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 Updated 5/20/2013
Aside from New York nearly being wiped off the map (Hurricane Sandy), Kansas nearly being blown off the map (4/14 tornado outbreak), wildfires all over, TWC naming winter storms, and the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S. - 2012 was kind of a boring year. 2013 is here now though, and ready to surprise us all  Like previous incarnations of this thread, please try to limit global warming/climate change discussion since this thread focuses specifically on short-term weather. Also, from mod concerns earlier, as interesting as it may seem that it’s raining in your neighborhood, it’s slightly warmer than normal, or you heard some thunder - most people probably don’t care because these things happen all the time. Try to keep conversation to the interesting stuff. I’m going to re-use a bit of information from the previous thread, as SirPablo did an awesome job. Safety  The number one way to be alerted to severe weather is with a weather radio. If you live in areas where severe weather can be expected, you should own one, and you should convince your family, friends, and co-workers to do the same. This seems to be a popular and cheap model. Sirens can be non-functional from lack of funding or from severe weather earlier in the day, every county has different procedures for when to sound a siren, and they’re only intended to warn people outside in a small, localized area. Do not rely on sirens! Also, if your phone is somewhat new, you might have Wireless Emergency Alerts functionality, which will let you know if a tornado is about to hit you, someone has launched nukes at us, or there is an Amber Alert (missing kid) in your area. Check out WEA here. For real-time chat: irc.synirc.net #weather Definitions Outlook - Generally issued up to seven days in advance by the Storm Prediction Center , conveys a 30% confidence level that severe weather will occur. Usually cover larger areas, are less specific. Serve as a "heads-up". Outlook risk categories (my own words, not the official definition): Slight – I should probably pay attention and make sure my weather radio works, although I could end up not even seeing a drop of rain. Moderate – I need to pay attention, and might want to think about canceling social engagements. High – Be prepared to duck and cover  There are usually only a few of these every year. Here’s an example of the 4/27/11 outbreak and the risk verification to underscore the accuracy and “duck and cover” aspect:  Watch - Conditions are becoming favorable for severe weather, conveys a 50% confidence level that severe weather will occur. Short term/convective watches (tornado, severe thunderstorm, and flash flood) are usually issued two to ten hours in advance of the start of the severe weather event. At this point you should be finalizing your severe weather plans. Warning - Take action now! Severe weather is occurring or is imminent, conveys an 80% or higher confidence level that severe weather is happening or about to. Issued with little/no lead time up to 3 hours in advance for flash flood warnings, an hour for severe thunderstorm warnings, and up to 30-45 minutes for tornado warnings. Resources/Links We had a ton of power outage map links, check out the '12 thread while I work on re-adding them here. Link is at the bottom. Basic Weather Sites Weather.gov - Your tax dollars hard at work. Weather.com - The Weather Channel in internet form. Weather Underground - Good source with excellent maps. WeatherBug - Lots of weather observations available. Advanced Weather Sites - Where can I view model forecasts, satellite data, and more to do my own armchair meteorology? SimuAWIPS - Plot radar, satellite, observations, model data, warnings, and other stuff. Simulates the AWIPS software used by the NWS (reasonably well for a free website). There are a ton of other sites with great information/functionality. Here are just a few: RAP UCAR Weather Data TwisterData Models College of DuPage Weather Lab High Resolution Rapid Refresh Model NOAA Model and Guidance Skip Talbot's Forecast Pages - these are clean presentations of other model sites above Where can I learn about weather, and how to actually use the sites above? Haby’s Hints is a great starting place. Also, the METED modules are free and awesome. Where can I view radar? Free: NWS National Radar Loop (BIG) NWS GMap/Radar mashup with warnings overlay SPC Mesoanalysis mashup with model overlays and all sorts of other cool stuff Phones/tablet: RadarScope for Android / iPhone Pykl3 for Android Where can I view radar that looks fancy, like VectorSigma’s posts? The standard for non-NWS people is GrLevel3 ($80). This should be fine for most people. If you like spending money and absolutely need more fancy features, grlevelx.com has other products to fill your needs. You’ll likely also need a data feed from a place like AllisonHouse.com, as the NOAA public feed can easily be overwhelmed on severe weather days. The NOAA Toolkit also might work for you (free), but I don't have much experience using that. How do I get more involved? You can start by looking into SkyWarn to get spotter training, CoCoRaHs to report rain and snow totals, and PING to verify precipitation detection algorithms by telling NSSL what kind of precipitation you see at your location. From there, the sky is the limit. About me, and about our previous OP, SirPablo I’ve been seriously chasing storms for 4 years now, and am involved with the Storm Assist charity organization. There is an Ask/Tell thread in the archives somewhere that I did a few years back if you’re interested in that kind of thing. SirPablo is 2012’s OP and regular poster, and is an operational meteorologist for the National Weather Service (DISCLAIMER: views expressed in this thread are his and do not represent that of the NWS). Link to 2012’s thread http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3460336 Helicity fucked around with this message at May 21, 2013 around 00:13 |
| # ? Jan 9, 2013 22:00 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 18:56 |
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I love these weather threads. So much good information. I didn't even know weather radios existed until a weather thread a couple years ago!
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| # ? Jan 9, 2013 22:24 |
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Helicity, thanks for the OP, but Irene was in '11 not '12, just FYI. Here's hoping the New York Bight doesn't get whammed with hurricanes three years in a row. We need a break from that poo poo.
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| # ? Jan 9, 2013 22:46 |
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Time Cowboy posted:Helicity, thanks for the OP, but Irene was in '11 not '12, just FYI. Here's hoping the New York Bight doesn't get whammed with hurricanes three years in a row. We need a break from that poo poo. We as well in Louisiana. First of all, Sandy was not nearly as costly as Katrina, but the more they occur the stronger they get apparently so...
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| # ? Jan 9, 2013 22:57 |
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NOAA is looking for people to verify on the ground rain/snow/sleet/hail/etc with what the radar is showing to I guess calibrate and verify everything. Anyone with a smartphone can do it: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/ping/
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 00:12 |
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quote:I can't wait for the solstice so the days start getting longer again. Leaving work at 6 p.m. and it's loving dark out sucks. I like it better when it's still light at 10 p.m. This is so cute. Dark at 6pm sounds great. I'm pretty spoiled living in Trondheim where it doesn't get dark until around sometime past 3pm and there's even sunshine. Luxury! In comparison, I grew up a bit further North, where we would get around an hours daylight or so this time of year. From around 11 to 12. There is a silver, or rather golden lining. There are few things as beautiful and promising as when sunlight starts creeping down the sides of the mountains before hitting you in the face some time during the first week of February. Basically, hibernation should be a viable option for people who live North of the arctic circle, because gently caress the period from December 20 to early February. E: phoneposting makes my speeling gud. Stellar Curiosity fucked around with this message at Jan 10, 2013 around 01:12 |
| # ? Jan 10, 2013 01:09 |
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And in Seattle, we got rain. Nobody was surprised.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 01:26 |
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Time Cowboy posted:Helicity, thanks for the OP, but Irene was in '11 not '12, just FYI. Here's hoping the New York Bight doesn't get whammed with hurricanes three years in a row. We need a break from that poo poo. Whoops, no idea what I was thinking there. I was just reviewing some footage for a DVD and I had hurricanes Isaac and Sandy on my mind - but Isaac didn't even come close to NY. Thanks, and let me know if I made any other mistakes or could add some more info to the OP. Goetta posted:NOAA is looking for people to verify on the ground rain/snow/sleet/hail/etc with what the radar is showing to I guess calibrate and verify everything. Anyone with a smartphone can do it: Awesome project I hadn't heard of before - added to OP! Sadly, it's probably also worth mentioning that SPC lead forecaster Jon Racy just passed away: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/Racy/ Helicity fucked around with this message at Jan 10, 2013 around 04:01 |
| # ? Jan 10, 2013 01:39 |
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It's snowing in Edmonds. How's Seattle?
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 03:06 |
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And this year's already off to an active start. NWS Paducah issued a spotter activation email for southeast Missouri, the Kentucky outlook area, and the southern tip of Illinois. There is a slight possibility of tornadoes tomorrow evening after sunset. This kind of makes me paranoid, since last February there was a line of tornadic storms that came through in the dead of night. I remember the weather radio waking me up (a good thing, to be sure) and I poked my outside to check on the situation. There was a ton of lightning, maybe one flash every second, and the sound of tree branches breaking. Figuring I was probably under the gun, I went and took shelter. Ended up not getting hit by a tornado, but one ended up passing only about a mile north of me and tore roofs off 8 or 9 houses. I think the NWS ended up rating it as an EF2. That particular cell went on to produce the EF4 that hit Harrisburg, IL about 45 minutes later.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 03:21 |
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Central Missouri here. Today was bizarrely beautiful and in the high 50s. Tomorrow there's a 100% chance of precipitation. That level of confidence is unusual in this state. (for anyone who doesn't know, Missouri straddles the line between the hot wet Gulf of Mexico pressure system and the colder Canadian pressure system, and it is totally normal for the temperature to shift by 35 degrees (23 Celsius) from day to day) Venusian Weasel posted:And this year's already off to an active start. NWS Paducah issued a spotter activation email for southeast Missouri, the Kentucky outlook area, and the southern tip of Illinois. There is a slight possibility of tornadoes tomorrow evening after sunset. They took Joplin and Branson. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the Mississippi finally swallows a tornado-beaten Cape Girardeau.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 03:45 |
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Tasmania lit on fire a few days ago, they're in recovery mode.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 03:52 |
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Very mad that it's going to be almost 70 degrees and rainy here in Middle Tennessee this week.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 04:16 |
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I posted in the last thread yesterday that it was going to be warm with a chance of rain today in Calgary. While warm weather isn't strange because of chinook winds, rain is weird. The rain never happened, but the temperature dropped this evening and now we have a kick-rear end blizzard instead! It hasn't snowed much this season yet, so I'm betting my friends on the number of car accidents in the next 24 hours. I'm going with 190.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 04:34 |
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MAO TSE-TUNGACUNT posted:Very mad that it's going to be almost 70 degrees and rainy here in Middle Tennessee this week. Yes, this sucks. The high temps, not the rain. Rain is awesome. Well, except 3 years ago when all my poo poo flooded.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 07:10 |
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A slight correction: Australia is burning, not melting.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 11:28 |
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Another 41 C (105.8 F) day predicted for here tomorrow. It's bearable - just - at the moment because there's so little humidity and we're getting a couple of extremely hot days in a row followed by a couple of cooler days. It's going to be intolerable if these temperatures continue into February, though, as February usually brings with it humidity. The forecast looks like this for my region over the next week. http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/penrith.shtml
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 11:42 |
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Where's that picture in the OP from? Looks pretty spectaculair.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 11:52 |
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I've been loving this horrifying purple spot of death heat that's been hovering over most of the center of Australia recently
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 11:58 |
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lt_kennedy posted:I've been loving this horrifying purple spot of death heat that's been hovering over most of the center of Australia recently  I get the feeling you don't want to be standing within that spot. 
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 12:43 |
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lt_kennedy posted:I've been loving this horrifying purple spot of death heat that's been hovering over most of the center of Australia recently That dark purple denotes a range of 50-52C (around 122 to 126F). The Bureau of Meteorology actually had to add new colours to the scale to represent temperatures above the previous high, which was 50C. The new scale goes (or went) up to 54, but they've since revised their forecast and at this stage it doesn't seem likely that it will actually reach 50 degrees. It's still pretty loving hot.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 12:52 |
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They've really only just changed the colour coding on the map, it had different colours before. Temperatures of 50+ degrees C (122F) are more common than are reported, but they have not been officially measured. Local conditions can make things a lot hotter such as when things are on fire. I have already donated to the Tasmanian Bushfires Appeal, hopefully there are no worse fires, but February is the worst fire weather in the state where I live.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 13:00 |
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Demon Of The Fall posted:Yes, this sucks. The high temps, not the rain. Rain is awesome. Well, except 3 years ago when all my poo poo flooded. I moved to the south to get away from cold weather, don't go begging for it. Stupid cold weather, spring needs to hurry the gently caress up. We desperately need the rain though. We were down something like 15 inches by the end of last year, need to top off the aquifers.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 13:20 |
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Clugg posted:That dark purple denotes a range of 50-52C (around 122 to 126F). The Bureau of Meteorology actually had to add new colours to the scale to represent temperatures above the previous high, which was 50C. The new scale goes (or went) up to 54, but they've since revised their forecast and at this stage it doesn't seem likely that it will actually reach 50 degrees. Jesus loving christ!  As a cold loving Scandinavian who think 30C is way too hot, I cannot fathom people existing in Australia with that kind of heat. Stay goddamn safe you insane Aussies!
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 13:45 |
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Ninja fetus posted:Where's that picture in the OP from? Looks pretty spectaculair. It's a picture of the 4/14/12 EF-4 just SW of Salina, KS. Fun fact: at that exact moment, the tornado picked up a road sign and threw it 27 miles. edit: 
Helicity fucked around with this message at Jan 10, 2013 around 15:24 |
| # ? Jan 10, 2013 14:31 |
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Helicity posted:the tornado picked up a road sign and threw it 27 miles. Mother of god...
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 15:15 |
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Clugg posted:That dark purple denotes a range of 50-52C (around 122 to 126F). The Bureau of Meteorology actually had to add new colours to the scale to represent temperatures above the previous high, which was 50C. The new scale goes (or went) up to 54, but they've since revised their forecast and at this stage it doesn't seem likely that it will actually reach 50 degrees. Don't you have tribesmen still running around in all that? How do they even survive?
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 15:16 |
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lt_kennedy posted:I've been loving this horrifying purple spot of death heat that's been hovering over most of the center of Australia recently Looks like God got himself a magnifying glass.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 15:38 |
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Goetta posted:NOAA is looking for people to verify on the ground rain/snow/sleet/hail/etc with what the radar is showing to I guess calibrate and verify everything. Anyone with a smartphone can do it: 
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 16:54 |
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Mother nature is pissed. I remember the hottest day, or experience I ever had, was playing Tennis at perhaps 34 Degrees Celcius in Bangkok, Thailand, when I was in my early teens. I was ordering a lot of Sprite, instead of water, because hey, what kid in Thailand drinks water when soft drinks are just as, if not CHEAPER? 34 degrees, and I remember me almost dying. Australia is up towards 50, highest projected being 54. Glad I got out last year prior to Christmas/Just in time. gently caress.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 17:04 |
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Well it's a dry heat so it feels different than 34 in Thailand. More specifically 118F in Phoenix feels like you're too close to an open oven and need to get away from it, only everywhere you go it only gets hotter. 34 in Phoenix isn't that horrendous.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 17:12 |
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loving Australia, holy hell. I've been in a desert at 42C, I can't even fathom even higher than that. Hopefully you guys cool off soon, even if it's only down to 35.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 18:10 |
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Pig Head posted:This is exactly why I love these threads! Thanks for posting a link to that project. Just got the mPing app for my phone. I'm going to be reporting my rear end off! Sadly, I have no fun winter weather to report as the temps by Saturday in Pittsburgh will be around 60 degrees. I'll have to look into the app, too. The NWS Paducah office has been using Facebook recently to collect reports on precipitation type around the forecast area as it changed over from rain to snow, and it seemed to be working pretty well by the looks of it. They'd gotten about 100 reports in a couple of hours.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 19:08 |
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Someone please shoot the morons at accuweather. Their bullshit app on my phone is saying it's 65*C in Memphis even though the drat thing is set on F.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 19:27 |
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I was surprised when i was in australia in 09 and it hit 43*C. I was laying on my bed with a 2 liter bottle of ice on my chest and a fan blowing on my trying not to die. I figured aussies would be a little better aclimated to it, but my aussie roommates were doing about as poorly. Makes me wonder how they would handle -40*C It gets up to 35*C here in the summer often with humidity
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 20:51 |
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Most australians in the south just try to stay indoors or underwater when it gets hot. It's only in the crazy northern states that people just deal with it.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 21:05 |
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First rain drops of a projected ~inch starting to fall in the loop in Chicago. The temperature is now a balmy 44F which is unnerving.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 21:12 |
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So much for snow this year . Looking at 60's and 70's upcoming for the next 7 days here in NC. This year will be interesting to watch and see how bad it gets. Stay cool everyone living in Australia.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 21:22 |
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I just don't want another drought, that was pretty rough last summer here in WI.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 21:30 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 18:56 |
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Pig Head posted:This is exactly why I love these threads! Thanks for posting a link to that project. Just got the mPing app for my phone. I'm going to be reporting my rear end off! Sadly, I have no fun winter weather to report as the temps by Saturday in Pittsburgh will be around 60 degrees. Yeah, while I'm a fan of the milder weather here in Pittsburgh, it creates havoc with my sinuses.
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| # ? Jan 10, 2013 22:05 |
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