February 2009 Archives

Some of the most AMAZING very high speed video of lightning that I have ever seen!!!

http://www.ztresearch.com/

Enjoy!

Mark Murray

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The 19th Annual Lou Withrow South Central Texas SkyWarn 2009 Training Session is coming up this Saturday (21 February) from 830am to 4pm at the University of Texas Pickle Research Campus (in the Big Tex Auditorium in the Commons) in north Austin. This is a free severe weather spotter and safety training community session taught by Paul Yura, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, National Weather Service, Austin-San Antonio.

Dr. Kevin Kloesel, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Public Service and Outreach, School of Meteorology, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, University of Oklahoma, well known educator and communicator in meteorological studies, will make an "entertaining" return as our keynote speaker. This session is primarily open and intended for the law enforcement, fire department and first responder community as well as amateur radio and the media community, but, of course, everyone with an interest in severe and inclement weather is welcome!!

You can see all the details, including the program schedule, at:

http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/kimmel/skywarn2009.html

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Average Last Freeze

Llano Mar 22

Fredericksburg Mar 21

Johnson City Mar 20

Blanco Mar 21

Boerne Mar 22

Austin Mabry Feb 24

Austin Bergstrom Mar 6

San Marcos Mar 6

New Braunfels Mar 8

San Antonio Mar 1

Gonzales Feb 28

Yoakum Feb 27

Del Rio Feb 21

Rocksprings Mar 18

Carrizo Springs Feb 19

Eagle Pass Feb 18

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At 11:03 am Sunday morning, a meteor streaked across our Texas sky. It was traveling at an estimated 15,000 to 40,000 miles per hour. It was captured by two National Weather Service Doppler radars as it passed about 20 miles north of Waco, or about 120 miles north of Austin. The image on the left was taken by the NWS Fort Worth radar as the radar beam was about 4,000 feet above the ground. The image on the right was taken when the radar beam was about 7,000 feet above the ground.

The National Weather Service Doppler radar in Granger, Texas (Williamson County) also saw the meteor. The image on the right was taken when the radar beam was about 9,000 feet off the ground. The image on the left was taken when the radar beam was about 14,000 feet above the ground.

You can click on each image to get a larger view.

-Mark Murray

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Even though much of our severe weather occurs in the Spring, we all know that dangerous storms can strike during any month of the year. It looks like parts of Texas will be under the threat of severe weather from late Tuesday afternoon into the early morning hours Wednesday.

Tonight's computer model runs place the track of the upper-level low pressure just to our north for Tuesday evening. That would mean North Texas and Oklahoma would be under the greatest risk for damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes. It's possible, that if the low were to drop just a bit farther to the south, that parts of Central Texas could see a few strong storms. The Tuesday forecast calls for cloudy skies which would limit daytime heating. If we see breaks in the clouds during the afternoon, the additional heating would make our atmosphere much more unstable, increasing our risk of storms in the Austin area. We'll also be closely watching the speed of the low. If it comes in faster than expected, that will also increase our threat of severe weather, because it will cross Central Texas closer to the warmest time of the day. If it doesn't reach us until late evening (which is what I expect), than that will lower the risk.

For now, the Storm Prediction Center has placed us under a "Slight Risk" of severe weather. Keep up to date with the latest on KVUE or on www.kvue.com.

-Mark Murray

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John writes:

"When will Cedar Season End?!?"

Good news, John! The worst of cedar season is behind us! It's rare that we see high cedar pollen levels after February 5th. We could still see some medium counts over the next week or 10 days, with low cedar counts through the end of the month!

It's about time!

-Mark

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