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Mark's WEATHER BLOG |
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October 2009
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Recently by Mark MurrayWarm 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 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 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 Wednesday September 2nd, 6:14 am, Duration 3 minutes Thursday September 3rd, 6:05 am, Duration almost 4 minutes Friday September 4th, 5:58 am, Duration 2 minutes Saturday September 5th, 8:14 pm, Duration 3 minutes Sunday September 6th, 8:04 pm, Duration 4 minutes Monday September 7th, 7:54 pm, Duration 5 minutes Good luck! 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 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 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 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 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 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 -Mark Murray 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 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 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 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 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. ***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). |
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Chief meteorologist Mark Murray joined KVUE in 1990. Ask Mark a question at weather@kvue.com.
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