Final Sunset of 2008 Over Florida Everglades-Okeechobee

 

Today was the final day of 2008, and it was a fantastic day! While the rest of the nation was dealing bone chilling cold weather, Southern Florida enjoyed temperatures in the lower to mid 70’s with a light breeze. The sun was bright and the air was warm on this last day of 2008. It was a New Years Eve to spend on the beach or out on a boat, or just about anything to do with being outside in the middle of winter.

Saying Goodbye To 2008 and Hello To 2009 -

The day ended with a outstanding sunset Florida style. In the series of pictures, the last sunset of 2008 is seen over the northern end of the Southern Florida Everglades and Lake Okeechobee region. Deep red and orange sunset with high-level cirrus clouds streaming overhead to close out this final day of the year. The next sunset will take place next year, and tonight’s sunset was a beautiful closure to a great year in many ways. We lost a few close ones, and our memories are with them, but after midnight tonight, it’s a fresh start to a new year of good and sometimes bad. It’s time to look ahead and think positive for a great year ahead. We’ll have a new President in 20 days, and I know we’ll get things back into order soon and begin the long task ahead of bringing our nation back into a stable state it once was. This final sunset had a great feeling to it, and I look forward to the first one of 2009.

I wish everyone from coast to coast and around the world a Happy New Year and safe 2009. Be sure to try and see that sun rise for the first time in 2009 tomorrow morning. It’s the first sun of the year.

Weatherzine Related Posts:

• First Sunset of 2009 Time Lapse Video – Lake Okeechobee, FL
• The New Year Rings In Breezy and Warm, Happy 2009!

Warm Trend Ends, Return To Normal Temperatures

Returning To Near Normal Weather -

After all of Christmas week above normal temperatures and weather, Florida is returning to near normal temps today as a weak frontal boundary drives southward into the Florida straits. Cooler and lower humidity levels will filter in throughout the day, especially the further north you go up the state. Tonight will be the coolest in over a week, with low temperatures in the 40’s north, to the 50’s south. Precipitation chances are pretty much nil outside of a sprinkle off the Atlantic waters. Enjoyable weather will return to the Central Florida theme parks after the unusual sticky warm spring-like weather the last 7 days as high pressure ridging was in control. If heading to Disney or other parks today and Wednesday, it’s a good idea to bring a sweater for evening outdoor activities.

SEVERAL COOL FRONTS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY…WITH MOST OF THEM BEING DRY. HOWEVER…ON FRIDAY ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL BE AROUND TO BRING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

 

Escaping To Florida From The Cold Of The North -

It was a strange Christmas week with the weather pattern more of a early spring-like pattern. Florida saw well above normal temps and dew point moisture levels, and some impressive dense fog mornings. Northern visitors escaping the extreme cold weather, snow and ice up north, were greeted with outstanding warmth under a nice December Florida sun all Christmas week. Never seen the beaches so packed around the holidays. Despite some showers on Christmas Eve and Day over Southern Florida, the weather has been pleasant for vacationers. Even with this latest front, the cool down will only bring Florida to near normal which is still warm for northern standards, so no worries if your looking for a break from the ice and snow.

Mistaken Sugarcane Smoke On South Florida Radar

Rain or Smoke On Florida Radar? -

Mistaken sugar cane smoke radar returns are constantly brought up as showers with South Florida area TV Meteorologists. Time and time again, I see local TV Meteorologists from both the greater Miami region and West Palm Beach mistaken these small short-live radar returns as rain, when really they are smoke plumes from sugarcane harvesting during the late Fall into early spring months. The regions of flatlands east, south and southwest of Lake Okeechobee are mostly sugar cane growing land, and during the harvesting months, they burn the cane during the harvesting process. These fast rising plumes of smoke show up on radar that look similar to precipitation returns, and then quickly dissipate as the fires last only 10-15 minutes at most. Sometimes I wonder how it can be mistaken when they will show a visible satellite loop of the area with clear skies, but speak of “a few showers squeezing out over South Florida interior today“. Just like the smoke that can show up on radar from wildfires, so can these plumes from the sugarcane harvesting.

In the above radar loop, you can see several smoke plumes pop up and then quickly dissipate over the sugar growing regions of Southern Florida. So the next time your looking at the radar over South Florida, and see some small showers inland that pop up and then dissipate, you might just be seeing sugar going up in smoke.

Annual Christmas Party, And Family Heart Attack Worries

How Crazy Can Christmas Week Get? -

What a crazy last few days it has been starting way back on Christmas Eve. It has been pretty much non-stop for Kersten and I, and today I’m actually able to just sit and relax, and blog a little. The Christmas week and weekend were extremely busy for us, and it’s nice to be at home today without anything to do but watch TV and eat leftovers. We did so much starting Christmas Eve with visiting Kersten’s family and having dinner, then getting up at 5:30am Christmas morning so J.J. could open his gifts before Kersten had to go into work. Later that morning we went to my Mothers for lunch, then driving later that day to Boca Raton to my Dads for Christmas Day dinner with family. Then Friday, I spent putting together stuff for J.J. so he could play with some of his presents before leaving for his Grandparents on Saturday. He got Rockband2, and was jamming out all day Friday between riding his new bike and playing with other Wii games.

Stubborn Heart Attack Worries That Ended Well -

Later that afternoon in the middle of putting stuff together and trying to sneak in a nap, I get a call from my mother saying that my Grandfather thinks he had a heart attack overnight. My Grandparents stayed overnight Christmas night at my mothers avoiding the long drive back that day. Well, apparently, during the overnight hours he experienced what he believed to be a full fledged heart attack, but later that morning refused to seek medical attention and blew it off. This is when my mother called asking to talk to him. Long story short, his eventually made it to JFK Medical Center where later in the evening learned he had up to 3 heart attacks over a 12 hour period. So, he was safe now at the hospital, and this morning is undergoing a cardiac cath and well know more later today, but he is doing good and is stable. (update – Blockage undone and expected to go home tomorrow or the next day. Currently in recovery.)

Pre-Dawn Airport Flight and Hospital Visit -

Then it was up very early Saturday morning (3:00am) to drive 2 hours to Ft Lauderdale International Airport to get J.J. to his 7am flight to Las Vegas where his Grandparents live. Southwest requires unattended minors to check in very early, so it was a long sleepy drive to checking into a packed airport. Then Kersten and I met up with my Dad on the way back to pick up a few things for our post annual Christmas gather at our house. Then since we were in the area, we decided to stop by the hospital to see Poppy in the Critical Care unit. His spirits were good and was joking around but you could tell he was very weak. W visited for a little while and then it was back on the highway and we headed back to Okeechobee. We finished off the day doing some food shopping for the party and getting the house ready.

Annual Post-Christmas Party Time Once Again -

Sunday comes and it’s party time once again. We were having about 16-18 family members over for my party, and to watch the Dolphins / Jets big game. My sister and husband flew in that morning too from Baltimore, so it was a packed house. The party was great, and we cooked Eggplant with and Spaghetti with meat sauce, and the wine and Captain and Coke flowed as we all cheered on the Miami Dolphins who won the division Championship and is now in the playoffs. We ended the evening with a round of Rockband2 jam sessions, with singing and playing the drums and guitar.

Once the last of the guests left, Kersten and sat on the couch and looked at each other and said, “ Its Over!”. Meaning the chaotic last 72 hours was now over and we could just sit and relax. She quickly headed to bed while I sat and watch some Sport Center and soon after fell asleep as well on the couch. It was nice to wake up this morning and having nothing planned for the day or actually the next few days. The only thing I wanted to do today was get this blog post up and now that’s done, and so am I for the day. Now it’s time to get back to being a bum for the day.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Eve Breezy Showers Greet South Floridians

Breezy Showery Christmas Eve -

Southeast Florida is currently under a stiff easterly wind flow off the Atlantic Ocean, and this is helping to produce low-topped showers. These showers are streaming inland off the ocean on steady east winds running in the 15-20mph range. Temperatures are in the mid to upper 70’s with dew points in the mid 60’s. Not very Christmas-like weather, but typical for Florida. Holiday gatherings tonight will be greeted with more showers and gusty winds off the east coast, and Santa will be dodging showers throughout the night time hours here on Christmas Eve 2008. Last minute shoppers pack area shopping mall parking lots with umbrella’s, as they rush to get in and out of stores as the widespread showers fall over South Florida metro. Area roadways a slick and packed with holiday travelers this afternoon, and with the wet roads, so reports of several ongoing accidents on I-95 and the Turnpike.

Christmas Day Expected To Be Warm With Showers -

Unfortunately, those looking for cooler weather for Christmas Day will be very disappointed tomorrow as the breezy easterly winds will continue and keep temperatures near 80F. Showers are in the forecast as well, and some kids might be riding that new bike and getting a little wet. Just think though, it could be a lot worst right? Just look north where sub-freezing weather, blizzard conditions are widespread this Christmas week. This is why we live in South Florida right?

Merry Christmas from Weatherzine!

The Latest On The Weatherzine Site Updates

Expected Christmas Day 2008 Warmth South Florida Style

Tropical Christmas Weather Forecasted -

Christmas 2008 will be a warm one in Southern Florida this year, as winds are forecast to veer around to the southeasterly direction later this week after the chilly start today. This morning cold air advection is underway with the passage of the latest cold front. This cold front is actually the one that has brought the northern states sub-freezing weather, snow and Ice over this past weekend. South Florida is feeling a little chill this morning with strong northern winds and will drop down into the 50’s overnight. Not too bad if your in town from up north compared to the Northeast and Midwest. Although this will be short-lived and we will be warming up fast for the remainder of the week. If your heading south from up north to Florida for Christmas and looking for much warmer weather, you’ll be happy as Christmas Day looks to be around 80F under sunny skies.

The nice warming trend should continue into New Years as high pressure will be the dominating feature over the next 5-10 days, as ridging will help keep any strong cold front well north of the region. So after a below normal November with several impressive Florida cold snaps, the Christmas Holiday season looks to be above normal and very warm. This is how we do it Florida style for Christmas!

• CHRISTMAS DAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 10 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGHS AROUND 80.

Winter Solstice Begins, But Christmas Expected To Be Warm

Is It Really Winter Now? -

Over the weekend we reached the Winter Solstice, which this year it fell on the 21^st of December. The way the weather has been here in Florida since late October with all the cold air, including this morning, you’d think the winter solstice came in over a month ago. Now were expected to completely flop back into warm temperatures now that it’s officially winter. Yep! Expecting lower 80’s here Christmas Eve and Day, so someone won’t have any problems riding that new bike Christmas morning. I should be careful what I type here about possible gifts huh? That one time of year that I don’t mind a little chill in the air for xmas eve and day it now looks to be the warmest of the week. Go figure! Ridging and a decent easterly flow off the Atlantic will keep temperatures above normal for this time of year and make Christmas more like a early spring beach day.

Below Normal Temps Today, Above Temps Through Christmas -

This morning though it’s pretty cold for my standards, with temps running mid morning in the mid 50’s with a stiff north wind ushering in more dry and cold air down the spin of the state. After tonight this will only be short-lived as noted above, and temps will head from below normal to above likely for the remainder of the week. The latest computer models actually show it to be fairly warm through into 2009, with ridging hold strong and no significant cold front digging into Florida for the next week or so.

Holidays Last Minute Rush Jam -

Much to do these last few days before Santa, so spending time finishing last minute things with Kersten to get ready. Christmas Eve and Day are fully packed with traveling to family all over South Florida, so come mid week it’s going to get really busy for me and I’ll likely be away from blogging those days. Now, I must get off here and make some coffee and try to get motivated for the day. Happy Holidays!

Weatherzine Winter Related Articles:

• Expected Christmas Day 2008 Warmth South Florida Style

Midwest Snow Storm Showing Snow On Ground From Satellite Loop

Snow and Ice As Seen From Space -

This past weeks Midwest snow and ice storm not only left it’s marks on regional airports and highways, but also from above looking down with high resolution visible satellite imagery. Visible satellite loops can pick out all kinds of interesting features not only with clouds at different layers of the atmosphere, but also featured at ground level. As you can see in the following visible satellite loop, large portions of the central and northern Plains states are covered in heavy snow. This stands out as the “white” not moving while the rest is mid and upper-level clouds streaming across the United States. The snow reflects sunlight and shows up a stationary in the background, while the rest is clouds in motion above the ground. You can clearly see a large swath of snow from the Plains east-northeastward into the Great Lakes and Northeast. Now that the storm system is pulling away and taking all the clouds with it, it opens the view to all the snow and ice on the ground left behind by the storm.

What Else Can We Find In This Satellite Loop?

You can also see the eastern outline edge of the Rockies Mountains running south to north through eastern New Mexico and Colorado. The stationary “white snow” marks the Rocky Mountains at much higher elevations. Visible satellite imagery can be a lot of fun to search and find new features each day. Not only is it helpful in forecasting the weather, finding mesoscale boundaries and convergence, but also pinpointing wildfires, floods, hurricane movement and interesting cloud formations. I use visible imagery each day for personal forecasting and just to kill time trying to pick out new and interesting features in the fluid atmosphere.

The Sounds of Rain Takes Hypnotic Control

Hypnotic Raindrops Take Me Into The Zone -

The sound of the rain can be so hypnotic, and it’s one of my favorite sounds to listen too when either stressed or just trying to relax. I find myself missing all those wet stormy afternoons in the summer not only for chasing storms of course, that’s a given, but just hearing the rain fall on the roof. The sound of a heavy downpour is so relaxing to me, just pure rain falling is a fast way to mellow me out. During these dry far in between rain days during the Florida winter dry season, I really begin to miss those afternoon sitting in the car waiting to get my video storm shots while the rain taps on the car roof. There also those early morning showers over the Atlantic in the summer that sound so hypnotic as the large raindrops splat on the smooth warm ocean surface. The heavier the rain the better, and I’m not talking winds and thunder, just pure heavy rains. It’s one of the things that attracted me to weather as a child a long time ago, and to this day the rain draws me in every time.

Rain Falling Helps To Move Along My Day -

I actually have audio recordings of just rain that I listen to sometimes while blogging, or video editing. It helps me stay cool and focused while working on stuff, and I feel my workflow just zips along. Now I’m not into dark gloomy days with rain falling hours on end, just some rain here and there. I love my hot 90F sunny days, but a nice afternoon shower or storm to cool things down is always nice too, especially if I can just stop and listen to the rain. I love my Storm Chasing, which is a whole other topic, but my roots with the weather go much deeper than with just chasing severe weather. The rain was there in the beginning, and I’ve been hooked every since.

Do You Like The Rain?

I bring this up as I’m beginning to feel the lack of rain here in December, and already looking forward to getting through the Holidays and into 2009, so we can head for the spring rains. We’ve had only about 2-3 good rain events since October, and it defiantly is taking it toll on me. How about you? Are you a fan of the rain, and how does if affect you?

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