Good morning! Snow lovers…snow is on the way! There will be a slight chance today but better chances come tonight and overnight.  It should become widespread after Midnight.  Accumulations will be from 1 to 3 inches, just enough to add a fresh coat to the snow pack.

Every so often I want to remind everyone about many different ways you can keep up to date with weather events.  There is always our webchannel www.waow.com/weather.  But this past year we added facebook and twitter to the mix.  To follow us on facebook just head over to our page.  This is where we will make sure to keep up to date forecast and severe weather outlooks.  We also have our own twitter accounts:

Kconnolly_waow

Jloew_waow

Tschumacher_waow

You can follow each one of us. 

 On that note I read an interesting science article related to twitter.  I know this does not have alot to do with weather but sometime I like to branch out if there is something related to the job I do.  I started using twitter I believe just over a year ago.  I really started becoming a fan of twitter within the past 6 months. 

Alrgiht to the article…. they deciphered that how people tweet gives away where they are from. This is the same as when we hear people speak and can identify their accent.  For example they explained people would say pop, soda or coke.  I have to admit , I think this is one of the biggest debates in the nation.  In college we fought over which was right and even created facebook groups in protest!  So I guess you are what you tweet?

Have a great Monday! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Science, Snow Totals, Travel

A new radar in Puerto Rico maybe able to see tornadoes!

The Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensitive of the Atmosphere, an Engineering Research Center at University of Massachusetts Amherest thinks they have developed just that.  They have built radars that can look at atmospheric phenomena in the lower sections of the atmosphere beneath radars that we currently use in the United States.  For us we can look at rotation in a storm but can not see believe the clouds where the funnel would actually be coming from.  This would be an amazing discovery in the meteorological world!

If you can look into the lower parts of the lower atmosphere we could detect severe events sooner and in essence save lives or destruction.

Here is a pic of the new radar!

 I am going to be gone for a few days and one place I am going to go visit is the Grand Canyon.  I have never been there but have heard it is quite the site to see.  Here is an awesome slide show of all sorts of pictures.

Here is also a really interesting article about the discussion to just how old the Grand Canyon is.  A newer study says the Canyon maybe around 16 to 17 million years old! This differs quite a bit from the previous guesstimate of 6 millions years.  To find out exactly how they came up with this number check out this article. 

 Have a great night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Environment, Flooding, Science, Severe Weather, Travel, Weather NEws

Like I mentioned yesterday I went to Cali last week for a few days.  I was in the Bay area and toured most of the cities around there.  I am going to post a few pictures of my trip below.  It was absolutely gorgeous weather while I was there.  The temp climbed upward everyday and it was nothing but sunshine after the marine layer cleared mainly by late morning.  It is amazing how different there weather is.  It basically doesn’t rain for 6 months straight! They do deal with alot of fog and the temperature difference over just 20 miles can be nearly 20 degrees.  They have had an unusually cool summer but the past few weeks have been the warmest.  From looking at climate records it looks like Sept is usually the warmest month for them.

While I was there we went to this place called the “Mystery Spot”.  I knew there had to be some hoax involved in it being a scientist but I decided it would be entertaining and it was actually cheap compared to most attractions out there!  I have to say if you go off what they say, that it is a “mystery” it is actually pretty odd.  Balls roll uphill, you stand at a 17 to 25 degree angle when you should be straight, the gravity pushes harder on you when you walk up hill.  Of course when I got back I had to google the truth.  I knew I had seen signs in different areas for these so called “Mystery areas” and it is true.  There are actually over 15 of these across the United States. 

 If I learned one thing when I went there it is that the mind can be tricked into thinking almost anything is real.   It offers an amazing look at visual illusions.  When you look at the diagrams and read the explanations it shows how it seems it should be flat when in reality you are on a huge angle (25 degrees).   They can hide the angle by putting the cabin on a slope and bearing part of the floor in the slope of the hill.  In the mind though it seems that you are on a flat surface and that the gravitational pull is abnormal.  They can do this by not having anything on the wall or any reference point.  If things were hanging it would ruin the affect they are trying to mimic. 

It seems these mystery places came from the Great Depression.  It offered entertainment at a reasonable fee.  After the first one (which is believed to be in Oregon) was a huge hit they began popping up all over the country.  Although it may not be a “mystery” they still are a fun social experience.

Look from twin peaks, Golden Gate bridge, Wine country, Capitola beach, Mystery Spot.

Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Science, Spring, Travel

Alright a bunch of little things….

First check out Justin’s article below.  His pics are awesome and I have to admit that Pictured Rocks is probably my favorite place to go to in the UP. growing up an hour away we took many trips up there and it truly is a spectacular site to see.  In fact if you look in many tourist books of the US it is listed at a must see destination.

Next, I tried to find the Farmers Almanac prediction like Brian blogged about but can not seem to find it on the Internet, must just be out in print form today.  As soon as we get it we will make sure you let you know!

Farve…..wow really. I just looked at Brian today and said, “I am just plain confused”.  How can an icon to be growing up literally put us through this game for the third year in a row.  I am not a hater, I am not a lover of him either( anymore), I just plain do not know how I feel anymore! What will happen next?

And lastly…July is now officially the second warmest July ever and the warmest month to date in 2010 according to NOAA.  July 2010 across the globe including land and see was 61.6 degrees.  This is 1.19 degrees above the 20thcentury average.  The only month that beats this is July 1998 where the average was 61.7 degrees. 

The major areas that were above average were Eastern Europe, Western Asia and Easter United States.

For the entire article you can check out this website.   

Have a good night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under forecast, Heat, Monthly Recap, Records, Travel, Weather NEws

Going green, Eco-friendly that is all the new trend nowadays and it seems that even cities are being built around this new fad.

When I started to read this article I thought it was going to be about traveling to different new hip cities instead it was actual new cities.  Cities that are in the works of changes and cities that won’t even be completed for 3 to 15 years!

Among the list of “new cities’ are man made islands, relocated capitals, and a so called “eco-city”.    

So what is the idea of building these green cities or retro fitting the old cities with new green technology. ….”The thinking is that by changing the way cities are designed–the size of the buildings and streets–we can fundamentally change the footprint of humans on the environment,” says Karen Seto, an associate professor at Yale University in Urban Environment.

Being able to visit all these new urban cities will come at price, most are half way across the world.  However, I think it is interesting to see what different countries are doing to make an impact in climate change.  Check it out:

To see the full article check out this site.

To see a slideshow with pictures of the new cities and designs check out this link. ( The Pearl Islands, the first picture looks pretty sweet.  It almost reminds me of Atlantis in the Bahamas. ) 

Have a good night! Kristen Connolly

Posted under Alternative Energy, Climate Change, Technology, Travel

This past weekend I was talking about how we have to blog on our weather page and that I am always looking for new ideas.  My Grammy, like most most Grandmas, suggest I talk about an event in history. 

She starts to tell me about Hurricane Bob which hit Massachusetts in 1991.  She couldn’t recall the exact year but knew it hit Cape Cod in the early 1990′s and caused extensive damage.  She points out what was most interesting is that the leaves were all grown and that there was so much salt water that came in with the winds that the salt actually killed the foliage!  So that fall they didn’t have the changing of the leaves since the leaves turned brown from the salt.  I was reading a few articles, this one describes exactly what she was explaining.

From the story my Grandma said that in the Spring the leaves began to come out and go through the normal cycle of what would happen in Fall, growing and changing of the colors.  Because of that they called it a “Sprall” – combining Spring and Fall.  I have been doing research to see if I can verify exactly what happened, I’ll let you know what I find out.

Hurricane Bob was a Category 2 hurricane that it the east coast on Sept 3 1991.  Top gusts on the cape were at 125 mph. Approx damage for New England was 680 million dollars. 

For more about the hurricane you can check out:

History of Hurricane Bob

History from the National Weather Service

Have a great night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Uncategorized

Finally some rainfall! I was reading Justin’s earlier post about the fact that rain comes sometimes when we don’t want it aka the weekends.  I have to admit I like the sunshine but the rain is so needed in this area that I can take a few rainy days for the better good of everyone.  We have had various totals around the area from a few hundredths to over a half an inch in some cities south of 29.  Some of us will luck out and others will get what we need, a nice dosing. 

Speaking of rain I was just up visiting my family around the Boston area.  I was talking to some about their recent flooding.  I know a few of my famil ymembers had to literally pump out their basements so  I was talking to them about their experience dealing with the drenching rain they saw, some almost 20 inches in 24 hours.  They talked about how lucky they were compared to friends whom had just finished their basement and it was completely destroyed in the flooding.  I also noticed how much everything was in bloom up there.  I felt the difference in rain really made it feel more like spring in the northeast compared to here.  I hope the rain we see today will help to liven everything up a bit!

On the topic of things being beautiful today is the 20th anniversary of the Hubble Telescope.  Many people know what the Hubble telescope is but for those who don’t I can almost guaranteeyou have seen something shot by it.  For the past 20 years we have seen breath taken images of places in space we didn’t even know existed thanks to the Hubble.  This telescope, has let us find numerous discoveries including Pluto’s two new moons.  For the top 10 list of what Hubble has discovered check out this link. 

During its time in space the telescope has had to be repaired and service five times the last being in 2009.  The last repair occurred in 2009 and should last for at least the next 5 years without having to be touched. 

For everything Hubble you can check out its official site.  Espcially check out the gallery! Here is just one I enjoyed seeing.

On a very sad note we saw deadly tornadoes across the south today.  I will make sure to do an update on what happened for tomorrows blog.

Have a good night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Drought, Flooding, Severe Weather, Space, Travel, Uncategorized

Today marks the first official day of Spring! The start began at 12:32 pm Central time.  It was kind of ironic it was today considering it was much cooler than our past week.  Spring begins on the Vernal Equinox which is always around the 20th of March give or take a day.  I was reading up about what exactly that is today for a refresher and to make a graphic for on air.  Today is when night and day are almost equal and when the sun shines directly at the equator.  Here is a great site that explains everything quite well.  Check it out if you are interested.

The one good thing about today for us was that the snow stayed to our south.  There is a very large storm system moving across the US and bringing snow from Texas to the Midwest.  We were on the very northern edge and only received a few clouds from the storm this afternoon.  However, many people were not near as luck as us! Some parts of Kansas saw over a half a foot of snow from the storm today and more is on the way.  The snowstorm also caused major travel issues in the Plains.  The storm continues to push east and will bring more rain and even some snow to the southeast.  It surely did not feel like Spring for folks having to deal with this storm. All I have to say is even if it was cold, the sun was shining for us!

Have a great night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Science, Space, Spring, Storms, Travel, Winter Weather

Good Evening! Wow coming back inside tonight I remembered why I enjoy the 70′s so much.  I was lucky and spent this past weekend in Phoenix with lots of family.  I had a wedding and I have to say the weather couldn’t have been any more spectacular, not a cloud in sight and highs in the low to mid 70′s.  I was able to take my first run outside in months ( which I thoroughly enjoyed except for the fact I fell on a bump and scrapped my knee!), I was able to soak up some sun, do some hiking and see a little of a town I was unfamiliar with.  I also had some Mexican and Persian food that was fantastic.  Here are just a few pics from my trip.  Some were taken on a lookout over the city, others from the airplane flying over and I have to admit I still enjoy the views even at my age.

A few descriptions: 1) is of the mountains we flew over 2) A Cactus and I! 3) At the lookout over the valley 4) 3 generations, myself my oma and my mom 5) Getting ready to take off and seeing Phoenix in background 6) Everything is brown except for farming and golf courses 7) TV towers, of course they keep them on the highest spot for better reception!

Before I go I read this article today.  Every state except for Hawaii had snow on the ground on Friday! The funny part is usually one mountain on Hawaii usually has snow but didn’t have any on that day so we couldn’t make it 50 out of 50.  On that note, GO USA in the Olympics, I really do love watching them!

Have a wonderful night and Happy Fat Tuesday! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Travel, Viewer pictures, Winter Weather

First off I want to share a beautiful slide show I found on a science website.  It is 10 beautiful places around the US. I did find it odd that almost all of them besides I think 1 were from the western states.  But I guess that is where we have really interesting rock formations that happened years ago.  So if you are into seeing neat pictures I suggest to take a look.  I have to say my favorite in the group is number two.  It is of lava hitting the ocean in Hawaii, I haven’t been able to visit there but on those islands they have some fascinating site.  I just think like the caption say the combination of the two natural wonders hitting each other is electrifying.  Even if we can’t see these places in person the pictures still tell the story-amazing.

On a different subject I just searched the storm up east and there are numerous stories.  When I was listening to the news I heard that Maryland was under a State of Emergency and as of 3 pn no one was allowed the on streets except for city vehicles.  That is just amazing.  I think they are seeing the worst weather ever for an entire winter.  Winds will gust up to 50 mph, power is down for 100,000′s of thousands, major interstates are closed many states including Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey! What a mess.

Also  DC have surpassed the most snow ever recorded for a season:

DC now has 54.9 which broke the record of 54.4″ in 1888/89

I also saw a tweet that DC and Baltimore have seen more snow this season then Anchorage AK, Duluth MN, Buffalo NY and Burlington VT.  That is alot of snow!

Another fact I saw, flight cancellations top 4000 wich is the biggest dissruption since the 9/11 attacks.

I would like some snow, but nothing like that! I’ll take our 2 inches at a time.

Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Records, Travel, Winter Weather