New WxEdge Article 12/30/12

Just finished up a new article for WxEdge.com about how "That Pesky Rain/Snow Line Strikes Again" in reference to how the snow storms have been going this year in light of yesterday's surprise change to rain during the nor'easter on 12/29/12.

My latest WxEdge Article 12/28/12

Finally got around to writing another article on WxEdge.com, a local news affiliate site about the weather, which I have been a contributor to since last February.  This article is about the latest Drought Monitor released on Christmas Day and the large area of the country that is experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions! Check it out here:  2012 Drought Continues...Just Not for CT 

Gift for a weather geek!

This is what you get as a gift from a friend when your a weather geek! A weather map on a tshirt! I love it!!

Foggy December Day 12/10/12

It's almost mid December and here in CT a warm front straddles the coastline. Temperatures range from the upper 40's to mid 50's this morning with a chance of hitting 60 degrees this afternoon. Although the temps make for a more comfortable day with no overcoat, it sure is a buzz kill when it comes to the Christmas Spirit!

With most warm fall days comes the fog and today is no different! As moisture streams northward it hits the cooler air causing it to condense at ground level and creating what we see as fog. Along the CT coast and CT valleys, this fog can be very dense. Below are some photos I took with my iPhone of fog at the beach. As you can see the first picture is of a flag pole at Anchor Beach, the rock it sits on is only 20-25 feet away from the street, over the water, yet it's hard to see! The second picture actually shows concrete steps that were removed due to damage from Hurricane Sandy with fog in the background! And finally the last picture is of Woodmont beach in the fog!

Fire Island Cut in two by Hurricane Sandy

In the past few days I've seen a few different articles on the Internet about the new inlet created by Hurricane Sandy on Fire Island New York. Thankfully it happened Ina wildlife refugee area and there were no homes destroyed at this section. If you didn't know Fire Island, like many coastal areas of the east coast is a barrier island. A barrier island is a small strip of land that parallels the main coast. It is a transitional environment that changes with constant beach erosion and storms. In fact the islands actually move depending on how currents move the sand. Basically the islands are giant sandbars that have grown to a point that they don't go underwater at high tide. With that said it is a favorite beach vacation spot up and down the east coast of America. This created a building boom which has made these island less transitional and more manmade which means they are having a more difficult time moving and transitioning with storms. The break seen below is actually a very common and normal occurrence in regards to a barrier island environment.

As much as I enjoy vacationing on barrier islands like Ocean City, MD my knowledge of their environment and the weather that contributes to the transitioning environment
Tells me that these islands are not places where people should be living!
The below link is where I found the before and after photos of the break at Fire Island.


http://www.nps.gov/fiis/naturescience/post-hurricane-sandy-breaches.htm

Super Typhoon Bopha! 12-3-12

Hurricane Sandy was bad here on the East Coast, there is no denying that, but Super Typhoon Bopha in the western Pacific is terrifying!! The super typhoon made landfall in the Philippines on December 3, 2012 with winds of 160 mph!!! 160 mph!!! That's just crazy!!

I am not familiar with the Philippines' warning system or response to these storms, although they do experience them often. I hope everyone is safe tonight in the impacted zone!


Below is a satellite image from earlier this morning via The Weather Channel, via NOAA of Bopha approaching the Philippines, almost looks like a textbook example!