When It Rains....

When it rains, it pours!  After a 3”-5” rainfall deficit since March, Mother Nature is playing catch up.  Today some areas will pick up half a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours. Flash Flood Warnings, Watches and Advisories are posted for various Connecticut Counties. There is no point in getting into which alert your home is in because really everyone is in the same boat tonight. Bottom line, watch for flooding of poor drainage areas, low lying areas, small streams and creeks in any of tonight’s downpours. If your basement typically floods, keep an eye on it the next few days.

Off and on showers and downpours will continue all the way through at least Sunday morning.  The humidity will be moving out, getting replaced with a chilly air mass.  On Saturday and Sunday, temperatures will get stuck in the 50s! Monday looks like the best day of the long weekend with sunshine returning.

Tonight: Rain, heavy at times with an embedded thunderstorm. Low 60s
Tomorrow: Cloudy with scattered showers and downpours, cooler and turning gradually less humid. Chance for an isolated thunderstorm. High: 63-68
Saturday: Cloudy with off and on rain, cool! Breezy, chance for an isolated thunderstorm. High: 50-55
Sunday: Scattered showers, cool and mostly cloudy. Some drying in the afternoon with brightening possible. High: Mid 50s
Monday: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny and dry (finally). Turning a bit milder. High: 65-70
Tuesday: Mostly sunny and warmer. Temperatures will reach near 80 by the middle of next week. High: 73-77

The Weekend Looks Uglier

Update as of 7:34 PM: The Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been canceled. 

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch continues into 10 PM for the northern half of Connecticut including Hartford, Tolland, Windham and Litchfield Counties. But after pouring over all the latest data, it’s my professional opinion that the threat for severe weather remains north and west of the state.

A few showers and thunderstorms are possible tonight.  But the threat should stay sub-severe and isolated.

Although temperatures have fluctuated this week, the humidity has not. On Thursday a cold front will slowly approach, bringing one last mild and steamy day with scattered storms.  By Friday, drier comfortable air returns.  But instead of clearing out, it now appears a wave of low pressure will ride along the front providing clouds and scattered showers right into the long weekend. Temperatures will stay below average Saturday and Sunday with plenty of clouds. Memorial Day promises the most sun.

Tonight: Patchy dense fog. Chance shower or thunderstorm. Muggy and mild. Low: 60-65.

Thursday: Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Remaining mild and muggy. Breezy with a a southwest wind at 10 to 20 mph. High: 70-76.

Friday: Cloudy with scattered showers, cooler and turning gradually less humid. Chance for an isolated thunderstorm. High: 63-69.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers, cool! Chance for an isolated thunderstorm. High: 55-59.

Sunday: Clouds and showers break for some sun. Showers may linger if a storm off the coast is slower to move out. High: 55-60.

Monday: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny and dry (finally). Turning a bit milder. High: 65-70.

Warm & Humid Through Thursday

Summer is settling in through Thursday with a warm and humid air mass in place.  The next couple of days will be very similar.  Early clouds and fog will break for sun, followed by some scattered afternoon thunderstorms.  Any storms that pop up on Tuesday could contain heavy downpours, lightning and small hail. Thursday a front will bring more numerous showers, followed by clearing and less humid conditions on Friday. Memorial Day weekend (the unofficial start to summer) looks dry and sunny.

Tonight: Patchy fog, mild and muggy. Low: 57-65

Tuesday: AM fog and clouds break for some sun.  Warm and humid, chance for scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms. High: 75-83.

Wednesday: AM fog and clouds break for some sun.  Warm and humid, chance for scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms. High: 77-86.

Thursday: Intervals of clouds and sun, warm and humid, an isolated thunder storm possible. High: Mid-upper 70s

Friday: Numerous showers and thunderstorms. High: Low 70s

Saturday: Sunny. High: Near 70

Ouch.

The injury!  Needed stitches on the left side of the pic. My right side.

Thank you so much for all the get well messages on twitter and facebook! A lot of you have been inquiring about how I got hurt. But it’s too hard to explain in 140 characters.

I was doing dips on this piece of equipment, called the “matador” Monday morning (see below).  But I attached the matador to the rig upside down so when I applied weight to it, the whole thing flipped back.  The piece that normally attaches to the rig hit me in the chest, dragged up my neck and slammed me in the bottom of my chin.

The "Matador" The part that attaches to the rig was upside
down so it flipped up.

 When the matador flipped, this was the piece of mental that
left the two gashes on my neck/chest

I didn’t know what happened.  My whole face was tingling and my teeth felt numb.  Did I lose a tooth? Two?  All of them? I felt little pieces in my mouth.  My fiancé Aram ran over.  He assured me I had all my teeth.  But I chipped the front two and I’m still having nerve issues with one of my bottom incisors.

My chest was stinging but I thought it was just a scratch.  When Aram told me we had to go to the hospital I thought he was overreacting! I reached down to touch my chest but he stopped me.  “It’s a little worse than you think”.

I was shocked when I looked into the mirror.  I thought, I’m getting married in a few months.  And I look like I got into a fight with Edward Scissor Hands.

We drove to a minute clinic.  They wanted to give me stitches but I scar really easily.  Against the doctor’s recommendation I had them use liquid stitches (A.K.A superglue) for the gash on my right side.  They were concerned the glue wouldn’t hold so they used steri strips to help keep the skin from pulling when I turned my neck.  Well….a day later and I can’t turn my neck anyway!  Every muscle in my neck has seized up from the trauma of the whole thing. 

My boss was super nice. It’s ratings period so I normally can’t take off for any reason.  But she immediately told me to take the day off and rest up.  What are the chances that Joe Furey gets sick the same day? Poor Dan Amarante was stuck working a 30 hour shift.  Thanks Dan!

I have an appointment Monday to fix my chipped teeth.

Too bad I can’t blame anyone but myself…I put the darn piece of equipment on upside down.  Aram says he was shocked I lasted that long without getting hurt. Believe it or not, I was doing one set every twenty minutes and I got injured on the very last set.  Minute 20.  Go figure.

I also recently hurt my ankle (technically my posterior tibial tendon).  Luckily I didn’t aggravate the injury on the way down. Probably because my chin broke the fall.  Um…yay?

All in all, I got lucky.  Imagine if I had the two gashes on my face????  Or what if the metal hit a major vein in my neck? I'll take my chest wound and count my blessings.

Quiet Weekend, Unsettled Next Week

Summer heat will stay south of Connecticut this weekend. But at least the weather will stay dry for outdoor plans like commencements or ball games. Both days this weekend will feature a sea breeze, keeping the shoreline cooler than inland areas. Saturday’s sunshine will get filtered by high clouds from time to time. Clouds will increase later Sunday as a warm front approaches.  Showers should hold off until Sunday night, continuing off and on through Monday as well.  Once the front moves north of the area Monday night, the heat moves in.  Tuesday through Friday will be warmer and a bit humid.  Although it will not be a washout during that timeframe we will get scattered showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could be strong.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Low: 47-55.

Saturday: Sunshine mixing with high clouds from time to time. Wind becoming south 5-10 mph. High: 70-75

Sunday: Sunny start with clouds increasing in the afternoon from southwest to northeast. Chance showers at night. Mid 70s inland, Upper 60s at the shore.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs in the low 70s inland, upper 60s along the shoreline.

Tuesday:  Warm, breezy and a bit humid. Chance for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Some storms could be strong. High: Low 80s inland, Upper 70s along the shore.

Wednesday: Morning showers, some clearing by afternoon. High: Low to mid 70s.

Ansonia Holds The State 24 Hour Snowfall Record

A new 24-hour snowfall record was set for the state of Connecticut during the blizzard on Feb. 8-9. Ansonia will go down in the record books with 36 inches. This ruling was issued on Tuesday by a team of state climatologists and meteorologists. Although some towns reported greater snowfall amounts, the committee determined that the Ansonia observation was the most reliable, coming from a National Weather Service Cooperative site. This beats the previous record of 30 inches from Falls Village in 1941. You can read the full NWS report here.

80 Degrees Thursday, Pacific Hurricane Season Off To An Active Start!

Spring and summer are playing a noticeable game of tug of war. Spring has been winning for much of this week with frost and below average temperatures.  But summer fights back Thursday with temperatures soaring through the 70s (at least). With a gusty west to northwest wind, mild temperatures will be felt right down to the immediate shoreline. In fact, this might be the best early season “beach” day in the forecast. Friday will not be as mild with a sea breeze kicking in during the afternoon.

Forecast Details:

Tonight: Partly cloudy, chance for a lingering shower. Low: 47-55

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, breezy and mild. West to northwest wind 10 to 20 miles an hour. Turning partly cloudy for a while in the afternoon. High: 76-81

Friday: Not as mild but still remaining mostly sunny and pleasant. Mid 70s inland, near 70 for the shoreline.

Saturday: Sunshine mixing with some high clouds. Low to mid 70s inland, near 70 along the shoreline.

Sunday: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy, chance for a sprinkle. Upper 60s to near 70 degrees.

Monday: Partly cloudy, seasonable.

Warming up again Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, in the upper 70s.

“Fun” weather tidbits:

The Pacific Hurricane season began today, May 15^th.  Sure enough, it’s off to an active start with Tropical Storm Alvin.  Although the storm is likely to become a hurricane, it does not pose any immediate threat to land.

Tropical Storm Alvin forms in the Pacific

Also, the NWS released the names for the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season.  The list is recycled every 6 years.  New on the list this year is Dorian, Fernand and Nestor. Dean, Felix and Noel were retired in 2007.  Dean and Felix were category 5 hurricanes.  Noel was a category 1 hurricane but caused mudslides and flooding that took the lives of 163 people.

Few Showers Tomorrow, 70s Thursday

It seems our weather has been stuck in a rut after two days in the 50s.  Tomorrow is a transitional day leading to a toasty Thursday.

Clouds will increase during the day tomorrow, becoming mostly cloudy. A few showers are likely, especially later in the day. In fact we could even get a downpour or a rumble of thunder. The showers are coutesy of a warm front.  Behind the front Thursday is sunny and warm.  With a northwest wind, inland and shoreline areas will have a chance to warm up with highs soaring through the 70s.  Some inland areas may even flirt with the 80 degree mark.  We’ll shave a few degrees off the high on Friday.  But the day will still remain mostly sunny and pleasant. A sea breeze will keep the shoreline cooler than inland areas. The weather is pretty quiet, right through the weekend.

Forecast Details:

Tonight: Clear to partly cloudy, not as cold. Low: 35-45.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly cloudy, chance for a few showers, mainly late in the day. High: 60-65.

Thursday: Mostly sunny and warmer. High: 75-80.

Friday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: Near 70 shoreline. Low to mid 70s inland.

Saturday: Partly cloudy. Low to mid 70s inland, near 70 along the shoreline.

Sunday: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy, chance for a sprinkle. Upper 60s to near 70 degrees.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER:

 A new 24-hour snowfall record was set for the state of Connecticut during the blizzard on February 8-9.  Ansonia will go down in the record books with 36”.  This ruling was issued on Tuesday by a team of state climatologists and meteorologists.  Although some towns reported greater snowfall amounts, the committee determined that the Ansonia observation was the most reliable, coming from a National Weather Service Cooperative site. This beats the previous record of 30” from Falls Village in 1941.

Freak Snowstorm 36 Years Ago Today

While we bathed in early summer warmth today, 36 years ago it was SNOWING!  This is a cover page of the Hartford Courant from May10, 1977. Also, check out the snowfall totals below! While the Connecticut River Valley and southern Connecticut got a raw cold rain, parts of Litchfield County received up to 20" of snow!

Meteorite Mania!

19 days ago a meteorite hits a Wolcott home and splits in two.  On May 8^th, another meteorite is discovered after damaging a home in another “W” town just .78 miles away. Freaked out?  But wait…there’s more. All except one of meteorites discovered in Connecticut hit in “W” towns. Weston in 1807, Wethersfield in 1971 and 1982, Wolcott and Waterbury in 2013.

The latest meteorite is about the size and shape of an avocado, weighing in at 1.6 pounds. The space rock smashed through a gutter and landed on the lawn of a Waterbury home. Although it was discovered on May 8^th, the owners of the home are not sure when it crash landed.  The couple contacted the same scientist that identified the Wolcott meteorite, Dr. Stefan Nicolescu, mineralogy collections manager at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Nicolescu hard at work

Dr. Nicolescu says he diagnosed the object as a meteorite for several reasons.  For starters , the meteorite has a dark fusion crust.  This crust forms during the heated decent into the earth’s atmosphere and can be dark brown/black and is sometimes glassy.  The same heat can also cause contraction cracks formed by rapid heating (expansion) and cooling (shrinking) of the meteorite during/after landfall.  The meteorite has a high density too.  To put it simply…if you compare a meteor to a rock of similar size, the meteor will weigh more.

Here’s the coolest part though.  The meteorite contained chondrules, spherical glassy particles formed before earth from space dust fused together by heat.  Google chondrites.  If you’re a science nerd, you will not be disappointed.

The rock also contained metallic iron and was magnetic

Dr. Nicolescu says “it is highly likely the Waterbury meteorite is related to the April 19 fall in Wolcott.” But Nicolescu will conduct additional tests to confirm.

Which “W” town will get hit next?