Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Quoting SPLbeater:


some poeple including you really need to learn when humor is good and when it isnt. i am going to the pearly gates of Heaven when i leave earth, with all the other Christians who have gone before me. Can you say that?

I didnt think so.

Yes, I can thank you.

Everytime you bring a religious comment on the blog, I'm going to respond with a comment like that.

Ianni, Ibarra would be good replacement names for Irene IMO.

Anyone needs a Shrimpin boat?



Tsunami-tossed boat spotted off western Canada
Associated PressAssociated Press – 12 hrs ago

A Japanese fishing boat lost in the Pacific Ocean after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami was sighted March 20, 2012 drifting 150 nautical miles off the southern coast of Haida Gwaii near British Columbia, Canada by the crew of an aircraft on a routine surveillance patrol. The vessel is considered an obstruction to navigation, and a Notice to Shipping has been issued by the Canadian Coast Guard. (AP Photo/Canadian Department of National Defence via The Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A large fishing vessel swept away by the tsunami that devastated Japan last year has been spotted adrift off British Columbia in western Canada.

Jeff Olsson of Victoria's Joint rescue coordination center says an airplane contracted by the government spotted the 50-foot-long (15-meter-long) vessel recently about 160 miles (260 kilometers) west of Haida Gwaii, slowly drifting toward shore.

The vessel has been identified as coming from Hokkaido, Japan. Olsson says no one is believed to be aboard and there's no environmental danger.

A maritime warning has been issued because the vessel could pose a navigational hazard.

About 5 million tons of debris were swept into the ocean in March 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan.

Quoting sar2401:


Skye,
That's an interesting article, and the premise makes sense. I wonder, though, if the really big storms tend to get push to the weekends, when the particulate matter is probably near its high? I was reviewing the Skywarn activations we've had in Alabama over the past three years, and 74% occured between 2200 Friday and 1900 Sunday. I haven't calculated the rainfall by day during the same period, but there's no doubt we get our strongest storm at the end of the week rather than the middle. Since last April, in particular, I've had about half my weekends ruined by having to sit at the radio as a Skywarn net controller, communicate with the NWS, and keep an eye on the radar. We've even had church services cancelled, which never happens here. :) Of course, Alabama is not a high production state for particulate pollution, so that mat have some effect, but percentage of weekend activations has been striking.

Pollution rolls in from China & such, combines with that out west & rolls eastward. Much of it being from the cars. I saw a paper once about the severe outbreaks in FL associated with holidays that disrupt the usual patterns with heavy travel days. That paper I linked earlier was in 2008 & included more of the old pattern, before things shifted. That cut off low has been a slow mover.

Australia experiencing its own "Indian Ocean Mini-La Nina"? Or just increased upwelling from Cyclone (mislabelled "Typhoon) Lua?

The IOD and its impact on climate

We can do great things again, we need our young minds to prepare for a new adventure.

Its been way too long,...

Quoting sunlinepr:
Anyone needs a Shrimpin boat?



Tsunami-tossed boat spotted off western Canada
Associated PressAssociated Press – 12 hrs ago

A Japanese fishing boat lost in the Pacific Ocean after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami was sighted March 20, 2012 drifting 150 nautical miles off the southern coast of Haida Gwaii near British Columbia, Canada by the crew of an aircraft on a routine surveillance patrol. The vessel is considered an obstruction to navigation, and a Notice to Shipping has been issued by the Canadian Coast Guard. (AP Photo/Canadian Department of National Defence via The Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A large fishing vessel swept away by the tsunami that devastated Japan last year has been spotted adrift off British Columbia in western Canada.

Jeff Olsson of Victoria's Joint rescue coordination center says an airplane contracted by the government spotted the 50-foot-long (15-meter-long) vessel recently about 160 miles (260 kilometers) west of Haida Gwaii, slowly drifting toward shore.

The vessel has been identified as coming from Hokkaido, Japan. Olsson says no one is believed to be aboard and there's no environmental danger.

A maritime warning has been issued because the vessel could pose a navigational hazard.

About 5 million tons of debris were swept into the ocean in March 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan.

I'm surpised that thing is still floating...

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:

Yes, I can thank you.

Everytime you bring a religious comment on the blog, I'm going to respond with a comment like that.

Then I guess your putting yourself in a pretty bad spot!

March 23, 2011

March 23, 2012

March 23, 2011

Sea surface temperature anomaly map for Mar 23, 2012
Northern GOM SSTs above normal. Over in the Eastern Hemisphere, we see that the IOD is being strongly positive (cold area west of Sumatra, strengthened by Cyclone Lua). Since ENSO is also going positive in the next few months, Australia will likely go from flood to drought toward the end of 2012.

March 23, 2012

Quoting nigel20:
March 23, 2012

You realize you can put all of these images in one post, right? :P

Quoting CybrTeddy:
Ianni, Ibarra would be good replacement names for Irene IMO.

I'm going to have to go with Irena.

Just because they went Rina for Rita and Katia for Katrina.

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:

You realize you can put all of these images in one post, right? :P

Quoting AstroHurricane001:


Australia experiencing its own "Indian Ocean Mini-La Nina"? Or just increased upwelling from Cyclone (mislabelled "Typhoon) Lua?

The IOD and its impact on climate

Yeah...the SST's cooled due to the upwelling created by TC Lua

I was under the impression from our local NWS discussion yesterday that once the sun was gone, the severe weather threat would diminished a lot but our local weather guys are saying not so..

A new severe t-storm watch is in effect for most of SE NC until 2 AM. A big cluster of storms near Columbia, SC headed our way

Quoting MAweatherboy1:

I'm surpised that thing is still floating...

The Japan Coast Guard identified the owner of the vessel after being contacted Friday by Canadian officials, who were able to provide the identification number on the hull of the ship. The vessel, which was used for squid fishing, was moored at Hachinohe in the Aomori prefecture when the tsunami hit, said Toshiro Yoshinaga, a Coast Guard official.

Transport Canada was still monitoring the boat Friday evening for marine pollution and interference with passing ships. [...]

The boat – the first large piece of post-tsunami debris to hit North America – was confirmed lost by Japanese officials.

Tsunami-linked fishing boat adrift off B.C.
CBC News
March 24, 2012

Scientists at the University of Hawaii say a field of about 18 million tonnes of debris is slowly being carried by ocean currents toward North America.

The field is estimated to be about 3,200 kilometres long and 1,600 kilometres wide.

Scientists have estimated some of the debris would hit B.C. shores by 2014.

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:

I'm going to have to go with Irena.

Just because they went Rina for Rita and Katia for Katrina.

Here's the big question: What do we use for Jose?

Quoting ncstorm:
I was under the impression from our local NWS discussion yesterday that once the sun was gone, the severe weather threat would diminished a lot but our local weather guys are saying not so..

A new severe t-storm watch is in effect for most of SE NC until 2 AM. A big cluster of storms near Columbia, SC headed our way

...and I'm still outside it!

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:

You realize you can put all of these images in one post, right? :P

Yeah....sorry if I slow down the blog in any way

Quoting sar2401:


Skye,
That's an interesting article, and the premise makes sense. I wonder, though, if the really big storms tend to get push to the weekends, when the particulate matter is probably near its high? I was reviewing the Skywarn activations we've had in Alabama over the past three years, and 74% occured between 2200 Friday and 1900 Sunday. I haven't calculated the rainfall by day during the same period, but there's no doubt we get our strongest storm at the end of the week rather than the middle. Since last April, in partular, I've had about half my weekends ruined by having to sit at the radio as a Skywarn net controller, communicate with the NWS, and keep an eye on the radar. We've even had church services cancelled, which never happens here. :) Of course, Alabama is not a high production state for particulate pollution, so that mat have some effect, but percentage of weekend activations has been striking.

The article clearly states that storms are enhanced mid-week when pollution is highest. Is it just people driving to and from work or do the power plants burn more coal?

From the article:

' In the Southeast, summertime conditions for large, frequent storms are already in place, a factor that overrides the rain-thwarting dispersion effect. When conditions are poised to form big storms, updrafts carry the smaller, pollution-seeded raindrops high into the atmosphere where they condense and freeze.

' "It's the freezing process that gives the storm an extra kick, causing it to grow larger and climb higher into the atmosphere," Bell said. He and his colleagues found that the radar on the TRMM satellite showed that storms climb to high altitudes more often during the middle of the week than on weekends. These invigorated midweek storms, fueled by workweek pollution, could drop measurably more rainfall. '

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:

I'm going to have to go with Irena.

Just because they went Rina for Rita and Katia for Katrina.

I think they may use Irena as you suggested

Quoting nigel20:

Yeah....sorry if I slow down the blog in any way

u dont slow it down

little activity

Quoting nigel20:

I think they may use Irena as you suggested

They should mix it up a little. Why even retire the names if you're just going to change/add a letter?

Quoting nigel20:

Yeah....sorry if I slow down the blog in any way

Nah, it's not slowed down for me. Was just stating the obvious. :P

Quoting SPLbeater:


u dont slow it down

Cool...how are doing SPLbeater?

Quoting MAweatherboy1:

They should mix it up a little. Why even retire the names if you're just going to change/add a letter?

I don't know honestly.

Quoting MAweatherboy1:

They should mix it up a little. Why even retire the names if you're just going to change/add a letter?

They may change it...that's JMO

The weather was so warm here in Michigan that I was able to going swimming in the lake on March 22!

Quoting Zhayes151:
The weather was so warm here in Michigan that I was able to going swimming in the lake on March 22!

You can see from the SST anomaly, that lake Michigan is/was way above average

A few severe thunderstorms will continue to move eastward as time progresses, but overall, the severe threat is decreasing. As we have lost the heating of the day, both instability and lapse rates are decreasing, limiting the potential for damaging wind gusts and large hail within thunderstorms. However, as upper-air forcing continues to move eastward across the area, convection will likely be ongoing throughout the night time hours. Additionally, as this large upper level low continues to approach Eastern North Carolina, freezing levels, wet bulb temperatures, and thunderstorm tops will drop. This means that despite a rather weak appearance on radar, there is a relatively high chance of hail producers, especially after sunrise tomorrow. The areas most likely to see this activity stretches from Northeastern South Carolina to all of Eastern North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia. In addition, a few cold-core funnels/tornadoes are possible near and under this upper level low tomorrow.

Quoting Zhayes151:
The weather was so warm here in Michigan that I was able to going swimming in the lake on March 22!

Even if the water is way above average isn't it still between 45 and 50F? The thought of such cold water chills me to the bone...

Quoting nigel20:


You can see from the SST anomaly, that lake Michigan is way above average

I could only imagine a fierce Arctic cold shot over the lakes producing copious amounts of lake-effect snow... in MARCH!

Quoting nigel20:

Cool...how are doing SPLbeater?

alright

gee did the blog die?

I think it did.

Guess everyone went to sleep. 10:38 on the East coast (US)

This is incredible!

Quoting PedleyCA:
Guess everyone went to sleep. 10:38 on the East coast (US)

Hey. I did not post anything when the blog died this time. It wasn't me this time. ;-) wipes sweat from brow

Saw a post earlier with about 6" on someones back porch or patio. That must have been noisy....

Quoting PedleyCA:
Saw a post earlier with about 6" on someones back porch or patio. That must have been noisy....

Here's the image you're talking about.

Quoting Ameister12:
This is incredible!

What the hail?

Was that your hail as well. Yes that was the picture..... so cool....

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:

What the hail?

Yeah. It's amazing that so much hail fell, that he needs to shovel it from his drive way.

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