Mike's Weather World

I've Moved

2011-08-07T15:32:00.002-05:00

New WordPress Blog Address: Click Here

We Need Rain

2011-07-02T20:06:00.003-05:00

I glad we got 1.87 inches of rain back on Tuesday, but we need more. I guess it could be worse. Texas has about withered away. This article from the weather channel shows just how bad it is in Texas and other Southern states.

Another problem has been the heat with repeated highs in the upper 90s to near 100. Once again it could be worse - like Death Valley.

Crazy Weather

2011-06-05T15:51:00.002-05:00

What's the deal! Record heat in the South in recent days....and snow in Hawaii. More than 30 cities tied or broke high temperature records Saturday, including Little Rock with 99. Some stations in eastern and southern Arkansas reached the century mark. No rain in the past several days. Mike's Weather World got more than 15 inches of rain in the month of May. We should have saved some of that for now. And to top it all off the summits of the Big Island picked up 8 inches of snow and sleet earlier this morning. That a late morning photo above. You can get several web cams atop Mauna Kea at this link.

Rain Rain...Go Away

2011-05-02T18:34:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update. At Mike's Weather World in Chenal Valley in the past 48 hours we have received 10.25 inches of rain. I've never seen this much rain in one storm. I believe it tops the tropical storms a few years ago. And, to add misery -- It's only 46 degrees outside. I think our high today was under 50.

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Turn Around...Don't Drown

2011-05-01T12:03:00.005-05:00

This shows to power of flood waters. This was at the entrance to Claire's apartment building. Below is the Arkansas River at County Farm Road. As of mid morning Chenal Valley had recorded 6.45 inches of rain. More has been reported in some of the metro area. Much more rain is expected. One person drown early this morning in Falukner and dozens of Vilonia residents had to be evacuated. This follows the almost total distruction of their community by a tornado earlier in the week. In the past week there have been at least 14 storm related deaths in Arkansas. We've had it easy compared to Alabama.

Below is the baseball field at Arkansas Baptist High School in the Ranch neighborhood. This is close to Claire's apartment.

You don't see this often outside of the Everglades. This air boat was used for water rescues.

We had record heat last Summer, record cold and snow this past Winter and now tornadoes and flooding this Spring. What's Next?

Bad Night in LR

2011-04-15T15:59:00.002-05:00

Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms left 7 people dead in Arkansas overnight. Here's a link to KARK's coverage. Here's a link to KTHV. Luckily the storms were north and southeast of Mike's Weather World. Make sure you always have batteries in your weather radio. Remember you can follow Mike's Weather World on Twitter @mcmckinney

Strange Weather

2011-03-27T08:45:00.003-05:00

OK...Mike's Weather World is now on Twitter. My Twitter address is "mcmckinney". That's how I can make brief weather commentary on a moment's notice from anywhere. Most of the Tweets will be weather related including some retweets. If you have twitter please consider following me. It you don't have Twitter - get it.

Yesterday was a very unusual day as far as state wide temperatures were concerned. A warm from stretched across the Southwestern part of the state separating a big layer of late-season cold air to the Northeast. Afternoon highs ranged from only 40 in Harrison and Rogers to 88 at El Dorado and Texarkana. That's nearly a 50 degree difference from north to south.

It's looks like today will be another cloudy, cold and damp day. I awoke to 37 degrees this morning. Spring can't be that far away....the trees are starting to come out and the first signs of of the dreaded yellow fallout were visible Friday.

Supermoon 2011

2011-03-20T08:52:00.003-05:00

I did a little experimental photography last night trying to get a few good shots of the "Super Moon". I did come up with a couple of interesting photos.

Oh well. The one shining thru the branches might make a good Halloween picture.

There have been a lot of developments around the world in the past couple of weeks...Earthquake....Tsunami....Nuclear Emergency....Cruise Missile Attack. You have to admit that there have been some phenomenal videos from Japan. I'm also amazed at the level of concern by some people on the west coast who are so worried about a radioactive cloud drifting over them. Don't you think we were all exposed to more radiation back during the cold war?

Mike's Weather World may try something new soon......I'm thinking of starting updates on my Twitter account. I'll let you know when that starts and if you don't Twitter now, you will have to start. I've been on Twitter for almost a year now, but I have never sent a Tweet. I just monitor a couple of weather sites. More on that later. Have a good week.

A lot has happened since my last update

2011-03-19T09:29:00.003-05:00

For some reason I can't seem to get pictures to upload. I'll try this post again later.

New Volcanic Activity

2011-03-07T16:55:00.002-06:00

Cool weather this past weekend...not much excitement. Not the case in Hawaii. Take a look at the HVO Page.

Meanwhile earthquakes continue to rumble about 40 miles north of here.

4.7 quake in greenbrier

2011-02-28T07:55:00.002-06:00

President's Day

2011-02-20T09:23:00.003-06:00

Would you trust any one of these three with your country? .... That's what I thought.

Winter ended as abruptly as it began. Thursday the 10th saw lows of 9 here at Mike's Weather World with -18 reported in Fayetteville and -21 at XNA airport where they had nearly 2 feet of snow. Then the pattern changed and within a week some places in NE Oklahoma had a 100-degree turnaround. Like the signs on I-70 approaching Denver say: "Don't be fooled". Winter is not over. In fact look for a move to more seasonable weather this week. Temps will fall some on President's Day and we will probably hit the freezing mark Tuesday morning.

On another note....how bout them quakes. Greenbrier, north of Conway, has experienced dozens of earthquakes in the past week or so. Several have registered at 3.0+ and one even hit 4.1. Some say it's a result of the natural gas drilling in the region, but I disagree. There was a swarm of small quakes near that area back in 1982 near the town of Enola. And if you are an earthquake junkie you can go the USGS site and register to receive emails and or text alerts when quakes hit a certain area. Filters allow you to choose the magnitude and area the alerts. Mine is set to text me for any quake in Arkansas with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher. Most of these quakes are less than 3.0.

Snowmageddon

2011-02-09T14:33:00.005-06:00

Mike's Weather World has just 6 inches of snow with maybe another inch or tow to fall. Northwest Arkansas has taken the brunt of this storm. The header pic if out my back door. The pictures below are from John who lives on the west side of Fayetteville. He got about 18 inches of snow. Some towns in Washington and Benton counties topped the two foot mark. We may get a new record for snowfall from one storm which was 25 inches in Corning a long time ago. I'll kwwp you updated.

One more week of Winter

2011-02-06T12:45:00.003-06:00

I got a picture of this guy on our neighbor's roof. Evidence shows he's been here before. Most of the time this Blue Heron walks around in the lake behind our house in search of food.

Let's talk weather for a moment. Friday's 2 inch show is melting away this afternoon...but more could come overnight. The big event is still set for Tuesday night and Wednesday. We will wait and see.

Indications are the Arctic Oscillation Index if moving back into an area that should mean more normal weather by next week.

Groundhog apparently on Drugs

2011-02-03T16:36:00.007-06:00

Phil may have called for an early springs, but you couldn't tell it from what's happening around the country right now. This is an unbelievable Arctic outbreak. Snow and ice in northern Mexico with temps in the single digits. El Paso TX with lows near zero. Warmer this morning in Fairbanks AK than Oklahoma City. Lucky the Super Bowl will be inside Jerry World. Also this is the only time I can remember a Winter Storm Warning stretching along the entire gulf coast of Texas. Freezing rain on South Padre Island and schools canceled in far south Texas. Houston may see a couple of inches of sleet and snow.

Mike's weather world has been below freezing for several days now with a high today of only 24. There is a chance of snow late tonight and tomorrow. Maybe a light accumulation here, but Kelly may see a couple of inches. She will let us know. We may see a little more Sunday,and a bigger storm may come in the middle of next week. One thing is for certain - there will be another blast of arctic air next week.

Now here's the good news. If this is global warming, then I love it and we need to globally warm some more. Here is an interesting link from Joe Bastardi at Accuweather about more cold winters to come. This is a must read.

Now, to finish for today here is an interesting phenomena caused by extended cold weather. It's been below freezing so long that moisture in the ground has frozen and pushed up out of the ground. Very inpressive....

Keep Mike's Weather World up to date on your winter weather.

Early Spring???? I don't think so

2011-01-30T14:08:00.003-06:00

Wow...what a weekend. Friday and Saturday were unbelievable. It was the warmest two days in a row since November. Little Rock almost set a record with a high of 77 on Saturday...and 75 was a record high at the NWS office in North Little Rock. Hope you enjoyed it, because a BIG change is coming again this week. One thing is for certain -- extremely cold weather the last half of the week. The first half will see rain, maybe thunderstorms, and possible some winter precipitation. Northwest Arkansas is already under a winter storm watch. We'll see how it plays out.

Kelly passed along this link she received that I think is outstanding. It's nice to have a map where you can load the current temperatures across the country. Check it out: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/mwmap3.php?map=usa

Oh, one more thing -- Screw You Comcast -- more problems with cable. This time I get HD channels on one TV, but nothing on regular digital on all the other tv's. If only Uverse would come to my neighborhood!

More Snow

2011-01-20T15:17:00.003-06:00

Looking out my office window about noon today.....big, fluffy flakes falling. The Jan 10th storm dropped 4.5 inches of snow on Mike's Weather World. This storm was forecast to bring us about an inch or two. I'm calling it one inch in west Little Rock. Streets are fine as the temperature stayed around freezing while most of the snow was falling. North Arkansas was a little colder and ended up with a good 4 inches. Cold weather is pouring into the state with teens expected in Little Rock in the morning and single digits in the northwest. Claire and I have another thing in common....it can and has snowed on our birthdays. Claire, if you have trouble seeing this blog photo, just load it up on your TV screen...Ha. More snow and rain is possible Sunday night.

6:30 Update

2011-01-09T18:34:00.003-06:00

A little blurry but the Wease is smalling for the right spot in 2 inches of snow. Here are some other totals as of 5:30:

Sorry I can't get it to paste

Winter Storm of 2011

2011-01-09T12:02:00.003-06:00

Here's the first photo...this is Pam in Plano. Looks like she will get something afterall. Apparently Kelly is getting some freezing rain at last hour....but several inches of snow seem likely. I feel we are onn the north edge of the sorm, but should still get at least a couple of inches. Email me your pics and text me with updates.

Snow????

2011-01-06T17:48:00.003-06:00

I know it's early......and a lot can change......but at this time it appears we may see some wintery weather and snow Sunday and Monday. I'll keep you up to date on what happens.

More snow pictures

2010-12-27T16:38:00.005-06:00

Here are some more pictures from Christmas Vacation

Mike,Peggy, and John trudging thru the snow

Not a good day for golf

I love these snow coated Christmas trees.

Claire and Laura snowshoeing

It was 17 degrees this morning at Mike's Weather World. Warmer weather and rain is expected later in the week and then cold again this weekend.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T12:05:00.001-06:00

We are back from Steamboat in time for Christmas. We were on the northern edge of what was being called a storm of Epic proportions. We had a good 2 feet of snow where we stayed, while at least 3 feet fell up on the mountain. Southwest Colorado got up to 8 feet of snow.

This photo was taken by the girls while skiing. This is the top of the gondola.

Here is a shot by John of a creek while snowshoeing.

Family photo looking east from the continential divide whild snowmobiling in Rabbit Ears Pass. They had picked up over 3 feet of new snow.

Frosted Christmas Tree

I'll post more pictures later

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T10:37:00.002-06:00

Homemade Chocolate Souffle

Funny, I don't remember seeing this on Thanksgiving. UUmmmmmm.

Thanksgiving weather turned out to be wonderful in my opinion. It started out way to warm...in fact, Mike's Weather World topped out a 74 degrees at 11:00. By the time we sat down to eat at 12:30 it had fallen into the upper 40s. By dark it was in the upper 30s. Laura reported light sleet around 9:00. It definitely felt like Thanksgiving.

To top it off....Nick dropped by for his bi-annual visit to Mike's Weather World. He spends summer in Colorado and Winter near the beach. Hmmmm....I think I would do just the opposite.

More rain is on the way this week and then more cold.

Cooler...Maybe Colder Weather Coming

2010-11-13T08:12:00.004-06:00

First decent snow of the season in Steamboat....Ahhhhhhh.

Amarillo TX had its first snow of the season -- 3 inches, including some thundersnow.

Hopefully we have seen the last of the 80 degree days. I woke up this morning to true November weather - Cloudy, windy and 47 degrees. Feels great. Here is a link to changes coming in the next couple of weeks.

First Freeze

2010-11-07T09:25:00.003-06:00

OK....So it didn't get THIS cold....but we did have the first official freeze in Chenal Valley with a low of 28. Plenty of frost on the ground. The neighborhood slave labor force led by us spread a dump truck load of mulch in the front beds of Avignon.

We are still a foot behind in rainfall, only picking up an inch earlier in the week. November is in full swing with a return to normal time and wetter weather.

Stay warm and dry till next time.

¿Winter?

2010-10-23T10:55:00.007-05:00

I just don't like what I'm seeing here...I just don't like it at all. Being the contrian that I am, maybe this means a surprisingly cold and snowy winter.

We will just have to wait and see.

We did manage to get almost 2/3 od an inch of rain last Monday. It's still WAY too hot for this time of year. No sign of a frost on the horizon. We do have rain in the forecast for late in the weekend and into next week.

Other items to keep in mind.--- It's still hurricane season and Richard is still churning around near the Yucatan. With all the dry weather fire is a threat. Red Flag warning are up for today in parts of the state.

Finally, the earthquakes continue to rumble ever so slightly near Greenbrier. Most have been in the 2.0 to 2.6 range this week.

Strange Liquid from the Sky

2010-10-12T16:13:00.002-05:00

What???? The sun disappeared...dark clouds moved in along with thunder and lightening...and then this strange wet stuff started falling out of the sky. I remember from the past that it is called -- Rain.

We did manage to get about three-tenths of an inch....and it is cooler--in the upper 60's. Maybe fall will arrive soon.

Whole lot a shakin goin on

2010-10-11T20:59:00.003-05:00

What's next...locusts???? We have near drought conditions in central Arkansas....several wildfires have caused some evacuations....and now earthquakes. Don't be confused...we're not talking about the New Madrid fault. This one is less than 40 miles North of Mike's Weather World. In the past week we have had more than 50 small quakes near Guy, just outside of Greenbrier in Falulkner County. It's not that unusual....back in 1982 the nearby town of Enola experienced swarms of minor tremors for several months. But today's 4.0 was the biggest in a long time.

Now if we could just get some rain. It's been about a month.

Hello Again

2010-10-10T08:21:00.005-05:00

I'm back and I'll try to stay more current with this blog. I have been very busy at work. Let's talk weather records for a moment. Saturday marked another record, actually two records. We set a daily record high with 92 degrees. In addition, it marked the 116th day this year with a high of 90 degrees or higher. That breaks the old record set in 1995 and 1954. We have had a couple of cool spells. In Fact Mike's Weather World hit 39 last Tuesday morning. The big news is the draught. We haven't had a significant rain since the 11th of September. We are still a ways away from a record. That stands at 39 consecutive days without a drop. Ironic that last year was the wettest ever with more than 80 inches, and now we are moving into drought conditions.

A couple of my faithful readers have commented to me in the past few days that I haven't updated my blog in a long time....so I will try to do better.

One other note. Since Thursday more than 20 small earthquakes have been reported about 40 miles north of here. Most have been around 2.0......but on did register 3.0. Something to watch.

Fall Arrives this week...At least on the Calender

2010-09-19T10:23:00.004-05:00

Remember when we used to see clouds like this???? Can't remember actually. Unseasonably hot weather continues with very very little rain. El Dorado hit 99 one day last week and we topped 97. At least the nights are getting longer and overnight lows are touching the 60's. Maybe we will see a break before long. Even the hurricanes are staying way to our south or east.

A Cool Labor Day...And Maybe Some Rain

2010-09-06T09:11:00.003-05:00

Topical Storm Hermine has formed in the western Gulf of Mexico and is headed for south Texas. This storm will bring much needed rain to Texas and since it is moving west of us it should increase our chances for rain this week.

No complaints about the Labor Day weekend. It's been dry and cool. For the first time since I don't know when the lows were in the 50s. Highs topped in the 80s. Not a cloud in the sky. Back to work tomorrow.

Nothing New

2010-08-22T08:35:00.002-05:00

Too hot to write.....Heat Wave continues.....Fall seems months away.....maybe I'll retire in Alaska.

We did have a nice thunderstorm Thursday afternoon that brought us 2.15 inches of rain. We had a sprinkle yesterday afternoon along with thunder and clouds....that kept the temperature in the upper 70's for awhile. Not much of a chance of rain at all for the next week.

Waiting for Relief

2010-08-15T14:43:00.004-05:00

I thought we could wait out this heat wave....but I'm not sure. Abandon hope ye who enter the mid-south. Someone told me the other day that they were getting used to the 100 degree days. Not me. It did rain here yesterday.....two one-hundredths of an inch. Temp dropped from 100 to 98 and then back to 100.

Full Bread Dog

2010-08-07T08:52:00.004-05:00

Before I get to the weather just a side note on Weasley. A couple of weeks ago the Wease made his semi-annual visit to the vet. The fat boy tipped the scales at a record 51 pounds. So, it was suggested he be put on a diet --- A cup and a half of food rather than two cups. This has not gone over very well. He wolfs down his food quickly and then stands at the pantry door wanting more. He begs more than usual. He has been getting into everything looking for a snack. He has also improved his leaping ability. Twice in the past two weeks he has managed to lunge to the middle of the counter and snatch a full loaf of bread. He carefully pulls off the twisty tie and proceeds to devour the entire loaf. Following the latest attack Weasley was obviously miserable with a bloated belly. No begging for the rest of that day.

Let's talk weather. 13 days so far this Summer with 100 degrees or higher. It's been worse:

1954 43 days

1980 42 days

So I guess it could be worse. By the way....all-time high for Little Rock was 112 set on July 31st 1986. The Weather Service Office in North Little Rock recorded 111 on August 30th, 2000.

What will Winter bring.....right now they say warm and dry.

It's Too Damn Hot

2010-08-01T09:17:00.002-05:00

Oh Boy.......another hot day with several more to come. We officially hit 102 yesterday and the same if forecast for the next several days. I guess the silver lining is that yesterday's high was 10 degrees shy of the all-time record high for Little Rock of 112 set on July 31, 1986. I remember that day well. I also remember the summer of 1980 when we had highs of 100 or more for 43 days. You know it's going to be a scorcher when you get up in the morning and the low was only 80.

The worst part of this is that there is no real relief in sight. Keep an eye on the tropics and maybe something will pop up.

Wish I was still in Colorado.

Long Journey Ends

2010-07-18T15:10:00.004-05:00

We just couldn't stand another day of the hot, humid weather of Arkansas....so we packed up and headed in search of cooler climes.

In a nutshell.....Santa Fe was OK for one day.... Spectacular enchanted loop near Taos...A wonderful step back in time aboard the Durango and Santa Fe Narrow Gage....a puckering drive over the million dollar highway.....Aspen--nothing special.....Steamboat as grand as always....mountain hiking - we're too old....and fly fishing - a new hobby.

Looks like we had about 2 3/4 inches of rain during the week or so that we were gone. Weasley spent time at the Chenal Pet Palace while we ate a great meal at a restaurant at the Palace Hotel. Can't say it's good to be back....but we are back.

The 4th

2010-07-03T10:18:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th of July. It's not expected to be as hot this weekend...but it's still too hot for me.

Hot!!!

2010-06-20T09:29:00.003-05:00

Way to tease us.......lots of thunder.....so much lightning.....and NO rain. Now the hot weather will really set in. Look for highs this week in the upper 90's to near 100. If we reach the century mark it will be the first triple-digit temp since the summer of 08.

And don't you just love it......Somebody got their life back.

Try too stay cool. By the way we can thank Laura for the lightning pics.

100 Year Flood

2010-06-11T20:22:00.002-05:00

A Blackhawk helicopter searches for survivors and victims of Friday morning's disastrous flood in southern Montgomery County along the Little Missouri and Caddo Rivers. The last official count I saw was 16 dead and dozens missing. It may take a few days to get a accurate tally. Six or Seven inches of rain fell in just a few hours time inundating the remote Albert Pike campground in the Ouachita National Forest.
This shot shows the devastation caused by the powerful flood waters.

Here is the USGS site for a river gauge at Langley just down stream from the campground. Notice how the water rose from 3 feet to 23 feet in such a short period of time.

First time in weeks that the national news has led with something other than the Gulf oil spill.

Several things

2010-06-10T16:39:00.002-05:00

First, I noticed that it was -3 this morning in Canberra (that's about 28)...but then found out Claire is back in the Sidney area for her final exam. Then she is off to the Great Barrier Reef area where it apparently is always warm. I think she will then be ready to return to the states and prepare for her Harry Potter World experience with Laura.

Thanks Kelly for this info on solar activity. This is something we will have to discuss more in the weeks ahead.

Rain in the forecast for us....1 to 3 inches thru tomorrow. I'll take all the rain I can this Summer.

Dust

2010-06-03T16:35:00.004-05:00

I just happened to be surfing this afternoon and came across a couple of interesting satellite photos. This one is from May 27th and clearly shows dust flying off the desert in Egypt and circling over the Mediterranean Sea

Two days later you can see on this composite that dust traveled all the way across the Atlantic and brushed along the coast of South America.
No dust here...yet...but plenty of hot weather. I agree with Pam that it is going to be a long - hot - Summer. Time for a refreshing trip to the beach. I hear there are a lot of values along the Redneck Rivera.

Summer gets underway

2010-05-31T19:44:00.003-05:00

Today - May 31st - is the anniversary of the worst flood in the history of the United States killing more than 2200 people in Johnstown, PA. Other floods covered larger areas like the 1937 floods on the Mississippi which killed 1100 and left 600,000 homeless. And of course many hurricanes over the years have caused extensive flooding.

Speaking of hurricanes....the Atlantic season officially begins tomorrow, June 1st. Accuweather has a good page for following this year's storms.

Memorial Day was very warm and muggy. We had various spells of thunder and some rain. More storms my pop up later in the week.

Take note of the pic below. I stole this one from Claire's Twitter. This photo was from Hobart, Tasmania where she also got the chance of view Tasmanian Devils. She showed us on of those pics this morning while Skyping from Melbourne.

Want to bet who would win a fight between this guy and Weasley????

More rain...here and there

2010-05-25T20:27:00.004-05:00

We had a nice severe thunderstorm late Tuesday afternoon with small hail, close lightning, and just over two inches of rain. That means no watering again for a few days. I think I've only run the sprinkler three times this year. Let's hope for another cool and wet Summer. The past few days have been extremely humid. I'm almost ready for Fall.

Speaking of rain.....word from down under is rain, rain and more rain. Claire did manage to get out of the rain and Skype with us yesterday. Last I heard she was headed for the nearby Blue Mountains. She flies to Tasmania this weekend. Here's the link to the official sight for the Bureau of Meteorology.

Lot's of TV shows coming to an end. Law and Order went out with a whimper Monday night after 20 years. I'll miss that one. 24 finished it 8th and final day.......but don't tell me how it ended.....I might not get to watch it till the weekend.

Oh yeah...the photo above was tweeted from Manly Walk near Sidney. You can see the city in the background.

Back with you

2010-05-22T08:07:00.002-05:00

Don't you just hate elections. I was so glad when last Tuesday rolled around and it would be safe to answer the phone again. Something has to be done about the robo dialers used by candidates. I bet we averaged 7 to 8 a day during the primary campaign. The runoff in the Democratic Senate race will probably bring a return of the auto calls. We even got calls from Clinton and Obama. Nothing quite like getting home from work and asking if anyone called...and the answer is "Barack called for you". November is still a long way off....but look for lots of turnover.

One child is airborne right now on her way to Australia. My next update will take a look at weather down under.

Tornado Season

2010-04-25T13:42:00.003-05:00

A sure sign that Spring is in full swing....killer tornadoes over the weekend in Mississippi and the return of the hummingbirds to Chenal. We lucked out here with no severe storms. We did get 1.75 inches of rain which washed the rest of the pollen out of the trees.

Beware of the Ash Clouds

2010-04-15T18:32:00.003-05:00

Amazing...absolutely amazing. It's been a long time (if ever) that an volcanic ash cloud has caused so much disruption. Thousands of flights have been cancelled across Europe and between here and there. Here's a link to a story at Accuweather that shows the ash will be around for awhile.

I don't know if it is enough ash or the right chemical mixture to have an impact on temperatures. We'll look into that on a later posting. Let's hope for more global cooling. Nothing pleases me more than for Jack Frost to be nipping at Al Gore's butt.

AaaaChooo

2010-04-10T08:52:00.004-05:00

I enjoy the temperatures in Spring, but boy do I hate the pollen. Earlier in the week the pollen count here peaked at a nine year high. Everyone I've talked to has complained and complained about how bad their allergies are this year. Accuweather has information on why. I know personally that I had a continuous headache last weekend and the first of the week. After Wednesday's rain the headache went away. With mostly dry weather forecast for the next few days I'm afraid the symptoms will return. Even Zyrtec didn't help. The Weather Channel also has some good information on our local pollen situation.

The best news so far this Spring is the lack of severe weather in the region. But...it's still early.

Spring

2010-03-28T11:19:00.002-05:00

I know, real creative. Not much going on right now in the weather as we move into Springs. I'm still getting adjusted to daylight savings time. What a stupid idea to move it up to March. Hopefully we will see days like above for the next couple of weeks.

Surprise for Dallas

2010-03-21T09:21:00.003-05:00

Pam woke to a surprising 5 inches of snow this morning. You can check her blog site for more photos.

Word from John is 9 to 10 inches in parts of Fayetteville with snow still falling. He'll be sending photos later.

Very interesting storm with snow falling from Northwest Arkansas all the way down the western edge of the state to Texarkana.....but nothing east of that. Even Harrison is getting just rain this morning. If you look at the radar you can see the very distinct comma of the wrap-around snow.

Return to Winter

2010-03-19T20:48:00.003-05:00

I know we won't see anything like this shot on my drive home last month.....but some area may see Winter weather on more time this season. As of Friday night the NWS is hedging their bet for central Arkansas and just mentioning a turnover to snow Sunday night. Extreme northwest Arkansas (Benton County) could see 5 or 6 inches.....Fayetteville 1 to 2 inches. Pam is forecasting maybe a half inch tomorrow evening. We'll watch for photos. Kelly looks clear at this time with just a cold rain. Springs storms like this are very hard to predict. A slight movement to the north or the south can mean rain only to heavy snow. The calender says Spring, so I'm ready for warmth.

A Variety of Weather

2010-03-14T08:54:00.002-05:00

We've had a variety of weather since my last posting. Top of the list was the outbreak of tornadoes Thursday evening. Above is a photo of the tornado that moved thru Saline County. As that storm moved into Pulaski County the funnel lifted back up into the clouds and sailed well above Chenal Valley. We did get a bit of hail in some areas. I knew there was a slight chance of severe weather, but no one expected a handful of damaging tornadoes. Here's a link to the NWS's recap.

On another topic have you taken a look at the newly improved Accuweather site. I especially like the way you can see the month at a glance showing what has been and what is forecast for the next 15 days. I expect we will be in for a good deal of severe weather this spring. The experts are also predicting a rough hurricane season.

Ready for Spring

2010-03-02T16:32:00.002-06:00

You know I love snow as much more than most people....but I am also a man for all seasons. March is here and after the cold, cold Winter I now ready for Spring. Of course, with Spring comes severe weather. I'm not sure if there is a correlation between severe storms and El Nino.

Winter is still trying to hang on. There were flurries in the state this morning and north Alabama and Georgia were getting snow this afternoon.

I've been very busy but will try to post again when I can.

A Taste Of Spring

2010-02-21T08:51:00.003-06:00

The past few days have given us a taste of early Spring. Temps up in the low 60s are teasing us for what's to come. We will shift back to below normal weather this week. The slight chances of snow will move south of us Tuesday with Pam and Kelly possible seeing a flake or two.

Time for an earthquake update. Here's the link to the USGS site. The map below shows that we've had some clusters north of Little Rock in the past week. When you go to the USGS site you can zoom in and get details.

The outbreak up north of hear is reminding me of the Enola swarm back in the early 80s. More on that and other Arkansas earthquakes at this site.

Arctic Oscillation

2010-02-14T12:07:00.002-06:00

We all know about El Nino....but combine that with what's called Arctic Oscillation and you get the kind of winter we're having. Here's a link to Accuweather's Joe Lundberg's blog. In that blog he has a link to some Arctic Oscillation charts and forecasts. As CCR said: "Looks like we're in for nasty weather".

Even as of this posting it's in the upper 40's at Mike Weather World....but cold air is moving in more rapidly than forecast and I would not be surprised to see a few flakes of snow by dark. East and Southeast Arkansas might get up to an inch. Another storm is brewing for late in the week, but too soon to pinpoint how cold and what type of precip.

Snow In All 50 States

2010-02-12T16:40:00.004-06:00

Thank to Claire for reminding me that today in one of those rare days in weather history in this country. Snow is on the ground in all 50 states. Here is a storm report from the NWS in Mobile that covers NW Florida. When you go to it just scroll down and you'll find some storm reports of snow in FL. I remember this happening back one time in the late 70's when we had three bad winters in a row.

Below is a photo from Kelly. I also borrowed her photo for the top of the blog. She reported 2.25 inches of snow.

Pam was the winner in this storm. DFW airport got over a foot of snow breaking 24 hour snowfall records. Pam ended up with some 6 to 8 inches of snow in her yard.

We drew a blank this time. Didn't even see a flake. We do still have 2 to 3 on the ground on northern exposures. I heard one of the idiots on TV this morning read a question from a viewer wondering if this was the most snow Little Rock had seen ever.......Not even close. When I have some time I will dig out some weather records for a few places in Arkansas. Just a few days before Claire was born we had a foot of snow. Still, It has been a decent winter so far. More rain and snow in the forecast for Sunday.

Wow ! ... What a Winter

2010-02-10T16:25:00.006-06:00

This is what 40 inches of snow looks like. This is our Cousin's house in northern Delaware close to the PA state line. They had 30 inches over the weekend...6 more overnight...and even more during the day. As you all know I am a BIG lover of snow - but even this is too much for me. Apparently this storm was the straw that broke the camel's back. Notice the photo above taken from the street (I think it's a street) there is a For Sale sign. There's moving to Texas where not everything is always bigger, just better.

Looking at Ben and Terry's pictures I'm almost ashamed to publish this shot of the back of our house from yesterday. Just 4 inches.

A very interesting result from this storm. As I told you in an earlier post we had about 5 inches when it turned to heavy rain. When the precip stopped and the wind picked up and dropped temperatures well below freezing the pine trees bent over and developed icicles. Here's a couple of pics and you can notice they look like claws coming out of the end of the limbs. Some were up to a foot long. It doesn't take much to entertain me!

More snow is in the forecast. Most should fall south of us. The say we may see an inch or so, but time will tell. This next system will probably bring a couple of inches to Pam and Kelly. I'm sure they will let me know.

One final thought....does anyone know where Al Gore is? Maybe he's hibernating somewhere waiting for all this global warming to melt.

3pm Update

2010-02-08T14:51:00.007-06:00

Don't even think about making me go outside in this weather......

Heavy snow accumulated to 5 inches......the it turned to heavy rain. And more heavy rain. We are back down to about 3 inches of mess. Hopefully it will turn back over to snow soon. It's going to be a real mess in the morning.

Finally, Snow

2010-02-08T12:44:00.002-06:00

Winter Storm Warning for the area with 5 inches on the ground as of 1pm. More snow is forecast. I'll have more photos later. Above is the drive home on Cantrell between my office and Taylor Loop. Rahling hill was a disaster.

Surprise snow ... 2 inches this morning. Sleet snow and rain continue.

2010-02-08T08:44:00.001-06:00

Winter Continues

2010-02-07T09:22:00.002-06:00

Once again....right on the edge. This has been the winter of "almost". The exact track of the Monday storm will determine if we get nothing or a little something. North Arkansas has had all the fun this year. I have a feeling this will go down as one of the snowiest winters in north Arkansas in a number of years. He is a link to this storm from the NWS.

The Mid-Atlantic area really got blasted by the latest storm. Some areas up to 38 inches. Parts of DC had anywhere from 18 to 28 inches of snow. I even saw a headline that said hearings with Al Gore may have to be postponed because of the cold and snow. Ha!

Late Janurary Winter Storm

2010-01-30T08:43:00.005-06:00

You can tell we got our paper this morning. That's the only thing that spoils this view.

Even a little slush in the lake.

St Francis always enjoys a little snow.

Well......this is more than we had a Christmas. W ended up with just what was forecast for Little Rock. Officially at Mike's Weather World we received 1.25 inches of sleet and .75 inches of Snow. The sleet started in the wee hours Friday morning just as forecast. Heavy sleet fell during the afternoon. As the upper level low tracked across the state Friday evening we picked up a little light snow. It did get cold with a low this morning of 23. Clouds will keep it below freezing today with clearing and teens expected overnight.

North Arkansas got the brunt of the storm with Northwest areas getting several inches. Highest totals I've seen were 11 inches near Mountain Home. Winter's only half over, so we could see more snow in February.

In my next posting I will share any photos I might receive from the far northwest.

Winter Storm

2010-01-29T13:28:00.002-06:00

We are getting our first true winter storm of the season. So far it has been a little freezing rain and a lot of sleet. I'll have photo updates later in the weekend.

Astronomy

2010-01-24T13:17:00.003-06:00

See Spot....see Spot on Sun....hot Spot hot. A couple of interesting posts on Accuweather's Astronomy Blog. This picture of recent sunspot activity came from a link at the Astronomy Blog site. The picture at the top of my page is of the Orion nebula in visible and infrared.

Weather has been boring here lately and definately too warm. Maybe a change is on the way in the next week or two. There is rain and snow in the forcast for Thursday night, but it's too early to tell.

Cold Spell Ending

2010-01-13T21:01:00.003-06:00

After several days of well below normal temps we are now back to more normal winter weather. It was a shame there was no snow to go with the cold. We had lows on Fri, Sat and Sun of 9,15, and 11. We may see some rain later in the week and into the weekend.

Don't worry about the Wease.....the water was only a foot or so deep.

Not quite as cold as forecast

2010-01-09T09:14:00.002-06:00

A cold and bleak Saturday morning. This had definitely been the coldest weather in a number of years here in Arkansas. Central Arkansas has missed out on some of the extremes. Cloud cover overnight kept our temps in the mid to upper teens with a few snow flurries early today. Mike's Weather World reported a low of 9 on Friday morning, but only 16 this morning. Forecast is for near 10 tonight...but we shall see. An old rule of thumb for temperatures in Arkansas....it seldom gets below 10 degrees unless there is snow or ice on the ground. That's why Northwest Arkansas has had lows around zero for the past few mornings. I'm not complaining....the season is still young and I'm still hoping for a decent snowfall or two. I would hate for this to become another Winter of my discontent.

Here's a link to the Weather Service on the past few days of cold. And today there is even sleet being reported in central Florida. Accuweather has several links to this extreme winter outbreak. This morning there are freezing temperatures as far south as Brownsville, TX and Orlando, FL.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2010-01-05T19:00:00.003-06:00

This is what it will look like here by Thursday morning. Unprecedented cold is headed our way along with some snow. Right now it looks like we will only get up to an inch of snow in central Arkansas with more in the Northwest and the Northeast. Temperatures will fall sharply overnight Wednesday and continue falling throughout the day Thursday. Strong northerly winds will cause blowing snow. This will be a very dry snow. Usually the snow to water ratio is about 10 to 1. This system will be in the range of 20 to 1. Friday night will be the coldest with a low here in west Little Rock near the 5 degree mark.

Last night was the coldest of the year with a low at my house (and the airport) of 13-degrees. The high this afternoon was only 30. The low this morning in Fayetteville was 5 above with the cols spots being XNA (Northwest Arkansas Airport) at minus one and Gilbert on the Buffalo at minus two. We may get a little above freezing tomorrow afternoon...then it will be below freezing until Monday afternoon.

This is by far the coldest spell in our area in at least the past 25 years. It reminds me of the winters we had in the late 70's.

Yes, you know I have to say it --- Global Warming?????? You be the judge. Record cold and snow in China and Korea. Cold and snow in Spain. Cold in Great Britain. I understand it's even cold at Al Gore's Tennessee mansion.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T11:56:00.003-06:00

A New Years Eve new moon only occurs about every 20 years. Last night's could be seen here once the clouds cleared out about midnight. Wow...has the past decade flown by or what. Seems like only yesterday we were all worried about Y2K and nothing working the next morning. Now we can start a three year worry that things once again will stop working.

As for the weather.....one word here -- boring. 40's and 20's....40's and 20's. I appreciate the cold weather, but where is our snow! It appears I am being punished for all the previous years of gloating that "we got more snow than Dallas". Our day will come again and the eyes of Texas will stare coldly and enviously at our snow covered rooftops.

There are flurries in the Sunday forecast....but that doesn't excite me. At least cold weather should continue for the early part of January.

An Almost White Christmas

2009-12-25T20:19:00.005-06:00

OK ...Look closely at the white Christmas we had. After more than 9.50 inches of rain this past week we managed to only see a few flakes fall in the wee hours of Christmas morning. I was not awake, of course. At least it did get cold with a low this morning of 27. I guess I'll officially call this a trace of snow.

Because of the Great Recession we had to skimp a little this Christmas. Below you can see the kids scratching off their dollar lotto tickets....

It really was a good Christmas. As we all get older it gets harder and harder to buy presents. We usually pick out our own gifts. That way there's no disappointment on Christmas morning. Laura was up at 5am, but managed to stay away from out house until 8:00. Claire and John will still rather celebrate Christmas afternoon.

I guess I'll now have to hope for a White New Year.

White Christmas????? Really?

2009-12-24T12:24:00.003-06:00

I know last week I said no white Christmas....but the big storm system to our west is moving farther south that first forecast. As of this update Pam is getting snow. We may even see a dusting here. Parts of northwest Arkansas could see up to 8 inches. Speaking of 8 inches...how bout all this rain. Here at Mike's weather center We have picked up 8.94 inches of rain in the past 36 hours. I-30 was closed this morning between Little Rock and Benton.

We'll keep up to date on the weather....Merry Christmas.

No White Christmas this year

2009-12-20T16:38:00.002-06:00

Once again we are all disappointed that we won't be having a White Christmas. All the cold weather we've had this month....and now a warmup. We may see 60 degrees by Wednesday. At least it should be below freezing Christmas morning.

Brief update

2009-12-12T08:54:00.002-06:00

Not a lot of excitement here. It has been a cold week. We had a couple of days with lows in the upper teens and highs only in the 30s. Fayetteville did hit 9 degrees one morning. No snow for us. Maybe a little rain today. The next couple of days will be warmer, but more cold weather is just around the corner.

Deep In The Heart Of Texas

2009-12-05T08:12:00.003-06:00

This is what much of southeast Texas looked like Friday as an early Winter storm brought snowflakes to places that don't see that much snowfall. Some areas in Houston got up to 4 inches of snow. Back on Wednesday places like Plano saw big white flakes fall. We even had snow mixing in with rain in west Little Rock on Wednesday. Cold weather has settled in. We recorded 17 for a low this morning. This is perfect weather for December.

A breezy day on top of the mountain

2009-11-28T09:04:00.002-06:00

I thought the picture would be bigger. That's Mt Washington yesterday afternoon. Winds are gusting up over 100mph this weekend. Here's a link to the Mt Washington Observatory.

Rain is headed our way

2009-11-27T14:40:00.004-06:00

A stuffed belly from Thanksgiving and lots and lots of football. I think I'll just lie in the sun. Clouds and rain are returning Sunday and Monday. In fact, it will be a cold rain. Still no snow.

Cooler Weather for Thanksgiving

2009-11-22T16:31:00.003-06:00

All the rain in October spoiled most of the fall color this year. I did catch this shot across the lake. I've only had a little over a half inch of rain so far this month. Cooler temperatures are expected over Thanksgiving, hopefully cool enough for a fire.

I have included a link to the Accuweather global warming blog. Take note of the November 19 article on the Younger Dryas mini ice age.

Changes coming

2009-11-15T08:49:00.003-06:00

Just a quick update. Sunday will be the last dry day in the 70s for awhile. Rain is likely overnight and tomorrow with falling temperatures during the day. Monday night will see lows near the 40 degree mark. Much cooler weather seems likely around Thanksgiving.

In answer to a previoous question....the leaf photo at the top is from last year. We never had a lot of color this year before the leaves were blown off in the rain.

Indian Summer?

2009-11-08T09:29:00.003-06:00

There for awhile I written off Indian Summer, which usually comes in October. The past few afternoons have felt like Indian Summer.....Absolutely beautiful afternoons following cool mornings. At this time it doesn't appear we are in for any heavy rain for awhile. We could see some showers early in the week.

How bot Ida! A late season hurricane is entering the Gulf and north and then east. It used to be hurricane season ended on the first of November. Now, it's considered to be over by the end of November.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Get Back Into The Water

2009-11-05T17:25:00.002-06:00

As the Market again tops 10,000 once again a storm is gathering to the south. Hurricane season officially ends November 30th. It's been such a quiet year in the tropics...and now a new storm.

Rain, Rain...Come Again

2009-10-28T20:09:00.002-05:00

Come on coach....put me in. It can't hurt.

The active October weather continues. Frost warnings in the central valley of California...snow in the Rockies....moving out into the Great Plains. And, of course, more rain headed for us. And it will be heavy rain. I already recorded over eight inches of rain so far this month. I'll check our average for the next post.

You know that Mt Washington is one of my favorite places...hard weather. Here are some great pictures from the Accuweather Mt Washington blog. Let me know how the rain is in your area.

Global Hoax

2009-10-22T18:34:00.003-05:00

I love it! Haven't I always said Global Warming is a left-wing conspiracy created by Al Gore so Al Gore and his cronies can make money. Check this link out....I saw the story on NBC Nightly News. Yes, we are undergoing climate change....we always have and always will.

Rain, Rain, Rain,and more Rain! It started here around 3:00 this morning and has just stopped as a front moves thru. We have had right at 2.50 inches. Waaaaay above normal for the year.

Frosty Mornin'

2009-10-19T18:31:00.002-05:00

The rains ended and it turned almost cold over the weekend. Highs were in the upper 50's. Sunday morning I hit 34 degrees....there was even scattered frost. The Weather Service actually set a low for the date at 37. Look for another round of rain Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Another cool weekend if expected. I love it!

No more rain

2009-10-15T19:37:00.003-05:00

The rainbow signals the end of the rain. We need to dry out....especially south Arkansas. At the halfway mark for October we have had 6.27 inches at Mike's Weather World. We actually saw the sun late today and it's getting cooler. Saturday night will be the first opportunity this year to burn a fire. Out lows will hit the upper 30s. North Arkansas will probably see their first freeze of the season. And, the trees are just beginning to change. I love Fall.

The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly in Arkansas

2009-10-12T16:08:00.004-05:00

Water water everywhere.....we had .20 as of 7am. Another .10 fell during the day. Mostly drizzle this afternoon and more rain is in the forecast. Maybe there's hope for Winter. Maybe the old farmer will be right.

Quick update

2009-10-09T17:22:00.003-05:00

New rain guage recorded 1.38 as of 7am and another 2.01 later. Storm total was 3.39 inches. I heard the River Market got 4.01. Much cooler weather for the weekend with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. Northwest parts may see the low 30s. I would not be surprised to see the first freeze in the state this weekend.

Heavy Rain

2009-10-08T16:39:00.003-05:00

A very wet and stormy pattern setting up for the next day or two. Not only are severe thunderstorms possible, but also very heavy rain. Central Arkansas could get two or three inches while the northwest could see up to six inches in some areas. Cooler weather is expected for the weekend. You knew it would rain tomorrow since it is the opening day of the state fair. I quit going many years ago.

I've had a total of 2.12 inches so far this month. I'll try to over the weekend.

Football and Fall

2009-10-04T11:34:00.002-05:00

Finally a good Saturday. Arkansas thrashed the Aggies and ASU showed they're no pushover. Two of the kids traveled to "Jerry World" to watch the game, party, and check out what you get for 1.2-Billion dollars. No recession in the Republic. The Indians (they will always be the Indians to me) almost beat 13th ranked Iowa on national TV losing 24 to 21.

Rain moved in overnight and may be with us for a few days. It feels GREAT outside this morning with temps in the mid 50s and light rain. The official Weather World rain gauge chalked up .16 as of 7am. About the same amount has fallen since then. Most of the heavy rain has been to the south of us.

Where the Action is

2009-09-30T18:37:00.002-05:00

OK...First things first. This is the new "Official" rain gauge for Mike's Weather World. I will now be able to measure a much more exact amount of rain. I might even join an organization that posts rain, snow, and hail on the Internet. More on that in a future post.

It definitely feels like Fall. Highs have been in the 70s the past few days and this morning we reached 48.4 here in the valley. Tomorrow will be much warmer ahead of a strong cold front. Expect thunderstorms overnight Thursday night....some could be severe. Cooler weather after that. The Fall roller coaster maybe beginning.

As you well know there have been two powerful earthquakes in the past couple of days - one creating a killer tsunami. The big picture above is quite interesting. After watching a special on the History Channel the other night I went to the University of Oregon volcano site and hit this link to the latest on Anak Krakatoa (child of Krakatoa). Check it out for some great pictures.

Drying Out

2009-09-27T09:02:00.001-05:00

Not a lot to report. It looks as if we will see that slightly cooler early Fall weather this week. Some days will see highs only in the 70s and lows in the 50s. Low here this morning was 55.

Don't be fooled! The rain is not gone for long

2009-09-20T09:20:00.003-05:00

Has the rain stopped for now? If so, for how long? No such luck. The sun may be shining this morning...but more rain is likely later in the week. If you're like me it's time for dryer and cooler fall-like air. In think in a week's time I received in the neighborhood of 8 to 9 inches of rain. Not as much as south Arkansas. If you remember, last year saw a lot of rain in September along with tropical storm winds. Above is the former willow tree of our neighborhood.

Speaking of storms.....how bout that big thunderstorm raging on Saturn. And another note of interest. It appears the Arctic ice minimum has peaked and in the last 30 years it ranked 3rd (not as much melting as the past two years). Experts blame the bigger ice on cooler weather this summer. Maybe Congress should rethink any additional clunker deals. If the ice continues to grow it could jeapordize global warming. Remember folks....people like Al Gore are the ones who will benefit the most from global warming. Maybe the trend will reverse next year. I'm still hoping to take a boat ride thru the Northwest Passage before I die.

Rainy Days and Mondays

2009-09-14T19:27:00.004-05:00

The rains continue. It was cloudy all weekend here in central Arkansas with most of our inch and a half coming on Saturday morning. But many parts of the state continued to get rain today. More is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow...drier weather is coming later in the week. I understand parts of south Arkansas got several inches over the past few days.

OK....why the picture of the sun. Has the electromagnetic field reversed yet? --- no. But some say the sun is responsible for a slowdown in "global warming". As most of you know, I do NOT believe in manmade global warming. It's all cycles. Why do you think they named that big island off the coast of Canada - Greenland. It wasn't because of green snow and ice. An interesting link on the Accuweather global warming blog.

Football Begins With A Chance Of Rain

2009-09-04T20:58:00.003-05:00

No one knows for sure of the origin of Notre Dame's slogan "Play like a champion today". The current sign was put up by Lou Holtz in 1986, but rumor has it that the saying was a Divine revelation from God to Notre Dame's founder, Father Edward Sorin back in 1842. Maybe there will be a little more "Luck of the Irish" this season.

Tomorrow is tailgating at War Memorial. I will tailgate, but skip the game. I guess I'm spoiled...I'd rather watch football on TV. Arkansas hosts Missouri State. Arkansas State will entertain Mississippi Valley State and Central Arkansas plays at midnight Friday night at Hawaii. The real NFL starts next weekend.

Chances of rain keep going up and down, up and down. Who knows if it will rain. With football starting, it just makes me all that much more ready for Fall.

Pleasant August

2009-08-29T08:52:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since an update. This time last year we had a couple of tropical storms to talk about. This hurricane season has been mild so far with most of the activity staying off the east coast.

August is rapidly coming to an end and I really can't remember an August that was this pleasant over all. I know we've had cool months due to tropical storms....but I can't remember so many clear days with temps in the 80s and low 90s. I could almost survive this type of summer. In a few days the Weather Service will have stats for the month, which I will pass along.

We did get about a half inch of rain yesterday in two separate storms. That was enough to postpone watering for a few more days. In fact I have only run the sprinkler 3 times since the 4th of July.....yet my water bill hasn't gone down.

Make that 3 Storms...and counting

2009-08-16T14:30:00.002-05:00

Whe now have three named storms...and others may be brewing. Here's the link to Accuweather.

Finally....A Tropical Storm

2009-08-15T08:51:00.003-05:00

I've been waiting for the first named storm of the season.....and here she is - Ana. She's still a long way off, but most likely will slide up the east side of Florida in about a week. We'll keep watching.

Meanwhile, the rainy weather pattern has been replaced with a relatively mild dry air mass. Highs this week have been in the upper 80s and low 90s with humidity levels at a more comfortable level. Temps are on the rise this weekend, but it maybe a few days before we see a decent chance of rain. This maybe our "dog days" of Summer.

Record Setting July

2009-08-01T18:39:00.003-05:00

I'm amazed at how many hummingbirds have been at the feeder lately. All this rain has limited the number of real blossoms.

August began on a rainy note. Early morning and midday thundershowers left us with about a half inch of rain. July turned out to be a real record breaker. A number of communities set all-time records for rainfall in July. Little Rock airport well over 11 inches breaking the old record that has stood since 1891. Records have been kept in Little Rock for 130 years. July also went down as the coolest since 1968. Little Rock had an average temperature of 79 degrees, which was 3.4 degrees below normal.

Another note on rainfall.....7 months into the year we are more than 14 inches above normal for rainfall. Little known fact - Little Rock gets more rain on average that Seattle. We get on average 49 inches a year and Seattle picks up just under 39 inches. The difference is we have rain on average of 104 days a year and Seattle see rain on 158 days. By contrast Dallas gets about 29 inches a year.

No tropiclal weather to talk about so far this season.

Dog Days Of Summer

2009-07-26T18:44:00.003-05:00

OK...I borrowed this from Kelly's website. I liked the picture.....and we are well into the "dog days of Summer".

Not a lot to talk about today....Cloudy morning with a hot, sunny afternoon, We are expecting a increasing change of rain as we move into the new week. We could see some heavy rains.

Speaking of Dog Days ... Be glad you don't live in Phoenix. Their heat advisory calls for highs in the 115 range and lows at night only in the upper 80s. Don't tell me it's just a dry heat.

One Small Step For A Man

2009-07-19T13:53:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe it's been 40 years since landing on the moon. I still remember it so clearly. It was by far the greatest achievement of mankind. I found this spectacular batch of pictures of the mission on the Boston Globe website.

How 'bout our weather this weekend. Record-breaking cool and very mild afternoons. We did see a sprinkle of rain Sunday afternoon. I'll take 80s and 60s any Summer.

One final note - too bad for Tom Watson. So close....still a great achievement for a 59 year old.

And That's The Way It Is...Friday, July 17th 2009

2009-07-18T08:06:00.002-05:00

The most trusted man in America passes on at age 92. Too bad he couldn't hold on till Monday to see the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Walter Cronkite will always be the leading icon of broadcast journalism.

As for weather....all I can say is WOW. It was 59 at our house this morning. This will probably be the most pleasant July weekend in years. Highs in the 80s, lows near 60 and low humidity. And the initial outlook for winter is for cooler and wetter weather in the South.

Stormy Weather

2009-07-14T21:02:00.003-05:00

Wow....monsoon season is here. So Far this month it has once again been a roller coaster with heat and rain. High humidity has been the only constant. We had record breaking rainfall back on the 4th...then hot and dry. Clouds kept Sunday a little cooler, but still very humid. It's that kind of humidity that just drains you. Thunderstorms rolled thru Monday morning with some rain. Overnight, everyone in Central Arkansas was startled away around 1:30 with the most violent display of lightning I've seen in a long time. Storms were not forecast...they just popped up northwest of the city and moved thru one after another. We were lucky....the only set off our alarm. My next door neighbor lost a TV....and two more houses over lightning struck a tree and blew out a computer and wall sockets. That neighbor had a lightning strike about 3 or 4 years ago that set his house on fire. No flames this time. I can't stress the unbelievable display of lightning....it was almost continuous. Looks like we could see some additional scattered storms later in the week.

The Patriot

2009-07-04T13:47:00.002-05:00

Weasley the guard dog. Don't mess with him....or he'll show you a real fireworks display. It's a quiet Fourth of July here. Weather is hot, but bearable. Humidity levels have been relatively low for the past few days. There is a good chance of thunderstorms tonight or early tomorrow. Lows at night have been in the 60s most mornings. Now begins that long hot streach between the 4th and Labor Day.

Happy 4th.