October 31st, 2012 at 4:01 pm by Jim Spencer under Weather
Meteorologist David Yeomans and I spent some time at two area elementary schools today. Thanks to the staff and students at Copperfield Elementary School in Pflugerville for inviting us out for career day.
And, David says he enjoyed talking about the weather with the 3rd graders at Fern Bluff Elementary School in Round Rock! We wish all of you a happy and safe Halloween! Don’t eat too much candy tonight!
October 31st, 2012 at 3:54 pm by Jim Spencer under Weather
University of Wisconsin
Here is a 12 day animation of Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy–a storm that will likely enter the history books as the 2nd costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Hurricane Katrina ranks 1st.
October 31st, 2012 at 3:42 pm by Jim Spencer under Weather
Sandy did not set any records with her peak wind speeds – only maxing out briefly at Category 3 status (115 mph) before impacting Cuba. But she did set a record of a different sort.
A NOAA satellite image of Hurricane Sandy at 9:15am Central time Sunday, Oct. 28th. At the time of this image, Sandy was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75mph.
Hurricane Sandy is now the most energetic tropical cyclone in history, due mainly to its massive wind field.
In technical terms, Sandy contained the most integrated kinetic energy of any storm in history – meaning if you add up all of the total energy contained in her incredibly large area of tropical-storm-force winds, as well as her smaller area of hurricane-force winds, there has never been a tropical cyclone in history that has contained more overall sheer power.
Sandy contained 311 terajoules of energy. Put more simply, that is 311,000,000,000,000 Joules! To put this into context, 1 Joule is about the energy contained in a tennis ball moving at 14 mph.
October 31st, 2012 at 3:35 pm by Jim Spencer under Weather
REMNANTS OF SANDY ADVISORY NUMBER 37 NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD AL182012 1100 AM EDT WED OCT 31 2012 ...WINDS...ACCUMULATING SNOWS...AND RAIN FROM THE REMNANTS OF SANDY CONTINUE TO DIMINISH... SUMMARY OF 1100 AM EDT...1500 UTC...INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- LOCATION...MULTIPLE CENTERS OF CIRCULATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE REMNANTS OF SANDY CAN BE FOUND ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES.
October 31st, 2012 at 11:41 am by markmonstrola under Weather
Here are the latest numbers Sandy produced as of 7:30pm last night. This was undoubtably one of the most incredible chain of weather events (outside of Hurricane Katrina) that we have seen, or will likely see for a long time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are suffering due to this historic weather tradgedy.
Number of deaths blamed on Sandy: At least 46 in the United States, including 18 in New York City; at least 69 were killed earlier when Sandy hit the Caribbean.
HIGHEST RAINFALL TOTALS BY STATE:
Andrews AFB, Md.: 15.3″ (unconfirmed)
Easton, Md.: 12.55″
Wildwood Crest, N.J.: 11.67″
Virginia Beach, Va.: 9.57″
Milford, Del.: 9.55″
Maysville, W.Va.: 7.75″
Hanover, Pa.: 7.61″
HIGHEST WIND GUSTS:
Eatons Neck, N.Y.: 94 mph
Montclair, N.J.: 88 mph
Westerly, R.I.: 86 mph
Madison, Conn.: 85 mph
HIGHEST SNOW AMOUNTS:
Redhouse, Md.: 29″
Clayton, W.Va.: 33.0″
Haywood County, N.C.: 24″
Norton, Va.: 24″
Mt. Leconte, Tenn.: 34″
POWER OUTAGES: CNN reported more than 7.5 million
By comparison, Hurricane Ike had 7.5 million over his entire path.
National Guard troops called out: On Tuesday, nearly 7,500 National Guard soldiers and airmen were on duty in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.
TOP STORM SURGES:
The Battery, N.Y.: ~9 feet above normal
Kings Point, N.Y.: ~12.5 feet above normal
New Haven, Conn.: ~9 feet above normal
Number of calls per minute to NYC 911 at height of the storm: As of Monday night, the 911 system was receiving roughly 10,000 calls per half an hour, according to WSJ.com. The typical volume is 1,000 calls per half an hour.
Evacuations: In New York City, 375,000 people were ordered to leave flood-prone zones ahead of the storm. On Tuesday, more than 3,600 people were at 76 shelters in New York City, which has 16,000 shelter beds.
Damage in Dollars: Damage estimates have been put between $30 and $50 billion.
Sources: accuweather.com, NBCNews.com
October 30th, 2012 at 10:37 pm by Jim Spencer under Weather
POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE SANDY ADVISORY NUMBER 35 NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD AL182012 1100 PM EDT TUE OCT 30 2012 ...POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE SANDY CONTINUES TO WEAKEN OVER PENNSYLVANIA... SUMMARY OF 1100 PM EDT...0300 UTC...INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- LOCATION...41.3N 79.4W ABOUT 50 MILES...80 KM...ENE OF PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...40 MPH...64 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 320 DEGREES AT 08 MPH...13 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...992 MB...29.29 INCHES
October 29th, 2012 at 11:11 pm by Jim Spencer under Weather
Hurricane Sandy has transitioned to a “post-tropical” storm, merging with a massive Nor’easter to create a hybrid “superstorm.” Read about this transition here:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/news/20121027_pa_sandyTransition.pdf
![[Image of 5-day forecast of predicted track, and coastal areas under a warning or a watch]](http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT18/refresh/AL1812W5_sm2+gif/030836W_sm.gif)
By ERIN McCLAM, Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Superstorm Sandy slammed into the New Jersey coastline with 80 mph winds Monday night and hurled an unprecedented 13-foot surge of seawater at New York City, flooding its tunnels, subway stations and the electrical system that powers Wall Street. At least 10 U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm, which brought the presidential campaign to a halt a week before Election Day.
For New York City at least, Sandy was not the dayslong onslaught many had feared, and the wind and rain that sent water sloshing into Manhattan from three sides began dying down within hours.
Still, the power was out for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and an estimated 5.2 million people altogether across the East. And the full extent of the storm’s damage across the region was unclear, and unlikely to be known until daybreak. (more…)
October 29th, 2012 at 8:25 am by markmonstrola under Weather
If you haven’t heard by now…. most likely you live under a rock. Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall in central NJ later today, and will impact millions of families and homes over the next few days. It is very rare that a storm stays so powerful this late in the season, this far north in the Atlantic. It is even more incredible that it will join forces with a strong winter-like storm over the Great Lakes. This combination will bring massive flooding, widespread power outtages, and even blizzard like conditions (Appalachans) to neighborhoods from Ohio & West Virginia to Massachusettes & New York.
Most, if not all major news outlets will be offerning “wall to wall” coverage on Sandy over the next few days if you would like to follow along. Also, here are a few links to more coverage, blogs, and scientific parameters for all of you weather junkies out there to dive into more detail:
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/mesoanalysis/new/viewsector.php?sector=16
October 28th, 2012 at 9:53 am by davidyeomans under Weather
Hurricane Sandy continues to steam towards the northeastern United States, potentially bringing a life-threatening situation to millions of people within the next 24 hours.
Sandy has not set any records with her peak wind speeds – only maxing out briefly at Category 3 status (115 mph) before impacting Cuba. But as of this morning, she has set a record of a different sort.
A NOAA satellite image of Hurricane Sandy at 9:15am Central time Sunday morning. At the time of this image, Sandy is a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75mph.
Hurricane Sandy is now the most energetic tropical cyclone in history, due mainly to its massive wind field.
In technical terms, Sandy contains the most integrated kinetic energy of any storm in history – meaning if you add up all of the total energy contained in her incredibly large area of tropical-storm-force winds, as well as her smaller area of hurricane-force winds, there has never been a tropical cyclone in history that has contained more overall sheer power.
Sandy contains 222 terajoules of energy. Put more simply, that is 222,000,000,000,000 Joules! To put this into context, 1 Joule is about the energy contained in a tennis ball moving at 14 mph.
Track Hurricane Sandy’s progress as she heads toward the northeastern US on KXAN’s Tropical Tracker.
October 27th, 2012 at 6:24 pm by Natalie Stoll under Weather
Temperatures will fall quickly tonight with our mostly clear skies and calm winds. There is a Freeze Warning for Mason and San Saba counties until 9 a.m. Lampasas County is under a Frost Advisory until 9 a.m.
There’s also the chance for a little frost in the low lying areas of Central Texas tonight. If you have plants that are vulnerable, it’d be a good idea to cover them just in case.
Here’s more from the National Weather Service:
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 229 PM CDT SAT OCT 27 2012 TXZ171>173-184>194-206>209-281300- LLANO-BURNET-WILLIAMSON-EDWARDS-REAL-KERR-BANDERA-GILLESPIE- KENDALL-BLANCO-HAYS-TRAVIS-BASTROP-LEE-COMAL-GUADALUPE-CALDWELL- FAYETTE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LLANO...BURNET...GEORGETOWN... ROCKSPRINGS...LEAKEY...KERRVILLE...BANDERA...FREDERICKSBURG... BOERNE...BLANCO...SAN MARCOS...AUSTIN...BASTROP...GIDDINGS... NEW BRAUNFELS...SEGUIN...LOCKHART...LA GRANGE 229 PM CDT SAT OCT 27 2012 ...PATCHY FROST POSSIBLE SUNDAY MORNING ACROSS NORTHERN HALF OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.... EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WILL SEE THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES SO FAR THIS EARLY FALL SEASON. CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO FALL INTO THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 30S ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...INCLUDING THE HILL COUNTRY. THE AREA THAT WILL SEE THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES SUNDAY MORNING IS THE AREA MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10. THERE WILL BE SOME LOWER ELEVATIONS AND LOW LYING AREAS THAT WILL LIKELY SEE THEIR FIRST FROST OF THE FALL SEASON. THERE IS EVEN THE POSSIBILITY THAT ONE OR TWO LOCATIONS COULD EVEN DIP DOWN TO NEAR FREEZING...ALTHOUGH THOSE COLDEST READINGS SHOULD BE FAIRLY ISOLATED AND CONFINED TO RIVER VALLEYS AND AREAS NEAR CREEKS AND STREAMS. IF YOU HAVE OUTSIDE TENDER VEGETATION THAT IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO COLD TEMPERATURES...YOU SHOULD CONSIDER MOVING THEM INSIDE IF YOU LIVE IN THESE LOW LYING AREAS. THIS COOL WEATHER WILL CONTINUE EVEN INTO MONDAY MORNING WHEN PATCHY FROST IS STILL POSSIBLE ACROSS MAINLY NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR LATER UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.