Media and Weather

The first deadly severe weather outbreak of 2012 occurred Sunday overnight into Monday in parts of Arkansas, Tennessee and the Gulf Coast states, an area known as "Dixie Alley". Already hearing reports of multiple EF-3 tornadoes and that total may increase as field analysis will be conducted over the next few days.
Whenever Mother Nature strikes, the media is sure to follow. Last night, ABC's national news began their coverage with this lead-in:


Video courtesy of Alabamawx.com

The lead-in is absolutely misleading. The wording of the script gives the illusion that forecasters in the region failed the public.  In NO way was this mini-outbreak a "surprise" event. I was aware of this event days before just by following social media posts of meteorologists who work in the area. Folks in the Midwest and South should naturally pay more attention to forecasts and warnings issued by their meteorologists. And for several days, this event was projected to happen. Look at this blog post by one of the top meteorologists in the Alabama, James Spann. Citizens in the impacted areas had at least 24 hours notice that a dangerous weather event could occur and areas under Tornado Warnings had at least 20 minuets of lead time, according to Spann.

Most people are aware of "Tornado Alley" where the highest concentration of tornadoes occur anywhere on Earth. What most people do not know is that there is a second "alley", known as "Dixie Alley" (Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia) that is just as dangerous. Within this region, a secondary tornado season exists during the winter months! Take a look at these graphs that compare Tornado to Dixie Alley:

Notice the spike of strong and deadly tornadoes in the winter months that occur in Dixie Alley as compared to the Plains (or Tornado Alley). A drastic difference. To compound the danger that Dixie Alley presents, take a look at this graph:

 

Late afternoon-evening-overnight storms add to the danger of Dixie Alley outbreaks. These tornadoes often strike while people are on their way home from work or sleeping. It's tough to follow storm coverage when your asleep. This is why Spann often promotes weather radios that allow emergency broadcasts to be issued when danger is on the way. A great tool to keep people safe when not near a television.

Tornadoes do not spawn randomly. A meteorologist that is worth his or her weight in gold can forecast the threat for tornadoes a few days in advance using weather maps. It is nearly impossible to forecast the exact track of a specific twister, however. But with ample warning time, it shouldn't matter.

Current and accurate weather information is important in any extreme weather situation, regardless of location. James Spann has perfected the art of T.V. meteorology with his policy of wall-to-wall weather coverage if ANY county within his stations' viewing area is under a severe weather warning (sorry, Judge Judy fans!). With coverage that extensive, there should be no excuse for saying these tornadoes struck "without warning"! So why does the media come out and state exactly that? Was it because people died? Or are certain media outlets just that lazy and decide to spin their own story out of what happened?

I've found in my time working in television that weather is often disregarded when it comes to accurately reporting on events. I have heard many stories on various news channels that incorrectly mention current or past weather conditions and events. Weather here in the Pacific Northwest is not as extreme as the weather in other parts of the country. We are not familiar with the severe weather that  the Plains and Gulf Coast South deal with on a seasonal basis. That is something I plan to fix!

I have worked with people who are familiar with weather and who REALLY do care about the accuracy of the story they are writing or giving. But there are times when I have to shake my head when I listen to an inaccurate report  I often encourage my co-workers to talk with me about current weather conditions if they are unsure of what to put in scripts or say on air when talking about a weather story. It is important to relay proper information to the public when it comes to watches and warnings. Not only from a meteorology standpoint as it could save lives, but also from a journalistic view as well. 

There are reports that meteorologist James Spann will be interviewed by ABC regarding the aftermath of the tornadoes. Hopefully he will set the record straight on national television, much unlike Diane Sawyer the night before. 

Bowl Wrap-Up

Last night's snozzzzzzer capped the 2011-12 College Football post season. Over the span of nearly three weeks, teams seized the opportunity to close the season on a high note while others squandered their chance, some seemed to even give it away. Various teams showed up to play, others sleep-walked through 60 minuets of football. In my mind, this was the most entertaining bowl season in recent memory. Typically, the early bowl games can be duds. That was not the case this season, as some of the early games were among the best of the bunch. I'll recap my picks first, then give out some highly coveted awards...I see you moving to the edge of your seat.

My record for the 2011-12 Bowl Season finished at..... 25-10! Thank you! Thank you! Much improved over last seasons 20-15 record. What can I say? The games just seemed easier to pick. I actually took part in a cash pool that required selecting winners based on point spreads and over/under total points. I won that pool, and finished with a record of 24-11 in that pool. I never referenced my blog pick when choosing winners for the pool, the near-similar records were just coincidence.

Let's breakdown the gauntlet of games:
Most Exciting Game: This is a tough decision, so many good contenders. A great finish to the SDSU/Louisiana-Lafayette New Orleans Bowl which was decided by a last-second field goal. Toldeo-Air Force Military Bowl was a doozie, Air Force failed to score on a two-point conversion and lost by just one point in a high scoring affair. Utah mounted a ferocious comeback to beat Georgia Tech in overtime at the Sun Bowl. Michigan State and Georgia both proved there was no hangover from losing their conference championship games as it took 3 overtimes to settle the Outback Bowl. The Rose Bowl was an action-packed, high-scoring, record-breaking affair. Only to be followed by the Fiesta Bowl in which Oklahoma State and Stanford traded blows before the Cardinal's kicking game blew it. If you think points are exciting, then these last two games made you one happy sports fan! West Virginia racked up a all-time bowl record 70 points in their rout of Clemson. But hands down the most exciting game of the season was Baylor and Washington as the defenses basically stepped out of the way of each offense and let a track meet break out on a football field. 123 combined points, 1,397 combined total yards made the Alamo Bowl the most exciting bowl game of this season!

Most Boring Game: This is a tough one because the early bowls typically take this category but this year the early games were unusually entertaining. The BBVA Compass Bowl qualifies, as the game was all but over after three 1st quarter touchdowns by SMU. Oklahoma steamrolled Iowa in the Insight Bowl that really wasn't all that competitive. I'm trying not to let a bias get involved here, but the National Championship game was pretty dull. 21 total points, all scored by Alabama. But only one touchdown. It was another "field goal-palooza" of all intents and purposes. LSU didn't really play like they wanted to win. 92 total yards on offense? Georgia Southern put up more yards on Alabama than LSU did! I understand Alabama has a beast defense, but it isn't IMPOSSIBLE to score on them. And for the National Championship Game being a shut-out, congrats, you are the most boring game of the bowl season!

Best Bowl Win: I think West Virginia's win in the Orange Bowl was as big as it gets. Not only on the field, but off it too. The Mountaineers sent a statement to Clemson and to the Big East Conference by putting up 70 points in a dominant BCS performance. West Virginia is headed to the Big 12 Conference next season (at least THEY think so), and destroying their ACC opponent while headed out the pathetic Big East door give them a ton of credit and momentum heading into next season. Look out for the Mountaineers next season.

Worst Bowl Loss: Washington surrendered 777 yards of offense, including 482 of those rushing. Hands down the worst performance of this bowl season. It cost the Huskies Defensive coordinator his job.

Most Ironic Loser: Air Force in the Military Bowl
Most Deserving Winner: Florida Gators in the Gator Bowl
Dumbest Moment: Towards the end of the third quarter in the Capital One Bowl, star wide receiver Alshon Jeffery threw a punch at a Nebraska defender. Both players were ejected. At the end of the game, Jeffery was named Player of the Game. How can you give an award to a player who was KICKED OUT of the game! Doesn't matter that he caught a Hail Mary pass at the end of the 1st half for a touchdown.

The 2011-12 College football season was a great one! A lot of late-season drama spilled over into the bowl season. Can't wait for next year! As usual, too early to look ahead. Well, not really but I won't get into that.

Any Hope For Snow?

I posted last month about the possibilities of snow on Christmas. The holidays came and went, no snow. No "typical" winter weather to speak of at all. Just dull weather. A shower here and there. Fog most mornings and some decent stretches of sunshine. Will we transition into a more La Nina weather pattern which would yield a better possibility of snow? According to this morning's model run, it does not look good.

One of the four daily model runs occurs while I'm at work each morning. The 06z model runs are notorious for being "outliers" in comparison to their 00z and 12z counterparts. By the way, we use the postmark "Z" to denote "Zulu time". It is basically Greenwhich Mean Time, so 00z model run translates to 12 midnight in England. So, when this mornings 06z 850mb comparisons came out, it did not spark hope for a return to winter weather.

 

850mb Temperatures look boring

This is the GFS model run, just one of several separate models that Mets use to forecast. Within the GFS model, several different "perturbations" are played out. The graph above shows the 850mb temperature plotted out with each run. The 850mb temperature gives us temps at about 5,000ft elevation. We can use the 850mb temps to translate a surface temperature. Ideally, we like to see 850mb temperatures of at least -6 degrees Celsius in order to get excited about any possibility of snow in our area. The 06z run doesn't inspire hope. The green line is climatology, what we should expect. The red line is the average of all the models and the blue line represents the "operational" run, the actual model that we see each day. Just a week ago, the ensemble mean had temperatures down near -3 to -5 degrees Celsius, and I recall a few operational runs that dipped into -10 degrees Celsius last week as well. But that's life in the world of a weather forecaster. You get excited about a big arctic outbreak and 6 hours later...that model takes it away from you. I can almost guarantee that by the time I post this, the 12z model run will be drastically different!

I can tell you that this morning's 06z GFS 850mb map does not show much of anything below 0 degrees for the next 384 hours! The 7 day forecast looks nice, however. By mid-week, gusty east winds will help keep us clear of clouds and fog each morning. With the clear conditions, nights will be chilly. Lows may touch the mid 20's. Remember, peak snow season for Portland is right around the corner, so things can change in an instant!

Snow on Christmas?

We are only 6 days away from Christmas! The big question each time December 25th rolls around is whether or not we will be seeing a white Christmas. Living in Northwest Oregon, we already have a handicap getting snow down to the valley floor. The Pacific Ocean is too close and acts as a moderating influence to our weather. It just keeps temperatures too warm for a persistent snow threat.

Portland's coldest month is January, where the mean average temperature is 39.9 degrees. That is "comfortably" above the freezing mark, making it tough for snow to fall. Let's look over the Cascades at Redmond's coldest month, that's December. The average mean temperature is 32.7 degrees. So why the difference between Portland and Redmond? Elevation plays a key role. Portland sits at roughly 200 feet above sea level. Redmond is at nearly 3,000 feet in elevation. The thermodynamic state of the atmosphere cools as you gain elevation. So you'd expect Redmond to be colder than Portland. Another issue is "continentality".  The land heats and cools much faster than the ocean, so the closer to a body of water you are, the more temperate the climate may be. That is exactly what we deal with here in Portland. We are just close enough to the Pacific Ocean to be impacted by its moderating factors.

So let's answer the question: what is the possibility of a white Christmas in Portland? You actually have a better chance of seeing snow on Christmas if you live in Downtown Portland rather than out near the Portland International Airport. On average, Downtown Portland has a 4% chance of seeing a white Christmas. And at PDX? If you had a worse chance, it'd be no chance... only a 1% chance of seeing the white stuff near the airport. Portland's most recent "white Christmas" was back in 2008, where close to 1" fell on the 25th to go along with the nearly 10" that was already on the ground (as a side note, December 2008 saw 19" of snow!). What about Redmond's chances? Since 1949, Redmond has had 12 white Christmases and on average has a 24% chance of seeing snow on the 25th. 

Just for fun, Portland's snowiest day is January 19th where since 1884 it has snowed 15 times and on average there is a 12% chance for snow that day. 

What does this Christmas have in store? This December has been very dry. The airport has reported only a tenth of an inch of rain through the 19th. That is nearly 3.39 inches below normal. The driest December on record was in 1976 where only 1.38 inches fell. So we are well on our way setting a new record. We remain locked in this very dry weather pattern. All month long, high pressure has been planted out over the Pacific Ocean, leaving us dry. The weather maps continue to hint at this high pressure staying more or less in place.

Christmas Eve Morning

Christmas Morning

Rain by Presents Time

The high pressure clearly shows up on Christmas Eve morning. The ridging sends any rain up over the top of us and keeps us dry and mainly sunny for the 24th. However, a weakness disrupts our nice weather by Christmas morning. That weakness will bring us some showers by the time you are opening presents. But temperatures just won't be cold enough to produce snow. Christmas average temperature in Portland is 45 degrees, I am aiming for 43. So no white Christmas this year!

Bowling Season

One of the wildest seasons of college football wrapped up Saturday (The Army Navy game was Saturday--neither will be bowling this season). Things got really interesting this year when LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in overtime. Then talk about who the second best team in the nation REALLY was. Oklahoma State? Stanford? Alabama? Oregon? It was suppose to take a miracle for the Tide to get back into the National Championship picture. And that is exactly what it got! Losses by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, and Stanford all helped the Crimson Tide slide into the #2 spot and wind up with a controversial rematch for the Crystal Ball.

But before we settle who the best of the best are, we must wade through the muck that is the mediocrity bowl-slate (13 teams have the potential to finish below .500). It wouldn't be fun to predict the good bowl games, so I going to break it down all 35 of em. Last years record was 20-15.

New Mexico Bowl-Temple vs. Wyoming
Temple has been an under-the-radar team the last few years. Back-to-back 8-win seasons has the people of Philadelphia thinking twice about the Eagles. Wyoming can't run the ball and they can't stop the run...advantage Owls. Who wins: Temple

Idaho Potato Bowl- Ohio vs. Utah St.
Utah St. had defending national champs Auburn on the ropes with under two minuets to play. Then they choked it away. The Aggies pulled it together and got into a bowl game with the 6th ranked rushing attack in the nation. Ohio is a perennial bowl competitor, but lack success. Who's turning potatoes into fries? Ohio

New Orleans Bowl- SDSU vs. LA-Lafayette
Both teams won 8 games. SDSU did it in a much tougher conference. The Ragin' Cajuns are in their first bowl in 41 years! Who's throwin' beads on Bourbon St? SDSU

Beef O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg- Florida International vs. Marshall
Marshall won their last two games to become bowl eligible. Both teams struggle in the offensive category. In a game named Beef O' Brady's, why wouldn't things be offensive? Game lies in the arm of Panthers QB Carrol and WR T.Y. Hilton. Who's got the beef? Florida International

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl- TCU vs. Louisiana Tech
So, TCU wins the Mountain West (welcome to the conference, Boise) and still can't get into the automatic ranks. So they settle for LA Tech. This shouldn't be close. Who's got the better credit score? TCU

Las Vegas Bowl- Boise St. vs. Arizona St.
This one could get ugly. Did the Sun Devils even play a 2nd half of the season? Boise, ranked 7th, will be upset about being left out of the BCS. Who's the high roller? Boise State

Hawaii Bowl- Southern Miss vs. Nevada
Southern Miss cost Conference USA a boatload of cash by beating Houston in the conference championship game. They are a good looking team. Nevada runs the Pistol offense to the T. The Golden Eagles pack a great punch too. This will be a fun game to watch. Mele Kalikimaka to Southern Miss.

Independence Bowl- Missouri vs. UNC
Mizzou bids adieu to the Big 12. UNC put together a decent season under interim Head Coach Everett Withers. Who wins? Missouri

Little Caesars Bowl- Western Michigan vs. Purdue
One of least interesting match-ups this bowl season.  Purdue didn't win back to back games all season. The Broncos won two in a row to get into a bowl. They got a QB who has nearly 3,500 yards passing. Pizza! Pizza! Western Michigan

Belk Bowl- Louisville vs. N.C. State
Louisville competed in the Big East (but who didn't?) N.C. State looked impressive in a stunner over Clemson. The Cardinals were the more consistent of the two teams who both struggle offensively. I have no idea what Belk does...Louisville

Military Bowl- Toledo vs. Air Force
Air Force is the only military team to qualify for a bowl game. Good thing cause this game would be awkward if there wasn't a military school in it. The Falcons can run the ball and Toledo can score lots of different ways. Should be an interesting game. ATTENTION! Toledo

Holiday Bowl- California vs. Texas
The Longhorns struggled and I have no idea why Texas was ranked for most of the season. They weren't very competitive in any of their games against ranked opponents. Cal, Cal, Cal. Somehow, some way, they turned it around in the 2nd half of the season. Remember when Texas head man lobbied for a BCS bowl game over Cal a few years back? Holiday Cheer for Texas

Champ Sports Bowl- Notre Dame vs. Florida State
A classic match-up. Florida State was ranked number five at one point, but lost to Oklahoma, Clemson and Wake Forest in consecutive weeks to put em out of contention. The Irish used two 4-game win streaks to get to a bowl game. Hardly call them a Champ winner Florida State

Valero Alamo Bowl- Washington vs. Baylor
This is the first year in the Alamo Bowl for the Pac-12. Washington played well early under QB Price (who will no doubt be more successful than Jake Locker) but slept walked through the rest of the season. Baylor finished off one of their best seasons and have the best player in college football Robert Griffin III. Who Remembers the Alamo? Baylor


Armed Forces Bowl- BYU vs. Tulsa
This is a sleeper game. BYU had 9 wins this season but was under the radar because they were an Independent. Tulsa's only conference loss was to Houston. Tulsa can score and should keep this one competitive. Up in Arms Tulsa


New Era Pinstripe Bowl- Rutgers vs. Iowa State
Rutgers is the bigger, stronger team here. Iowa State pulled the huge upset against #2 Oklahoma State to throw the college football world into a spiral only to lose their final two games of the season. Expect Rutgers to pass all over the Cyclones. Now Batting for the Yankees Rutgers


Music City Bowl- Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest
Mississippi State has the misfortune of playing in the SEC West division. You know, with teams like LSU, Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn. Tough to get in a rhythm playing those teams. Wake Forest had a better than expected year, and happy to be back in a bowl game. If the Bulldogs can get the running game going, they can win it. Who's hearing Sweet Music? Mississippi State


Insight Bowl- Iowa vs. Oklahoma
The Sooners are a stranger to non-BCS bowl games. This is only their third non-BCS bowl game in the last 10 years. Iowa won games they shouldn't have and lost games they shouldn't have. Even without standout wide receiver Ryan Broyles, the Sooners should roll. Who wins? Oklahoma


Meineke Car Care Bowl- Texas A&M vs. Northwestern
For some reason, it's always a shock to see NW in a bowl game. But they fought and scrapped this season. Was there a bigger disappointment in college football this season than Texas A&M? Back to back blown leads against Oklahoma St. and Arkansas began the implosion. If Wildcat QB Dan Persa can play the entire game, NW has a shot. The George Foreman goes to Texas A&M


Sun Bowl- Georgia Tech vs. Utah
A pretty good match up in El Paso. Pac-12 newcomers Utah pulled together a strong 2nd half of the season with a stout defense. Georgia Tech can run the ball, they rank 3rd in the NCAA in rushing. A classic game of which will win out. The Sun is shining for Georgia Tech


AutoZone Liberty Bowl- Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt
Vandy put together one of the more surprising seasons this year, in the SEC no less. This is only their 5th bowl appearance ever. Cincy has a tough streak to them. Give them Liberty Cincy


Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl- Illinois vs. UCLA
Do we HAVE to play this game?? Neither team has a head coach. Illinois won their first 6 games, only to lose their last 6. UCLA actually has a losing record going into this one. The Bruins would have been bowl eligible had USC been able to qualify for the Pac-12 championship game so a bowl game seems fair. Still, most will be fighting boredom watching this one. Serve up some Mac&Cheese to Illinois


Chick-fil-A Bowl- Virginia vs. Auburn
Auburn struggled to find consistency at QB but no one is Cam Newton. Virginia was more successful on the road than the Tigers. But is Virginia ready for this stage? Auburn will be playing in familiar territory in the Georgia Dome. Eat Mor Chikin Auburn

TicketCity Bowl- Penn St. vs. Houston
No doubt Houston had other thoughts than the TicketCity Bowl. Their Conference USA championship loss cost them a BCS game in which they very well could have been the favorite. They settle for a game in Dallas against Penn St. who has a stout defense. I think Keenum is a way better QB than Penn St. has seen all year. Punchin' their Ticket Houston

Outback Bowl- Michigan St. vs. Georgia
A match-up of two conference championship losers. Georgia came on strong to end the season after starting 0-2, winning 10 straight before the SEC championship loss to LSU. Michigan St. couldn't pull another miracle in the Big 10 game. Two great defenses and equal offenses. Who's Going Down Under? Michigan State

Capital One Bowl- Nebraska vs. South Carolina
If Cornhuskers QB Martinez and RB Burkhead click, Nebraska can take this one. But they are so hit-and-miss all season long. South Carolina has a stingy defense with a beast defensive line. Connor Shaw took over nicely at the QB spot for a disappointing Stephen Garcia. Should the Huskers QB/RB tandem fail, the Gamecocks will take over. What's in Your Wallet? South Carolina

Gator Bowl- Ohio St. vs. Florida
I have a tough time with this game. Do two 6-6 teams really deserve a "New Years Day" bowl game? Both had disappointing seasons but Florida may come with a bit more motivation in an attempt to beat the soon-to-be-coached Urban Meyer Buckeyes. This is almost a toss-up. Urban Bowl Winner? Ohio State

Rose Bowl Game- Wisconsin vs. Oregon
This is one of the top 3 match-ups this bowl season. The first BCS game this year features a power offense (Wisky) versus a speed offense (Ducks). If Oregon's surprising D can get a few stops and run around the slower Wisconsin defensive line, Ducks take it. If not, Wisconsin dominates possession and can pull it out. Who's Rosy? Oregon

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl- Oklahoma St. vs. Stanford
In my eyes, this is the best match-up of the season. Oklahoma St. was this close to the National Championship and Stanford could have been in the mix too had they beat Oregon. But with QB's Brandon Weeden and Andrew Luck this one has plenty of points in the offering. I think Justin Blackmon is the difference. The Cardinal don't have that deep threat with Owusu out. Chips n' Dip Oklahoma State

Allstate Sugar Bowl- Michigan vs. Virginia Tech
The most disappointing BCS match-up. Shame on the Sugar Bowl for this selection. Michigan was just good enough to qualify for a spot and Virginia Tech got pounded in the ACC championship game. This should have been Boise St. and Kansas St. But it is all about the money, you know that! Virginia Tech has more talent in this one. Who's In Good Hands? Virginia Tech

Discover Orange Bowl- Clemson vs. West Virginia
How good did Clemson look early in the year? And how quickly that success dropped. But they rebounded to win the ACC bid. West Virginia won the muddled Big East with plenty of help. Clemson definitely has the better team. But if Geno Smith has success passing, the Mountaineers have a shot. Who wins? Clemson

AT&T Cotton Bowl- Arkansas vs. Kansas St.
This is going to be a great game. Kansas State has a hard-nosed offense and coach Snyder always seems to get this team motivated to play. Arkansas was over-shadowed by LSU and Alabama this season. QB Tyler Wilson is playing better than Ryan Mallett had last year. Look for the Razorbacks to pull away late in this one. Who wins? Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl- SMU vs. Pittsburgh
Why this game is played so late in the bowl season is beyond me (money, probably). SMU is being rejuvenated by coach June Jones. But unlike the Pony Express, this Mustangs team does it through the air. Pitt never won back-to-back conference games and lost a few games it probably shouldn't have. Compass is Pointing to SMU

GODADDY.com Bowl- Arkansas St. vs. Northern Illinois
An intriguing game to prep you for the National Championship, this bowl features two 10-win teams. Frustrating to know that winning your conference only gets you to the website bowl. Northern Ill. is no stranger to bowl games, but Arkansas St is a 10-win team for the first time in school history. Who gets to Meet Danica Patrick? Northern Illinois

BCS National Championship- LSU vs. Alabama
An SEC team will lose in the title game, you can count on it. Here is my beef with this match-up: This game proves nothing. If LSU wins, they beat Alabama...again. We already knew they could beat Bama (see: Nov. 5th, 9-6 OT). People will cry that Oklahoma State should have had a shot. If Alabama wins, then the series is tied 1-1 and we will never get a 3rd game to see who takes the cake. Nothing is solved in the big picture with this match-up. It just gives the SEC another bragging point. Nonetheless, the game must be played. I expect this game to be different than the first meeting. More points, less defense the second go around. With the game being played in New Orleans, that has to give the edge to LSU. They seem to win one ever five years anyways...


There you have it, all 35 games predicted. Thoughts? See how you do and I'll be back to wrap it all up on January 10th. 






 

Oklahoma!

Recall spring and early summer here in the Pacific Northwest....
Portland had one of the worst springs of all-time! It ranked as the 4th coldest and 2nd wettest spring on record. The average temperature for the 2011 spring period (March-May) was 49 degrees. We received 14.41" of rain as well, 0.9" shy of tying the all-time record. Given the two, I'd say that's a pretty miserable stretch.

While we "suffered" here in the Pac NW, it compares very little to what the Sooner State has endured since January 1. Oklahoma has gone through a variable mixed bag of extremes this year. Let's review:

February 10:
In Northeast Oklahoma, Nowata recorded the state's coldest temperature ever when the mercury disappeared to minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit! That record stood for 64 years and previously was minus 27 degrees.  Also ending that day was the new state record for snowfall in 24 hours. Just to the Southeast of Nowata, 27" of the white stuff fell in Spavinaw! Winter Canadian air was to blame for these winter records.

Let me draw your attention to the top left map. This is the setup for February 9th. Notice that over Oklahoma, the pink colors are moving from the north to the south. This indicates very cold temperatures in the atmosphere above, an "arctic outbreak". Those temperatures above translate into cold temperatures at the surface. The map on the bottom right displays relative humidity through roughly half the atmosphere. The pink colors indicate a "dry" atmosphere, or low humidity levels. The brighter blues tell us that the atmosphere is saturated and wet. The more saturated the air is, the more likely precipitation is to fall. There is a bulls-eye of high saturation over Oklahoma on the 9th. Combined with the cold temperatures, we get the beginning of a record snow event!

February 9 setup

On the 10th, notice that Oklahoma looses it's moisture source. The record 27" of snow fell out of that saturated air but dried out quickly after. When the atmosphere is dry, that typically means there are no clouds in the sky. A clear sky allows heat from the day to escape out to space and rapidly cool temperatures at the surface. This is how you drop temperatures to minus 31 degrees!

February 10 setup

May 23:
Oklahoma lies in the middle of what is known as Tornado Alley. More tornadoes occur here than anywhere else in the world! The threats from tornadoes includes hail and high winds. State records were set in both categories in a two day span beginning on the 23rd. A record 6" hailstone fell in Guetbo. Below damage to a roof of a car that collected the hailstone.

May 24:
A tornado outbreak near El Reno caused a scientific wind gauge to record a wind gust of 151 miles per hour as the tornado passed. That gust crushes the previous record of 113 miles per hour that was set back in 1994.







July:
A majority of the country baked this summer in record heat. Oklahoma was at the top of that list.

Temperatures Compared From Average

 Oklahoma averaged a July temperature of 88.9 degrees. This is not the average high temperature. It is the average temperature felt at any point in Oklahoma for the month! It has never been that hot in any state for any month, ever! Truly remarkable.

Summer: 
The summer never provided relief for Oklahoma. Mark Shafer, director of climate services for the Oklahoma Climatological Survey said that at one point 99% of Oklahoma was experiencing severe drought.

November 5:
From the non-weather department but still significant and record-setting: Oklahoma experienced its strongest earthquake on record. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck near Sparks. It was a shallow earthquake, which allows the earthquake waves to travel longer distances. Earthquakes are nothing new to Oklahoma. Given the states proximity to one of the United State's major fault lines, the New Madrid fault, earthquakes from that seismic zone probably impacted Oklahoma in the past. There are several known fault lines in Oklahoma and while it is not in a perceived "earthquake zone", its location still can produce sizable quakes.

2011 has been a torture on Oklahomans. What does all this extreme record-setting phenomena mean? I wish I had an answer for that but I'll let you draw your own conclusions!

Tragedy in IndyCar

Sunday was supposed to be a day of racing celebration. The final race of the 2011 IndyCar in Las Vegas was set up to be a good one. A championship on the line with two men battling it out for the top spot. Danica Patrick was making her final start as an IndyCar driver before making the full time switch to NASCAR next season. Dan Wheldon had just agreed to become Patrick's replacement for next season. Wheldon also had a personal challenge on the line: win the race and get a $5 Million bonus. 11 laps in, things took a horrific turn.

On lap 12, there was a 15-car crash that sent multiple cars flying through the air like toothpicks blown in the wind and ignited several fires. As the dust settled, attention turned to one car, Dan Wheldon's. Hope turned to fear when Wheldon was air lifted from the track to a nearby hospital.About two hours later, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard was the one who broke the horrific news, "IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries,". Wheldon became the fourth driver in IndyCar to die from an accident on the track since 1996.

Wheldon's death sparks memories of Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona in 2001. Earnhardt was a NASCAR champion. Wheldon was an IndyCar champion. He won the 2011 Indy 500, the most famous of all American races. He won the same race in 2005 en route to the tour championship. Racing has lost another champion.

Crashes are part of racing. At speeds of over 200 miles per hour, decisions are split and can be costly. Safety is of paramount importance at those speeds. IndyCar and NASCAR have taken all precautions to ensure the well-being of their athletes. In my opinion, there was nothing that could have been done in order to avoid this tragedy.  It truly is amazing that more deaths do not result from some of the crashes. That is a testament to the rules and regulations put into place by racing officials.

There is nothing more sobering than death. As the news of this tragedy came down amongst the drivers on the track, a championship was the last thing on their minds. Pit road was overrun with emotion. The drivers voted to not finish the race. Instead, they returned to their cars and did a five lap tribute for Wheldon. A classy move by the drivers and IndyCar as a whole.

Death continues to remind us what we take for granted. Dan Wheldon's life should be celebrated. He was a man who was widely liked among other racers in IndyCar. He was successful at what he did and died doing what he loved. Each racer knows that their life is on the line each time they get behind the wheel and death can show up around every turn.

Dan Wheldon was 33.