Florida Will Be Next Victim For Matthew

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article105837727.html

Florida has been issued watches throughout the Eastern Coast and across multiple counties in preparation for Hurricane Matthew. Specialists say that it needs to be taken seriously and that the no matter how the Hurricane changes, Florida will feel an impact. Hurricane Matthew has been devastating Haiti. There have been multiple mudslides and rivers flowing over their banks. Three children and an senior citizen have died in the Dominican Republic. Once Matthew heads towards Florida, the hurricane should be a Category 3, perhaps even Category 4 once it hits. The Governor and specialists have urged the residents to prepare and to brace for impact.

Oklahoma's Dryline Could Bring a Big Line of Water

In Oklahoma, dry season is underway. Throughout the middle of Oklahoma, there is a dryline, that is normally seen in the spring, forming. This will affect Oklahoma's severe weather season. This dryline has given Oklahoma a strong chance of severe thunderstorms in the middle and western parts of the state. The storm is said to bring winds that go about 70 miles per hour. Another devastating feature will be hail the size of tennis balls at maximum size. There is also the threat of tornadoes being formed, although this is said to be a very low chance in a narrow time gap for Tuesday.

http://www.news9.com/story/33306947/spring-like-dryline-setting-up-severe-weather-potential-for-tuesday

Hurricane Matthew Zeroes in on Caribbean

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/hurricane-matthew-zeroes-caribbean-eye-u-s-atlantic-coast-n658601

Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic tropical storm in almost a decade, was gearing up to deliver a potentially devastating blow to the Caribbean as wary U.S. authorities began preparing for a possible landfall on the Atlantic Coast late in the week. 

Well before its expected arrival sometime early Tuesday, Matthew was already pouring torrential rain on Haiti, where "staggering rainfall totals are possible," said Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center. 

National and international authorities were rushing to meet what was being predicted as a humanitarian disaster in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, which is still struggling to rebound from a series of earlier natural disasters. 

At 11 p.m. ET Monday, Matthew was a category 4 hurricane, making it the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007. It was 190 miles southwest of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and was creeping along at just 7 mph with slightly stronger sustained winds up to 145 mph.

rojections of the potential disaster in Haiti were so dire that the U.S. Embassy in Port-Au-Prince felt compelled to reassure people that as far as it knew, there was nothing yet that "indicates that southern cities will 'disappear.'" 

Matthew is "just an absolute powerhouse," said Ari Sarsalari, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel. And besides Haiti, it will be "a really nasty storm in Jamaica and eastern Cuba," he said.

Hurricane Matthew Could Be a Joaquin Déjà Vu in The Bahamas

The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center has the center of Matthew moving through the Bahamas this week. In the Bahamas, 8 to 12 inches, locally up to 15 inches, of rain is expected. Surge could reach 10 to 15 feet.

It now appears likely it will take several days for Matthew to finally clear the islands.
(FORECAST: Nassau | Freeport)
This scenario brings to mind Hurricane Joaquin's prolonged pounding one year ago.

Joaquin's Devastation

First developing about halfway between Bermuda and the Bahamas, Joaquin narrowly missed Category 5 status as it lashed the central Bahamas for several days before finally pulling away.

Hurricane Matthew's Catastrophic Haiti Strike Imminent; Hurricane Warnings in Cuba and Bahamas; Southeast U.S. Impacts Possible

Hurricane Matthew's potentially catastrophic strike on Haiti is imminent, and it will also impact parts of Jamaica, eastern Cuba and the Bahamas. Late this week and into the weekend, portions of the coastal southeastern U.S. states could see impacts from Matthew. Interests from Florida to the coastal Carolinas should monitor the progress of Matthew very closely. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 5 p.m. advisory Monday, "While there remains significant uncertainty in the track of Matthew in the long range, the threat to Florida and the southeastern U.S. coast has increased."

U.S. Threat?

Beyond that, it remains uncertain how close Matthew's eyewall will pass near the northwest Bahamas later Thursday into Friday, and it is still too soon to determine how big the danger will be in parts of the U.S. late this week and next weekend. (MORE: Why Long-Range Model Forecasts For the Tropics Can't Often Be Trusted) For now, ensemble forecast guidance suggests we can't rule out at least tropical storm-force winds along the eastern Florida coast in the Thursday-Friday timeframe.

The origins of 13 weather superstitions

1. Red Sky at Night, Sailor's Delight. Red Sky in the Morning, Sailor's Warning
This saying, meant to forecast a day of sailing, was meant to predict rain. According to the Library of Congress's Everyday Mysteries series, there is some truth in this saying. A red sky implies dust and moisture in the air; in the evening, it "usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming from the west," while in the morning it hints of a rainy day ahead.

2. Clear Moon, Frost Soon

The idea behind this bit of lore was that if you could see the moon, you would expect frost in the morning. The Farmer's Almanac says this one is true when the weather is cold enough because without cloud cover to help Earth's surface retain heat, the ground is more likely to lose that heat.  

3. Cows Lying Down, Weather on the Way

It's fairly unusual to pass a field of cows and see them all lying down, and folks in farm communities often say that this rare sight is a sign of rain. Are they just trying to stay dry? Or are they feeling symptoms brought on by pressure changes? The Farmer's Almanac refutes this one, suggesting that cows lying down are most likely resting, not preparing for rain. 

4. Count the Cricket Chirps, Tell the Temperature

The notion that animals can sense weather extends beyond cows. Crickets are numerous in summertime and much quieter in winter, leading to this notion. But there is actually more truth behind this than you might think! The Farmer's Almanac even provides a formula to calculate the temperature yourself, next time you hear a cricket. 

5. Summer Fog for Fair, Winter Fog for Rain

When fog creeps in during the summer and winter, it's following a pattern. Fog forms when the air cools in summertime, meaning the sky is likely clear of clouds. In the winter, fog forms because of humidity, indicating rain.

"In most places, fog in the summer is always the result of humid air cooling off at night due to clear skies and very little wind," weather.com senior digital meteorologist Nick Wiltgen says. "That process can cause fog in the winter too, but more often, winter fog comes from warm, humid air being chilled by blowing across cold, perhaps snow-covered ground. Usually that warm humid air is blowing in ahead of an approaching storm system."

6. Lightning Strikes, Count the Seconds

Everyone knows this one! Believe it or not, it's fairly accurate. Light travels faster through air than sound does, at a rate that's consistent with one mile for every five seconds. Though it's not the most accurate prediction, it gives a rough estimate.

7. Mackerel Sky and Mare's Tails, Lofty Ships Carry Low Sails

This superstition looks to the clouds to predict weather in the same way that our own meteorologists do. A "mackerel sky" consists of altocumulus or cirrocumulus clouds, formed by in instability in the atmosphere that indicates rain and storms, respectively. "Mare's tales" are those thin and wispy cirrus clouds. When there are many cirrus clouds in the sky, it indicates the approach of a frontal system, and in some cases, tropical storms and hurricanes.

8. Pine Cones Predict the Weather

If you take a look at pine cones during nice weather and rainy weather, you'll notice a difference in appearance. Pine cones contain seeds, and the best way for those seeds to disperse is with clear, dry weather. When it's rainy or very humid outside, they close up. You can make your own pine cone weather station with this how-to from Science Sparks.

9. Rainbow at Noon, Rain Soon

This saying is fairly accurate considering that rainbows can't be formed without rain. A rainbow can predict rain coming your way if that's the direction the rain is headed, so having an umbrella on hand is always a good idea.

10. Ring around the Moon, Rain Real Soon

When the moon has a halo around it, it's a product of light refracting around ice crystals in the air – the same particles that form cirrus clouds, or "mare's tails," we mentioned earlier. 

"This one's not foolproof, as cirrus clouds can occur without stormy weather," Wiltgen says. "But many times cirrus clouds are the first clouds to show up ahead of a large-scale storm system, and other times cirrus clouds may be the first clouds you would see ahead of a localized thunderstorm moving toward you."

11. Chimney Smoke Descends, Nice Weather Ends

When you look at a chimney, smoke either goes straight up into the air or "falls." If the smoke is sinking, it means water vapor has condensed with the smoke, and rain may be on the way.

"This one has a kernel of truth. Smoke 'falling' from a chimney could be the result of strong winds from an approaching storm," Wiltgen says. "But it could just as easily be strong wind behind a departing storm, with nicer weather ahead."

Wilgen explains that smoke can also fall due to a temperature inversion, when the air just above the ground is significantly warmer than the air at ground level. "Inversions can come from stormy warm fronts, but they can also come from wintertime high pressure zones not associated with stormy weather," Wiltgen says.

12. Lingering Snow Waits for More 

This superstition has some backing. If snow lingers, it hasn't melted, so any other precipitation is likely to be snow. But it doesn't necessarily mean that there will be more precipitation at all. 

13. Feeling Weather in Your Bones 

The phrase "feeling under the weather" didn't just come out of nowhere. The weather affects our bodies in many ways. According to WebMD, barometric pressure changes can cause joint pain. So if your great aunt starts complaining about shoulder pain or achy knees, it may be time to don your raincoat.

(Source – https://weather.com/science/environment/news/weird-weather-superstitions)

Los Angeles reservoir's protective "shade balls" labeled a success

A year after the Los Angeles Reservoir was transformed into a massive black ball pit in an effort to preserve water and combat draught, the L.A. Department of Water and Power says the treatment was a success. 

In August 2015, officials in L.A. dropped 96 million "shade balls" into the reservoir. Part of an initiative to combat California's drought, the shade balls were used to block out sunlight and UV rays that promote algae growth and slow down evaporation. It would also prevent chemical reactions from triggering, deter birds and other wildlife and protect the water from dust.

According to Business Insider, the LADWP says the balls have been a successful alternative to updating the reservoir, which would have cost $300 million. The shade balls treatment cost $34.5 million. 

“Construction was infeasible, as the immense surface area of the space would have required two separate covers and a division dam,” LADWP Director of Water Operations Richard Harasick said in a statement obtained by Business Insider. 

Though they were successful, the LADWP says this will be the final use of this technology in the department’s system. 

The 175-acre Los Angeles Reservoir holds 3.3 billion gallons of water, enough to supply the city for three weeks.

(Source – https://weather.com/news/news/los-angeles-reservoir-shade-balls-success)