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Archive for December, 2009
Cold Air on the Move
Posted ByWhy did the snow forecast bust? As a meteorologist, it’s one of the most frustrating parts of our jobs! So, what happened last night? In previous blogs I mentioned how important the rain/snow line would be. Since we had a mainly dry day yesterday, temperatures were able to go above freezing in many locations. Once the precip moved in, and started to fall, in many spots, mainly as snow, the ground was just too warm to let it stick. Then, a little warm air mixed in and a few rain showers mixed in with the snow.
So, what’s in store for you New Year’s Eve? Highs today will reach the mid 30s in many spots with spotty drizzle and light snow. The chance for light snow showers increases as we head into late this afternoon/evening when a cold from pushes though. Little to no accumulation is expected, however, visibility could be reduced in some spots.
Behind that cold front is frigid air! Highs for the first day of 2010 will only reach the teens, and wind chills will feel subzero in some spots.
For the weekend highs only reach the teens and overnight lows dip into the single digits. Flurries are possible.
Novels for the Twitter generation
Posted ByImagine that, a website for one-sentence stories. Some of them – the ones that aren’t run-on sentences – are short enough to Twitter. Who says the novel is dead? Maybe it’s just evolving…into noncommittal fragmented chunks of meaningless prose. Heh.
I can’t call these excerpts because they’re the whole shebang:
Dmac9000:
I wasn’t exactly sure how to take the news that my son was in a championship beer pong tournament.
harriedkarie:
Standing on the steps of the church where they’d just gotten married, my grandparents first heard that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and realized that they would soon be separated.
If you’re looking for something with staying power, check out Tweet Book - an entire novel written on Twitter.
Update: Here’s a better example from Peter Urpeth. (Thanks for the rec, Rod!)
New Years Traditions
Posted ByI’ve never been a huge New Year’s person. I’ll go to a friends house for a fun gathering, but heading out to a big party, just isn’t my thing.
However, there was one exception when I lived in Flagstaff, Arizona. I worked the morning show at the NBC affiliate, KNAZ, so staying up to midnight was always a stretch for me! I got up at 3am every day! Nonetheless, at the Weatherford Hotel there was a fun New Year’s tradition, the annual Pine Cone Drop. Yes, a giant lit up pine cone. Flagstaff is up in the mountains, so a pine cone isn’t a stretch, but, I agree, it sounds strange! Here’s YouTube video of the drop! If you look closely, you’ll notice the clock is off by two hours, that’s because 10pm is the family Pine Cone Drop, and the only one I was ever able to stay up for!
Have you ever been to any strange variations of the ball drop?
Snow Showers Developing
Posted ByHighs today will reach the low to mid 30s across Central Indiana. This afternoon, snow showers will begin developing and moving in. For the evening commute, a light dusting of snow is possible.
It’s overnight most of the snow will come, and it doesn’t look like a whopper right now. Most spots will see up to 1 to 2 inches of accumulation by Thursday morning. Rain may mix in with snowflakes, especially south of I-70 so snow totals could be affected.
Thursday, scattered snow showers are still possible but we won’t be looking for additional accumulation as we head into the afternoon. Flurries are possible for your New Years Eve plans.
For the first day of 2010 cold air settles in! We’ll see a mix of sun and clouds with highs around 20s.
Low temperatures over the weekend will drop to the single digits with highs only reaching the upper teens.
Frigid Tuesday, More Snow on the Way
Posted ByYou’ll get plenty of sunshine in Central Indiana today, but the temperatures won’t be warming up! Highs will only reach the mid to upper 20s with mostly sunny skies.
Overnight the clouds increase, so temperatures won’t be as cold as where we bottomed out this morning. Overnight lows drop to about 20 degrees.
Wednesday, snow showers develop as we head into the afternoon and after the 12pm hour, light snow is expected to fall. The drive home Wednesday night could be slick. By Thursday 1-2″ of snow is possible.
Friday, flurries are likely and very cold air settles in. Highs will only the mid 20s, and for Saturday morning, single digit lows are likely.
Chilly Monday Ahead
Posted ByGet ready to bundle up today. Highs will only reach the upper 20s with wind gusts up to 30 mph. Wind chills will register in the single digits to teens. A mix of sun and clouds will build in for the afternoon, with a chance for a quick dusting of snow in some areas as a cold front moves through.
Overnight temperatures will be chilly with lows down to the single digits in some spots, with Indianapolis down to about 12 degrees.
Tuesday looks to be the best day of the week with highs in the mid 20s with partly cloudy skies. It will be cold, but dry.
Our next chance for snow moves in Wednesday and sticks through Friday.
Sunday Snow Totals
Posted ByHere’s where we topped out for snow totals aound Central Indiana…
0208 PM SNOW TERRE HAUTE 39.47N 87.38W
12/27/2009 E2.0 INCH VIGO IN TRAINED SPOTTER
0230 PM SNOW ALEXANDRIA 40.26N 85.68W
12/27/2009 M2.0 INCH MADISON IN CO-OP OBSERVER
0503 PM SNOW 5 W GREENWOOD 39.62N 86.21W
12/27/2009 M3.0 INCH JOHNSON IN NWS EMPLOYEE
0503 PM SNOW BROWNSBURG 39.84N 86.39W
12/27/2009 M4.0 INCH HENDRICKS IN AMATEUR RADIO
0503 PM SNOW NOBLESVILLE 40.06N 86.03W
12/27/2009 M1.5 INCH HAMILTON IN CO-OP OBSERVER
0503 PM SNOW 5 E INDIANAPOLIS 39.78N 86.05W
12/27/2009 M1.5 INCH MARION IN CO-OP OBSERVER
0503 PM SNOW 7 NE INDIANAPOLIS 39.85N 86.05W
12/27/2009 M2.8 INCH MARION IN PUBLIC
0503 PM SNOW ALEXANDRIA 40.26N 85.68W
12/27/2009 M3.0 INCH MADISON IN CO-OP OBSERVER
0510 PM SNOW DANVILLE 39.76N 86.52W
12/27/2009 M2.5 INCH HENDRICKS IN EMERGENCY MNGR
0510 PM SNOW 8 W INDIANAPOLIS 39.78N 86.30W
12/27/2009 M2.1 INCH MARION IN NWS EMPLOYEE
0510 PM SNOW 10 NW INDIANAPOLIS 39.88N 86.28W
12/27/2009 E3.8 INCH MARION IN COUNTY OFFICIAL
0800 PM SNOW INDIANAPOLIS INT`L AIRP 39.72N 86.29W
12/27/2009 M2.6 INCH MARION IN OFFICIAL NWS OBS
0900 PM SNOW FRANKFORT 40.28N 86.51W
12/27/2009 M3.0 INCH CLINTON IN TRAINED SPOTTER
1200 AM SNOW 2 S CASTLETON 39.88N 86.05W
12/28/2009 M3.2 INCH MARION IN CO-OP OBSERVER
SNOW DEPTH IS 3 INCHES.
Colts get booed at home for good reason
Posted ByWhen the Colts were 13-0 and had clinched the top spot in the AFC playoffs, I did not have a problem if they rested starters. You can read my previous blog entry http://blog.wthr.com/13-sports/rest-or-rust-colts-debate-about-to-begin/ for my thoughts a few weeks ago. The Colts had made it clear that a perfect season was not the goal of this team. They wanted to put themselves in the best position to win the Super Bowl.
But what happened Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium was terribly disappointing. First year Colts head coach Jim Caldwell yanked Peyton Manning out of the game with 5:36 left in the 3rd quarter and the Colts leading the Jets 15-10. The Colts were less than 6 quarters away from a 16-0 regular season, giving them the shot at a perfect season ending in Miami at the Super Bowl.
If the Colts were going to sit Peyton and company, why not do it in Jacksonville 10 days earlier when the Colts were playing on four days rest? The Colts starters went the distance against Jaguars. Why did the plan change from the Jaguars to the Jets?
Coach Jim Caldwell said healthy players would play against the Jets. He said the approach would be the same as the previous 14 games. He led C0lts fans to believe that there would be no resting unless a player was truly injured. If the team didn’t care about the perfect season, the fans sure did. Colts fans have also seen the rest for the playoffs plan backfire in seasons past. So when Curtis Painter entered the game, the crowd voiced its displeasure. I think the fans were surprised, and obviously not happy.
I don’t think Peyton was too happy leaving the game either. He didn’t take his helmet off until late in the 4th quarter. He was either hiding his perturbed face or hoping to get back in the game – probably both.
This would have played out much better if Colts fans had been forewarned before kickoff. Fans would not have been happy to know players were going to rest. But Peyton’s 3rd quarter departure would not have caught them off guard, and left them booing a previously undefeated head coach.
-Rich Nye
Follow Rich Nye at TheSportsGuy13 on twitter.com
