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The last 24 hours have seen a dramatic increase in thunderstorms to the northeast of Puerto Rico. I have a couple of concerns with this system. First the proximity to the Southeast, and we that we could see further strengthening quickly once the upper low to the west pulls away and weakens. That is expected by Wednesday. The two are intertwined right now, which is an unfavorable situation for development, but this will change in 36 hours. Right now it is travelling west at 20mph At this point it looks unlikely to threaten South Florida, but if it did have any impact it would be around Thursday. If it's given a name it would be TS Danny. BTW, probably the best model out there, the ECMWF, takes the system to the northern Bahamas and then South Carolina coastline on Friday.
![[JavaScript Image Player]](http://moe.met.fsu.edu/tcgengifs/gfs/2009082418/slp9.png)
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Get outside at 8:19PM tonight and look toward the south. You'll see the Space Station track across the sky. It'll look like a bright star moving slowly overhead. The beach is a great place to view it.
For best viewing watch toward the south at 8:19PM. The Station will move toward the East Northeast, and take about 4 minutes to make the trip.
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Tonight's Shuttle Launch is set for 7:43PM Eastern Time. Here's a map of regions that can see the launch. Additional info below the graphic.
Viewing Map: Weather permitting, a night launch of the space shuttle is typically visible from much of the East Coast. The most dramatic view is from inside the yellow circle. But within the red circle, skywatchers may see very bright, pulsating, fast-moving object that resembles the brightest stars in the sky from 3 to 8 minutes after launch. For viewers near the edges of the circles, however, the shuttle will hug the horizon, so an unobstructed view is needed. Credit: SPACE.com
STS-119 will be the 28th U.S. mission to the International Space Station. The flight will deliver the Starboard 6 truss segment, giving the station its fourth and final set of power-generating solar wings.
Launch time and date are subject to change.
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The March Full Moon is known as the Worm or Maple Sugar Moon. It is a sure sign of Spring up north as the ground thaws and the earthworms begin to show up for another season. Moonrise for South Florida is at 7:16PM. This is a great time to head to the beach and look East over the ocean. The Moon will take on hints of orange and reds as it rises above the horizon. This is caused by dust, pollution and the light travelling through more atmosphere. It will also look larger because of the refractive properties of the atmosphere. Also check out the planet Saturn just to the upper left of the Moon.
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If you're up early enough, take a look at three planets and the crescent Moon in the sky just before sunrise. Look East Southeast just before sunrise. If you have trouble tracking each planet use the graphic below.
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 There was a huge interest in viewing this a couple of months ago that I'm posting times to view the Space Station again. Thursday is the best night, where the station is visible for 6 minutes high in the sky. It starts at 6:51PM. The Space Station will look like a bright star travelling across the sky, rising in the Northwest, tracking almost directly overhead, and setting in the Southeast. Exact coordinates are on the chart below. This information is for South Florida. To find your city, go to
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/
and select country and city.
THE FOLLOWING ISS SIGHTINGS ARE POSSIBLE FROM FRI JAN 30 TO WED FEB 11
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SATELLITE |
LOCAL |
DURATION |
MAX ELEV |
APPROACH |
DEPARTURE |
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DATE/TIME |
(MIN) |
(DEG) |
(DEG-DIR) |
(DEG-DIR) |
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ISS |
Mon Feb 02/07:04 PM |
< 1 |
10 |
10 above NNE |
10 above NNE |
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ISS |
Tue Feb 03/07:30 PM |
1 |
27 |
12 above NNW |
27 above NNW |
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ISS |
Wed Feb 04/06:25 PM |
2 |
16 |
16 above NE |
11 above E |
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ISS |
Wed Feb 04/08:00 PM |
< 1 |
18 |
18 above WSW |
18 above WSW |
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ISS |
Thu Feb 05/06:51 PM |
6 |
83 |
11 above NW |
10 above SE |
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ISS |
Fri Feb 06/07:22 PM |
1 |
15 |
15 above SW |
10 above SSW |
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ISS |
Sun Feb 08/06:44 PM |
< 1 |
10 |
10 above SSW |
10 above SSW |
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If it's Thursday Feb. 5, it's National Weatherman's Day
I know you're more than a little intrigued. Is it possible that there is a special day for your favorite
local weatherman? Yes, and it's coming up this week. For such an important holiday you would
think more people would know about it. Not one person in this newsroom knew about it. I actually
didn't know until someone told me last year. But thanks to the internet and my blog, it's about to
catch on, and hopefully down the road this will be a paid holiday, at least for weathermen and
weatherwomen. If you don't believe there's a day devoted to us, check out the links below. They all
attest to how important this day really is! The pressure to call it right day after day, work long
hours in snowstorms and hurricanes, and to never be wrong. Ok, that last one is pushing it. I had
a bad forecast a couple of years ago... ;-).
History of National Weatherman's Day
Thursday, February 5 is National Weatherman's Day, commemorating the birth of John
Jeffries in 1744. Jeffries, one of America's first weather observers, began taking daily weather
observations in Boston in 1774 and he took the first balloon observation in 1784. This is a
day to recognize the men and women who collectively provide Americans with the best
weather, water, and climate forecasts and warning services of any nation.
Many of us take weather information for granted. Turn on a light switch, you get light. Turn on
your television or radio, or check a web site and you get the weather forecast. It’s easy to
forget that around the clock, dedicated meteorologists and weathercasters are vigilantly
creating forecasts to help you plan your day, and issuing warnings to help keep you safe.
http://patients.about.com/b/2008/02/05/february-5-is-national-weathermans-day.htm
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/February/weathermanday.htm
http://familycrafts.about.com/library/spdays/blfeb5th2.htm
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It's not a star, it's Venus. And it is very bright in the Southwestern evening sky this week. At magnitude -4.6, it won't get much brighter, and is easily viewed even with the Sun above the horizen in the West. Look for Venus and the crescent Moon moving slightly each night this week.
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This cold weather science experiment has been around for decades, and home videos are all over Youtube. You'll never see it done in Florida, since the temperature should be below -10F and ideally -25F. The permise is this. Take a glass or pot of boiling water and throw it into the bitter cold air. The water changes state from liquid to solid(ice crystals) before it hits the ground! This experiment works best if the water is near the boiling point, and the colder the better. Here are a couple of home videos. I tried it here in West Palm the other day but it just made the ground wet...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orLITkZosDo&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQEVcCv_xkQ
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The other day I blogged about the Florida snowstorm of 1977. Could it happen again? Absolutely, but a combination of factors would have to come together just like they did three decades ago.
1977 turned out to be the coldest Winter on record East of the Mississippi. 24 cities posted their coldest January in history. But why? The chart above is the surface analysis for the coldest week of 1977. Arctic air flooded into the Deep South the entire Winter, due in part to the Aleutian Low, a semi permanent weather maker that was unusually strong and developed early in the Winter. For several months, very cold dry air raced south across the country. There was never a break in the bitter temperatures for months. Two days before the snow outbreak, a Nor'easter formed off Cape Hatteras, and this was the final ingredient needed to push the very cold air south of 27N. The cold surge travelled over the Gulf Stream several miles off the Florida Coast, where it picked up enough moisture to form snow flakes. Although Miami stayed above freezing most of the time, the freezing level lowered to 1000', so the flakes didn't have time to melt before reaching the ground.
It will snow again in South Florida. In 2003 snow was observed as far south as Vero Beach, and I saw a few snow flakes in northern Palm Beach County. But it didn't last long, and was not officially recorded at the West Palm Airport.
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This week 32 years ago, January 19th to be exact, was the only time in history measurable snow has been observed in South Florida. You may have been lucky enough to see a snow flake or two in winters past, but on January 19, 1977 snow covered the ground from the Panhandle to Miami. It was an amazing day. Teachers let children out of school to play in the snow, and old video from that day(film at that time) shows kids making snowmen and having snowball fights. The photo below is from the Tampa area. Notice the palms in the background.
This incredible event actually began a day earlier in North Florida, where 2" of snow was reported as far south as Pensecola. Tampa recieved 0.2" of snow, and about the same fell around Orlando and Vero. but it didn't stop there. Through the night the snow continued to march south, with the West Palm Airport reporting snow in their 6AM observation. By 9AM residents of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami reported snow on the ground too.
The all time record low temperature of 27F was set during this event. In Miami beach the mercury dropped to 32F. The deep freeze lasted several days, and President Carter declared 35 Florida counties disaster areas. Some citrus groves never recovered, with over $100 million in damage to crops. Do you remember that day?
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Remember all the hype last month of the biggest Full Moon in 30 years? Well if you missed it, the Full 'Wolf' Moon this Saturday night will be almost the same size and brightness. This close approach is known as perigee, and only happens once or twice a year. The best time to view the Full Moon is as it's rising. The atmosphere along the horizon adds extra color and size to the already impressive Moon. Moonrise over South Florida will be 5:25PM. Head to your favorite beach for the best viewing.
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The first Full Moon of the year occurs this Saturday night. Known as the Wolf Moon, it shines brightly as the wind howls in the cold winter night. Well maybe not in Florida....Also known as the Moon After Yule and the Old Moon. Head to the beach for a great view of Moonrise. Official Moonrise will be 5:25PM.
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This is a great week to view three planets very close together in the evening sky. Look for Venus, Mercury and Jupiter in the southwest just after sunset. Venus is the highest and the brightest, with a magnitude of -4.5. The 'Evening Star' will continue to put on quite a show for the next few weeks. Mercury and Jupiter and lower and therefore washed out from the glare of the setting Sun, but still visible early in the evening.
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