Friday, August 21, 2009

Mr. Bill Part 2

Mark

Hi everyone…here’s what’s On My Radar today…and it’s still all about Hurricane Bill. Tonight the hurricane is making its pass around Bermuda. The island is under a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch. The storm has weakened some but still could gain intensity as it moves of the warm Gulf Stream waters. The surf is increasing along our southern beaches and it will be a rough weekend on area waters for sure.

The track of the storm still keeps it well offshore, in fact, the latest official hurricane center forecast has the hurricane passing even farther to our east early Sunday morning. At its closest approach it looks like the storm will be about 220 miles east of Nantucket.

Many area beaches are either closed now or planning to close this weekend due to the expected high surf so be sure to check if the beach you are heading to this weekend is open before you make the trek. For surfers, this is a dream but swimmers need to be VERY careful since increased seas and surf mean an increased threat of dangerous rip currents. For safety tips on how to deal with a rip current Click here. As it stands we still expect the core of strong, damaging winds to stay well off to our east…even east of the outer Cape and Nantucket. But weaker winds…on the order of 25-35mph are possible across these areas. The seas will range in height from 5-9 feet off southern Rhode Island to as high as 12-15 feet south & east of Cape Cod. So mariners are warned and will likely find safe harbor until Bill moves away Sunday night.

As a refresher take a few minutes to check out our hurricane section for tips on preparedness and general hurricane knowledge.

Have a safe weekend and thanks for reading!    Mark

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Oh no, Mr Bill!!

Mark

Hi everyone…here’s what’s On My Radar today…and it’s still all about Hurricane Bill. Tonight the hurricane is making its pass around Bermuda. The island is under a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch. The storm has weakened some but still could gain intensity as it moves of the warm Gulf Stream waters. The surf is increasing along our southern beaches and it will be a rough weekend on area waters for sure.

The track of the storm so far has kept it clear of any land areas it it is quit possible that Bill might not make landfall anytime soon. In fact, official hurricane center forecasts have the hurricane just scraping the Nova Scotia coastline Sunday night and weakening to a tropical storm before the center crosses Newfoundland early Monday morning. So why all the coverage and all the time spent mentioning Bill then? Well first off when tropical systems begin to weaken and transition into “extratropical” systems they tend to expand in size rather quickly. So a transitioning system passing by our coast needs to be watched very closely since the wind field around the center can and will spread out as the storm changes.

As it stands we still expect the core of strong, damaging winds to stay well off to our east…even east of the outer Cape and Nantucket. But weaker winds…on the order of 25-35mph are possible across these areas. The seas will range in height from 5-9 feet off southern Rhode Island to as high as 12-15 feet south & east of Cape Cod. So mariners are warned and will likely find safe harbor until Bill moves away Sunday night. For surfers, this is a dream but swimmers need to be VERY careful since increased seas and surf mean an increased threat of dangerous rip currents. For safety tips on how to deal with a rip current Click here.

So we will keep you well prepared this weekend with weather coverage…I will be in Sunday morning to provide live updates on the situation as the hurricane passes by to our east. And if the track shifts a little and the forecast changes significantly for our area you can count on NBC10 and StormTeam10. Don’t forget, we are entering the period of time when tropical storm/hurricane activity begins to peak so let’s not be surprised if one or more storms threatens the area over the next several weeks. As a refresher take a few minutes to check out our hurricane section for tips on preparedness and general hurricane knowledge.

Have a safe weekend and thanks for reading!    Mark

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Shuttle & Space Station Tonight!!

Mark

Hi everyone, here’s what’s On My Radar today….if you are interested you can check out the Space Shuttle and International Space Station passing overhead in conjunction. It will happen this evening at 8:41PM in the WSW sky. It won’t last long, only about 3 minutes. For more information on this Click this link.

Otherwise, the wettest July on record may get even wetter over the next couple of days as scattered showers and storms pass across the area. The best chance for one of these storms will be over inland areas. The coastline will likely stay cloudy and foggy much of the morning as the humidity lingers.

More on what to expect for the month of August coming up in a future blog…El Nino is here adn I’ll let you know what that may mean for our weather over the next few months…stay tuned!! Thanks for reading   Mark

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Drying out a bit

Mark

Hi everyone, her’s what’s On My Radar today…after picking MORE than an entire month’s worth of rain in 72 hours late last week weve dried out a bit this weekend and it looks like that trend may continue for much of the week ahead. The graphic below represents the National Climate Prediction Center’s outlook for NEXT week. I should point out that it looks remarkably similar to their prediction for this week….cooler than “normal” temepratures coupled with normal to slightly below normal precipitation. This lines up well with what we’re seeing from the longer range computer forecasts….a drier but cooler pattern this week and next. Scroll down to see the map…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you spent anytime watching Wimbledon here on NBC10 these past few weeks you likely noticed how unusually sunny and warm their weather was. This is in response to a big area of high pressure over the northern/eastern Atlantic Ocean keeping Great Britain’s weather that way while at the same time “blocking” the entire atmosphere to the west from moving freely.

The result has been the development of a large scale dip or “trough” in the jet stream over the northeastern part of the US. So in a sense we were getting typical England weather, cool & damp…while they were getting our usual June weather! It looks like this type of scenario will continue for the next couple of weeks so we will NOT see any scorching hot days with oppressive humidity…at least for a while. Periods of showers are possible but at least (for now) it looks like they will be sporadic.

So enjoy the fresh, crisp summer air…you know we will get a few nasty HHH days before this summer’s over! Thanks for reading!!  Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

What a rough June

Mark

Hi everyone here’s what’s On My Radar today…although the month ended on a nice note there’s no doubt that this June was one of the gloomiest June’s we have seen in quite some time. 90° days…are you kidding me? Only once did the high temperature rise above 80° (June 7th 81°). The average high for the month was just over 3° cooler than average.

Although the skies were frequently gray and it SEEMED as though it rained a lot, we actually were only slightly (.14”) wetter than average. It was the day after day of drizzle and mist…scattered light rain showers back on the 21-24th with that stubborn ocean storm to our east. In fact, for the year we are actually in a rain deficit…nearly 2” below normal since January 1st.

So, what’s ahead you ask? Well for the next few days we will be influenced by low pressure swirling over the Great Lakes keeping temperatures below normal. In fact, the official temperature forecast from the Climate Prediction Center is calling for cooler than average temps through July 10th! Scroll down…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR JULY 6-10TH

While at the same time calling for near normal precipitation.

PRECIPITATION FORECAST JULY 6-10th

So it actually looks like a decent stretch of weather coming up later this week (Friday and on) through the weekend. No sizzling heat just high 70s to near 80° and mainly dry conditions. Personally I like this kind of weather…no air conditioners needed…noone suffering from heat related problems. Yes, I know the beaches are a little cool but there’s still time for 90-95° and stiffling humidity…it just looks like this year it WON’T be here for the Fourth of July holiday! Thanks for reading

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

This is getting ridiculous

Mark

Hi everyone…here’s what’s On My Radar today….so, we’ve had only 1 80° day in June and the average temperature for the month is running nearly 3.5° below average. I’m sure this doesn’t surprise you, the weather has been AWFUL. Vacationers are frustrated, chambers of commerce are angry and restaurant and shop owners in tourist communities…well I won’t tell you what they say to me when they get the chance.

A few weeks back I was given a t-shirt with the saying “Hate the weather” on the front while showing a person holding an umbrella in the rain. On the back it reads “Not the weatherman”. I’ve needed to wear that shirt nearly every day this week and 18 of the first 24 days this month! Yes, it’s getting ridiculous. There is an explanation for this stale weather pattern…it has to do with an unusually strong and active northern branch of the jet stream for late June along with a large area of high pressure sitting over the central Atlantic. This high pressure is normally positioned off to our south, the “Bermuda High” we talk so much about in the summer months. It has yet to settle into that position so the heat and humidity has remained off to our west so far this year.

All signs point to the storm losing it’s punch by Thursday afternoon allowing a little hazy sunshine to develop. Friday should get very warm with inland areas climbing into the middle 80s then we’ll see what the weekend brings. Looks like some late day clouds Saturday and perhaps a passing shower Sunday. Let’s hope July gets it’s act together faster than June and we can salvage the remainder of this Summer! Thanks for reading   Mark

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

We’re losing June

Mark

Hi everyone here’s what’s On My Radar today…and it’s likely what’s on yours as well. This cool, wet June weather has LOTS of people complaining…to me!! Although we aren’t THAT much above average in terms of rainfall this month we have had more than our share of damp days. We are, however, running significantly below average in terms of temperature this month. As of Tuesday the 16th the average temperature for this June is 2.75° cooler than normal!

Some of you may prefer this type of weather to the alternative…90° with high humidity. Personally I would like a nice blend…75-80° with moderate humidity would be nice. If you own a pool (I do not) your water is likely much cooler this year than in years past. The ocean waters are a bit below average as well. So if this weather pattern continues (and it looks like it will into at least early next week) it will be until the Fourth of July or later when the beaches and pools are comfortable enough to swim in!

There continues to be quite a bit of “blocking” in the atmosphere to our east and the west coast trough has been exceptionally active for this time of year…spinning one low after another into the Pacific Northwest and subsequently dropping these storms across the High Plains and into the Northeast. The weekend looks damp & cool with potentially a few hours of dry weather in the area on Saturday and periods of steady rain likely on Father’s Day as low pressure forms to our south. Temperatures will be cooler than average into early next week.

Summer officially starts this weekend…Sunday at 1:45AM but at this rate with we’ve lost most of our June to this cool, damp pattern. The bright side is that our lawns look GREAT!! What a year if you put in new grass…so that’s good I guess. But I’ll tell you this, even in a “normal” year I’m a wimp about the water temps at the beach. This year I’ll be lucky if I get my ankles wet by Labor Day!! Thanks for reading!! Mark

Friday, June 05, 2009

June Stumbles Out of the Gate

Mark

Hi everyone…here’s what’s On My Radar today...not a very inspiring day of weather was it? 50s and rainy not really what we expect for the first Friday in June. This storm system was unusual for this time of year…bringing a lot of energy and rainfall out of the southeast as low pressure passes to our south…more typical of a winter/spring situation.

Anyhow, the storm will pass over Cape Cod late tonight with drier air spilling in for the weekend. I think there will be a few clouds early across the area but sunshine will increase as the storm pulls out to the northeast. Temperatures will be seasonable this weekend (70s) but they will be cooler along the coast Saturday afternoon as the wind shifts into the south. Sunday’s wind direction will be more from the northwest/west.

The storm pattern becomes more active early next week with a round of showers early Monday morning and widespread showers/t-storms Tuesday and Wednesday. So enjoy the weekend…I’m looking forward to my daughter’s 7th birthday party…can you imagine if it rained on her “Big Day”?? I’d have been in BIG trouble Thanks for reading.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A chilly few days

Mark

Hi everyone, here’s what’s On My Radar today...on the heels of an absolutely BEAUTIFUL Memorial Day, temperatures today certainly left a lot to be desired…and wait until Wednesday! Temps will run about 15° below normal with periods of rain…yuck !  Well at least this type of weather pattern held off for the holiday weekend and we’ll see a shift back toward warmer air later this week into next week.

Milder air will slowly move in from the south Thursday with temperatures climbing into the 60s with scattered showers. The air Friday should be warmer and more humid with scattered showers and t-storms. Drier air will arrive over the weekend with seasonable temperatures. High pressure will build along the east coast early next week with temperatures warming Monday & Tuesday…perhaps well into the 70s and low 80s in some areas!

June is right around the corner (can you believe it?) and the days of sustained warmth and humidty are as well. Days like Monday with the deep blue sky and low humidity are rare but are BEAUTIFUL when we get them!! Here’s hoping we’ll see a few more of those type of days real soon. Thanks for reading!!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

If we could bottle this…

Mark

Hi everyone, here’s what’s On My Radar today…the unseasonably warm weather we’re experiencing the rest of the week is a welcome break from the chilly, damp weather we had just a few days ago. This is the kind of weather you’d like to bottle and save for July & August when the temperatures are just about as warm but the humidity levels are MUCH higher. Put it this way, today’s dewpoint (a clear indicator of humidity in the air) was in the 30s and lower 40s…in mid-Summer typical dewpoints are in the 65-75° range. Simply put, the higher the number the more uncomfortable we feel.

So it really was a near perfect day of weather with highs ranging from 70° along the Rhode Island south coast to the mid 80s north & west of Providence. The humidity levels will rise a bit Thursday & Friday as the southwest wind flow continues to carry in more moisture. Cooler air will infiltrate this weekend with periods of showers, especially late Saturday into Sunday morning. Although it turns cooler, temperatures should actually top out near the average of 70-71°. Enjoy the rest of the week and have a GREAT holiday weekend…thanks for reading

Monday, May 11, 2009

Official tornado in western Massachusetts

Mark

Hi everyone, here’s what’s On My Radar today…first of all, I hope all the moms out there had a great Mother’s Day. Hopefully the wind didn’t cause too many problems…at least the rain was gone so we could get outside, even if just for a little while. Well, Saturday was just a damp day for us but it was a VERY stormy day for our friends in western Massachusetts. In fact in the town of Sunderland a confirmed tornado touched down just after 7PM. The storm brought wind speeds estimated at 60-70 mph and only stayed on the ground for about 1/2 mile but it ripped the roof off a barn. Click here for more on the tornado.

Right now an unseasonably cold pool of air sits over the northeast and it will be responsible for triggering some afternoon showers and isolated thunderstorms Tuesday. Since the air above is so cold, there is the potential for any thunderstorm to contain small hail. There does not appear to be a threat for strong wind from the showers/storms Tuesday since high pressure will be parked just off to our east.

This pool of cold air will shift to our east Wednesday allowing the high pressure to move over us…the result: a sunny, mild day! Another fast moving system will bring rain through the area Thursday but the trend will be for drier, warmer air to take over Friday & Saturday. Highs Friday will make it into the lower 70s away from the coast, Saturday may be a touch cooler since the wind will be out of the south/southeast. The EARLY word on the rest of the weekend is “wetter”...showers may creep in Saturday night and last off & on through Sunday.

The average high is now 67°...by next Monday that number jumps to 69° and by May 31st the average high is 73°...that’s only 2 1/2 weeks away! We’re certainly in the full swing of Spring now…the sun is strong but the ocean water is still cool (mid 50s most areas) so we battle the wind direction when forecasting high temperatures…by late June and July that difference won’t be as dramatic. Have a great week…enjoy the Spring weather and thanks for reading!  Mark

Monday, May 04, 2009

More “May” Showers

Mark

Hi everyone…here’s what’s On My Radar today…although it turned out to be a wetter than average April (5.87” of rain vs. 4.16” average) it has been dry lately. Only a few hundreths of an inch of rain in Providence over the last 10 days or so. So I guess with that in mind, we certainly could use a good soaking of rain, nice for the gardens and lawns. But we find ourselves in a pattern of damp weather but not much substantial rain.

If the forecast guidance is corect this will change over the course of the week. We will see several waves of low pressure swing over the area through the end of the week. The best chance of a soaking rain looks to come later Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Weds. afternoon should dry out, we may even catch a little sun! Another round of rain will affect the area Wednesday night into Thursday with scattered showers on Friday.

Temperatures look chilly Tuesday for early May but the trend should be for increasing high temps over the week, with highs approaching 70° Thursday through Saturday. The potential is there for an inch or more of rain by early Friday but the pattern of the rain will be sporadic…meaning not a widespread soaking…some of us will get more than others. And it’s a little too early nail down the weekend forecast, especially in this type of pattern but it sure would be nice if the trend holds…drying working in Saturday and lasting through Sunday…we’ll see!

Thanks for reading

Monday, April 27, 2009

Do marathons cause pneumonia?

Mark

Hi everyone, here’s what’s On My Radar today...as some of you know, I managed to finish the Boston Marathon last week…just barely breaking 4 hours, that was a goal of mine but I have to admit it was even tougher than I thought! Well, I felt great on the final mile, even managed to pick up my pace as I turned left on Boylston. I log rolled across the finish line in honor of Jon “Blazeman” Blais, and poped up ready to get warm…unfortunately there were literally thousands of other finishers standing alongside and in front of me. We came to a stand still…not a good thing after you finish running for 4 hours straight. Not to mention that it was COLD! The temperature was about 43° and the wind was gusting well over 20mph. Needless to say, I got really cold in a hurry…the coldest I think I’ve ever been, certainly the coldest in a LONG while.

So I cramped up and felt pretty sore for a few days after the run. And if you watched any of the late newscasts last week I’m sure you heard the horrible sounds coming from my mouth! I was getting sick and I knew it…I couldn’t wait for the weekend so I could rest. But first, I had signed up to run in the Scott Carlson Memorial 5k at Goddard Park on Saturday morning. I knew I shouldn’t have run but I was doing for Team Blazeman and for ALS research in general (Scott Carlson was another multi-sport athlete from the area whose life was tragically taken by ALS). About 1/4 of a mile into the run I knew I was in trouble. I said to my friend and fellow Team Blazeman member Matt that he should go on and run a good time, I was shot and just going to jog this one. Being the great guy that he is, he stayed with me all 3.1 miles so we could log roll together.

As you know, it was a beautiful day Saturday so the last place I wanted to be was in the Walk-In clinic on Taunton Ave. in East Providence but that’s where I found myself, for about 2 1/2 hours after the run. Diagnosis…pneumonia! I thought that might be the case based on how I was feeling but I was hoping for a sinus infection or something less severe. Seems my immune system was a little drawn down recovering from the marathon and some germ managed to sneak in there and bring on the pneumonia.

At least the good news is that my voice will be less annoying over the next few days…antibiotics work wonders, don’t they! So needless to say, I won’t be running this week…just listening to my body and resting as much as possible. But I gotta be honest with you, when I thought about how I would feel in the days following the marathon sure I knew I would be sore, maybe sport a few blisters, even shin splints crossed my mind. But pneumonia?? Not in a million years. I know I can’t really blame catching pneumonia on the marathon but how about if I say that “If only if I didn’t have early signs of pneumonia, I would have been right up there with Ryan Hall and the leaders!“? Come on…humor me…I’m sick!   Thanks for reading.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Marathon Weekend Weather

Mark

Hi everyone, here’s what’s On My Radar today…first off, what a day of weather we enjoyed today!! Was that good for the soul or what? 70° F for some inland cities…still 60° F along the coast…finally some “Spring weather” to get out and enjoy!

The weekend will not be as sunny as Friday was…the clouds are already spilling across the area tonight and we’ll have mostly cloudy skies all day Saturday. Temps will still be mild Saturday but will turn cooler in the afternoon as the wind shifts into the northeast, first along the eastern Massachusetts coast then across Rhode Island Saturday night.

A few showers are possible Saturday night through Sunday morning with brighter skies building in later Sudnay. Temps will be cooler by 10-15° Sunday thanks to the return of the dreaded northeast wind! Low pressure will push in from the south Monday but it still looks like the dry air will hold over southern New England through Monday morning…rain will spread in from south to north Monday afternoon and evening.

And, oh, speaking of Monday…it is Marathon Monday!! Looks like near perfect running weather and I cannot wait to run the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. I never thought I would be this excited to run that far and I know I won’t be as excited by the time I reach Heartbreak Hill at mile 20 and beyond but I say bring it on. I’m doing this for The Blazeman Foundation for ALS and I couldn’t be more proud to represent this wonderful foundation and help the cause by raising awareness of this deadly disease.

So, if you want to follow my progress Monday my bib number is 24522 and you can track me by Clicking Here.

And for more information on the Blazeman Foundation for ALS Click Here.

Thanks for reading…have a great weekend Mark

Monday, April 13, 2009

One week to go…

Mark

Hi everyone…here’s what’s On My Radar today…yes indeed, it is now less than one week until the Boston Marathon. What’s the big deal? Well, I happen to be running it this year. Got into it sort of late this year. A foundation I am close to happened to contact me in late January, asking me to run on their behalf. I couldn’t say no to the opportunity…1). because it’s the Boston Marathon but more importantly 2). because it’s to support the Blazeman Foundation for ALS.

Jon Blais aka “The Blazeman” was a classmate of mine at Seekonk High School in the late ‘80s. Jon was an excellent swimmer and track athlete who found the sport of triathlon long before it became wildly popular. Tragically, Jon was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in May 2005. In October of that year he became the first athlete with ALS to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI. Perhaps some of you saw his story play out on NBC 3 1/2 years ago, it was the most inspiring story I’ve ever watched. My wife & I had tears running down our cheeks as we watched Jon “log roll” across the finish line…a move done with the intention of raising awareness of ALS.

Well it certainly got my attention and that of hundreds of other “Blazeman Warriors” who are committed to raising awareness as well as raising the necessary funds to cure this horrific disease. That is why I am running…is it a personal challenge, absolutely. I LOVE challenging myself to see what I can accomplish and believe me, a marathon is something I have dreamed of attempting but the thought of training was not a pleasant one since I am not a big fan of distance running. But I accepted the challenge in late January because of the Foundation and because of the Blais family whom I have known for quite sometime. I accepted this challenge to raise awareness and raise as much money as I can, to do as much as I possibly can to help find a cure so other individuals AND other families don’t have to suffer like Jon and the Blais family.

What can you do? Well you can start by becoming better informed. Check out the site http://www.waronals.com/index.php and watch the video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE  of Jon in the 2005 Ironman. Perhaps you too will be inspired to help out. I appreciate your interest in the “cause” and if you care to follow my progress you can log onto the Marathon website http://www.bostonmarathon.org and enter my bib number 24522 and see where I am and how I am doing. I have a “personal time” goal in mind but my overall goal of helping to bring an end to ALS is much bigger…look for my “log roll for awareness” as I cross that finish line…I can’t wait Thanks for reading!