Storm Chasers Gather In Florida Keys For Annual Picnic

 

Saturday morning we explored around some of the islands getting as far south as almost Marathon, FL. The water color was outstanding like always, and made photography a lot of fun. We arrived at Jim’s shortly after noon ready to geek it up with storm talk and videos. Soon after everyone arrives as well, and it’s beginning to feel like a true Storm Chaser convergence. A great turnout of Chasers including, Jim Leonard, Chris Collura, Michael Laca, Cheryl Chang, Scott McPartland and his wife/girl friend? Sorry Scott can’t remember… Also, Tim Millar from Cyclone Research Group, David Lewison, Bill Hark and his wife, Jack Beven from National Hurricane Center, Chris Kridler and her husband, and Max Hagen, which JJ made a good friend searching through tidal pools and coconut hunting while taking on the monster palm tree ants.

We had a great time watching tornado and hurricane videos, eating burgers and dogs, with beer on a beautiful day in the Florida Keys. Later in the evening everyone gathered outside exploring the low tide pools and talking storm and hurricane chasing. David Lewison got a little wet, while Max and JJ tried to get a coconut from a Army ant infested palm tree. Everyone walked around shooting pictures and video of others shooting pictures and video. LOL Very common at Storm Chaser parties. All in all a lot of fun and a great time with everyone.

We headed home before dark and stopped in Key Largo for a bite to eat before the 3 ½ hour drive home. We got in around 10pm already missing the Keys and Chaser chat. It was great seeing everyone again, and a huge thanks to Jim Leonard for another great party!

Taking In A Lot From My Screenwriting Class In Film School

I began my Film School over the last two weeks, and I’m really enjoying my class’s. Several years ago I started blogging on Stormvideographer which is now Weatherzine. I was never a big fan of writing when I was younger, and over the last few years I really have come to enjoying writing either by blogging, or just for fun. I’m currently in Screenwriting class and I absolutely love it. It’s really bringing the creativity out in me, and after every class I feel like I just want to write and write more. I’m learning to properly structure a screenplay, and fully develop my script for a short film for class.

I always thought I would make weather films with all my passion for storms, and I will, but the film I’m writing for class has nothing to do with storms or weather at all. I’m having so much fun developing the storyline and creating my characters. I have several big weather films I’d like to produce, but I think making a drama film for class will broaden my education. As I move along in class I’ll be posting updates, especially when I move into Cinematography/Lightning/Sound class. I’m extremely pleased I made the move to attend film school as I feel I’m taking in so much, and it’s guiding me into what I really wanted to do all along.

Now, if I could only snap my fingers and appear in the tornado risk area’s for some Storm Chasing this weekend.

Related Posts:

• Filling Extra Time With Filmmaking School, Start Monday

Spring Is Here, Plains Severe Weather, Busy Day Ahead

Gloomy morning to start the new week, and the first full week of Spring 2009. Showers and overcast skies are starting my morning here in Southern Florida. It was a weekend of mixed showers and sun, but Spring is here and you can truly feel it here in Florida. It was nice to get out and work on my lawn on Saturday, and have the windows open with the stiff easterly ocean breezes. Even this morning I have all the windows open with a nice breeze streaming through the house. Just enjoying some morning coffee while surfing some of the favorite blogs while listening to some news in the background.

I have several things to do today, including Film School class, doctors, and some other errands. I’d like to squeeze in some time for Arm-chasing the expected severe weather event in the Plains later today. Normally by April 1^st I feel the severe storm chase season fully opens for business. Were about a week away from that, but there will sure be some storms to chase today in the Central Plains giving all those in the region a little taste of the storm season. Sure wish I was out there!

So, weather is slow here and little to report. I do need to get going as my time is fully packed for the day and a lot to do. Have a great week and hurray Spring is here!

Beneficial Drought Relief rains falling over Southeast Florida

Beneficial rains falling over Southeast Florida this morning. A stalled frontal boundary bringing relief precipitation over extreme drought stricken southern Florida. Most of the rains overnight and into this morning were from Lake Okeechobee south and eastward. The more impressive rain totals are along the extreme southeastern coastal regions of Florida from Martin County southward into Miami-Dade. Palm Beach and Broward counties look to have received the most rain since midnight. National Weather Service reports this morning show 3-5 inches of rain has fallen in eastern Palm Beach and Broward. Some of these rains are producing some localized street flooding and standing water in lower lying regions of the counties. No dent in the Florida 2009 drought, but it’s some relief.

This is great news to see rain falling over extreme dry southern Florida, where drought index readings are back over 700. There has been little rain all Winter with only about a half inch for the whole year so far. Unfortunately, these latest rains are over a very small region and need to be more of a widespread event to really benefit. Most of these rains will drain off into the ocean and only water local residents lawns along the coast and cause a few traffic headaches during rush hour.

Where Is The Rain? No Rains Strengthens Florida Drought

A large portion of the Florida peninsula is experiencing very dry conditions since the start of the new year. Since January 1, 2009, there are some locations and regions of Florida that have not even seen a half inch of rain. It’s extremely parched out there, and it’s beginning to look like the Springs of 2007-2008. The now higher sun angles and longer daylight hours is adding to the parched ground conditions. Also there is a lot dead vegetation from the few winter freezes we had this season. This is only making it even more dangerous for any wildfires that break out. Lake Okeechobee is once again falling fairly fast with a lake level this morning of 12.45 feet. South Florida Water Management said this back on March 6, 2009.

With February’s end, the 2008-2009 South Florida dry season became the third driest on record dating back to 1932. Water levels in the 16-county South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) are declining, and the stage is set for drought conditions to worsen if adequate rain does not fall. The forecast of persistent dry conditions through the remainder of the dry season underscores the need for continued conservation to stretch the water supply.

Sounds all too much like statements made over the last several spring seasons here in Southern Florida. There is little rain in our forecast outside of some weak showers and sprinkles along the coast. There is a possibility looking at some of the forecast computer models of a weak cold front stalling across the southern portion of Florida mid next week, and maybe squeezing out a few showers. Unfortunately, there will likely be more future posts her eon Weatherzine of drought and wildfires issues than the normal storm chasing updates. More to come on this.

Filling Extra Time With Filmmaking School, Begin Monday

Starting First Screenwriting Class This Monday -

I’m really looking forward to getting started this upcoming Monday. First up, FLM 101- Screenwriting /Scriptwriting: Research, developing the story, creation of characters, characters evolution, creating the 3-act structure, film terms, writing treatments, drafting a short story, and creating a storyboard. Sounds like a lot of fun, and even though I do know some of the basics already, it will be great to fine tuned things I have learned over the years on my own, and to do it in a state of the art lab working with high end HD gear. I plan to have a blog series on my Film School session, so look out for upcoming updates of my class’s here on Weatherzine in my personal blog section.

Busy With Other Things Going On -

Other than getting registered for school and attending open house in the last week, I have been busy around the house, tending to J.J. who has been under the weather, and working on a video highlight film for my Grandfathers surprise 80^th birthday party this Sunday. No worries, he doesn’t read the blog or even get online these days, so spilling the beans here on this post won‘t spoil the surprise…I hope.

Boring Weather, But At Least It’s Getting Hot -

One thing for sure that has been depressing me is the weather lately. No rain, no storms, nothing to chase or even get excited for. The only up side to the weather for me is it’s now hot. Yeah I love the hot and humid weather, and it was a very below normal temperature wise for Florida all Winter, and I‘m sick of it! Very drought conditions for much of Florida and we need rain bad as brush fires are beginning to break out.

So that’s it for this personal update. Much more to come on my film school experiences, and other news.

Related Posts:

• Taking In A Lot From Screenwriting Class At Film School

Tornadoes Reported In Illinois, While Storms Continue

Tornadic Storms Moving Through Midwest -

Currently monitoring severe weather moving through Southeastern Missouri, and southern Illinois. There are several active Tornado Warnings in southern Illinois in Washington and Mount Vernon counties at this hour. There has been already two confirmed tornadoes on he ground that have produced damage in Jersey and Sangamon counties in Illinois. Tornado Watch #49 issued by the Storm Prediction Center, is active until 4:00PM Central Time for the region.

In Missouri there is a active Tornado Warning for Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties, and there have been numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds across the state so far today. The entire region is out looked in a moderate risk of severe storms, with a few strong tornadoes possible.

Drought and Recent Freezes Killing My Yard and Trees

Florida Drought Conditions Return -

My palm tree’s and large lawn have taken a beating from the cold and dry weather. Several of my Coconut Palms are dieing, and have fully browned over from 3 significant freezes. Most palms can handle drought, but not upper 20’s degree weather. My lawn can handle the cold a little better but not the extreme lack of rainfall. The ground is so dry it’s dusty, not normal for Florida soil. All the vegetation is dry when drying around, or If not dead from the recent hard freezes.

Soil Too Dry, Evapotranspiration Process Slowing -

With so much dry conditions, I believe it’s also affecting the normal evapotranspiration process that helps moisten the local atmosphere. Even when moisture is pooling ahead of a cold front, it remains shallow and mixes out fairly fast, and with the ground and plants so dry, there is little evaporation taken place to help regional atmospheric moisture levels. This keeps rain chances low and continues the depressing cycle. I hope to recover some of my tree’s and lawn. The hot long days are approaching here in Florida, and if we don’t start to get some measurable rainfall soon, not only will there be issues with wildfires, but the drought will only get much worse.

Here’s hoping for some rains soon….

 

Florida Drought Conditions Setting Stage For Wildfires

It’s scenes like this in the following picture that remind us here in Florida how bad the drought and wildfire conditions were during all of 2007, and halfway through 2008. After a generous summer 2008 rainfall season, and the significant rainfall accumulation from Tropical Storm Fay late in the summer, Florida has once again become very dry. By October 2008 the full wet season over Florida came to a end, and ever since it’s been hard to find any decent rains. Sure the Fall through mid Spring is Florida’s normal dry season, but it has been exceptionally dry, with well below normal Winter rain totals. What rain that has fallen has been associated with passing cold fronts, which have had little moisture to work with resulting in little rainfall. It’s been a vicious cycle for months now and Florida is beginning to really feel it once again.

Northern Florida and the Panhandle have had better rainfall with a fairly active southern storm track over the Winter, but a lot of the rain never makes it into Central and Southern portions of the peninsula. The only thing that has been making it’s way deep into Florida has been the well below normal cold weather. It has actually been a fairly cold Winter season for Florida, with several significant hard freezes and cold outbreaks since November. January had record cold events with damaging freezes that now show there scars with regional vegetation dead from the cold.

Primed For Active Wildfire Season Across The Sunshine State -

The cold of recent months has killed off a lot of grass, brush, tree’s, and other native vegetation, setting the stage for good wildfire ground conditions, and plenty of fuel to work with. For now, most fires that get started are from people being very careless with cigarettes, camp fires, fireworks, and parking your car on the shoulder of the highway and idling in the tall dry grass. A lot of these can be prevented with using some common sense and precaution, but there is one very big fire starter that no one can control and it‘s coming soon.

The very well known Florida annual lightning season is not too far off, and normally begins mid to late May with the onset of the wet season. Although, March and April can have it’s share of lightning storms, it’s more isolated and associated with weakening and stalled fronts draped across the state. By mid to late March, atmosphere moisture levels begin to rise and daily high temperatures return to hot and humid levels. So, any decent convergence along these stalled fronts and interaction from a sea breeze boundary, and you’ll have some thunderstorm development.

We Need The Precipitation Now -

Any lightning with all these very dry ground conditions spells wildfire troubles. If we don’t receive some decent rains now, it will be even more dry come time for the lightning season. The drought levels are showing their face once again, and you can clearly see it just driving down the road, or fishing out on Lake Okeechobee where the lake level is once again below 13 feet and falling. Water restrictions have remained in place for well over a year, but many don’t follow the rules and waste water. Late March through June could be a very smoke filled, hot and at times dangerous from widespread wildfires. Take precautions when on the roads and outside, and let’s all hope for some heavy rains soon.

Picturesque Snowfall Accumulation Baltimore Maryland ‘09

One thing you rarely see me post about here on Weatherzine is snow. This cool picture of impressive snow accumulation was emailed to me by my sister Courtney, who lives just outside of Baltimore, MD. The recent snow storm on Monday left 7-8 inches of fresh snow at her location, making her backyard and patio deck a white Winter wonderland. I love how the snow is so deep on the table and undisturbed. Thanks Court for the great picture! It was a pretty decent winter storm as we moved into March. Snow fell from the Deep South through the Mid-Atlantic and into New England. Many in the east have been waiting all winter for a decent snow storm, especially all those snow lovers out there.

Next Page »