KVUE Mark's Weather Blog

Red Berry Juniper Pollen on the Way?

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:36:41 -0600

Warm and muggy on Wednesday. Fog in the morning, then partly sunny with a brief shower possible in the afternoon. High in the low-90s! Heat Index in the upper-90s!! A front hits Thursday, setting us up for sunny, cooler weather Friday through Sunday with highs in the 70s...not to mention much lower humidity! Watch these early fall cold fronts, though. They often bring in Red Berry Juniper pollen from Northwest Texas and the Texas Panhandle. Under the microscope, it looks just like Mountain Cedar (Ashe's Juniper) pollen. Some people react to it just like they do to Mountain Cedar. Here's a link for more information on Red Berry Juniper, including a map showing where in Texas it grows.

http://www.conifers.org/cu/ju/pinchotii.htm

Mark Murray

Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:29:00 -0600

The decision is in from NASA. The Shuttle Discovery will not be landing this evening (Thursday). If they had, it would have been possible to see the deorbit burn over Texas. They will try again on Friday, and I'll let you know if we'd be able to see it.

Mark

Space Shuttle Discovery and Space Station Viewing Times

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:29:49 -0600

Now that the Space Shuttle Discovery has docked with the International Space Station, we'll have several good opportunities to see the pair in orbit from Austin. Here are the dates and times:

Tuesday September 1st, 6:23 am, Duration 2 minutes
Moving from the north to the east, maximum elevation only 11 degrees, dim.

Wednesday September 2nd, 6:14 am, Duration 3 minutes
Moving from the north to the east, maximum elevation 19 degrees, slightly brighter.

Thursday September 3rd, 6:05 am, Duration almost 4 minutes
Moving from the north to the east, maximum elevation 33 degrees, Bright.

Friday September 4th, 5:58 am, Duration 2 minutes
Appearing at 63 degrees elevation in the eastern sky, moving to the southeast, Very bright.

Saturday September 5th, 8:14 pm, Duration 3 minutes
Moving from the south to the east, maximum elevation 14 degrees. Not as bright.

Sunday September 6th, 8:04 pm, Duration 4 minutes
Moving from the south to the east, maximum elevation 25 degrees. Bright

Monday September 7th, 7:54 pm, Duration 5 minutes
Moving from the south to the northeast, maximum elevation 51 degrees. Very Bright.

Good luck!

Hottest Summer Ever Recorded in Austin

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:11:26 -0600

Well, it was one for the record books. Meteorological Summer ended on August 31st (it runs June 1st through August 31st). At Camp Mabry, it was the hottest summer ever recorded. Here are the final numbers:

HOTTEST SUMMER EVER RECORDED IN AUSTIN (Camp Mabry)

1) 2009 Average Temp 89.1 degrees
2) 2008 Average Temp 86.7 degrees
3) 1980 Average Temp 86.2 degrees
4) 1923 Average Temp 86.1 degrees
5) 2006 Average Temp 85.8 degrees

In the world of weather, it's a really big deal to beat the old record by 2.4 degrees!! Also, August 2009 will go down in the books as one of the hottest months ever recorded. Here's that list:

HOTTEST MONTHS EVER RECORDED IN AUSTIN (Camp Mabry)

1) July 2009 Average Temp 89.5 degrees
2) August 2009 Average Temp 89.1 degrees
(tie) July 1860 Average Temp 89.1 degrees
4) August 2006 Average Temp 88.5 degrees
5) August 1999 Average Temp 88.3 degrees
(tie) July 1879 Average Temp 88.3 degrees
(tie) July 1884 Average Temp 88.3 degrees

As of August 31st, we stand at 67 triple-digit days at Camp Mabry for the year. That's just behind 1925 when we hit 100 degrees or better 69 times. Yet, 1925 doesn't make the list of hottest summers. Why is that? Looking back at the records for that year, the overnight lows were cooler back in 1925 than what we saw this summer. That may have to do with an increasing urban heat island, or the fact that the planet is warmer overall than it was more than 80 years ago. Also, there must have been a very strong front that hit on August 1st, 1925. The high was only 79 degrees on the 1st and 73 on the 2nd!! Those factors knocked 1925 out of the running for the hottest summer ever.

-Mark Murray

Why Are the Molds Still So High?!?

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:03:56 -0600

Many people have been asking me why the mold count continues to be so high, despite the lack of rain. There are several reasons. Certain types of outdoor mold (especially Alternaria tenuis) love this very hot weather. Plants distressed from the hot, dry weather are more vulnerable to attack from molds. Alternaria can be found in soils and compost piles. And, the simple act of watering your yard is enough to active the mold spores. Here's what Alternaria tenuis looks like under a microscope.

-Mark Murray

Updated Lake Levels

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:43:37 -0600

As of 9:30 pm Monday evening, Lake Travis is now at its third lowest level in history. The lake is falling under one foot per week (0.7') at this time.

1) 614.18' set in August of 1951
2) 615.02' set in November of 1963
3) 636.48' (and falling) set in August of 2009
4) 636.58' set in October of 1984
5) 640.24' set in October of 2000

Lake Buchanan isn't much better. Buchanan is at its fourth lowest level in history. Buchanan is falling about one foot per week.

1) 983.70' set in September of 1952
2) 986.63' set in September of 1964
3) 994.73' set in October of 2000
4) 996.23' (and falling) set in August of 2009
5) 997.95' set in January of 2007

-Mark Murray

Lake Travis at 3rd Lowest Level in History

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:05:54 -0600

At 10:00 pm Sunday night, Lake Travis dropped to the 3rd lowest level in its history. Here are the updated records of all-time lowest lake levels:

1) 614.18' set in August of 1951
2) 615.02' set in November of 1963
3) 636.58' (and falling) set in August of 2009
(tie) 636.58' set in October of 1984
5) 640.24' set in October of 2000

Lake Travis is still dropping about a foot and a half per week. No measurable rainfall is in the forecast for at least the next 5 days.

Mark Murray

Shuttle Landing Groundtracks

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:23:21 -0600

The Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled for a 9:48 am CDT landing in Florida on Friday morning. As with most shuttle trips to the International Space Station, we will not be able to see the shuttle as it deorbits into the Earth's atmosphere. There will be up to two attempts to land on Friday. The first attempt will be on orbit 248. That will bring the shuttle over Central America and Cuba.

There's also a landing opportunity on orbit 249. But, again, it would be too far south for those of us in Texas to see.

-Mark Murray

A Below Average Hurricane Season?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:45:14 -0600

Experts initially predicted that we'd see about an average hurricane season. But, I'm starting to think that we'll be in for a below average number of tropical storms and hurricanes this year. An average season would consist of around 10 named storms, with six of those becoming hurricanes. As you know, we have yet to see the first named storm of the season in the Atlantic basin (that includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico). A slow start to hurricane season is not unheard of, but on average, by July 31st we've seen our first named storm about 80% of the time. If we haven't had our first named storm by July 31st, then about 80% of the time, we see a below average hurricane season.

Remember, just because we may see a below average year, doesn't mean that we shouldn't be ready! The last time we didn't see a named storm until August was back in 1992. That was the year that Hurricane Andrew developed (August 16th). That did turn out to be a below average hurricane season, but ask anyone in Florida or Louisiana, and they may have a different opinion!

Another factor to consider is the return of El Nino. More often than not, the wind shear associated with an El Nino event leads to a below average number of tropical storms and hurricanes.

We'll see what the experts have to say when they update their hurricane season forecasts around August 1st. My thanks to Bob Rose from the LCRA for his input!

Mark Murray

Space Shuttle and Space Station Viewing Opportunities

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:12:46 -0600

Just a reminder that there are some great opportunities to see the Space Shuttle and the Space Station from Austin this weekend. Skies should be clear enough to enjoy the show! These passes will be starting from the north or west.

Sat 7/25 9:36 pm, visible for 3 minutes, maximum elevation 17 degrees.
Sun 7/26 10:01 pm , 1 minute, maximum elevation 72 degrees***.
Mon 7/27 8:50 pm, 4 minutes, maximum elevation 18 degrees.
Mon 7/27 10:25 pm, 1 minute, maximum elevation 18 degrees.
Tue 7/28 9:15 pm, 3 minutes, maximum elevation 34 degrees***.
Wed 7/29 9:40 pm, 3 minutes, maximum elevation 19 degrees.
Fri 7/31 8:54 pm, 3 minutes, maximum elevation 18 degrees.

***These will be the brightest passes, but you should be able to see them all if skies are clear and you have a good view of the horizon (especially for those passes lower than 20 degrees).

Record Update

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:25:24 -0600

With an average temperature of 89.6 degrees, we're still on track for this to be the hottest July on record for Austin. The old record temperature of 89.1 degrees was set WAAAAY back in 1860. As of today, we've had 35 triple-digit days this year at Camp Mabry and have tied or set 14 new record high temperatures! And, believe it or not, the next 30 days are typically the hottest and driest of the summer in Austin.

Lunar Images

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:38:26 -0600

With the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing just days away, the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned its first images of many of the Apollo lunar landing sites, including this one of the Apollo 11 lunar module.

Here's the link to the full story from NASA and more images from other Apollo missions.

Where were you when man first set foot on the moon? I was with my family at my grandmother's cabin on a small lake in Southern Wisconsin. My dad had set up all of his elaborate camera gear to snap a picture of the screen on the old 13" black and white Zenith at the exact moment when Neil Armstrong stepped off of the ladder onto the moon. It's cool to be able to see that lunar module 40 years later.

Mark

Austin's Record Heat Wave

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:25:12 -0600

Another record has been set! The 30-day period from June 16th through July 15th, 2009 was the HOTTEST 30-day period ever recorded in Austin (temperature records for Austin date back to 1898). The average temperature during that period was 89.5 degrees. The previous record for a 30-day period was 89.1 degrees which was set between July 28th and August 27th, 2000.

Relief appears to be on the way. Late Thursday evening, storms were developing in North Texas and the Texas Panhandle. Upper-level winds from the northwest will help to steer some of these storms into Central Texas. This pattern will repeat itself each day between now and Tuesday. By the end of next week, high pressure should rebuild over Texas, shutting off the rain machine.

Not everyone will get rainfall over the next few days. Those that do should average around 0.50". But, just having the clouds and storms nearby, should help cool us into the 90s for a few days. Enjoy the change!

Mark

Space Shuttle and Space Station Viewing Opportunities

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:04:19 -0600

Now that the Space Shuttle Endeavour is in orbit (with an Austinite on board!), there is a good chance we'll be able to see the shuttle and the International Space Station while they are docked together. But, it looks like we'll have to wait until July 23rd for our first opportunity. Here are the initial projections. I'll update them when we get closer to the 23rd.

Mark

Cool Volcano Video

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:14:02 -0600

I think we're all a bit tired of the heat...so, today on the blog let's talk about something cool! Cool video!! Many of us saw the International Space Station fly overhead last week. Here are some images they captured as the ISS passed over the Sarychev Volcano (Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan) in an early stage of the eruption on June 12, 2009.

Mark