part of El Paso county along Highway 24, because these cities are on or close to the Palmer Divide (which forces the wind uphill). They're lower (or almost nothing) from Fountain to Pueblo.

It's also interesting to note that higher elevations around the Colorado Springs Metro area picked up more snow than downtown. A few that come to mind are Kissing Camels, and eastward near Powers.

This rule works for MOST storms that produce northerly winds from the Continental Divide eastward in our state. For the rare exception, always err on the side of caution.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Weather summary for Sunday, 10/25

Historically, this is a memorable day, as 12 years ago on this date, we had "The Blizzard of '97", with drifts up to 15 feet in some areas.

For today, with one storm moving out, and another moving in, I didn't have time to put the "official" statewide statistics on the weathercast, so here they are...

City High Low Precip through 6 PM
Alamosa 48 31 Trace
Canon City 52 34
Colorado Springs 40 32 .08"
Denver 40 32 .06"
La Junta 48 41 .44"
Lamar 50 41 Data Missing
Leadville 30 16 .25"
Limon 42 34 Trace
Pueblo 44 39 .29"
Trinidad 40 33 Data Missing

and while we're on the subject, how about a few snowfall totals?
6" 2 west of Rye in Pueblo county
5" Beulah in Pueblo county
4" 2 S. of Cuchara, Huerfano county; 4 NE of Florissant, Teller county;
3" Woodland Park, Teller county; 3 WSW of Colorado Sprins, El Paso county
5 WSW of Walsenburg, Huerfano county
1" 2 N of Black Forest, El Paso county

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Netbook Vs. Notebook.

It's a Saturday night, a cold front is racing in, the pressure is falling (and I can feel it in my joints....maturity is not for the faint of heart ).

First of all, thanks to all of the Colorado Springs Independent readers who cast your votes for Mike Daniels and me for best weathercasters. This year, he took the gold, and I have the silver. We've flip-flopped on those over the past decade or so....we both appreciate the votes of confidence.

Now then, on to the technical musings...

I've been using an Acer Aspire One netbook as my carry-along computer for quite some time now, so here's a quick update on how viable going for a notebook to a netbook is for everyday mobile computing...VERY.

Keep in mind that they don't come with an optical drive (to read CD's and DVD's), but you can pick up an external model for a reasonable price, and they work well. What they usually DON'T tell you is that many of the external drives won't run off the power available in a single USB port on your netbook (or your laptop, for that matter either). The solution is fairly simple, you pick up a special cable that allows you to plug your external drive into 2 usb ports at the same time.

This usually does the trick. It provides enough power, your system recognizes the drive (mine kept thinking it was a flash drive...REALLY annoying), and it chugs along smoothly, reading, writing and providing DVD movie power to your portable. Just got finished watching a movie on the acer, with an I/O Magic external reader/writer, and it looked GREAT on that little screen. OK, it's not the largest viewing surface available, but it's bigger than the iPod Touch you've been watching those TV shows on.

As to the Acer itself, once you get used to the smaller keyboard, you can type almost at your peak speed. I use OpenOffice for my word processing and spreadsheets, and performance has been flawless. WiFi is good and other than the fact that the unit has a fan that sounds like the shuttle landing, I just don't have any substantive complaints.

If you find a good deal (I got mine refurbished for $180), don't hesitate. It's nice to cut down on the weight in your computer bag without giving up the functionality.

I've discovered some really great Podcasts recently...in future entries, I'll share those with you, and I'd appreciate it if you'd share your favorites with me.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Snow totals for southern Colorado 10/21/09

While for many in the NewsFirst 5 viewing area, it was more rain, fog, drizzle and the occasional snowflake, in the areas where it snowed, it was impressive. Here are the most recent totals...

17.00" - 2 S of Cuchara
14.00" - SE of La Veta
12.00" - 6 NE of the Spanish Peaks; SW of Beulah
11.30" - La Veta
11.00" - 2 S of La Veta Pass
10.40" - Maysville
10.00" - WNW of Walsenburg and WSW of Walsenburg ; 2 W of Rye; 2 WSW of Rosita
09.50" - WSW of Boncarbo
09.00" - 4 NE of Florissant
08.00" - 1 W of Farisita; 1 WNW of Walsenburg; 10 S of Cokedale
07.00" - 1 W of Antonito
06.00" - 8 N of Trinidad; Woodland Park
05.40" - Beulah
05:00" - Fox Run (East of Baptist Road); 1 WSW of Woodland Park; Woodland Park
04.50" - La Junta; 6 E of Monument
04:40" - Maysville
04:00" - 2 N of Black Forest
03.90" - 6 W of Westcliffe
03.80" - 4 WNW of Buena Vista
03.00" - 4 ENE of Stonewall; 1 W of Farisita
02.90" - Westcliffe

In addition, Pueblo reported record precipitation for the date. At least .92" since midnight. Old record - .36" set in 1979

Sunday, October 18, 2009

New records in Colorado Springs/Pueblo

Those Chinook winds boosted highs to record levels on Sunday, 10/18 in southern Colorado.

Colorado Springs had a high of 82, replacing the old record of 81 set in 2003

Pueblo tied it's record of 88 set in 2003.

Both cities reported gusty winds. Peak gusts were 28 mph in Colorado Springs (at the airport) and 38 mph in Pueblo (also at the airport)

Memorable Halloween nights in Pueblo

From the history books (thanks to the NWS Forecast Office in Pueblo)...

The last impressively cold Halloween was in 2002. According to the records, the day started at at 23 degrees, with ice covered roads. It only warmed up to 29 that day, with cold, freezing drizzle for the evenings activities.

Then there was 1991. The day started with 7 inches of snow on the ground, and an additional 3.2 inches during the day. The high just inched to 34 degrees during the day, and plummeted to a recrod 14 degrees that night.

Back to the year, I graduated from High School, 1972. the day started with a trace of snow on the ground, but that was just the beginning. A record 12.6 inches fell that day, with a high of 29.

These records date back to 1888, with data as recent as 2008.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Halloween weather in Pueblo

The past few blogs, we took at look at average Halloween conditions in Colorado Springs. Today, we'll begin a look at the same thing for Pueblo. The data comes from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pueblo, with snowfall and temperature records going back to 1888.

Over all of those years, there have been 15 holidays with a trace or more of snow; 5 times with an inch or more. The average high for the date is 62, with 28 the average low.

Sunday: some of the more memorable weather the city has seen on Halloween

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Some memorable Colorado Springs Halloween's

One of the reasons people get the idea that it snows EVERY Halloween in southern Colorado is that when it does snow, it's memorable. Here are a few from the record books (courtesy of the records kept by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pueblo, Colorado).

In 2002, the day started out at 20 degrees, with a dusting of clouds, and it only got 4 degrees warmer during the day, leading to freezing drizzle and snow that night.

Not impressed? Well, let's go back to 1991, when I took the kids trick-or-treating on a day that started with 6 inches of snow on the ground, and an additional 1.2" during the day. After a high of only 20 degrees, the mercury fell to 10 above for a record low.

The all-time champion, though, was 1972. 13.8 inches of snow fell, and the high only made it to 25 degrees.

No question that those are impressive Halloween nights, but they're the exception, not the rule. The average high for the day is 57, the average low is 28.

Still too early to tell whether this year will be "normal" or "memorable", but I'll keep a weather eye on it for you. Tomorrow, the statistics for Pueblo.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Does it really snow every Halloween?

After the short answer, which is NO, here are a few statistics that might help you decide whether to dress the kids as tropical islanders or polar explorers.

Fact number one...while it doesn't always snow on Halloween, when it has in the past, it's been so memorable that it sticks in our minds.

From the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pueblo...a little information from records dating from 1948 until now.
For Colorado Springs:
In all of those years, it's snowed a trace or more 15 times. Only 6 times with an inch or more. The chance of a trace or more is 12%, and the chance of an inch or more is 4%.

Tomorrow...memorable moments in Colorado Springs Halloween history.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Not just cold, but record cold

It was so cold in both Colorado Springs and Pueblo, that each city set a new record low maximum for the date.


Colorado Springs was officially 25 degrees (though the daytime high was only 22). The record low maximum up to this point was 36 degrees set in 2005.


For Pueblo, the official high was 32 (daytime high of 28), shattering the previous record for the date of 42 set in 2005...and the official low (so far) of 24 replaced the old record of 26 for this date, originally set in 1992.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Aftermath of the lunar crash

After my blog entry of 9/8, I thought it was only fair to bring you an update on the LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission.
1) The impact occurred right on schdule, producing a crater 60 feet wide and 13 feet deep.
2) Scientists got good measurements, and think they have the data they have to address the question of whether or not there's ice in the permanently shadowed areas of the lunar south pole, where the sun hasn't shone for at least 2 billion years.
3) It will take awhile for the scientists to analyze the data and answer the question, possibly months.
4) The impact(s) failed to produce the huge plume of debris that was expected, prompting some to speculate that the craft may have hit rock, instead of ice.....over time, we'll see.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

A moon crash is planned for Friday morning

2 days in a row of space news....and today's entry is an exciting one. NASA plans to crash a spacecraft into the moon at 5:30 MDT Friday morning to try to determine if there's water ice at the bottom of at least one crater near the moon's south pole.

When the 79 million dollar spacecraft crashes into Cabeus crater, it's expected to send a plume of whatever is at the bottom of the crater into the lunar sky, where scientists can analyze it. If it turns out that there IS water ice on the moon, it could be a BIG boost to the space program.

What I seem to be missing in most of the news presentations of this topic is why it's so important. (In fact, "ha ha ha, we're going to bomb the moon" seems to be the most popular approach)...but IF, in fact, there's ice in the deeper craters or just below the surface of parts of the moon, it opens up a world of possibilities for space exploration, including the potential to refuel a spacecraft with hydrogen from a sufficient supply of ice. Doesn't seem quite as much of a joke now, does it?

This is a follow-up to several other unmanned missions to the moon that have either suggested, or tried to confirm the existence of water ice.

In 1994, the Clementine satellite was launched (called "Clementine" because it carried only enough fuel to complete its mission, after which it would be "lost and gone forever", like in the song), and recorded some data that seemed to indicate what might have been water ice near the moon's south pole.

4 years later, in 1998, Lunar Prospector returned to try to verify the presence of ice, but the results were negative (which might mean, we just missed the right spot).

Now, scientists are optimistic that the "big boom on the moon" will settle the question, and perhaps open up some options for returning manned missions to the only other object in the solar system where humans have walked (and driven dune buggies and hit golf balls, etc.) by 2020.

NASA plans to televise the impact in it's cable/satellite channel, and there are plenty of outlets on the Web that will let you see it as well...and if the sky is clear, and it's still dark in your time zone when the impact occurs, you should be able to see it for yourself, even with a fairly modest telescope.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

New ring discovered around Saturn

Technology triumphs again! The Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted the huge, cold ring that circles the planet, and is tilted 27 degrees from the other rings.

It's 3.7 million miles away from the planet, and extends outward another 7.4 million miles.

Its entire volume could hold a million earths.

It hasn't been spotted before now because the ice and dust particles that make it up are so far apart, that it's hard to see. It also doesn't reflect a lot of light, but using the infrared sensor on the Spitzer Scope, scientists were able to see the minus 316 degree F feature.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Where the elements come from

In the stellar astronomy class I teach, we've been studying the life cycle of stars...from their birth out of clouds of dust and gas to most of their lives in a stable state, to their deaths ranging from just fading to white and black dwarfs or ending as a spectacular supernova explosion.

The bottom line is that every single element in the universe, other than hydrogen and helium, is manufactured in the fiery interior of a star, including the elements you're made of.

Need a lift to your day? Just remind yourself that you're made up of "star stuff"

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Another frosty start to Saturday Morning

Another record low for Pueblo on Saturday morning. A 27 degree reading broke the old record for the date of 28, set in 1995, and tied in 1999.

Here are a few more of this morning's readings.

Alamosa - 19; Limon - 20, Leadville/Woodland Park - 21; USAF Academy - 24; Mueller State Park/Lamar - 27; Salida/Briargate/Fowler - 28; Garden of the Gods/ Fort Carson - 30; Trinidad - 31; La Junta - 32; Falcon - 34.

It should NOT be that cold for the next few nights.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Friday's Frosty Lows

As skies cleared and high pressure settled over southern Colorado, lows dropped to record levels across southern Colorado Friday morning, including some records. Let's start with those...
New Records...
Denver - 26; Pueblo - 25; Alamosa - 12

And then a selection of lows from around the region...
Leadville - 19; USAF Academy/Lamar - 24; Monument - 25; Briargate - 26; Fowler/Limon/Trinidad - 27; Fort Carson - 29; Downtown Colorado Springs - 30; Falcon - 32; Walsh - 34; Pueblo West - 35.

Another hard freeze is likely Friday night into Saturday morning, and record lows are possible again.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Where the front comes from is important

This week is a great case in point of how different cold fronts can be. As I write this, we're feeling the effects of a front that moved through on Sunday. Winds have been breezy, skies clear and temperatures 20 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.

In contrast, another front will move through on Wednesday (later), bringing cooler air again, but also clouds and a better chance for showers. They're both cold fronts, and the difference is where they formed.

A quick definition to get us rolling...a front is a boundary between large areas of the atmosphere with different temperatures, densities and humidities. The front is the leading edge of this large area of air with consistent temperature, density and humidity throughout.

The front that moved through on Sunday formed over land in northern Canada, therefore it brought cold and dry air.

In contrast, the air that's moving in behind the front later Wednesday formed over the Gulf of Alaska. It's cold and wet, and that's what we get on Thursday.

To be a bit more technical, air that forms over land is classified "continental", if over water, then "maritime".

There are different terms that describe its temperature, ranging from tropical to arctic.

The air that's over southern Colorado at the moment is "continental polar". The change that's on the way is "maritime polar".

(One other major contributor to our weather here in Colorado is "maritime tropical" air, which is warm, full of water, and comes in either from the Gulf of Mexico or the southeastern Pacific).

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Gusty winds as a cold front moves in

Right on schedule, a cold front moved from northeast to southwest across Colorado on Sunday, (9/27), resulting in this selection of wind gusts...

48 mph - Woodmen Valley; 43 mph - USAF Academy; 41 mph - Garden of the Gods; 47 mph - Pueblo West; 35 mph - Briargate; 29 mph - Gleneagle; 28 mph - Colorado Springs Airport; 29 mph - Downtown Pueblo; 26 mph - Downtown Colorado Springs; 24 mph - Walsh; 22 mph - Canon City; 21 mph - Leadville.

The air behind those gusts is 15-20 degrees cooler than the afternoon highs we had on Sunday, and you'll feel that difference on Monday...and by the way, the official statistics for Sunday were...
Colorado Springs, High-84, Low 51; Pueblo, High-90, Low 47

Friday, September 25, 2009

Expect "variety" this fall

Meteorologically, Fall is always an interesting time in the Rocky Mountains. It's a period when cold, winter-like storms from the north alternate with mild, "summery" conditions building in from the south and west.

We've already seen a touch of one of those "wintry" storms, to be followed by "summery" conditions through the weekend, and 2 more cold fronts on the way for late weekend and next week.

Bottom line...it's Colorado, fasten your seat belts, and prepare for turbulence (and enjoy the "good stuff" when it blips through).

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Blackberry Vs. iPhone part II

To keep you updated on my continuing evaluation of BlackBerry (Tour) vs. iPhone, I'm a little over a week into the process at the moment, and am still leaning heavily in the direction of the iPhone.

Here's why...(and I know I listed a few of these in the last installment),
1) My hands are just too big for the nasty little keyboard on the BlackBerry. With the latest software update, the iPhone/iPod Touch is larger and easier to be accurate on when you turn the screen sideways.
2) Applications. Apple's are far and away superior...particularly facebook, which I use frequently.
3) Battery life - yep, Apple again. When you get into serious 3G mode with the BlackBerry, the battery drops faster than the gas gauge on my 1985 Porsche when I'm driving it "enthusiastically"
4) Screen size - Here again, the ability to turn the Apple device sideways and create a larger image (and stretch or compress it easily) makes it an easier-to-see experience, whether surfing, texting, FaceBooking or Twittering.

Maybe I'll still discover the virtues of the BlackBerry, and if/when I do, I'll let you know, but I'm less optimistic than I was.

OOOH, here's something in the BlackBerry's favor. It has a pretty good camera (3.2 megapixel) built in, and it has a flash.....it's a shame I don't use the camera.

Wind gusts Wednesday Morning

Another cold front moved through Wednesday morning, (9/23/09), and REALLY kicked up the winds. Here's a quick summary from the WeatherBug stations (I'll update the info as more comes in).
Briargate - 52 mph; Falcon - 48 mph; Garden of the Gods - 46 mph; Canon City - 41 mph; USAF Academy, Manitou Springs - 35 mph; Gleneagle - 34 mph; Fort Carson, Fowler - 32 mph; DIA - 31 mph; Calhan, La Junta, Lamar - 30 mph; Woodland Park - 27 mph; Pueblo West, Mueller State Park - 26 mph; Vineland - 24 mph; Trinidad - 20 mph.

Much milder conditions ahead for Friday.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Blackberry Vs. iPhone

A comparative technology feature today, as you see in the title, if your life is becoming (or needs to be) more connected, you have some choices.

BlackBerry's are certainly popular with the business crowd, but iPhone sales continue to climb.

Both will keep you connected, but in very different styles.

I've had an iPod Touch for a few months now, and REALLY like it, and while it's not officially an iPhone, it has most of the same functionality, particularly with regard to keyboard and apps.

OK, here's the story...
My venerable LG phone died the other day, and since I'm encouraged to update Twitter, Facebook, the station Web site and keep in touch with weather data during the day, I figured it was time to bite the bullet and upgrade from a cell phone to a "multimedia communicating device".

Upgrading to an iPhone would have meant changing carriers (and I haven't heard great things about the one that handles the iPhone), so I thought I'd give good old Verizon a shot.

I told the sales associate at the Colorado Springs store what I needed to do, and decided to buy on the top end of the power curve with a BlackBerry Tour, at the time of this writing, their latest, greatest model.

The store was GREAT about setting it up for me, getting it online (even fixing a billing problem I've had for years), so A+ for service, but what about the device itself?

Keep in mind that I've only had it for a few days, so this is a preliminary report...however some things are obvious at this point.
1) This is the best phone I've ever had. The clearest signal, the fewest drops.
2) Since I'm a newbie, finding what I'm looking for (including my messages) is tough/non-intuitive.
3) The tiny little keys on the keyboard are WAY too small to be comfortable.
4) The trackball you use to navigate works VERY well.
5) The built-in "apps" I've tried so far (including facebook) are inferior to the Apple versions.
6) The screen is large for a BlackBerry device, but smaller than the landscape mode on an iPhone.

Let's compare/contrast that with the iPhone/Touch
1) Can't compare the phone signal quality, remember I'm using the Touch for this comparison
2) Finding what you need is MUCH easier on the iPod, and apps are "right up front" on the screen.
3) With the current software upgrade, turning the screen sideways give you MUCH bigger, better, more usable keys, as compared with the BlackBerry.
4) Just finding what you want to launch and touching it is still easier than the trackball
5) The apps for the things I do, such as Facebook, are MUCH better, smoother, easier-to-read.
6) The ability to turn the screen sideways and see a larger image/expand the keyboard makes the iPhone (iPod Touch) the clear winner here.

Initial summary...It's still early in the "learning curve" game, but as anything other than a phone, I definitely do NOT like the BlackBerry at this point, and if the monthly fee for the iPhone is anywhere close to what I pay for the BlackBerry, (and it's decent as a phone), before the end of the 30-day trial, I'm tempted to switch. I'll keep you posted.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Rainfall totals for Monday, 9/14/09

A few strong to severe storms with heavy rain hit the NewsFirst 5 viewing area on Monday. Here are a few rainfall totals from the WeatherBug.net stations.

1" - 1.56" Briargate, .83" Gleneagle, .75" Florence. 33" USAF Academy, .31" Divide, .25" Palmer High School, .23" Garden of the Gods

Why I still use a PC

There's been lots of computer news recently, with the updates from Apple leading the pack, and I've become a fan of iTunes and my iPod Touch. My experiences with Apple's operating system have been positive, as well.

So why, then, do I still use a PC when it's time to get down to work, surf the net, or decimate the known universe when I have time for a little gaming? Several reasons...

1) The difference in cost. I REALLY like the MacBooks and MacBook Pro's. They're sleek, light and powerful, but when I can still pick up a notebook PC that does everything I need it to do for less than $500, (though, perhaps, less elegantly), about half the cost of the Apple equivalent, I just can't justify the expense.

But wait, there's more

2) Compatibility. Even in today's world, I run across lots of college-level educational software (part of the texts and lab manuals I use in my courses), that won't run under the Mac operating system. I know the usual response to this one..."You can run BOTH operating systems on your Mac, so just whichever one you need to". True, apparently, but it sidesteps the question of buying a copy of Windows whatever to run on the MacBook when I need it. Do-able, YES, inexpensive, NO. Again, we get back to the cost factor. Have you priced a stand-alone version of Windows lately? Look it up, but be sure you're sitting down. So here again, first you pay more for the MacBook (or whatever), and you add to that cost by picking up a high-priced copy of an operating system you'll only use on special occasions. Just not do-able in my budget.

3) Lack of Apple "netbooks". Besides my Toshiba laptop, my main computer these days, I carry a tiny little Acer Aspire One netbook, that is adequate for surfing the Web, word-processing, spreadsheets...you know, the usual everyday stuff...and it even has a 160 GB hard-drive. I don't currently have that option with Apple products. (and if I do, please let me know....NO, the iPhone and Touch don't count. They're cool, but not the same thing).

The bottom line is $$$. Now, don't get your fur up, you Mac-iavellians. You're using an outstanding product, but for a "Joe Laptop" like me, it just isn't the solution yet.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Heavy rain in southern Colorado

Here's a quick look at some of the impressive amounts of rain that fell in the NewsFirst 5 viewing area on Saturday.. Surprisingly, there was only one small stream flood advisory, and it was for northeastern El Paso County until 12:15 AM Sunday morning.
1.30" - Gleneagle;
1.25" - Briargate (In 2 hours) ;
1.14" - Vilas (Baca County);
1.02" - Downtown Colorado Springs;
0.98" - Palmer High School Area;
0.97" - Garden of the Gods area;
0.96" - Wasson High School area;
0.93" - Fort Carson;
0.87" - Walsh, Baca County;
0.82" - Monument;
0.64" - Air Force Academy;
0.62" - Calhan area;
0.52" - Woodmen Valley;
0.48" - Woodland Park;
0.46" - Manitou Springs
0.44" - Trinidad

iTunes 9 - My favorite new feature

iTunes 9 is officially in the cyber-world, and already on millions of computers. If you're like me, you're asking the logical question "so, is it different enough from previous versions to make the download worthwhile?" For me, the answer is YES, for one new feature, "Home Sharing".

This one lets you link iTunes to up to 5 computers on your HOME network, and share content among them.

For me, it's a big deal, because up until now, I've had one collection of songs, audio books and video on one computer, and a completely separate set on another, and didn't know how to get them together. (There was PROBABLY a way, but not being in the Mac world, I didn't have a clue).

Now my two favorite computers (on a NetBook, the other a laptop), can see each other's libraries, and I can easily transport files from one to the other, so now whichever computer I sync my iPod Touch with has the latest, greatest library to draw from...and since the upgrade is free, "such a deal".

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Warming morning winds in Manitou Springs

John in Manitou Springs sent in a great question the other day. He wrote...

"I live in Manitou Sprgs and I have noticed a consistent phenomena this summer: on warmer days (such as today, Sept 8) the temperature will drop the previous evening into the wee hours of the present day (2 to 3 am). However, starting around 3 to 4 am or so, the wind (usually westerly) will pick up and it will warm at least 5 degrees, and sometimes 10, quite rapidly. It reminds me of a mini-chinook, but I have no idea why it would start up at that time in the morning on these warm days. I love an explanation."

John, your observations are right on target, and it IS a "mini-chinook". Here's why it happens almost daily.

Overnight, the temperatures fall more rapidly over the higher elevations to the west of Manitou Springs, and since colder air sinks, it moves eastward down Ute Pass and through the city.

Since it's moving from higher to lower elevations, it warms and dries, just as our famous "Chinooks" do, and that's why you see that temperature rise when they start to blow.

These breezes are also referred to as "diurnal" (daily) or "drainage" winds, since they're "draining" down Ute Pass.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

El Nino and the upcoming Winter

We haven't seen a summer like the one we've just been through for awhile. 1997 comes to mind for me, and as I've mentioned in previous blogs, we keep hearing that an El Nino is building, and people wonder if that's where the extra rainfall came from.

From the data we have available, the answer is still "NO". El Nino doesn't influence North America in Summer or Fall. It's in the Winter and Spring that we feel the effects, but not necessarily in Colorado.

I just looked at the long-term projections for this Winter and Spring in terms of temperature and precipitation. Admittedly, I wouldn't bet my life on the accuracy of the long-term computer output (it's getting better, but not where we'd like it to be yet), but it's convinced that we'll have "average" temperature and precipitation...as opposed to the Farmer's Almanac, which is convinced that we'll have a "don't touch your tongue to a metal light pole" Winter.

Only time will tell...it will be fun to watch.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

August weather statistics

With the old month behind us (and for an August, it was VERY mild), here's a quick look at the official statistics, before we move into what will probably be a "September to Remember".

Starting with Colorado Springs, the warmest day of the month was the 5th and 23rd, at 91 degrees
The coolest morning occurred on the 19th, when the mercury dipped to 49.
Rainfall topped out at 1.84" (3.48" is "normal"...leaving us 1.64" below average for the month...and still behind on the "since January 1st" average)

In Pueblo
The warmest:101 on the 23rd
The coldest:48 on the 28th
Precipitation: 2.71" (2.27" is "normal, meaning +.44" for the month) Pueblo's ahead on precipitation for the year, as well.

Tuesday's readings are worth noting as well.
Colorado Springs heated up to 88 (up 10 from Monday)
Pueblo officially logged 97 (also up 10, and just missed matching the record high for the date)

Monday, August 31, 2009

Daily weather stats from Monday, 8/31

Well, here we are, through another month, and we had a "non-dull" round of storms to close out August.

Both Colorado Springs and Pueblo warmed up nicely from Sunday.
Colorado Springs reported a high of 78 (up from 66 on Sunday)
Pueblo edged up to 87 degrees (after 75 on Sunday)

Statwide, the hot spot was Grand Junction, with a high of 93.
The coldest "official" reported tempreature was 35 overnight in Leadville.

The Farmer's Almanac predictions are in for the upcoming Winter, and suggest it will be bitterly cold. This will be fun to watch, as the long-term models from NOAA suggest warmer-than-average.

Interesting sidelight about the Almanac, it's predictions are based on a number of factors, but reduced to the simplest terms, it's conditional climatology. When it has an "on" year, it's pretty good. It's "off" years, can be pretty dramatically bad, though.

In any case, it will be fun to watch which system more accurately predicts the upcoming Winter.

My prediction....there's no science involved in this one at all. It's just that based on our summer pattern, this feels a LOT like 1997 to me, so I'd plan on a thrill-ride or two before the winter is over.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Cool, but not a record-setter

Sunday (8/30) was an interesting August day (compared to what you might expect). Clouds, fog, showers, thunderstorms, hail and breezy winds all combined to make it feel more like October.

Colorado Springs ended up with a high of 66. For Pueblo, the final number was 75..both far below the "averages" for the day.

I had me wondering if maybe we had another record low maximum in the bag, but a quick check of the record books showed that we've been colder on this date.

Colorado Springs only made it to 56 on this day in 1967, and Pueblo had a high of 63 that same year.

While I have the word-processor fired up, here's a quick update on how we're doing for water to this point in the year....
Through this afternoon, we have 13.03" since January 1. That's 1.26" below average.
Pueblo reports 11.92"...2.03" ABOVE average.

Interesting year overall, don't you think?

Monday, August 24, 2009

Alternative College Criteria

With the Fall semester upon us, I see lots of television ads promoting various Colleges and Universities promising quick, painless "get me a job now" programs.

As I'm in the business of teaching at the college level, I've learned a few things along the way, and have some suggestions for you as you make your decisions.

1) Consider community colleges. Here in Colorado, most are in partnerships with major universities, and the "GT" (guaranteed transfer) courses transfer nicely to 4-year (and up) institutions, allowing you to get your basics (and not-so-basics) out of the way for MUCH less money, and move on to the larger institution for your upper-division courses.
2) If those catchy ads for other institutions catch your attention, there are a few things to check before plunking your hard-earned tuition dollars.
a) Is the institution accredited? and by whom? It's a big deal, because some employers check the credentials of the school you got your degree from (to make sure it wasn't a "diploma mill", and you actually learned something.
b) See if other colleges (or schools) you're considering will accept credits from classes from the school you're looking at. You'd be surprised how many well-known "off brand" schools' credits either aren't accepted by anybody else, or for far fewer credit hours than you paid for.
c) Ask to see actual job-placement statistics from the school you're considering, and ask to talk to a graduate who got a job as a result of the training. See how realistic your goals are based on what happens in real life.
d) My old rule-of-thumb for selecting a reputable institution used to be "do they have a football team?". It doesn't work any more, because some well-thought-of colleges (University of Phoenix comes to mind) focus on education, not the extra-curricular activities. In a pinch though, it can still serve as a filter.

You should absolutely, positively get more education! Just be sure the education dollars you spend move you toward your goal.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Drought or Deluge?

Sunday the 23rd was an interesting day in southern Colorado. Pueblo set a new record high, with a reading of 101, replacing the old record of 98 set in 1949, and Colorado Springs tied its record of 91 (also set in 1949....and NO, it's not "global warming", it was just a summery day).

It got me thinking, though, we've had days like today...hot and dry (not many), and "water coming from the skies by the tubfull" days (more of these), so how do we compare to our 30-year "average" to this point in the year?

Through Sunday afternoon, here are the numbers...

Since 1 January "Normal" Difference Last Year
Colorado Springs: 12.49" 13.61" -1.12" 7.21"
Pueblo: 10.94" 9.46" +1.48" 8.17"

A quick summary of the statistics...Colorado Springs is slightly behind the 30-year "average" precipitation we usually have to this point, but WAY ahead of last year...Pueblo is slightly ahead of the 30-year figure, and ahead of last year's measurement, but not as dramatically.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Southern Colorado Precipitation Update

I continue to get lots of letters asking "is this one of the wettest years on record in southern Colorado?".

The simple answer is "NO", but here are the latest numbers..

Colorado Springs:
August 2009 (so far) .63"; Normal 1.2" (so this month, we're below average)
Since June 1 7.22"; Normal 4.57" (which puts us ahead on the Summer)
Since January 1 10.63"; Normal 8.87" (So we're slightly ahead to this point).

Pueblo:
August 2009 (so far) .21"; Normal 1.8" (definitely on the dry side)
Since June 1 6.92"; Normal 6.99" (slightly ahead for the Summer)
Since January 1 11.41"; Normal 12.69" (slightly behind to this point)

The bottom line is that Colorado Springs is slightly ahead of the 30-year "average" precipitation, which is good, but not a reason to plan on a long-term surplus, or foolishly waste water.

Pueblo is slightly behind, as far as the year-to-date is concerned...so keep those water conservation practices going.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Car service at a dealer or independent business?

We're roaming from the "weather" topic again today, but it's one of those practical discoveries that's worth sharing.

I notice that one regional business is running TV commercials that say something along the lines of "don't spend too much money at your car dealership, let us do the work cheaper and better".

I had some experience with that over the past few days.

My wife is getting ready to make a 600 mile trip in her SUV, so we've been getting this and that tweaked in preparation. New battery? check, tires topped up with nitrogen? check, oil change?....well, now we get to the heart of the matter.

When I bought her car, I added on an extended warranty that included oil changes, so for the past 5 years, we've been going to the dealership to get them taken care of. Initially they were great, in fact it's an American company that has been famous for its' service...but over the past year or so, it's really been slipping. Initially, we thought it was just the Chapel Hills service department, so we took it to the one in Motor City, which turned out to be slow, inefficient, and semi-hostile as well.

Usually, my wife takes the car in (while I teach, broadcast, write blogs, etc.), but this time, it was my turn...after all, it was only an oil change...how intense could it be?

Arrived at 3 PM, as per appointment...check...got right in...check...sat down in the waiting room and waited....and waited....and waited....and waited...got hustled by a new car sales person, watched a hostile client fight with a service rep, and waited some more. Over an hour later, the service rep told me most things looked good, but I needed an air filter (it took them an hour to figure that out?), and should also have a fuel injector service....which wasn't out of the question, because the car had over 50, 000 miles on it...and they'd be willing to do it for just a little over $100.

Now, keep in mind that I'd been sitting there for over an hour while these folks changed the oil (which my local Grease Monkey franchise can do in 10 minutes), so first of all, I wasn't going to spend my whole day there while they hooked up the injector cleaning machine (possibly becoming eligible for Social Security and Medicare before it was over), so I asked them to finish up and I'd be on my way.

I did, though, think that the "get the fuel injectors cleaned" idea was a good one though, because the love of my life was about to take the car far from civilization...so I did just what the commercial said...I called the "we do it faster and better" guys.

Yes, they do injector cleanings (using the same machine and products as the dealership), no problem getting me in the next morning, and for about 1/2 the price I'd been quoted.

This morning, I showed up at 8 AM, got it right in, sat down and fired up my ipod Touch in their wifi equipped waiting room, and was just getting into seriously surfing the Web when they came to tell me it was done....about 30 minutes.

Good job...too. So the moral to the story is...
1) I will NEVER buy a service contract that obligates me to go to a dealer again
2) I will NEVER allow a dealer to perform any service that isn't already paid for on any car I own.
3) I'm sticking with the independent specialty shops from this point on. They're more efficient, less expensive and make it a MUCH more pleasant experience.

Just for the record, I've had very good experiences with both Grease Monkey and Brakes Plus to this point.

Monday, August 10, 2009

More severe storms for southern Colorado

Storms with damaging winds and hail hit southern Colorado hard on Monday afternoon (8/10). Hail from the size of quarters to ping-pong balls blasted northern Colorado Springs during the dinner hour, while upwards of half an inch of rain fell in 15 minutes (.53" Briargage and .66" in Stetson Hills).

Then severe storms moved southeastward into northeastern Pueblo and northwestern Crowley counties during the 9 o'clock hour.

Other severe storms were reported in central Las Animas county.

It's a combination of lots of water in the air, and the tail end of a cold front up against the mountains to act as a trigger. Fortunately no tornadoes reported.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

On the virtues of driving a Porsche

I warned you that this column would drift away from exclusively weather topics from time-to-time, and this is one of those times.

I was reminded on a long (650 mile) road trip last week (see my previous blog) how much I enjoy driving...when I'm in my Porsche 944.

Like most, I've owned a number of different marks over the years, from a Renault LeCar (boy, was THAT a mistake), to Oldsmobiles, Plymouths, Subarus, Toyota's, Saturns and Nissans. They were just cars. They got you from one place to another, usually not usually very comfortably, and were interchangeable pieces of transportation.

That changed a few years ago when I picked up my 1985 (late) Porsche 944. A German mechanic/friend put me on to it, I took a test drive, and was hooked. $3500 later, I had my very own piece German driving technology.

On the down side, they're not cheap to maintain. Something or other always needs repair, and as you might expect with a car that's over 20 years old, I've been through clutches, seals, various electrical relays, injectors, the shift boot is held on by Gorilla tape, and it leaks like a sieve. ("When a Porsche stops leaking....it's out of fluid").

So why do I still drive it? Let's look at the positive side of the ledger.
It was built with that precision the Germans are famous for out of real metal. When you close the doors, it feels right (and sounds right). The seats are the most comfortable of any car I've ever driven. (After my 9 hour trip home from Utah the other day, I was tired, but not crippled, like I usually feel after a long journey in other cars). The handling is phenomenal, and you can really feel the road (not uncomfortably, but you're not disconnected from it as you are in so many newer cars). It turns in a VERY small circle, and the visibility is good. The heater is outstanding (because, I suppose, it gets cold in Germany in the winter). The air conditioner...not so much.

I averaged 33 mpg on the highway....not bad for a semi-performance car, huh?

So while I'd like the gas mileage of my son's 1997 Saturn sedan (38 mpg on the highway), or the fewer visits to the mechanic that come with a Honda or Toyota, thanks just the same, I'm sticking with the Porsche. I'm currently at 198,000 miles, and when the time comes, I'll have the engine rebuilt and keep going because this isn't a "throwaway" car, it's a driving experience.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

El Nino and your interesting summer

I've had a number of "Ask Mike's" recently about the El Nino conditions strengthening off the coast of South America, and specifically "is this why we've had such a wet summer?"

Let's start with the easy one first..."is El Nino responsible for the buckets of rainfall we've had over the past month or so?" and the answer is a resounding NO. It's just one of those years (kind of like 1997).

Even though an El Nino is building (more about that in just a bit), its effects are minimal in North America during the Summer and Fall.

Now then, just what is El Nino? It's an ocean an atmospheric condition diagnosed by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures off the coast of Peru. It may be measured locally, but the effects are global.

As an El Nino strengthens, the trade winds that usually flow from South America to Indonesia either die away or reverse. Indonesia (and Australia) often go into long-term drought as a result, often followed by wildfires.

The entire global wind flow is affected, and as a result, during El Nino years (which occur every 7 to 14 years), the southeast usually gets more rainfall, the northeast more snow, and here at home in Colorado, we can do almost anything. That seems like sidestepping the question, but during strong El Nino years, we've been wetter-than-average, drier-than-average and average.

There are usually fewer Atlantic hurricanes when El Nino is strong, which may explain why the hurricane forecast for the season has just been downgraded to a lower number.

Want to know more? Here's a good place to start http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/.

Friday, August 7, 2009

The virtues of spontaneous travel

Just got back from a 2 day quick trip to northern Utah where my son, Mike Jr. is finishing up his undergraduate degrees and headed off to graduate school (same state, just further north).

It was an unusual experience for me in that I usually plan trips down to the last detail and follow the plan...This time, I just got up Wednesday morning and said, "I've got 2 days off...I'm going to see Mike Jr.", so I threw a couple of shirts, a few socks (not necessarily matching) and a case of Pepsi in the car, called Mike to tell him I was coming and headed north.

Things were smooth through the Denver Metro area, but WOW, was there a lot of construction from just north of Denver almost to Wyoming...and most of I-80 westbound seemed to be under construction too. Still, I covered 638 miles in 9 hours, and the restaurants were still open.

There are many things I don't miss about Utah...the heat in the summer, the humidity, the winters, but I DO miss some of the restaurants, and some of my favorites are still here.

I picked up my son, and we immediate headed for Kim Long's in Layton. It's Vietnamese quisine and outstanding. We both ended up with dishes featuring peanuts, so after the entree was gone, we ended up in a "who can pick up the smallest particle with chopsticks?" competition. Mike Jr. spent two years in Hong Kong, and, needless to say, he smoked me.

I found a nice hotel near the restaurant, and the phrase "considering that I'm not going to pay what you're asking, what's your next best offer?" served me quite well, and it was off to dreams of more restaurants.

Next day (with the combination of heat and humidity making me feel as though I were in Africa), it was off to complete some essentials that needed to be out of the way before he heads off to grad school...tires rotated, oil level checked, determining an alternative to holding on the front bumper with duct tape...you know, the usual.

All tasks completed, it was off to favorite eatery#2, El Matador in Ogden. I've been going to el Matador for at least 35 years that I can document, and it's been uniformly outstanding. This time was no exception.

Got Mike Jr. back in time for a 1:30 class, and hit the road back to Colorado at 1 PM.

Going eastward, there was much less construction in Wyoming, and northern Colorado was smooth, but the Denver Metro area....Holy Smoke! I hit downtown just as Invesco field at mile high disgorged approximately 13,000 fans who had been watching a Bronco's practice onto part of the freeway narrowed down to minimal lanes by construction, and from there to Baptist Road in northern Colorado Springs, well..let's just say it was fortunate that I had a good book on CD, I didn't walk through the front door until nearly 2 hours later.

Lessons learned:
1) Spontaneous travel can be wonderful, if you choose the right company and destination.
2) Your favorite restaurants are probably still just as good as you remember them.
3) Never pay the first rate quoted by any hotel on the planet
4) A Porsche is far superior to any Korean or Japanese rental car for long road trips (I arrived home feeling tired but not crippled).
5) Sometimes, your children can make you VERY proud to be a parent. (Hope he remembers me when he gets his Nobel prize!)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Rainbows

From time to time here in southern Colorado, we see some spectacular rainbows. Tonight in Pueblo was one example, with a nice double-bow behind the storm.

Phsically, here's what's happening..
When sunlight enters a water droplet (a rain drop, let's say), it bends (refracts) as it enters, bounces (reflects) at the far end of the drop and bends (refracts) again as it leaves.

Each color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) bends through a slightly different angle, and the projection gives us that spectacular light show in the sky.

When you see a double rainbow (as many did tonight), the light bounces (reflects) twice inside the drop..so in this case, the sequence would be to bend (refract) as the light enters the drop, to bounce (reflect) twice inside the drop, and to bend (refract) as it leaves, producing a secondary (dimmer) rainbow above the primary rainbow.

This secondary bow has the colors in reverse order from the way you'll see them in the main (primary) rainbow.

Tech Notes Updated.

Since we cover multiple topics in this blog, and we've had a couple of days without wall-to-wall severe storms, let's slide back into the "tech" arena today. (But since I have/will talk about the definition for severe storms on the 10 PM news, for more information, pull up my July 31st and July 27th postings on those topics).

Tech update...I'm still REALLY glad that I chose the ipod Touch for my portable tech toy. Wifi lets me keep up on everything from my e-mail to satellite and radar images, current weather conditions, and the position of planets in the sky.

On the gaming side, the Touch version of "Doom" is outstanding, and uses the device's accelerometer.

Favorite apps so far include "Planets" (free, and shows you the positions of the planets in the sky...and more), "Google Earth" (also free...and stunning), and "Flight Control" (paid just a bit for this one), where you use the touch screen to land (hopefully safely) a collection of jets, propeller planes and helicopters. It's seriously addictive.

Allrighty then...here's my big discovery in the past year...Open Office, a free office suite that performs many of the functions of Microsoft Office (and even looks quite similar).

I've been using it exclusively on my laptops for the past year or so, and have only had isolated instances where I missed the Microsoft version.

It allows you to save your documents in a "Word" compatible format (and many others), reads files with the .docx extension, and the package has an "Excel" compatible spreadsheet, a much simplified "PowerPoint" module and more. I've been VERY impressed, and for the money (free), it's worth a try.

Just point your browser to www.openoffice.org, and you can download a copy for yourself.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Summer is coming back

For most in southern Colorado, it was a better looking day, with plenty of blue sky (and some haze caused by the amount of water still in the air).

A few thunderstorms formed near the mountains and moved across Fountain, the Wet Mountains and Wet Mountain Valley and severe thunderstorms developed in western Las Animas county.

The town of Boncarbo (northwest of Trinidad) had torrential rain and hail to the size of quarters.

Now the weather picture changes as high pressure builds over the top of us and highs climb at least 10 degrees from Saturday into Sunday, Stay warm on Monday (in fact, even go up a little bit), cool slightly on Tuesday, and go back into the warming pan on Wednesday and Thursday.

As you make your outdoor plans, never write off an isolated thunderstorm this time of the year in Colorado, but we'll see some of the best weather for outdoor activities we've had in awhile.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Watches, warnings and advisories

With the "interesting" weather we've had over the past few days, I thought I'd take a moment to give you the inside scoop on watches, warnings, advisories, what they mean, and who does what.

Let's start with watches, when they're issued, it means the condition is POSSIBLE within and close to the watch area. They're issued by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

If the conditions develop, a Warning is issued, meaning that the severe thunderstorm, tornado, or whatever is imminent or occurring. They're issued by the local National Weather Service Forecast Office. In our case, it's the one in Pueblo, though warnings for Elbert and Lincoln county are issued by the Denver/Boulder office, and for Cheyenne and Kit Carson counties, it's the NWSFO (an abbreviation of the above title) in Goodland, Kansas.

Advisories are for conditions not quite as life and property threatening as a warning, but weather conditions that are intense enough to impact your life. They also come from the local NWSFO. Occasionally, if we get public reports about storm conditions in a given area and nothing has been issued for it, we'll break into programming to let you know.

Interesting to note that there are no "official" watches, warnings or advisories for lightning or heavy rain, though if the rain is heavy enough and persists long enough to cause local flooding, there ARE advisories and warnings for that.

That last note was prompted by a storm that moved across Canon City on the night of July 31st, with (from local reports), LOTS of lightning, and the caller was stunned there was no warning or advisory for it....and the reason is that there IS no official category for that particular weather phenomenon.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Can it really be this cold in July?

After the attention-getting severe weather on Tuesday and Wednesday, the cold settled in on Thursday, July 30th.

The process began with 48 degrees to start the morning in Colorado Springs, shattering the old record of 49, set in 1971....and then it stayed cold.

Colorado Springs went on to set a new record low maximum with a high of 60. The old record was 63 degrees, set in 1936.

Pueblo was close. The official high was 68, and the record low maximum for the date was 67 set in 1925. ("Missed it by that much").

This summer feels a lot like the summer of 1997 did to me (I was bicycle-commuting at the time). It will be interesting to see if the comparison continues into the Winter.

Let's see, other things going on. The Summer semester is winding down at Pikes Peak Community College. 2 finals down, and one to go on Saturday, then a short break before Fall semester kicks in by the middle of August. (Still some openings in my Meteorology and Astronomy 102 classes....BLATANT PLUG).

Monday, July 27, 2009

So just what IS a severe thunderstorm?

With the impressive storms we've seen in southern Colorado over the past few days, including some with heavy enough rain for Flash Flood Warnings in El Paso and a number of other counties, some of you have been wondering "why wasn't there a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for that storm over my house? it was the biggest one I've ever seen!!"

It's a good question, and the answer comes in multiple parts
1) Who issues local watches and warnings? The local National Weather Service Forecast Office. Ours is in Pueblo.
2) What's a severe thunderstorm? To be "severe" a thunderstorm must have any or all of the following..
a) Hail 1" in diameter or greater
b) Winds 58 mph or stronger
c) A tornado (Kind of a slam-dunk on this one).

If the storm doesn't achieve the criteria above, it isn't severe....it's just a really big storm. The weather service can issue advisories and warnings for some of the side-effects, such as flash flooding or urban and small stream flooding, which they did.

One thing to keep in mind is that tornadoes develop from severe thunderstorms, so keep your eyes and ears open during severe weather, it could get even more interesting before it's over.

Keep those questions coming!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Flooding, Flash Flooding and severe storms

Interesting day on Sunday, July 26th, with lots of water remaining in the air from Saturday's storms, and an upper-level disturbance moving through from the northwest to trigger it.

As a result, Flash Flood warnings reached from El Paso county to Las Animas county during the afternoon and evening...Here are a few rainfall and flooding reports from the event.

.72" - 1 SW of rye
.90: - 1 WSW of Colorado City
.92" - SW of Beulah
1.32" - 1 SE of Fowler
1.40" - 7 E of Colorado Springs; 1 S of Beulah
1.46" - 3 South of La Veta (+ pea size hail as the storm began)
1.50" - 6 NE of Colorado Springs
1.60" - 4 NNE of Colorado Springs
1.61" - 6 ENE of Colorado Springs (in one hour)
1.85"- 5 NE of Colorado springs (in one hour)

Flooding Reports (Courtesy the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pueblo)
2:53 PM - 8" - 10" of water at the intersection of Tutt and Constitution
2:59 PM - Water from curb to curb on Tutt Blvd. from Constitution to North Carefree
3:07 PM - Significant street flooding 4 ENE of Colorado Springs
3:20 PM - Creek out of its band and flowing across the road at Galley and San Miguel
4:30 PM - Several roads on the south side of Canon City closed due to Flash Flooding.

There were a few Severe Thunderstorm Warnings as well, but no reports of damaging wind or hail at this point.

Another round of showers and thunderstorms will develop on Monday.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

The rains are back in southern Colorado

A weak cold front + more water in the air = buckets of rainfall on Saturday, July 25th.

There were several severe thunderstorm warnings, but few reports of 1" or larger hail.

In the rainfall department, however, the big winner was Canon City, with .93" in 45 minutes.
Other totals included...
.58" at the Air Force Academy
.52" at Coronado High School
.36" in Woodland Park
.35" in Manitou Springs

There were also reports of a mudslide closing LaVeta Pass.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Another image of the hole in Jupiter's atmosphere

I ran across the best image I've seen yet of that hole punched in Jupiter's outer atmosphere, discovered on 19 July. To see it, try this link..http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/jupiter-hubble.html
Still not a lot of information about the object itself, but it appears it may have been as large as several football fields, and probably a piece of a comet or an icy asteroid.

One of my engineers here at the station keeps me up to date on the latest developments and images, and I'll pass them along to you. (It makes it an exciting time to teach astronomy!!).

Oh, he also brought me this statistic...your odds of being struck by lightning are 576,000:1, but the current odds that a comet or meteoroid will strike the earth and cause global catastrophe in the next 100 years is 5,000:1.

On to other items...I'm not the only mike madson out there. One of the other ones online is my son, Mike Jr. who's fantasy novel, "The Lady in White" is about to be published. His blog is www.michaelmadson.com, for much deeper thoughts than you'll get from me, as he polishes off his undergraduate degree, moves on for his Masters, and heads full-tilt for his PhD.

Final thought..I celebrated another birthday on the 16th and celebrated with a potpourri of my favorite foods...corn dogs, pork rinds, cosmic brownies (the ones from Little Debbies, not the other kind) and Coca Cola bottled in Mexico....Before you bemoan the lack of "organicness" (my own new word, what do you think?), keep in mind that this is the diet that has gotten me to AARP age, and I'll probably outlive you. Yes, it was OUTSTANDING. (Now, all I need to make the celebration complete is a good "all you can eat" Chinese (sort-of) buffet.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Tornado or Landspout?

The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for parts of Kiowa and Prowers counties, and a trained weather spotter reported a "tornado".

I broke into programming, just to be sure viewers in that area knew there was a dangerous storm in the area, but looking at the echo on FirstAlert Doppler, it had the wrong shape and intensity to be a tornadic storm, and there was no shear (winds at different speeds or directions at different levels of the atmosphere...and you need that to get a good rotating tube of air in the updraft of the storm = tornado).

Then it struck me.....I think it was a "landspout". Here's the definition...

Landspout tornadoes are formed by thunderstorms that do not have rotating updrafts (BINGO). Wind shift lines in the lower atmosphere, such as local topography may produce, cause VERY WEAK (caps added by your author) spinning vertical tubes of air.

When a thunderstorm updraft forms over one of the weak spinning tubes of air, the tube is stretched. Stretching a rotating tube causes it to spin faster, forming a short lived and relatively weak tornado.

That seems to meet the criteria, and the bottom line is that it was NOT a "Wizard of Oz" Great Plains tornado, but it was an indicator that a storm strong enough to take notice of was moving across the eastern Plains.

As we're in the season, I'll let you know if anything of note is moving in your direction, and will NOT make the description of every storm sound like "the biggest, baddest storm that's ever hit southern Colorado".

I'll tell you about another variation, the "gustnado" in a future blog.

Landspout tornadoes are most commonly found near coastlines and along the Colorado front range.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Impact on Jupiter

While we're on an astronomical theme (mentioned the solar eclipse visible in Asia yesterday), here's another interesting development...something hit Jupiter...something BIG hit Jupiter, and we missed it.

A few days ago, an amateur astronomer/stargazer in Australia noticed an earth-sized hole in Jupiter's atmosphere near the south pole, then it was confirmed by NASA's infrared telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

There are several interesting things about this discovery...
1) We didn't see an object large enough to make an earth-sized hole?
2) We don't know what the object was
3) This even occurred almost 15 years to the day after pieces of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 hit the king of the planets in 1994.

Scientists think the impacting object was either a comet, piece of a comet or an icy asteroid.

They'll continue their studies, and I'll let you know what they discover as the story develops.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Chinese Eclipse

While things were exciting at ground level in southern Colorado, they were pretty exciting in the skies over China as well, with a solar eclipse visible to a lucky few.

This is expected to be the longest-lasting eclipse observed in China since 1814, and the record should stand until 2309.

People along the path will be able to observe 4-6 minutes of total eclipse (you thought it would be longer, didn't you...but that's about as long as it gets).

The total process takes about 2 hours.

Besides the stunning sky show, this is an opportunity for scientists to study the sun's corona, which is usually lost in the glare of the sun.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Great app for your iPhone or iPod Touch

To take you back to a MUCH earlier blog, back in the Spring, I decided that I needed some kind of portable game platform for a quick 5 or 6 minutes of mindless diversion in between teaching and broadcast assignments. After lots of suggestions from you, students and fellow NewsFirst5'ers, I picked up an iPod Touch (16 GB model) because of the promise of lots of development in the recreational department...and I haven't been disappointed.

I generally find the apps to be well-written, lots less expensive than games for other platforms (say, for example, the Nintendo and Sony PSP offerings), and some are just plain outstanding.

That leads to the suggestion for today. One of my students in Astronomy tipped me off to a gem called "planets"...and it's free.

Load it up, and you can see the position of solar system bodies in the sky at any given moment (as long as you have wifi), pull up a chart showing when the sun, moon and visible planets will rise and set (and where), pull up globes of Earth, the moon and visible planets and use your finger to rotate them to see more features, and more.

This would be a great application if you had to pay for it, and for free, it's tough to beat.

Just go to the app store, search for "planets", and see if you agree.

Friday, July 17, 2009

What a range of weather conditions!

Friday, July 17th was one of the more interesting weather days we've seen in awhile. Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and most cities along the I-25 corridor were sunny to partly cloudy, breezy and close to average in the temperature department.

In contrast. the eastern counties (Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Bent, Baca, Prowers and Las Animas were under a Tornado Watch, and saw everything from funnel clouds to baseball-sized hail. Why the difference? (and those of us closer to the mountains were glad there WAS a difference).

It was mostly a matter of water in the air. There was lots more of it closer to Kansas and Nebraska. Add in a weak cold front to act as a trigger, and the end result was a day eastern Colorado residents will be cleaning up from for a few days, while folks who live in El Paso and Pueblo counties will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Welcome to some of the most interesting weather on earth! (By the way, along those same lines, there's usually more difference in temperature between Colorado Springs and the top of Pikes Peak than between Colorado Springs and Iceland.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The 40 year anniversary of Apollo 11

It's the 40 year anniversary of a contender for greatest achievement by humans in history...the launch and subsequent landing on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts; Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin.

The launch was this date (July 16) in 1969, and the landing and "that's one small step" occurred 4 days later on the 20th.

While we only sent missions to the moon until 1972, it's one of the most significant achievements in history, ever.

Maybe we should celebrate by drinking Tang and eating Space Food sticks, while holding velcro and teflon (all commercialized developments for the space program).

I've been looking back to what I remember about the event. I was 15, just going into 10th grade and scared spitless about the upcoming "initiations" (which weren't illegal at the time).

What I remember most is that on the date of the landing, as far as most people were concerned, there was absolutely nothing else going on in the world. Wherever I went, business, traffic and everything else had come to a standstill with all of us parked in front of a TV wherever we could find it, and when we heard the immortal "that's one small step..." (which I understand omitted one single word..."a"..from the prepared script, and caused Mr. Armstrong untold grief from feminist groups)..we were imprinted forever.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

So just how wet has it been so far this Summer?

A number of you have written in over the past few weeks, and the question is similar, and along the lines of "are we having the wettest summer on record?"


The answer is "no", but it's more than we've seen in awhile. Here are the statistics.

Colorado Springs:

This Month: 2.11"

Normal: 1.07"

Departure: +1.04"

Last Year: .04"


Since June 1: 5.02"

Normal: 3.41"

Departure: +1.61"

Last Year: .56"


Since Jan. 1: 9.51"

Normal: 9.11"

Departure: +.40"

Last Year: 2.90"


Wettest Summers, top 3

16.85" - 1965

14.98" - 2004

14.77" - 1997


Pueblo:

This Month: 1.98"

Normal: .75"

Departure: +1.23"

Last Year: .24"


Since June 1: 3.18"

Normal: 2.08"

Departure: +1.10"

Last Year: 1.13"


Since Jan. 1: 6.59"

Normal: 6.38"

Departure: +.21"

Last Year: 4.12"


Wettest Summers, Top 3:
14.64" - 1921
9.92" - 1895
9.61" - 1923

So, the bottom line is that we're ahead of "normal" for the month and the season, WAY ahead of last year at this time, but far from seasonal records (at this point).

For the year so far, both cities are close to average (normal), as we balance a wet summer with a fairly dry Spring and Winter.

For even more detailed information, you can dig into the climate information at www.crh.noaa.gov/pub


Sunday, July 5, 2009

A tale of two Holidays

After our cool, rainy July 4th this year (where they were still able to launch most of the fireworks), I seemed to remember that last year, I was looking for any relief from the heat.

Looking back in the records showed me that last year, Colorado Springs and Pueblo were 92 and 97 degrees on the 4th.

This year, it was 76 for Colorado Springs and 87 for Pueblo.

The biggest difference was the rainfall. This year, Colorado Springs reported 1.07" at the airport, a new rainfall record for the date, and Pueblo was drenched with .62".

Today's date (July 5th) was even more dramatic. Last year, Colorado Springs had a high of 97 (tied the record high for the date). Pueblo was 101.

This year, it was 70 for Colorado Springs and 81 for Pueblo, which also picked up the rainfall championship of 1.34". (and a new record for rainfall on this date. The old record was .86" in 1925).

Looks like it's going to be an interesting summer.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The longest day of the year

In a previous blog about the Summer Solstice (June 20, 11:45 PM), I mentioned that the only area of the earth where the sun can EVER be directly overhead is between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Since Colorado Springs and Pueblo aren't in the Tropics, even on the longest day of the year, the sun won't be directly overhead, but it WILL be as high in the sky as it's going to get.

With that in mind, here are the "length of day" and "how high in the sky was the sun?" statistics for June 21 in Colorado Springs and Pueblo.

Colorado Springs:
Hours of Daylight: 14 hours, 54 minutes
Maximum height of the sun at noon: 74 degrees

Pueblo:
Hours of Daylight: 14 hours, 51 minutes
Maximum height of the sun at noon: 75 degrees.

For MUCH more information about sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, etc. here's an outstanding Web site..http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php

Enjoy!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Summer Solstice 2009

At 11:45 PM MDT, we officially hit the summer solstice, and summer begins. Here are a few "gee whiz" things about the solstice..

1) The word solstice comes from the latin "sol" for sun and "sistit", which means to stand. For several days before and after each solstice, the noontime elevation doesn't change much, and the sun appears to "stand still" in the sky.

2) At noon on the date of the solstice, the sun is directly overhead at the tropic of Cancer (23 1/2 degrees north). The only place on Earth the sun can be directly overhead is between 23 1/2 degrees north and 23 1/2 degrees south. For the rest of us, the sun is always at some angle, but for the northern hemisphere, the sun is as high in the sky as it's going to get. (For Colorado Springs, it's a bit more than 70 degrees above the horizon).

3) The solstice represents the longest day and the shortest night of the year.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Denver tornadoes, southern Colorado winds

Cooler air began to slip into eastern Colorado on Sunday, 6/7/09, and the results were dramatic in the northern part of the state. At least 5 tornadoes were reported. One hit the Southlands Mall in Aurora. One tornado was reported 6 miles east of Lafayette, one south of Bennett; one south of Deer Trail and one north of Byers.

In addition the storms were strong enough to produce hail the size of baseballs in Arapahoe county.

The severe storms (and much of the cool air) avoided southern Colorado through Sunday afternoon, but the wind didn't. Some of the stronger gust reports are below.
Colorado Springs: 47 mph
Pueblo: 46 mph
Monarch Pass: 76 mph
Limon: 52 mph
La Veta Pass 49 mph
Canon City: 46 mph
La Junta 43 mph
Pueblo West 42 mph.

Temperatures across Colorado today ranged from 89 in Lamar and Springfield to 29 degrees in Leadville.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

The Limon tornado and snowflakes in June

Today, (June 6th) is the anniversary of the Limon Tornado of 1990. A series of severe storms produced as many as 9 tornadoes that night east and southeast of Denver, one of them tearing across Limon at approximately 8:10 pm. It was officially classified as an "F3" tornado on the Fujita scale.

It left about $12 million in damages behind, with few injuries and no fatalities.

On to the weather today...while southern Colorado was warm and breezy, Dickenson, North Dakota started out with several inches of snow, and more snow is expected tonight and tomorrow morning. While many of us think of North Dakota as being a consistently cold place (and if you've ever been there in the summer, you KNOW it isn't), it's been 60 years since the snowflakes have flown in June. Some of that colder air is moving towards Colorado, and you'll experience it on Monday.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Pueblo's Great Flood of 1921

As we move from late Spring toward early Summer and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes return to southern Colorado, as devestating as most may be, they're insignificant in comparison to Pueblo's great flood of 1921.

A powerful storm to the west of the city sent a wall of water over 10 feet high into the city.

In town, the flood level was over 18 feet.

Over 1/3 of the businesses and numerous buildings were destroyed, 100s of people drowned, and over 400 railroad cars were destroyed. Many were found downstream.

It's a good time for a reminder that Flash Floods are the greatest weather-related killer in this country, so when a flash flood warning is issued, get to high ground immediately.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Cloud to ground or ground to cloud?

It's a question we often get concerning lightning, and the answer is "yes". Here's why.

As a thunderstorm builds, and the electrical potential between the cloud and the ground increases, lightning results to drain off the electrical energy.

The initial stroke is from the cloud to the ground. It's called the "step-leader". This invisible channel heads downwards, looking for a place to make contact with the earth. It tends to connect with the tallest object in the vicinity.

After the connection has been made, the "return stroke" or "return flash" is the result. It goes from the ground to the cloud, and is the bright ribbon you see in the sky...so the final answer is, th lightning process goes from the cloud to the ground and from the ground to the cloud, but the part you see is from the ground to the cloud.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

5/24 rainfall totals, gustnadoes and landspouts

Lots of things going on in southern Colorado on Sunday, from heavy enough rain for flash flooding (again) on the west side of Colorado to tornadoes and gustnadoes closer to Denver.

Let's look at the rainfall totals first...

.49" - Colorado Springs Airport
.15" - Pueblo Airport
1.54" - 3 miles southwest of Colorado Springs
1.43" - Near 8th and Moreno, Colorado Springs
1.00" - and dime-sized hail. Yoder
.64" - Northern Downtown Colorado Springs
.59" - East-central Colorado Springs
.28" - Fowler
.24" - La Junta
.12" - and 1/4" hail. Cripple Creek
.12" - Woodland Park

Now, on to gustnadoes and landspouts. At least one gustnado was reported near Parker Sunday afternoon.

These are rotating circulations that don't develop from "supercell" thunderstorms (as the big ones do), but appear along the gust front. (That's the blast of wind caused by falling precipitation that spreads out along the ground in advance of the storm).

They're often associated with lines and clusters of thunderstorms.

Most are weak, but some may reach speeds of over 100 mph.

Landspouts develop by a different process...

They develop when rotating columns of air at the surface are picked up by the updraft of a developing thunderstorm. They can form before precipitation in a developing thunderstorm is even detected on Radar.

Damage can be significant, as these circulations can reach F2 on the Fujita scale (the scale that measures a tornado's intensity...and F2 winds can be as strong as 157 mph).

I found a great link, if you'd like more information. Try http://www.srh.noaa.gov/topics/attach/html/ssd96-8.htm

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Rainfall totals from Saturday, 5/23/2009

Thunderstorms deluged parts of southern Colorado, including the Colorado Springs Metro area with heavy rain and small hail on Saturday afternoon. Here are a few daily totals I didn't have time or space to show you on the air...

.53" - Colorado Springs Airport
.40" - Pueblo Airport
1.5" - Yoder (and lots of small hail)
.75" - East-Central Colorado Springs
.59" - Woodland Park (and lots of small hail)
.54" - Monarch
.46" - Fountain
.41" - Widefield
.39" - Cripple Creek
.25" - Northern Downtown Colorado Springs (Palmer High School)
.12" - Salida
.10" - Monument

Friday, May 22, 2009

Storm stats from 5/22/09

Thunderstorms with heavy rain blasted west-central El Paso county on Friday. Flash flood warnings were in effect until 5:30 PM, as 1"-3" of rain fell from southwestern Colorado Springs to the Broadmoor area.

The area near 7 Falls was particularly hard-hit with flash flooding, mudslides and water running 2 1/2 feet deep over nearby roads.

Here are some (less impressive) rainfall totals from elsewhere around the region.
Colorado Springs - .35" - .45" around town.
Pueblo - Trace
Cripple Creek - .6"
USAFA - .27"
Monument - .22"

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The monsoon

Over the next few days, with all of the showers and thunderstorms we'll see across Colorado, you'll hear the term "monsoon" used a lot.

It does NOT, however, mean "buckets of rainfall". It comes from the Arabic word "mausim", which means season...so the monsoon is a seasonal wind.

In the summer, it blows from an ocean onto a continental landmass (such as the famous one that blows across south Asia). The air is coming from an ocean. It's warm and filled with water. Then it's forced to rise up the highest mountains on earth, the Himalayas, and produces huge amounts of rainfall. (Cherrapunji, India recorded almost 905 inches of rain one year during the summer portion of the monsoon).

The part of the story you don't usually hear is the winter version of the monsoon. Returning to south Asia, the winter flow is from Siberia towards the ocean. This is cold, dry air, and doesn't produce "buckets of rainfall".

In North America, we have "The Southwest Monsoon", as moist air flows from the ocean, across the southwestern deserts, eventually finding its way to Colorado. (Like the summer monsoon in Asia).

It usually begins in June, but it's a little early this year.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Heating/Cooling Degree Days

One of your recent questions for the blog was "what are heating degree days and cooling degree days, and what use are they to me?"

It's a good question, as you probably see this information in the weather section of your local paper every day.

First, how they're calculated.

Heating Degree Days are determined by subtracting the mean temperature for the day (high+low/2) from 65 degrees. The result is the number of heating degree days. Public utilities and HVAC professionals can use these numbers, compiled over the long-term to determine how much energy will be needed to keep homes and businesses warm through the cold season. (One example is that New York City averages about 5000 heating degree days per season, while Barrow, Alaska averages over 20,000).

Cooling Degree Days follow a similar form, but are used to estimate the amount of energy it takes to cool homes during the warm season. To calculate them, you subtract 65 degrees from the daily mean temperature (formula above).

A cumulative total is kept for each year, allowing the pro's and the energy conscious to estimate the amount of energy required to heat and cool buildings and homes each year.

Colorado Springs averages 6415 heating degree days each year. For Pueblo, the figure is 5413, so in a "normal" year, it's less expensive to heat a home in Pueblo, than in Colorado Springs.

For the warm season, the roles are reversed:
Colorado Springs averages 419 cooling degree days each year, while Pueblo averages 973, which means that in a typical year (if you're lucky enough to have a swamp cooler or air conditioner), you'll spend less energy dollars in Colorado Springs and more in Pueblo.

You can find your local average heating and cooling degree days at degreedays.net, and you'll also find some great references to articles that will tell you more.

Most of us won't use these figures, but they're VERY helpful to professionals involved in the energy, heating and cooling trades.

Keep those questions coming.
M

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Pikes Peak Weather Observers

Here in southern Colorado, we have a rich history of observing and recording the weather. In fact General William Palmer once said that no-one would ever accurately forecast the weather here accurately.

To overcome the General's pronouncement, we first needed to make extensive weather observations to give us the background to project weather conditions into the future, and the process began in the 1800s, with the Army's Telegraphers, stationed on Pikes Peak in the 1800s.

They were a brave, tough and creative bunch...and they needed to be.

On top of Pikes Peak, the climate is similar to what you would encounter in the Arctic.

The difference in temperature between the Springs and the top of the mountain is usually greater than between Colorado Springs and Reykjavik, Iceland,

and the US Army stationed telegraphers on the peak from 1873 to 1889, and these men were the astronauts of their time, living at what they thought of as the top of the atmosphere.

They reported wind speeds of over 100 mph at times, hailstones as big as pumpkins and thunder loud enough to deafen them for weeks at a time, though they may have exaggerated just a bit.

They certainly exaggerated some of the other reports they telegraphed to the rest of the world.

On December 6, 1873, Sergeant Robert Seyboth telegraphed a message that made headlines world wide..He said that as he was passing lake Moraine, he saw a huge sea serpent at least 100 feet long.

As he fled down the trail, he encountered several Utes who told him the monster was particularly fond of their tribe, having eaten 7 since March.

Sergeant Seyboth was creative, but he was an Amateur compared to Sergeant John O’Keefe, who reported Pikes Peak erupting (which is a pretty good trick, since it isn’t a volcano), and during the Summer of 1876, he telegraphed that on a particularly windy day, he and his wife had gone outside to pile more rocks on the roof of the signal station to keep it from blowing away. While they were outside, they said, the Pikes Peak Pack Rats ate their infant daughter. He followed it up with a sad photo of the grave and wooden headstone.

The report horrified a nation, until after a little checking it was discovered that there was no wife, no daughter, and that the Sergeant’s cat (which had died of natural causes) was buried beneath the pile of stones.

The US Army signal corps observers on Pikes Peak may have had a creative streak, but they also braved some of the harshest conditions on the planet and helped us to better understand this regions fascinating weather.

A trip to your local library will get you more information, and at least one volume cataloging the stories of Sgt. O'Keefe.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Derecho - A damaging wind

Today's question comes to us from Micki, who wants to know "what were those damaging winds that blasted across Alabama earlier in the week. They called them a name I hadn't heard before".

Thanks Micki, those damaging winds were called a "Derecho", a widespread and long lived windstorm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.

Derecho is a Spanish word which can be defined as "direct" or "straight ahead", and these powerful straight-line winds can do considerable damage, and the area of damage can extends for hundreds of miles.

To see the impact they had on Alabama earlier in the week, try the following link. http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/alabama_storm_damage_caused_by_derecho/71027/

Derechos are associated with bands of thunderstorms (which may include some supercells thunderstorms), which show up as a curved shape (or "bow echo") on radar screens. To see 2 bow echoes on radar, point your browser to this link:
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=bow+echo&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theweatherprediction.com%2Fhabyhints2%2F386%2F

So, how strong can they be? To start with, winds in a derecho have to meet the National Weather Service's requirement for severe thunderstorm winds (58 mph or stronger) at most points along the path of the storm.

Gusts stronger than 100 mph have been reported.

Derechos in the United States are most common in the late spring and summer (May through August) and typically in two general areas. One reaches through the "corn belt" from the upper Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley. The other one stretches from the mid Mississippi Valley into the southern Plains. During the cool season (September through April) derechos can still occur from eastern Texas into the southeastern states.

Besides the United States, derechos have been reported in eastern Germany, Bangladesh and portions of India. (and, by the way, they can occur at the same time as tornadoes).

That's only the beginning of a very interesting topic, and for more information, take a look at this information from the Storm Prediction Center in Norman Oklahoma. http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/derechofacts.htm

Hopefully, you'll only get to study them from a distance

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Partly cloudy partly sunny?

As you see the terms partly cloudy or partly sunny, have you ever wondered just what they mean? (Even some meteorologists do).


Here's a look at a few terms that you might find helpful.
Cloudy is when the sky is completely covered by clouds, with no view of blue sky.
Clear is when there are NO clouds in the sky.

Those were the easy ones, now it gets a little more interesting.

Mostly cloudy in a forecast means that most of the day will be cloud-covered. When used to describe current conditions, it means more than half of the sky is covered by clouds.
Partly cloudy When used in a forecast, it means that less than 1/2 of the day will be cloudy. For current conditions, it means that less than 1/2 of the sky is covered by clouds.
Partly sunny If you read this in a forecast, it means that more than half the day will be cloudy. If it's used to describe current conditions, it means that more than 1/2 of the sky will be covered by clouds.
Mostly sunny Not as simple as it sounds, but easily understandable. If you see this term in a forecast, it means that most of the day will be sunny. Used for current conditions, it means that most of the sky is clear.
There are some even more technical definitions (defining how many 8ths of the sky are covered by clouds) used by the National Weather Service, but for everyday use, the ones I listed above should be good to go.
Looking forward to seeing more of your questions!