Did They Listen?

I posted a blog entry yesterday around this time, stating the frustration I had over television stations like CNN and The Weather Channel posting pictures and videos of people driving their vehicles through flooded waters. I tweeted my entry to the Weather Channel and not too long after I tweeted them the blog entry, I saw that they tweet message relating to people driving through flood waters.  The tweets are shown below:

 

Did they listen? The tweet could be purely coincidence but the tweet was a link to meteorologist Tim Ballisty's article The Power of Water. The article can be found here. In the article, Ballisty writes about facts associated with flowing water. The facts pertain to what flowing water can do to a person, a car and a house. I took a screenshot of one of the images featured in the article: 

Underneath the picture Ballisty writes,"We see it all the time: people misjudge the force of water and drive right into flowing floodwaters. Some are rescued by first-responders; others perish." Then why Weather Channel do you show images of people driving through the waters without any type of safety tip or statement such as this?  

I commented on the article stating the article is very educational, which it is.  With all this rain and flooding it is more of a time to educate, not just show the extent of what nature can do and the situations that can make matters worse.

I also noticed that the Capital Weather Gang, addressed the issue on their blog, of people basically ignoring "Turn Around, Don't Drown."Here is the link. If we are going to report what's going on, we need to get on the same page. Educate! Don't devastate the campaign of "Turn Around, Don't Drown."

Turn Around Don't Drown: The Lost Campaign

In wake of the Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumping rain along the East coast, I have seen numerous pictures and videos of people driving through the flooded waters, on major television stations like CNN or The Weather Channel. Does anyone remember the "Turn Around, Don't Drown" campaign? By showing viewers vehicles driving through the waters, some may be under the impression that their vehicle can make it. In fact, more than half of flood related deaths occur from vehicles caught in the flood waters and floods are the number one cause of weather related deaths in the United States.

A road may look like it is passable but the actual depth of the water is not always certain from behind the wheel. It's frustrating to see channels such as CNN or the Weather Channel show these kinds of images from I-Reporters without stating the safety behind the images they choose to display.

I follow The Weather Channel on Twitter and recently saw this tweet:

The first picture that pops up when you click on the tweet is of a truck driving through flooded waters. Yes this image shows the extent of flooding from that viewer's perspective but so does a clear street with no cars driving through it. That would be the more safe approach and would not make it seem as though the "Turn Around, Don't Drown," campaign has been lost. Maybe a picture like would be better to get the point across:

One thing that is very certain is that flash floods can quickly occur and even though a driver may make it through one stretch of road, a flash flood could have occurred on another stretch and their vehicle might get stuck on that one.

So next when you post a picture or a video from a viewer showing the extent of what's going on in their area, follow it up with a safety tip or so. We report the weather to help save lives not just show the extent of what nature can do.

For more information on the "Turn Around, Don't Drown" campaign, lease visit this link.

Foodweather...I like it

Imagine if you woke up one morning and you looked outside the window and instead of it raining or snowing just water droplets and frozen water droplets, it rained orange juice or snowed ice cream. That's the part of the plot behind one of my favorite books that I loved to read as a child, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Now I would always read this book before I went to bed when I was younger and when I heard that Hollywood, would be making this book into a movie, I must say that I was worried at first. As a 22-year-old college senior, I have seen my share of childhood favorites which have been turned into more commercialized Hollywood disasters. I feared that the wonderment and innocence of the text would be glamorized by flashing lights. Oh but I had nothing to fear. This movie sent me on whirlwind of emotions as it was amusing, thoughtful and heartfelt. Though some of the underlining themes may be a little too much for children to understand today, the nature of the film was much like that of the book that I read when I was younger.

Though the storyline is a bit different than that of the book, the characters in either are ones to love. From the grandfather who told the kids a story in the paperback, to the police officer who helped save the town in the movie, the individuals always seemed to remind me of someone I could relate to. The main characters in the movie may inspire the kiddies to become scientists, inventors and even a meteorologist as well That's what the whole story is based on and even more amazing is the concept of foodweather! It's a cute movie and I'm sure the whole family will love it. This weather girl approves!

Are Forecast (July 11- July 17)

This forecast is valid for Moorestown, NJ

Fire up those BBQs because today looks like it's going to be a very pleasant day. Expect a high around 83 with mostly sunny skies. Make sure to pack everything up tonight as a cold front will be sweeping through the region, and there is a possible of some storms mainly before 3 am Sunday morning. For Sunday expect mosly sunny skies and a high near 82 as high pressure will build over our area into Monday. For Monday we can expect a high near 85 and mostly sunny skies. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms Monday night as a weak cold front moves through the region. Expect sunny skies and a high near 84 on Tuesday, and another chance for showers on Wednesday as low pressure from our west moves into the area. Expect a high for Wednesday expect around 86. Thursday that low will move in and showers are expected throughout the day. Expect a high close to 90. The low will move out by Friday, as it looks to be dry with partly sunny skies with a high near 83. Enjoy the week!

Another One :-)

There always seems to be a since of quiet after a storm, and yesterday after heavy rain and numerous flashes of lightning we got another one…A beautiful rainbow. I saw this rainbow during the Phillies game with my friend Brian, yesterday afternoon. There was a severe warning posted for Philadelphia and the surrounding areas around 5:10 that evening and the thunderstorm passed through before the game, so that it was not canceled. The forecast advised residents of of torrential downpours, penny-sized hail, and lightning strikes, but that didn’t stop the tailgaters before the game. Brian and I, drove into the storm from Moorestown which is roughly 30 minutes away from Philadelphia. The best place in our situation was to be in a car, though the visibility on the highway had diminished greatly because of the heavy rain. The rain reduced to a drizzle shortly afterward and did not completely stop until around 7:45 that evening. The sun behind our seats at Citizen’s Bank Park peaked out from the clouds and not long after that, a gorgeous rainbow appeared right in front of us and over the stadium. For a few moments, the some of the spectators took their eyes off the game and gazed at the beautiful weather phenomenon, and of course I snapped a few pictures. Though the rainbow was faint, the full arc of the rainbow could be seen over the stadium. The phenomenon remained until the sun set around 8:20 that evening, and the Phillies won against the Washington Nationals, 5 to 4!

As I study to become a meteorologist in college, and I learn more about the dynamics of how these weather events are created, the display of the atmosphere never ceases to amaze me. It is the causes and effects of the atmosphere that got me into this field. The thunderstorm which was caused by a cold front passing through the region of warmer air and this motion lead to instability of the atmosphere. As a result the thunderstorm created various effects. The phenomenon created dangerous effects such lightning and hail, but also created the pleasant effect such as that of a rainbow. It’s amusing because for the longest time it seemed that I would keep missing the chance to see a natural rainbow, but twice now in the past two months I have been able to witness this weather phenomenon. The broad range of products, which in many situations can change by a very slight adjustment, and that are displayed throughout the atmosphere, can be truly amazing. I love this field!!!!!

Below are the pictures that I took during the Phillies game. Look towards the sky, as the rainbow appears to be very faint in the pictures:

Side of the arc, from my view it appeared to be on the right side

Another view of the "right" side of the rainbow

The "left" side of the rainbow

The "left" side as the sun begin to peak out from behind the clouds

April: A Transitional Month

Below is an article that I wrote, with the help of my professor, Dr. Croft, which was published in a newspaper at my school. It mainly focuses on the extremes that the month of April can bring, this is because April is a transitional month, which is later described in the article. I would have posted this earlier but the last week of finals consumed my life. I’m out for the summer now, with one more year to go! Enjoy!
The spring season is in full swing. Flowers and plants have begun to bloom, trees have started to bud, and the birds and other wildlife have become more active. While many think of spring weather as sunny and pleasant days with temperatures in the 70s, the atmospheric reality is quite different. Spring is a time of transition from winter to summer and “pop-up” showers or thunderstorms are often an indication of the instability that can result from two very different types of weather conditions doing battle—cold, dry air from the north and warm, moist air from the south. This battle often leaves us scrambling as to what to wear and whether we will need a sweater, umbrella, or shorts from day-to- day.
April is a prime example of spring’s variable nature as temperatures in New Jersey have soared into the 90s, sunk into the teens, and the atmosphere has produced strong winds and hail. While “April Showers” is a familiar phrase to most people during April, the thought of snow is not often mentioned. Although getting several inches of snow is relatively rare in New Jersey in April, it has occurred, and Newark averages just less than one inch (0.8”) of snow in April. It is this variation that sometimes makes spring a ‘difficult’ season for some, as Kean University student Danielle Fadeski points out “April can be disappointing” given the chaotic variation of weather conditions from day-to-day. So far this month the temperature at nearby Newark Airport has ranged from as high as 93 to as low as 33 degrees. Nearly two-and-one-half inches of rain have fallen, some with severe thunderstorms and hail, and a trace of snow has been observed.
In some sections of the state up to an inch of snow has been observed. Other days have been downright dreary with overcast skies, rain, and strong winds. Yet these are reflective of past April’s in New Jersey and not ‘records’ by any means. What will the remainder of the month bring? While difficult to know precisely, it is clear that large variations are to be expected during a spring transition month.