Wow... I Really Let Time Slip By.

Hey, folks. I haven't forgotten about the blog! Apparently, this long of a delay in regards to posting a new post is the result of trying to keep on working to save money, trying to live and relocating closer to the TV job I have in Columbia, MO while continuing the job hunt in the broadcasting market.

I know that in my last post, I wanted to talk about the Joplin Tornado that obliterated a good portion of the city back on May 22nd. However, in looking at the past weather events that took place this year, I think it would be best to save that for the end of the year when we can recap all of the crazy weather events that took place around the country this year.

The big thing that happened to me recently was that it was time for me to get out of the St. Louis area and move back to Columbia so I could be closer to work at KOMU. It was daunting at first because I wanted to be sure I had a plan in place before I went back. Thankfully, a second job was lined up so I could keep busy when I'm not at KOMU and I get to go on the air every Saturday at 10 PM now at the NBC station in town. On top of that, I found a good place to stay at a good price. I also found out that coupons really can help you save on groceries especially if you're trying to budget and eat to live. If I can get through the food that I have through next week and hopefully in two weeks, I'll have the food budget all figured out!

The job front... I'm just glad to be back in Columbia so I can finally be closer to and spend more time at KOMU with a second job to keep me busy and allowing me to save money. I also sent out more résumés, DVDs and emails to more TV stations with job openings in their weather department. I applied to TV stations in Joplin, Amarillo, Sioux Falls, the Quad Cities, Huntsville and another TV station in Columbia, MO. I'm just glad that the jobs are still out there and I have to be close to getting a full-time position at a TV station soon. It would make a nice birthday present coming up...

Well, that's a catch-up on how my life is shaping up right now. I guess I can sum it up with lyrics from Alanis Morissette's "Ironic." Life has a funny of helping you out when you think everything's gone wrong. Coming up in the next few days, I really want to focus on Hurricane Irene since EVERYONE is talking about. And with this storm effecting almost 55 million people along the Atlantic Coast and taking good aim at New York City, it deserves to be talked about. Have a good night and good day, everyone!

Your music video for this post is one of my favorite songs: Mr. Roboto by Styx. Enjoy!

Can't Wait for Tuesday... A Tech/Video Game Nerd Post

Good evening, folks. It's nice to get a break from work and jump back on the blog to share what's on my mind. We'll take a break from weather, though, and dig into one of my hobbies I've had since I was a little boy.

Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you that I'm one of millions of video game nerds on the face of this Earth. While my collection above is a part of what I own and pales in comparison to some of the real hardcore video gamers, I've loved video games ever since I've been able to grasp a controller when I was 3. It's also no surprise that a majority of the systems I own are from Nintendo. I don't want to say that I'm a fanboy (and I obviously don't want to get into a fanboy war since most of the systems from Sony, Microsoft, Sega and Nintendo offer good memories for gamers), but Nintendo had me hooked on their games and systems since we owned an SNES back in 1990. By the by, we still have that original SNES and it STILL works! I bring all this up for one big reason why I'm looking forward to this Tuesday...

This week, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, will take place in Los Angeles where the big names in video gaming will share their future products and projects to the world. For gamers, this is our Superbowl, our World Series, our Stanley Cup, our second Christmas and a pilgrimage for those who have access to get inside and foot the expenses of the trip. Any and all of the big publishers in the video game industry that wants everyone in the world and the entire video game press to know about their products and their future projects will divulge everything possible at this event starting tomorrow with the press conferences and ending on Thursday. The three biggest press conferences that gamers will be watching will come from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Microsoft kicks off the press conferences on Monday at 9:30 AM Pacific Standard Time and Sony will have their turn in the spotlight at 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. However, with buzz from Nintendo about showcasing a new system to succeed the Wii, all eyes will be on Nintendo on Tuesday.

I haven't really done any predictions or public speculation on video games on a blog or online before, but now seems like a good time to start. What do I expect from Nintendo's press conference on Tuesday?

I'm definitely expecting a lot of new and upcoming titles for Nintendo's newest handheld, the 3DS. The 3DS is the latest in the line of Nintendo's popular portable gaming system that launched early in March of this year. However, despite great first impressions and a good number of units sold since the launch, the numbers have not met Nintendo's high expectations when it was going into the launch period. One story out on the web actually surveyed those who bought and those who are interested in purchasing the 3DS. Those who purchased the system said that they like it, but they wish they had a better selection of games to play. Those who are waiting to buy one say that they want one, but they don't see any games that they actually want yet. Expect Nintendo to divulge a lot of titles coming soon for the 3DS from Nintendo and other third party developers. One game everyone's waiting for that will make another appearance at E3 will be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

This is the remake of the original Nintendo 64 game released back in late 1998 and it was a big success for Nintendo with critical acclaim from the gaming press and a financial success with 7.6 million copies sold. For this remake, I at least expect the graphics to be revamped compared to the N64 version and based on the screenshot above, Nintendo has addressed that very well. We'll see what Nintendo has in store for this re-release when it hits stores June 19th this year and when the press will get a chance to play it again this week.

With the popular Nintendo Wii looking like it's in the last months of the life cycle, I think that Nintendo will be the main push of new games for the system with a majority of third parties seemingly jumping off the Wii ship. Personally, I would like to see a Wii version of Star Fox and F-Zero, two popular Nintendo franchises that have yet made their own individual appearances on the system. Throughout the past few E3 conferences, we have heard from the higher heads of Nintendo (Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and famous video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto) that Pikmin 3 is in development. If they want a new Pikmin game out for this year, they need to show off a video of the game and/or have demos ready to play on the show floor. For now, though, the biggest title I can see Nintendo showing off for the Wii as a certainty is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The Zelda franchise did make an appearance on the Wii at the system launch back in 2006 after Nintendo decided to sell it alongside the GameCube version of the game. Skyward Sword would be the first Zelda game specifically designed and made for the Wii with 1:1 sword control with the Wii MotionPlus attachment for the Wii Remote to bring a unique gameplay experience that the Zelda franchise hasn't seen before. Look for this to make another appearance at the press conference with new demos ready on the show floor.

However, the biggest story that will come from Nintendo's press conference will be the debut of their next system that has the current moniker of Project Café.

Speculation on a successor to the Wii started as early as 2008 with talks of an HD version of the Wii with a hard drive and Blu-ray built into the system. But, here we are now with the pictures above showing at least what the developer kits (the system that game developers get in order to design their games) look like. Until we hear straight from Nintendo on Tuesday, several stories on the internet about the "leaked" specifications of the system have to be treated with a grain of salt. Some stories have hinted about the system using Blu-ray for the games, 1080p high-resolution and high-definition graphics, a new controller and better processing and memory capabilities than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I think that the system will be more powerful than the 360 and the PS3. It has to be since the Wii has a slight bump in graphics and capability over the GameCube. Since they said the system will be playable at E3, expect some games to be talked about during the show and actual demos ready for the lucky folks at the show to try for the very first time. As for a possible launch lineup involving software, anything is fair game.

Bottom line is this, folks. Nintendo has enjoyed plenty of success with the Nintendo Wii and various iterations of the Nintendo DS. Within the last few years though, in regards to the console side of their business, the hardcore gamers felt like they were left out of the loop in regards to the lack of games that appealed to them through a good part of the Wii's life. On the portable side of the business, the 3DS had a rough start out of the gate with fewer units sold than Nintendo was expecting. Nintendo needs to prove to the gaming community that it's really trying to get them back with a system that can back the talk and the games that will get them excited about what Nintendo has in store. Personally, I am excited to see what the press conference will unveil. Nintendo has surprised me with their previous press conferences and they are the most secretive when it comes to divulging what they'll talk about at the conference ahead of time. All I can say is get ready to be wowed by Nintendo once again.

Some Severe Weather Before "The Rapture?"

Good morning, folks... Maybe for the last time?? By now, I'm sure many of you have heard that a small Christian sect proclaimed as early as a few months ago that the Rapture will come upon us today around 6 PM in each time zone as an earthquake. I have not done a lot of research on this supposed rapture, but from what I have heard and seen, the same people who are saying that we'll see the beginning of the rapture tonight have also said that the world would end... back in 1994. Given the numerous times people have said the world would end throughout human history, the most memorable for me would be the Y2K scare before the year 2000 came, I remember what I was taught in Church and what Matthew 24:36 says. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." In layman's terms, WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THE WORLD WILL END!

With that out of the way, we have an interesting setup for today across the state of Missouri.

 

Why the slight risk for severe weather across such a broad area?

Here's the surface map for tomorrow evening at 7 PM. A warm front will lift well off to our northeast into Illinois and Indiana with a cold front that will be coming in from the northwest. With warm and moist air coming in from the Gulf of Mexico thanks to the high pressure in the Gulf and the low pressure center in Oklahoma, these ingredients will come together to spark showers and thunderstorms late in the afternoon and into the overnight hours. When can we see storms start to fire up?

Between 5 and 6 PM, look for thunderstorms to start developing in southeastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma and western MO around Joplin, Stockton, Nevada and Pittsburg.

Between 6 and 7 PM, the thunderstorms will form into a solid squall line as it skirts just to the north of Springfield around Buffalo and Bolivar. Any travel on U.S. 71 between Joplin and Nevada and on U.S. 65 between Springfield and Sedalia will be a bit rough with these storms capable of large hail and damaging winds.

Around 9 PM, look for the activity to temporarily shift to the Columbia-Jefferson City area with the threat still of large hail and damaging winds. Here, it looks like most of the I-44 corridor may escape the storms unscathed. However...

Additional development is possible south of the main cluster around Columbia and Jefferson City. This model run at 10:30 PM wants to bring thunderstorms close to Lebanon, Waynesville, Fort Leonard Wood, St. Robert and Rolla as the entire complex rolls closer to the St. Louis area.

The St. Louis area will see these thunderstorms roll to the north side of the metro area while the southern storms appear to want to weaken as they continue east along I-44. That's how the severe threat is shaping up for this evening. I'm not expecting any tornadoes, but the big threats will be large hail and damaging winds.

Here's something that I want to do at the end of every blog post. Whenever I tell people the type of music and artists that I like to listen to, they often say that I was born in the wrong time period and that I should have been born in the 50s or the 60s. I say to them that my parents loved the music and wanted to pass them down to us. So, at the end of each post, I'll put up a music video or a song that I really like and I think people should listen to. To start it off, it's one of my favorite songs that got me hooked on The Doobie Brothers. Please enjoy "Listen To the Music." Have a good day, everyone!

The Good Friday Storm

I hate to say a statement like this at this early stage in my meteorology career but I have never seen quite a tornadic storm come across the St. Louis area in my entire life. Good Friday 2011 started off with thunderstorms early around central and eastern Missouri. A few were severe with large hail, but the storms moved out and temperatures were still able to climb into the 80s for afternoon highs despite quite a bit of cloud cover. However, the cloud cover did nothing essentially as a warm front lifted far enough north and southerly winds warmed temperatures up and brought more additional moisture in to add more fuel that thunderstorms can feed on. Sure enough, I was getting ready for the 5 PM Newscast anticipating some severe weather. Meteorologists Michelle Bogowith and Eric Aldrich were also on duty in case any storms got really serious.

3:30 PM rolled in and after I finished taping teases for the upcoming 5 PM newscast, our weather crawl popped up on the air to let us and the viewers know that we just went under a tornado watch until 10 PM.

Shortly after, around 4:00 PM, we started to see a thunderstorm fire up southwest of Sedalia in west central Missouri. Other thunderstorms started to ramp up around the Lake of the Ozarks and they would eventually be issued severe thunderstorm warnings. However, the storm that formed around Sedalia really got going around 4:30 PM when the first tornado warning was issued. Eric and Michelle were miked up while I was driving the radar. The video below picks up a few minutes before the 5 PM news was supposed to begin...

The TiVo stopped at 5:30 PM but we stayed on the air because the storm was showing an impressive structure as it continued into Callaway County and eventually put new tornado warnings up for Osage, Montgomery and Gasconade Counties. The TiVo kicked back into action a few minutes before the 6 PM news began but of course, Mother Nature kept us busy and made sure we didn't have a newscast...

After the TiVo let off at 6:30 PM, we kept going until about 6:57 PM right up until the tornado warning for Montgomery County expired at 7 PM. After the storm left the viewing area, I kept watching it hold together and head right for northern St. Louis County. It was that point I realized that we spent the last 3 hours tracking the beginning of the Good Friday Tornado that would hit St. Louis. I was watching streaming coverage from the local CBS station in St. Louis while watching the storm itself on the radar back at KOMU.  My mouth dropped to the floor when the radar picked this up...

First off, I have never seen that strong of a rotation on radar come into the St. Louis area EVER! What's more amazing is the debris ball that the reflectivity was picking up. There are times where if there's enough debris being drawn into the storm and into the circulation, the radar can pick it up. What's more scary is that this tornado was actually reported by Lambert International Airport and it was doing damage to a heavily populated area.

Here's what was unveiled after the storm passed through St. Louis as seen on KOMU and eventually news sites and TV channels around the world.

Beaverton Drive in Bridgeton, MO. EF-3 Damage.

Concourse C at Lambert International Airport

One photo I found that really stood out to me was taken by KMOV Chief Meteorologist Steve Templeton. He was surveying EF-4 damage in another community in Bridgeton and found a house reduced to rubble. But, have a look at the picture.

Look at how the stairs and some of the inner walls are pretty much left intact. This is why I or any other meteorologist on the air tells you to either to get underground and hide under something sturdy like heavy furniture or under the stairs or to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible.

Having a day off work on the following Monday, I decided that I wanted to see the damage for myself. I grabbed my camera and here's what I found...

If you're interested in seeing the results of the survey results of the tornadoes around St. Louis that night, the National Weather Service has everything compiled into one neat page you can go to by clicking here.

It's amazing that a strong tornado hasn't moved through the St. Louis area since 1967 and caused this much damage. What's truly amazing is that after all the damage and destruction caused by the tornado, not a single life was lost on Good Friday. That is what I call a true Easter miracle...

Whoa! I REALLY Need a New Post!

It's been a little while, hasn't it? I apologize, folks. Life likes to throw plenty of curve balls and keep me on my toes. I've been to Columbia for more work at KOMU for Easter weekend and have been busy applying for numerous positions while still making money at Schnucks. I am finally putting together a post about the big storm that rocked Missouri and St. Louis on Good Friday. I'll just say it was an amazing day in my meteorology career that I'll never forget. I'll have the post up later today.

Severe Weather Outbreak Once Again for Today and Tonight

Today's one of those days where you need to pay attention to the weather. There's a moderate risk for severe weather stretching from Arkansas through Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Around that, a slight risk covers an even broader area across the central United States.

All of the counties in red are under a tornado watch until 9 PM tonight. I looked at the probabilities table with this watch and it has a high risk for tornadoes with any storms that pop up this afternoon. It's not a guarantee that everyone will see tornadoes but the upper level dynamics and ingredients at the surface are making the environment for supercells that have the capability for producing tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.

The bottom line is that if you live in any of the counties highlighted or in the moderate risk area today, be sure that you have a way to get the latest weather information whether you're at home or on the road. The storms will fire up anytime now and they will be fast movers. Have a safety plan in place and ready to go when your county or town comes under a tornado or severe thunderstorm warning. Stay safe, folks!

Another Sunday, Another Severe Weather Outbreak!

Good early morning, folks! Missouri saw some severe weather last Sunday and it looks like we'll be hitting repeat for this coming Sunday. SPC is looking at a really impressive storm system coming in over the weekend. With a lot of ingredients coming together, the area above highlighted in red will likely see quite a severe weather outbreak. Not only will most of Missouri see a repeat of last Sunday's storms, but Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan will see some strong storms on Sunday and heading into Sunday night. As SPC updates the outlook area later today and I get a better handle on the system, I'll have an update later today. Have a good day, everyone.

Severe Weather Likely in MO Tonight

Good evening, folks. After quite a warm day across Mid-Missouri with record breaking highs in the upper 80s (with a few spots around 90), we're finally starting to see thunderstorms form due north of Kirksville, MO all the way towards Manhattan, KS. A tornado watch is in effect for far northeastern Missouri until midnight and a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for western Missouri and eastern Kansas until midnight. I'll have updates on any strong and severe storms on my Twitter unless I have to assist Chief Weathercaster Dave Schmidt with severe weather coverage. If you want updates on warnings, simply go to the National Weather Service homepage and check on our coverage at KOMU's website. Stay safe, folks.

How Long Has It Been?

Hey, everyone! My apologies for not keeping up with my blog as of late. I have been quite busy with many things in my life. If I'm not working at Schnucks to bring money in, I'm at KOMU in Columbia filling in for the weather team. If I'm not at KOMU or in Columbia for work or play, I'm still actively looking for job openings as a broadcast meteorologist. Despite whatever is going on, it's a very exciting time in my life and I feel like a job for me will definitely come along either before or just as summer starts up.

On a weather related note, I did do more on-air work at KOMU last Saturday and Columbia actually ended up seeing at least 2.5 more inches of snow. Last time I checked the statistics with the St. Louis NWS Office, Columbia is 1.5 inches away from matching the highest snowfall total for a season. The standing record is 54.9 inches from the 1977-1978 season and Columbia's 2010-2011 total is at 53.4 inches. It's absolutely amazing how much snow several areas of Missouri has seen this past season with numerous rounds of snow storms this past winter and the huge blizzard back in February. When I made the forecast for Columbia on Saturday, I kept telling myself, "I'm not putting snow in the forecast. I'm NOT putting snow in the forecast." When I made the forecast for Tuesday (yesterday), I originally had it being all rain. However, the models kept wavering with the rain/snow chances and I felt that I should play it safe by including a possible snow mix. Thankfully, my first instinct was right and we didn't see any snow yesterday. It's one of the few times that I'm glad that I was wrong since everyone saw enough snow this season.

I am headed back to KOMU again to work the Friday and Saturday shift and I realized that I'm working on April Fools' Day. I'm contemplating doing something in the April Fools' spirit but not something that will get me in serious trouble with the station or with the kind folks at the FCC. If anyone had interesting ideas on what I should do, feel free to leave your ideas below.

Time to turn in for bed. Have a good Wednesday, folks!

I Have Returned To Columbia!!

Good evening, folks!! After 6 straight days of working at the grocery store, I have finally taken some time off and returned to Columbia, MO for another work-cation. Technically, we are in the Spring season and we should be starting to see warmer temperatures return to the Midwest. For the past week, we were seeing that with high temperatures across most of Missouri topping out in the upper 70s and a few 80s. However, I regret saying that we have a chance of snow this weekend. Actually, the chance for snow from I-70 northward in Missouri exists today, but this will not be a big storm to contend with. I'll be working for Michelle today at KOMU, so I will have a better handle on what Mid-Missouri will be seeing in terms of snow. I'll have a fresh post later today. Have a good day, everyone!

Severe Weather Threat for Tuesday

Good evening, folks. After a long 8 hours at the grocery store, I finally have time to see how the upcoming severe weather threat will unfold tomorrow. Here's what SPC is saying for the severe weather threat tomorrow in terms of who may see severe thunderstorms.

Looks like the main threats will be large hail and damaging winds with any thunderstorms that form during the afternoon and evening on Tuesday. While northwestern Illinois, southern Iowa and northern Missouri will have a greater probability of seeing severe storms, it is possible to see storms fire along the cold front that extends from Missouri into central Texas. I'll have another update tomorrow but hopefully things will get interesting tomorrow. Have a good night, folks!!

My Short Work-Cation in Columbia, MO

Good morning, folks. My apologies for not writing any new posts since earlier this month. I've just been focusing on the job hunt and continuing to go to Columbia to work at KOMU. Also, it was due to the fact that nothing noteworthy, weatherwise, has really happened around the St. Louis area, Columbia or anywhere in Missouri since March 5th. However, quite a bit happened as soon as I left for Columbia on Sunday evening.

Before I left for Columbia, I packed everything up and I double checked the forecast and models to see if I need to bring a heavy jacket in case temperatures got a little chilly. The models didn't show anything impressive in terms of heavy precipitation and if any fell, it would fall as rain. Well... To my surprise, it was dry when I got to Columbia and when I was venturing out on the Mizzou Campus hanging with a few good buds of mine, here's what we stumbled upon...

After 10 PM, big flakes of snow started to fall and fall at quite a good clip. The snow continued into the evening on Monday and since some people around Mid-Missouri saw quite a bit of snow, I did not get to do the weather for the 5 and 6 newscasts on Monday. However, I volunteered to do something else and ended up doing live shots for the very first time while creating graphics to explain why the forecast was wrong...

I did get to do the weather for the 5 and 6 newscasts for Tuesday, though. It was fun, as always, and I managed to try some new graphics to spice up my presentation a bit.

 The patterns do seem to be ramping up again, so look forward to more posts from me within the next few days. Have a good Friday, folks!!

February 27th/28th Storms Recap *UPDATE*

UPDATE: The National Weather Service has updated the tornado count from the storms that rolled through Missouri and western Illinois. The total number of tornadoes from Sunday night and early Monday morning now stands at 17. What really surprised me after the updated tracks came out was how St. Louis County had two more tornadoes since the last tornado roared through Sunset Hills during the New Year's Eve storms. These two EF1 tornadoes went through Babler State Park, over the track of my old middle school (Rockwood Valley Middle School) and thankfully lifted just before it went into Suzanne Ridge and Garden Valley subdivisions where some of my friends live. Here's the latest tornado tracks on Google Earth. You can always go to the NWS website here to see the specifics of the damage and pictures of what the storms left behind.

 ________________________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL POST: Good evening, folks. Missouri is under the gun for showers and thunderstorms again tonight. Some of the storms have turned severe earlier with tornado warnings in between Columbia and St. Louis and hail around Columbia. Fortunately, no reports of touchdowns as the storms scooted to the north of St. Louis. Speaking of, the National Weather Service out of St. Louis finished their survey of the damage around the area after the storms rolled in late on February 27th. Have a look at the tornado tracks laid on top of Google Earth...

Even though the big story was the storms plowing through the St. Louis Metro area between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM, there were a few tornadoes up in Monroe, Shelby and Pike Counties.

Straight line damage winds at 90 mph caused damage to this
storageshed just east of Shelbina close to Highway 36. 

Tornado damage just south southeast of Shelbina. Strongest
tornado was rated an EF1 with winds at 90 mph.

Both of the tornadoes in Pike County were rated EF0 with a machine shed damaged. The interesting thing I found out from that tornado was there were missiles from the shed that got embedded into the ground by the tornado. The only other damage around Frankford were three more machine sheds being destroyed and a lot of tree damage with the second EF0 tornado.

Two other areas I want to focus on are right around the city of St. Louis. First I want to start off with the squall line as it moved through Franklin County and headed into St. Louis County.

A squall line is an intense line of thunderstorms that have threats of heavy rain, large hail and/or damaging winds. At this time, 10:53 PM, the squall line was going through Washington, Warrenton and heading as far south as Union and St. Clair. The pink cores over Union were likely very heavy rain or sizable hail over the center of town. Another threat this line had were imbedded areas of rotation as seen below.

You're looking at storm relative velocities, or winds inside the thunderstorm without the speed and movement of the storm affecting radar data. Red colors are winds blowing away from the radar up to the northeast in Weldon Spring and the green colors are winds blowing towards the radar. Not only did the line from a few minutes before 10:53 had 2 distinct areas of rotation, there were several smaller areas of rotation along the line itself. In other words, in addition to straight-line damaging winds, you could've had several brief rain-wrapped tornadoes heading right for the St. Louis area.

The reflectivity above shows the line as it was moving into western St. Louis County around my hometown of Wildwood. The velocities below show that straight-line winds were heading into Wildwood as well in addition to the small areas of rotation along the line. Before the storms raced into West County, a storm spotter did report a tornado touchdown in St. Albans at the intersection of Highway 100 and T just on the border of St. Louis and Franklin Counties. However, the survey team from the NWS concluded that the damage produced was the result of strong straight line winds in excess of 100 mph. Here's a few pictures of the damage as the line came through St. Louis County.

Creve Coeur

Richmond Heights

One more area that I want to touch on is in Granite City, IL. Some people still hold a belief that tornadoes cannot touch down in or close to a metro area. Let me show you how close Granite City is to St. Louis and what they were seeing (or couldn't see).

The radar was picking up a little rotation early on before the storm plowed right into Granite City at 11:27 PM. Again, notice how close Granite City is to the river and to the city limits of St. Louis. The reports said that the EF1 tornado touched down at the intersection of Illinois Highway 3 and Rock Road. That is almost right next to the Mississippi. When it touched down at 11:35, nobody could see it as Granite City was not only being blinded by rain and strong winds but possibly some large hail as well since there were strong reflectivity returns right over the heart of the city. Had the tornado touched down a few minutes before it crossed the river, the north side of St. Louis would have sustained some damage. No matter how you look at it, though, it's amazing that there were no fatalities for this nighttime event. Have a look at a bit of the damage from Granite City's tornado.

I could write a lot more about the other areas that saw tornadoes that night, but the St. Louis NWS office has a link to all the damage pictures and their summary of the events from that night. You can find the whole breakdown here. This is a reminder that Spring is coming and severe weather season is right around the corner. Be sure that you have a plan of action in place so you and your family know what to do in case a tornado warning or any dangerous weather is headed for your area. Have a good night, folks!

Severe Weather Update

Hey, folks. A quick update on the severe weather south and east of St. Louis.

Tornado warnings are still in effect for the Missouri counties of Iron and Madison until 1:30 AM and Perry, Bollinger and heading into Cape Girardeau county until 1:45 AM. In Illinois, tornado warnings are in effect for Franklin, Perry and Washington counties for another 5 minutes. Also, tornado warnings for Hamilton, Wayne and White counties until 1:30 AM.

The strongest portion of the squall line, in terms of rotation, is in western Perry and eastern Madison counties in Missouri. You're looking at storm relative velocities, or winds inside the thunderstorms. Green colors are winds blowing towards the radar in Weldon Spring in St. Charles county near St. Louis and the reds are winds blowing away from the radar. There are strong indications of rotation to the east of Fredericktown and near Higdon, Cornwall, Hahns Mill and another one near Corners in western Perry county.

The storms will continue to move east into the overnight hours and as long as the atmosphere ahead of this intense line of thunderstorms is unstable and dynamic enough to support these storms, we could see tornado warnings continue throughout the overnight hours and into Monday morning. If you are reading this and you're under a tornado watch, have a plan of action in place in case you go under a tornado warning. Remember, go to the basement. If you don't have a basement, go to the lowest floor in your home or business and get in the center of the house or business with no outside walls or windows around. For a home, that'll likely be a bathroom or a closet.

Unfortunately, I need to start getting ready for bed since I have work in the morning. Once all the damage has been assessed, I will be able to write a post or make a video post about the storms and the damage they've caused. Hang in there, folks in Missouri and Illinois. The threat of storms will be out of here as you head to work in the morning. Have a good and safe night.

A Whole Lot Going On...

The St. Louis Metro just got slammed with a very intense line of thunderstorms. Tornado warnings are still in effect for Madison, St. Clair, Monroe, Bond, Clinton, Washington and Fayette counties in Illinois past midnight. So far, a community near the Franklin-St. Louis county line, St. Albans, had a tornado touchdown and sustained some damage. The latest rotation is now in a triangle between Lebanon, O'Fallon and Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair county in Illinois. Still a very dangerous situation to the east of Metro St. Louis and I'm constantly updating my Twitter and FaceBook status about the latest warnings and reports of damage. Stay safe, folks!!

Things Are Getting Interesting...

Good afternoon, everyone. Things are already getting pretty active in south central Kansas and with good reason.

The risk of severe thunderstorms still exists for most of Missouri, eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, all of Arkansas, northwestern Mississippi, western Tennessee, the western two-thirds of Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, southern Indiana and southern Illinois. The elevated risk for severe storms has shrunken in terms of area coverage compared to yesterday. The elevated risk should have folks in extreme southern Illinois, extreme southwestern Indiana just southwest of Evansville, western Kentucky, northwestern Tennessee including Memphis, southeastern Missouri from West Plains and Poplar Bluff to the Boot-Heel and into northeastern Arkansas including Little Rock.

As of this post, there are two areas that bear watching heading into the evening.

The counties within the light blue outline are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9:00 PM Central Standard Time. We've had warnings out for the cell just south of Kansas City due to winds in excess of 60 and occasionally 70 mph winds and large hail when it was back around Wichita and El Dorado. That continues to move northeast towards Sedalia, Marshall and just northwest of Columbia in Missouri but more storms are already developing in south central Kansas around Medicine Lodge. In other words, folks in the watch area have only seen round one and there's still a long way to go before you're out of the woods.

Another area that needs watch is the counties outlined in red. For them, a tornado watch is in effect until 9:00 PM Central Standard Time. No warnings for this area yet, but storms are already firing up along the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Right now, the storms appear to be firing up as individual cells. This is a little concerning since the area has more instability and better atmospheric dynamics to develop supercell thunderstorms that can contain strong updrafts that can lead to large hail, strong winds and some tornadoes. Areas around Joplin, Pittsburg, Neodesha and heading west towards Medicine Lodge and as far south as a line from Tulsa to Vance AFB in Oklahoma need to keep an eye to the sky for the next several hours.

More storms will pop up and spread eastward into Missouri heading into tonight. Looks like Columbia will get hit by these storm between 7 and 9 PM while St. Louis will be getting in on the action around 10 PM tonight. Yesterday, I did talk about how Fort Smith might get in on some of the action but the latest model runs (knock on wood) has any possible thunderstorms existing in a scattered nature and they have the worst of the weather just off to your east heading toward Little Rock.

Believe me, folks. I'd rather be tracking these storms for the rest of the day, be out at a television station keeping an eye on you all or out chasing the storms with the Mizzou Storm Chase Team but duty calls at the grocery store I still work for at 5 PM. I'll try to post another update before I lay head to pillow tonight. For now though, keep an eye to the sky, pay attention to any watches and warnings issued for your area, have a plan of action in case a warning is issued for your area and enjoy the skies if you're not in any serious danger. The T.V. stations and your friends would love to see some pictures if you're close to any of these storms and if you're not in any serious danger. Have a good evening, folks!

Severe Weather Sunday...Sunday...Sunday...

Good afternoon, folks. Looks like Punxsutawney Phil wasn't too far off with his forecast earlier this month. With severe weather around Missouri and present in the southern U.S. yesterday, Spring is finally getting closer with each passing day. Well, let's cut right to the chase with the next threat of severe storms...

Spring Is Getting Closer!!

Good morning, folks!! Even though it may be snowing at my home in the St. Louis Metro right now, I like how busy SPC (the Storm Prediction Center) has been over the past day with the severe weather taking place in the southern United States. In the boot-heel of Missouri yesterday, there was a tornado touchdown in Portageville around I-55. Thankfully, no reports of injuries or deaths, but the tornado did end up blowing  some vehicles off the interstate. Understandably, some folks must've been shaken up down there, but again I'm thankful that no injuries or deaths have been reported.

For the short term in the St. Louis Metro, we are seeing some snow as this latest system moves through. Around the city, I'm expecting only up to an inch of accumulation on mostly the grassy surfaces. Any snow that sticks to the roads and driveways will be easy to shovel off before you head to work or school in the morning.

What really has my eye is the next chance for severe weather coming to us later this weekend...

There is a good chance for some severe weather to break out not only for the St. Louis area but also for the Ozarks heading into Columbia, Jefferson City, Springfield, Joplin, Poplar Bluff, Fort Leonard Wood and the Bootheel. The threat also exists for the entire state of Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, southern Illinois, southwestern Indiana around Evansville, western Kentucky and western Tennessee. Later today, I'll look at what the upcoming system might bring in terms of severe weather to the folks in Missouri and I'll have a post sharing my take on the possible severe weather threat coming later this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy the little bit of snow if you're seeing it because you know Spring is on the way if SPC starts to get a little more busy...

I Loved This Week

Good evening, folks. Sorry for not posting lately. Just enjoying the rest of my vacation week from work before I head back home tomorrow. My week started off pretty well. I got to send out more resumes and applications again to Springfield, MO, a TV station that serves Joplin, MO, and to Decatur, IL. On Wednesday, I decided to head back to Columbia, MO to visit family and friends. If you haven't been to Mizzou lately, construction has been a fairly common sight. However, I finally got to see inside The Shack.

The Shack was an old hangout for Mizzou students that has not been around for several years. Before the end of last year, it finally reopened to a new generation of Mizzou students. What's unique about his place is that students are able to carve their names into the walls. While some of the walls were preserved from the original Shack, there are new areas where students can carve on the walls to leave their mark. The place has a little eatery called Mort's, 4 pool tables, 2 foosball tables, a shuffleboard table, an Xbox360 with Kinect set up, a free Pac-Man game and a free jukebox that can also play songs from your iPod.

I did get to go to the station for the past few days to catch up with the First Alert Weather Team. For Thursday, I was able to do a professional photo shoot courtesy of Scott Schaefer. I like the shots and I really like this particular head shot.

Today, I got to make the forecast again and let me just say that I'm glad snow is not in the forecast. Here's what the setup will be for Columbia tonight.

Clouds will stick around throughout the overnight hours with a few areas, including Columbia, seeing some scattered showers and a few thunderstorms. Most of Mid-Missouri will stay fairly quiet tonight with a break on Sunday. However, when Sunday Night comes around...

This line of showers, accompanying the next cold front, will move through Sunday Night and rain chances will end as we head into Monday morning. Here's how the next 8 days looks for Columbia...

After the rain moves out on Monday, we clear the skies out and expect temperatures will climb back into the middle 50s. The next chance for precipitation will be rain and only rain as another system comes through on Thursday. However, the system is quick to move out as skies begin to get a little more sunny and temperatures moderate into the middle 40s as we look ahead into next weekend. Have a good night, everyone!