2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Ends Today

Here is a graphic I made showing the number of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes this year. Let's not lie...there's only one hurricane that truly mattered to us this year. Hopefully another decade goes by before I say that again!
2011 Season Highlights

• This level of activity matched NOAA’s predictions and continues the trend of active hurricane seasons that began in 1995.



• The 19 tropical storms represent the third-highest total (tied with 1887, 1995, and 2010) since records began in 1851 and is well above the average of 11.



• However, the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes is only slightly above the average of six and two.
  


• Irene was the lone hurricane to hit the United States in 2011, and the first one to do so since Ike struck southeast Texas in 2008.



• 2011 marks a record six straight years without a major hurricane hitting the United States. The last one to do so was Wilma in 2005.

Third Wettest Year On Record!

Another inch of rain last night helped us climb from the #4 to #3 spot. In over one hundred years of record keeping, this is the third wettest for Windsor Locks.

Since January 1st: 64.22"
#1 Wettest Year: 65.42" (2008)

We need 1.2" of rain to break the record. With an entire month lelft to collect, it's almost certain we get there. And I hope I never have to talk about breaking the record again!

Record Warmth! Where's The Chill?

Windsor Locks set a new record high today of 66 degrees. This shatters the old record of 63 degrees set back in 2005.

It's November? REALLY!?

Cooler air will slowly leak into Connecticut by this weekend when the calendar reads "December". The cooler air will arrive behind a front bringing heavy rain at times tonight. Temperatures will stay in the 50s tomorrow. By this weekend 40s are in the forecast. But there is no true COLD or arctic air in sight. Sorry snow bunnies. There could be some hope at the end of NEXT week.

Toys For Tots

On black friday I had the pleasure of going to the dreaded mall. (Cue scary music)

Actually...the Meriden Mall had surprisingly normal crowds. I was secretly hoping to see some elbow throwing (while watching from a safe distace).

But I digress...Nothing was going to keep me from the mall because I was there to help the Marine Corps collect Toys For Tots. The programs has collected 400 million toys over the years. This year their goal is 17,000 toys for needy CT families.

I was joined by the talented and lovely 102.9 WDRC-FM. We will be teaming up at several toy drives this holiday season (including one on Friday). Please come by, say hi, and drop off a toy!

Manchester Road Race

I had a blast covering the 75th annual Manchester Road Race. Sure, working Thanksgiving is never really ideal. But does watching a race surrounded by people dressed up in rejected Halloween costumes count as work?

Here is the highlight of my TV career:

Watch me and winner Brian Olinger have a little fun!

Some pics I snapped during coverage:

Hanging with Joe Furey on the way to the race! Yes, I'm wearing drumsticks on my head. And no, I didn't take them off during on-air coverage of the race.

Betty Hutchinson set the 90-plus women's record in 2010 with a time of 1 hour, 17 minutes, 31 seconds. Hutchinson ran again this year at age 91.

Julia Chase-Brand honored at the 75th annual Manchester Road Race. In 1961, Chase-Brand, then a 19-year-old from Groton, defied powerful Amateur Athletic Union officials and became the first woman to run the 4.78-mile road race at a time when women were banned from such events.
AND THEY'RE OFF!


Really? That's a costume? REALLY!? And what are you doing lady!?
Behind the scenes with the FOX CT crew!

Heavy Rain & Wind Wednesday, Snow Bunnies Look North

Tomorrow morning will be nasty for the commute with heavy rain and gusty winds. Prepare for traffic. People don’t know how to drive in the rain (aint it the truth)!

The heaviest rain is expected after midnight tonight through 10 AM tomorrow (Wednesday). Rain will taper off throughout the afternoon to scattered showers. So if you have plans to drive tomorrow, the later, the better! 1”-3” of rain is expected making the ground soggy. Winds will gust up to 25 mph inland, 35 mph along the shoreline which will cause some additional outages (especially with all the hanging branches left from our October nor’easter).

ATTENTION SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS! Mother Nature is giving you an early Christmas present! Parts of Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire are in for a major snow storm with anywhere from a few inches to up over a foot of snow! Unfortunately this also means those of you traveling up north or expecting friends from the north will experience major travel issues.

Here’s the European model’s (ECMWF) snow forecast. Thanksgiving is always an iffy time of year. It can be sunny and warm or snowy and cold!

Thanksgiving Travelcast!

You will have no problem traveling during the day tomorrow. Rain will move in tomorrow (Tuesday) night with the heaviest between midnight Wednesday to noon Wednesday. 1"-2" of rain is forecast during one of the biggest travel days of the year. Ouch. Hey, at least it's not snow! Skiers and snowboarders should head to northern New England where it's cold enough for a few inches of snow in Vermont and New Hampshire. Plus a lot of mountains are already making snow!

Thanksgiving will feature clearing with temps in the upper 40s. Wear layers for the Manchester Road Race with temps starting in the upper 30s and a cool breeze!

Rainy Travel Day Wednesday. Please stop worrying about a snowstorm.

“How are you ignoring this possible storm Tues/Wed next week....isn't there a shot for snow??”

This is a tweet I received on Friday and I continue to hear messages about a potential snow storm for Wednesday. I’m not sure who was sounding the alarm on this one…but it wasn’t anyone I work with!

A storm moving in on Tuesday night into Wednesday will take a northerly track through central New York, Vermont and New Hampshire putting us in the “warm sector” of the storm. (See diagram below for a typical midlatitide cyclone.) Winds will blow out of the southwest funneling in milder air and keeping temps in the 50s and our precip as rain.
Rain will come down heavy at times Wednesday (adding 1"-2" to what is already the 5th wettest year on record). As the storm pulls away Wednesday night winds will shift out of the northwest (see diagram above again). Now the question is…will the rain move out before the cold air gets here? OR will the cold air rush in changing the rain over to a wintry mix?

The model consensus is that rain moves out before the bulk of the cold air gets here. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the lingering showers Wednesday night mix in with a little wet snow above 1000 feet. Either way, rain is the main concern Wednesday as you head off to see friends and family for Thanksgiving. And Thanksgiving Day looks lovely with sunny skies and temps in the mid 40s.

NERD ALERT: This is why I’m not concerned about accumulating snow Wednesday

Below you’ll find the latest European model run for Wednesday at 1 PM. The colored shading represents QPF (quantitative precipitation forecasts) or in this case, 6 hour rainfall amounts. The dashed lines show 1000 -500 mb thickness. The thickness represents the distance between the 1000 and 500 mb pressure levels. The distance is mainly a function temperature. The greater the thickness, the warmer the air (because warm air takes up more volume than cold air. That’s why you need to add air to your tires when it gets cold.)

Notice how all the dashed lines are blue except the one marked “540”. That’s because the 540 line is often used to approximate the rain/snow line. This isn’t always the case but it’s a rough estimate. Notice the 540 line is well north of CT with rain falling across almost all of New England.

Now below you'll find the Euro (or ECMWF) at 7 PM. Now the 540 line has moved south of western Massachusetts and Vermont where rain is changing over to snow. The 540 is just west of CT. But by this time, most of the precipitation has already moved out. This is where we could see some wet snowflakes begin to mix in for the highest elevations.

But when the coldest air invades and the 540 line drops south of CT, all the precipitation has already moved out. See the Euro at 1 AM Thursday below.

Here’s the European’s snowfall forecast with accumulating snow in parts of MA up through northern New England where they spent more time in the cold sector of the storm. I’ll let you know if anything changes. But for now, rain is the main type of precip and for most of the state the only precip type on Wednesday.

5th Wettest Year On Record!

The NWS will double check the numbers. But according to my calculations, 2011 is now the 5th wettest year on record for Windsor Locks with 61.15" (as of 4pm Wednesday). We need less than half an inch to climb up to the #4 spot.

To shatter all records and climb to #1, we need to see 4.28" or precipitation between now and December 31. I think we have a pretty good shot! Records date back to 1905.

At least we are getting some recognition for dealing with all the heavy rain from Irene and the remnants of Lee.

Baby Foxes On FOX!

Today on Morning Extra(weekdays 9-10) I got to hold a fennec fox from the children's museum. It was the highlight of my morning show career! Check out their ears! AND they're fully grown! I want one. Plus, my cats are bigger than they are so there shouldn't be a problem.

Click here to watch the video!