Warm Today, Cold Tomorrow

The first day of 2012 was just like the last day of 2011, mild.  Temperatures today were about 10 degrees higher compared to this day lat year.  Even though we have a had a mild start for this winter this are turning around for a pleasant seasonal change.  Starting tomorrow a considerable drop will occur and temperature at night will fall well below freezing.  Starting tomorrow high will be in the mid 40's for the upstate and not breaking 30 in the mountains. Lows on Monday night will be going along with the trend with lows in the Upstate hovering at about 22 degrees and the upper teens in the mountains.  For many skiers and boarders in the Carolinas, this is a sign of good fortunes.  Snow making will be in full swing but not only by machine.  Mars Hill can see up to 4" of fresh powder by Tuesday afternoon;  as for Beech and Sugar snow accumulations will be about 3".

Upstate 5 day
Mon. High 45 Low 22; Tues. High 38 Low 20; Wed. High 45 Low 30; Thurs. High 53 Low 32; Fri. High 57 Low 43

Mountain 5 day
Mon. High 28 Low 17; Tues. High 30 Low 18; Wed High 42 Low 24; Thurs. High 47 Low 29; Fri. High 58 Low 35

Weather Mike

Nov 16th storms update

A line of severe storms hit the Southeast hard the other day.  5 states experience severe weather leading to property damage as well as a rising death toll which now stands at 6.  Dozens of homes and businesses were damages and thousands of people are without power in the region.  Property damage totals and storm intensities are currently unavailable.  For more detailed information, please see past post.

Natures Fury

A string of severe storms ripped through the Southeast on Wednesday leaving a trail of death and destruction.  Tornadoes have been reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina.  As of this time there have been no confirmations of the tornadoes touching down or their intensities but there are many eye witness accounts to back the claims.  In Alabama a tornado was seen just outside of the Auburn University, fortunately there were no injuries reported but some trailer homes were damaged.  Unfortunately for those in Mississippi severe storms tore through Jones County where trees were toppled onto houses trapping people; mobile homes were also torn off their foundations.  15 people were reported to have injuries from that cell alone.  Unfortunately, today was also a fatal day.  The first fatality came from northern Georgia as a tree toppled over onto a SUV.  The Upstate of South Carolina was also impacted by these storms.  In a rural part of York County, about five miles southwest of Rock Hill there was a reported tornado touching down.  At this point of time, three people have been confirmed dead, police are currently going door to door checking on survivors.

Updates will be coming in the morning.
Weather Mike

Monster Storm Hits Alaska; Other Severe Weather

Alaska's Severe Storm -
Our last frontier, Alaska, is being pummeled by a powerful storm with winds reaching 80 mph sustained.  Residents of Nome as well as other villages in the area are being urged to take higher ground.  Gusts from this Bering Sea fueled storm have the potential to reach in excess of 100 mph with blinding snow.  The greatest threat though will be to the coastal villages with storm surge reaching up to 8ft.  Many areas, even those with sea walls, are under a threat of floods and damages cause by storm surge debris.  The storm surge threat will not wayne until late Wednesday.

Tropic Watch -
Tropical Storm Sean is churning away in the Atlantic with winds gusting up to 70 mph and taking a NW track at 3 mph.  The only threat this storm has on the United States is an increased chance of rip currents along the Southeast coastline.  Besides that, the storm is predicted to make a turn to the west and take a WNW track just above Bermuda and fizzle out from there on.  No other tropical activity is being reported at this time.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let is Snow -
If it doesn't feel like its getting to that time of the year where the decorations come down from the attic, just take a trip up to the Great Lakes.  The region is expected to pick up a few inches of snow over the next few days.  The greatest threat comes today in northers Wisconsin where over 5" are expected to fall in that area.

That sums it up for whats making news today,
Weather Mike

Fall Fun

The Upstate of South Carolina, as well as the entire region, will be experiencing superb weather this weekend it needs to be asked, why stay inside?

• Families that are looking for something to do that encompasses a little education I would suggest picking up a book on local vegetation and to go to a local, state, or national park.  When there have your kids point out what type of tree or plant they are observing and a fun fact about them.  This time of year is the best time to go as the leafs have reached or are reaching their peak of color change and the temperatures are cooled down.  Another fun project while out there for both kids and adults would to collect leafs and help preserve them by press laminating for color preservation.  From there the kids can identify as well as refer to the leafs and their colors in the future.
• For the golfers out there you could not ask for a better weekend.  Temperatures highs will range between the 50's to mid 70's throughout the region.  There will be a slight breeze with clear skies and a moderate UV rating making it a comfortable day to play.
• With hunting season now underway this weekend is shaping up to be an outdoor paradise with Saturday and Sunday temperatures at dawn resting in the 40's and a little frosty in other parts.  For the fishers out there I would recommend taking a wind breaker out there with you as the breeze will make it feel colder than the actual temperature.

The most importuning the to remember is while you have fun out there, always remember to stay safe and stay hydrated.

Weather Mike

Precipitation out West, Dry in the East

Back to back weather systems coming down from Alaska, is going to shape up for a long, wet, and cold week ahead.  As the set of storms make their way down, lower elevations should expect to see mainly a cold rain.  The upper elevations should expect a fair amount of snow.  The Sierra Nevadas as well as some parts of Colorado might experience near blizzard conditions.  Speaking of blizzard conditions, eastern Colorado and far west Kansas are experiencing their first potential blizzard of the year.  Moving out east, after a record setting October snowfall for the northern half of the region, there will be a little bit of precipitation Thursday into Friday and a pleasantly cool weekend at hand.

Tomorrow will have another original article from Weather Mike.

Rare Aurora

Last night people as far south as Mississippi saw the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, for the first time in almost a decade.  Last nights phenomenon has the opportunity to repeat itself tonight as the effects f the strong storm is still lingering.  Unfortunately being able to predict when tonights events will happen is not an exact science but will most likely occur between midnight and 2 AM.  Within the next year to year and a half this will become more common as the sun reaches the peak of its solar cycle during late 2012 into early 2013.

I get this question often, what exactly causes the Auroras, why does it produce color, what damage can it do?

• An Aurora starts when the Sun, a Yellow Dwarf Star, releases particles into space in an energetic release also know as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). As those particles bombarded our planet we are kept safe by our magnetic field.   At the the magnetic North and South Poles though, there is a gap where there is no magnetic field, allowing the high energy particles to enter our atmosphere.  As they bombard the upper levels, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen to produce a wave like light the moves across the sky usually going as low as the 42nd Parallel.  Last nights storm was so strong it was seen as far south as approximately, the 32nd Parallel.  

• As the altitude changes so does the color of the lights, Red is seen when the oxygen is above 150 miles, Green is seen when oxygen is up to 150 miles, Purple/Violet is seen with nitrogen is above 60 miles, and finally Blue is seen when nitrogen is up to 60 miles. 

•  As these hyper charged particles pass into our atmosphere it can cause many problems to modern technologies.  First is to our much depended on satellites.  From GPS, to TV, to telephones, to military technologies they all can be affected as the bombardment causes electronics in space to fail.  This would bring a virtual standstill to todays everyday life.  On the ground, if a storm is strong enough it could cause anything that is electrical and running to blackout.  This means any personal electronic, vehicles, power plants,  and substations.  The only way to fix this, is by replacing all damaged components which when it comes to power plants and substations it will be a lengthy and costly fix.

Weather Mike

Email photos of last nights and tonights phenomenon to weather.mike39@gmail.com