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Some of the information provided: There is no doubt that, on average, the earth's oceans and land masses have gotten warmer over the last 100 years, and it's expected to continue through the 21st century. However, why we have gotten warmer and how is the point of controversy. There is evidence that human activities have begun to impact the earth's climate through the release of greenhouse gases. The result is widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising sea levels. Ironically, the burning of fossil fuels may be responsible for melting much of the ice cap in Greenland which has exposed new areas for the exploration and drilling of..........more fossil fuel!
So how will Oklahoma be affected by this warming? Of course it's all theoretical at this point, but hot years and cold years will continue, as will wet years and dry years. The changes will be seen as averages over a decade or more. That could include a longer growing season resulting in crops maturing earlier, more record highs and heat waves and less record lows and cold outbreaks. Other affects could be an increase in droughts and wildfires, rain free periods will be longer but individual rain events will be more intense leading to flooding.
There's no question that warming is going on globally, but is it our fault? And even if it isn't, is there any way to slow it down?
I realize this is a topic that will ruffle a few feathers, however I welcome your opinions on the matter.
A visible satellite is a satellite in space that takes pictures of the earth using the light provided by sun's reflection off the earth. That light is light a flash on a camera. However, since it relies on the sun for it's pictures, the visible satellite is only available during daylight hours. Since it can be seen by the human eye, the satellite is called visible, or VIS for short.
Clouds and the earth reflect incoming solar radiation. The images look like black and white photographs. Clouds usually appear white while land and water appears in shades of gray or black. These photos can be shown individually or as a movie also known as satellite loops. The loops help us to track the movement of different weather features.
Bodies of water are usually darker than land, and clouds and snow are usually whiter than bare ground. Here are some other features that can be seen by a visible satellite: Deserts and vegatation appear as shades of gray with the deserts being brighter. Snow appears very bright, but can be confused with clouds on still images. Smoke and dust storms can also be seen on the VIS as milky white. Fog can also been seen as a bright white and will follow the terrain such as valleys and bays.
The reason some features are brighter or whiter than others has to do with how much sunlight is reflected back to the satellite when the picture is taken.
Ok, for extra credit...answer this question: How can you tell what is snow and what are clouds on a visible satellite loop?
Outdoor sirens can only do so much, and like many cities, Glenpool's sirens aren't perfect. Very often they can't be heard above the roar of thunderstorms or the noise of a loud snorer. If you are asleep and you can't hear a siren or if its not working, how would you know if there is a tornado headed towards your house? How will you know to take cover? WeatherCall takes care of that by calling your house with plenty of time to seek shelter.
Yours truly, our news director, general manager and Glenpool's police chief stood before the city council and showed them these benefits of WeatherCall. Then after some very good questions, they voted. It was a strange feeling watching them vote in front of us knowing that there was a chance that one or all of them could turn us down. Instead they all agreed that Weathercall is needed for the city and would make it one of the safest cities in Oklahoma. For much less than the cost of buying a new siren which could go off even when the storm is in another part of the county many miles away from Glenpool, all residents will be called when a severe and possibly tornadic storm is headed into town at the expense of the city.
This really showed how much Glenpool cares about its residents. Glenpool should be very proud to have a government that cares that much. We were so excited and honored to be a part of that, that we celebrated by going out to dinner.....in Glenpool!
After a very long winter, spring and early summer of severe weather, I finally got to take my 1st vacation of the year. I took my family up to Ohio to help celebrate my father-in-law's 60th birthday. However, wouldn't you know it, while is was mostly quiet back here, in Ohio we had severe weather every day. There were 2 outside celebrations planned on back to back days, so I spent a good part of my vacation logging on to KTUL.COM to check out the latest computer models in order to let them know if they should plan on bringing the parties inside. While I was online, I was also keeping track of the weather back here (and the news). I was supposed to be relaxing on vacation, but instead it was stressful for me and the family hoping for good weather. Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of good news for them regarding the forecast.
The night of the first party, we brought it inside. However the night of the second and most important party which was the birthday party including family and friends we got lucky and the bad weather gave us a break. Yet, it was very windy and my mother-in-law was worried that the wind would blow everything around. So I ran back to the computer and figured the wind speeds for the rest of the night. I reassured her that the winds would die down just enough to have a pleasant party, and they did! Whew!! The party and the weather was a hit. In fact, I had the opportunity to tell some of the guests about Frank's WeatherCall and many of them signed up for it!
Now I'm back home in Tulsa, what else is new? We have storms forecasted for the 4th of July! Maybe the bad weather is following me!
THE YEAR 2008 REMAINS THE WETTEST ON RECORD IN TULSA...SO FAR. AS OF
MIDNIGHT TODAY THE 34.72 INCHES OF RAIN RECORDED AT THE TULSA
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS THE MOST EVER RECEIVED THROUGH JUN 17TH.
OTHER LOCATIONS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA HAVE BEEN INUNDATED WITH
HEAVY RAINS AS WELL. THE OKLAHOMA CLIMATOLOGICAL SURVEY IN NORMAN
CURRENTLY CLASSIFIES 2008 AT THE 2ND WETTEST YEAR EVER FOR ALL OF
NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA...THE 7TH WETTEST FOR EAST CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA...AND THE 9TH WETTEST FOR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
THE IMPACTS OF THE PROLONGED RAINFALL HAVE BEEN WIDESPREAD. MANY
OF THE LARGER CORPS OF ENGINEERS LAKE PROJECTS ACROSS EASTERN
OKLAHOMA ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING HIGH WATER CONDITIONS. URBAN
FLOODING HAS CAUSED DAMAGE TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES...AS WELL AS
PRESENTING A HAZARD TO TRAFFIC. MANY AGRICULTURAL LANDS HAVE BEEN
UNDER WATER RECENTLY...DAMAGING HAY CROPS AND POSSIBLY DELAYING
THE WHEAT HARVEST.
A BREAKDOWN OF RAINFALL IN 2008 FOR SOME SELECTED CITIES...
LOCATION 2008 RAINFALL *
JAY 41.82 INCHES
NOWATA 38.58 INCHES
HASKELL 37.20 INCHES
CLAYTON 36.89 INCHES
TALIHINA 36.19 INCHES
PORTER 35.78 INCHES
INOLA 35.72 INCHES
TAHLEQUAH 35.51 INCHES
OKMULGEE 34.56 INCHES
PAWNEE 34.40 INCHES
*DATA COURTESY OF THE OKLAHOMA CLIMATOLOGICAL SURVEY
SOME LAKE LEVEL INFORMATION ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA...
LAKE PERCENT FULL OF FLOOD CONTROL POOL *
FT. GIBSON 79 PERCENT
HUDSON 73 PERCENT
OOLOGAH 73 PERCENT
PENSACOLA (GRAND) 69 PERCENT
COPAN 64 PERCENT
KEYSTONE 64 PERCENT
HULAH 63 PERCENT
With that said, here comes another chance for severe storms and flooding rains. Thursday we will have a slight chance for severe thunderstorms packing large hail and damaging winds. That will be followed by a good chance for heavy rain on Friday that will fall on areas that simply can't take any more. At least 1 to 2 inches of rain are possible during the day Friday which will cause flash flooding and river flooding in areas that already received 2 to 6 inches of rain on Monday of this week. Many rivers still haven't falled below the flood stage. No doubt a flash flood watch will be issued soon for Friday.
Don't forget that flooding is the number one thunderstorm related killer due to people who try to drive through a flooded road or kids playing near flooded rivers. Turn around, don't drown. Keep tuned to NewsChannel 8 for the latest. As always, we'll keep you covered.
Frank Mitchell
Results from the May 31st/June 1st Storms:
The National Weather Service in Tulsa has determined that the damage that occurred to the Town West Shopping Center in West Tulsa on Saturday morning, May 31st, was the result of downburst winds. Downburst winds can be just as strong as a weak to moderate tornado. They result from air that rushes to the ground either due to heavy rain or a collapsing storm fanning out affecting a small area which is why it is sometimes called a microburst. In this case, heavy rain caused winds to blow towards the ground and fan out at high speeds causing wind damage. The weather service has made this determination after surveying the damage and reviewing the radar signatures.
Then 2 tornadoes occurred that night up in Osage County. They were from a different set of storms. The first one touched down at 6:45pm 3 miles east of Burbank. It was a brief touchdown that hit near Highway 18 and Highway 60 in an open area with no known damage. The 2nd tornado touched down at 7:07pm in Pawhuska briefly at Williams Park. Again no known damage was found at this time. We are now above normal in terms of tornadoes in Oklahoma this year with most of those occurring right here in eastern Oklahoma. The is the most we've had since the big outbreaks of 1999!
On Sunday morning, June 1st, a severe storm moved across the Tulsa metro area resulting in up to tennis ball sized hail in Mannford. A second storm brought damaging winds from 70 to 90 miles per hour which tore apart trees, fences and rooftops. This storm mainly affected Osage, Creek and Tulsa counties. All told there were 42 reports of large hail and 54 reports of high winds and wind damage.
Of course we had you covered with our fleet of storm chasers, meteorologists, news crews, technology and if you had it, WeatherCall.
Here's to a quiet rest of the year! Frank Mitchell
1. THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF YOUR HOUSE IS THE SAFEST PLACE TO TAKE SHELTER. MYTH!
Originally people were told to take cover in the southwest corner of their house in order to avoid being hit by the flying debris which would be blown into the northeastern corner if a tornado hit your house from the west or south. Then they were told to hide in the northeast corner in order to avoid a direct hit. Now we know that the center of the house (lowest floor, smallest room) is the safest and usually the last standing. Tornadoes can hit your home from any direction so by hiding in the center you are putting as many walls between you and the outside as possible.
2. YOU CAN OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR VEHICLE. MYTH!
People used to be told to leave their homes and take off in their cars when a tornado warning is issued. But now we know how dangerous and ineffective a car can be. While trying to outrun a tornado, your car is confined to the streets, while a tornado can travel just as fast while skipping over blocks at a time. Also, a home can withstand a weak tornado (which is what majority of our tornadoes are) but your car can be turned over by the same weak twister. Stronger tornadoes can throw vehicles great distances, and flying debris can crash through the vehicle harming anyone inside.
3. MOUNTAINS AND HILLS WILL PROTECT YOU FROM A TORNADO. MYTH!
Tornadoes have traveled up, over, and down some of our nation's tallest mountains. They can also reform on either side of a hill or mountain. The tornado that hit Picher on May 10th blew into the huge chat piles and still destroyed the neighborhoods on the other side.
4. OPENING WINDOWS WILL MINIMIZE DESTRUCTION. MYTH!
Years ago people were told to open their windows to equalize the air pressure in order to keep their home from exploding under the low pressure of a tornado. But we now know that homes are damaged by the winds, not the pressure. Windows are the most fragile part of your house and are the first to break, letting in high winds and flying debris. It won’t make any difference to a tornado if your windows are opened or closed. Don’t waste time opening them. The tornado will do that for you. It’s better to use those precious seconds to take cover.
5. WHEN TRAVELING BY CAR SEEK SHELTER UNDER AN OVERPASS. MYTH!
This is currently the #1 priority in tornado safety. Overpasses are actually the most dangerous places to hide.
They can actually squeeze the winds from a tornado and make them faster, plus they don’t protect you from flying debris. They can even put you in a position to be sucked into the tornado. Being above the ground is dangerous. However getting lower than the ground such as in a ditch is safer if no shelter is available. Just make sure the ditch isn’t near any vehicles. If you have plenty of time and the tornado is not coming towards you, turn around and drive the other way.
6. TORNADOES DON’T CROSS RIVERS. MYTH!
The tornado that struck Picher on May 10th crossed 2 rivers: the Neosho and the Spring Rivers.
Tornadoes can easily cross rivers and lakes without any effect to the tornado. Several have crossed our nation’s largest river, the mighty Mississippi. Land features like rivers are not enough to slow down a violent twister. The same day that the tornado struck Picher, a tornado touched down on Lake Eufaula. So even lakes aren't safe.
- Record RainRecord rainfall
- More Storms and Heavy Rain on the Way!More rain on the way!
- Results from May 31st/June 1st StormsDownburst damage and Tornadoes in one day.
- FRANK'S TORNADO MYTHSForget the myths, do the right thing to save your life during a tornado warning.
- My Visit To PicherIt always looks worse in person..tornado damage.
- 6 CONFIRMED TORNADOES MAY 1st!Tornadoes Confirmed May 1st
- Playing DJ!Fulfilling one of my fantasies
- WHY YOUR WEATHERCALLS MIGHT HAVE BEEN LATEIt's such a hit, more computer power was needed!
- MORE FRANK'S WEATHERCALL ANSWERSMore answers to your weathercall questions
- FRANK'S WEATHERCALL'S FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSA phone call that could save your life.
- 5 Chances for Rain!Out of 5 chances for rain, will we get a drop?
- SPRING IS HERE!Spring is officially here and so is it's weather.
- WET BEGINNING TO SPRING BREAKHeavy rain expected to wash out the beginning to spring break.
- A TASTE OF SPRINGWarm weather will stick around.
- ARCTIC AIR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYSCold air sticks around.
- Not Enough Snow To Go AroundThis week’s winter storm was choosy on who got snow and who didn’t.
- Another Change From Spring To WinterIt’s happened again. We went from enjoying spring-like weather to not enjoying winter weather in a matter of hours.
- The Biggest Weather Convention In The WorldDuring this lull between storm systems I have the chance to tell you about my trip to New Orleans for one of the biggest weather conventions attended by meteorologists and scientists from all over the world.
- HERE WE GO AGAIN!More Winter Weather on the way.
- More Messy Weather On The Way!Winter Weather to return by end of the week.
- It's Always Shocking to SeeI saw piles of debris taller than a one story house...
- Surgery And Snow Don't Go Together!There’s never a good time to have a surgery, but this is especially true if you are a chief meteorologist wanting to cover the first snowstorm of the year.
- A Return To Winter With Our First Real Snowfall?It seems like mother nature is only willing to give us a few mild days before she sends another winter blast our way.
- More Cold Air And A Winter Mix!Is this the winter of more ice than snow? It sure looks like it so far, but there's plenty of time.