A cold front sits northwest of us early this morning… and will move across the Miami Valley during the late morning hours:

There will be SOME changes to our weather with this feature… but not drastic changes by any means!  This morning, our dew points have dropped into the mid-40s… which shows how the atmosphere has dried out a bit under the influence of high pressure.  Soooo this means… not only is fog NOT a concern this morning, but there’s also not a great chance of rain with the front coming through.  Futuretrac is forecasting the best chance of any rain today to be in the southeastern Miami Valley:

But the chance is still low–maybe a 10-20% chance of a pop-up shower.  Temperatures will drop slightly today, too.  Yesterday’s official high climbed to 81-degrees… today we’ll top out in the low to mid 70s across the region.  The northern counties will be a bit cooler, because the front comes through these areas first.  Southern counties will have more time to warm, thus higher readings:

Quite pleasant, still!  It does get a bit chilly tonight, as we drop into the mid-40s by Thursday morning.  With high pressure building in behind this front… we return to full sunshine and very nice temperatures Thursday afternoon.  Highs tomorrow will be in the low 70s.  Then starts the warming trend!  The weekend is still looking to run 10-15 degrees above normal, with highs in the low to mid 80s.  Rain chances will remain low through the weekend, increasing slightly late Monday and into Tuesday as the next front drops in.  I know a lot of you have done your planting by now… and would probably like a little natural water!  Our friends up on the farm in Fort Loramie have just finished planting all of their corn.  Soybeans go in the ground today… and they are asking for some rain for the crops to speed up growth!  At least temperatures will be quite pleasant for chores around the farm… or garden!

Enjoy the day!
Jamie
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High pressure is our fair weather friend… and will be hanging out with us most of this week!    That means nice mostly sunny and warm afternoons… followed by clear and cool nights.  The one problem is that these clear, calm nights are perfect for fog formation… especially in those areas that picked up significant rainfall Sunday/Sunday night.  Those locations have more low level moisture to work with.  This morning, the worst of the fog is along/east of I-71.  A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect for these locations until 9am… this does include Clinton County:

Even those areas NOT in the advisory may still have pockets of low visibilities.  I have seen this in Clark, Greene and Butler Counties so far this morning.  Just be aware that you may it it between now and 8 or 9am.  As of this blog, there’s only been one school delay… you can keep tabs on any additional delays here: WDTN SCHOOL DELAYS/CLOSINGS

After the fog burns off, there is nothing but sun!  Highs will climb into the upper 70s today–just a couple degrees warmer than yesterday.  A weak cold front will drop in tomorrow, but as I mentioned yesterday… it is lacking moisture.  AND the time of day that it’s moving in (morning hours) are not very favorable.  Sooo I’m keeping just a 20% chance of a spotty shower in the forecast… otherwise, it should end up being a pretty decent day.

The front will drop temperatures slightly for both Wednesday and Thursday… but we’ll still end up in the low-mid 70s during the afternoon hours.  Warming is still in the works for Friday and the weekend as we make a run for the lower 80s!  Anyone opening their pools a little early?    I was working out in the yard yesterday, and did get some planting done.  I don’t have much of a green thumb, so this time of year always makes me nervous… will my flowers survive the summer??  We’ll see. As I’ve mentioned before… I have tried tomatoes in the past, and while they did great… the squirrels got to them!  I don’t even think they LIKE tomatoes, because each one would have a bite or two out of it… and that was it.  Grrr.  This year, I’ve planted some herbs and some flowers, so fingers crossed nobody gets to them!!

Have a great day!
Jamie
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Good Monday morning to all of you!  I hope you had a great weekend!  We had a lot going on, and MOST of the weekend weather cooperated.  Friday I did a Walk-a-Thon at my old elementary school, John F. Kennedy, in Kettering:

What a great group of 1st graders… we walked, did jumping jacks, windmills, and hula hoops… helping to bring awareness to heart health and the importance of staying active!  On Saturday, I participated in the Girls on the Run 5K with MY girl:

She rode in the jogging stroller most of the way, but actually ran the last 1/4 mile and crossed the finish line.  She was so proud!

On Sunday, the rain kept us inside… as we saw light stuff on and off all day in the southern half of the Miami Valley.  We started to get a little stir crazy in the afternoon, but that was fixed with a change of scenery and a trip to Grandma’s house to celebrate Mother’s Day!  I hope all the moms out there had a good one, despite the rain.

We’re starting off with some fog and clouds today, but as high pressure builds in from the northwest… things will improve for the afternoon.  Look for decreasing clouds and pretty pleasant temperatures once the sun pops out:

Tuesday looks beautiful, as the high settles over us and provides a lot of sunshine:

The next rain chance is Wednesday.  A cold front drops in, and brings the slight chance for a few spotty showers.  But it will not be a wash out, as moisture is limited with this system.  Temperatures remain nice, and will even warm towards the weekend!

Jamie
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The rain shield ended up panning out just like I thought it would.  Light rain fell from Dayton south east to Wilmington.  While the rain wasn’t heavy it was still a bit of a nuisance on this Mother’s Day.  However on this date 82 years ago it wasn’t just rain falling from the sky.

On Tuesday May 13, 1930 the first death due to hail was recorded.  J.C. Clack was in a farm field just outside of Levelland, Texas (which is near Lubbock) when a hail started falling from the sky.  He was unable to get to shelter before being hit by the frozen precipitation.   I was able to find a newspaper article from the Lubbock Morning Avalanche dated Wednesday May 14, 1930.  By the time the 39 year old Clack made it to shelter it was too late and he later died.  Here’s a quote from the paper “Physicians stated that the man was subject to heart trouble, the beating of the frozen pellets was directly responsible for his death.” It doesn’t say how large the hail was however the storm caused about ten thousand dollars in property damage.

While we didn’t have hail today we did have  raindrops falling from the sky.  But not a lot.  Many locations picked up less than a tenth of an inch.  It seemed like we had a lot more however it was rather light and was on and off throughout the day.  Here’s what was officially recorded at the airport.

The rain finally comes to an end by later tonight.  We’ll still keep the clouds around but will see them begin to break up later on Monday.  Here’s what it will look like for the start of the new work week.

Notice a lot of clouds but the rain should be east of us by Monday morning.  The clouds begin to break up by the afternoon.  Highs will remain in the lower 70′s which is a few degrees above normal.  Pleasant weather continues for Tuesday with highs a degree or two warmer.  However on Wednesday a weak front drops southward and brings us a slight chance for a few showers.  Precipitation amounts will be on the lighter side.

Enjoy your week!
Tara
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Hopefully you enjoyed the last couple of days because we’re going to see more clouds and even the chance of rain on Mother’s Day.  A cold front is going to push through the Miami Valley tomorrow and bring with it the chance for showers even a rumble of thunder.  It looks like the extreme northern sections may not see any rain at all.  Here’s a look at our Futuretrac model on Sunday morning.

Grab the umbrella if you are planning to go to brunch and keep it with you for the rest of the day.  On and off showers will continue throughout the day.  The rain finally begins to taper by Sunday evening.

Rainfall amounts will be less than a half inch in most locations.

The weather pattern becomes quiet after Sunday.  High pressure builds in for Monday and Tuesday so we’ll see lots of sunshine.  There’s a weak front that drops southward on Wednesday and may bring us a few light showers but that’s it for rain during the week.  It really looks like a great work week with sunshine and temperatures in the lower to middle 70′s.  Which is a few degrees above our normal high of 70.

I hope that all the mother’s out there enjoy Sunday even if we have a little rain around.  Here’s a photo of me and my mother at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  She’s wearing pink because she is a breast cancer survivor.

To see more photos of the WDTN family and their mothers check out this link.

Tara
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Yesterday afternoon was quite delightful, as we reached the forecast high of 66-degrees right on the dot!  We did see some fair weather cumulus clouds develop in the afternoon, as expected, but still enjoyed plenty of sunshine.  If you liked yesterday’s weather… you will be happy about today as well!  We’re expecting even LESS cloud cover, and even WARMER temperatures.  Highs will make it into the lower 70s—aaaaahhhhh!  I’m sure I have mentioned before that 72-degrees is my *ideal* temperature… and with sunshine and light winds, I’m pretty much calling this a perfect day   I’m so excited to be doing a Walk-a-Thon at John F. Kennedy Elementary in Kettering today.  Not only will I get to visit with awesome students and enjoy a great day… but this is my former elementary school!  I always love going back and remembering the good old days

More exercise on Saturday morning, with the Girls on the Run 5K I will be participating in at Welcome Stadium!  What a great program that is… and, yes, we’ll enjoy more fabulous weather for the event.  Mostly sunny skies Saturday morning, with temps starting near 50-degrees… and climbing up into the mid-70s.  Clouds do increase a bit as the day goes on, but we will stay dry.

The next chance of rain comes–unfortunately–on Mother’s Day.  Right now, the morning looks dry, but by afternoon we will be dodging scattered showers and thunderstorms.  I don’t expect a wash-out of a day… and it will still be nice temperature-wise:

Rain chances may linger into early next week, but that appears to be it for awhile.  A warming trend is showing up for the week ahead, too.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms & I hope you enjoy the beautiful weather! <3
Jamie
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As expected, spotty showers popped up yesterday as a disturbance moved through the region during peak-heating.  I saw lots of dark clouds in the area, but just a little rain at my location.  The combination of showers & some sun made for a pretty sight, too–rainbows!  Here is just one of the photos we received yesterday:

If you ever have weather pics to share, you can email them to reportit@wdtn.com or tag me in a Twitter post (@wdtn_jamie).

It’s a chilly start to this Thursday as temperatures have dropped into the 40s this morning, with light winds and clear skies:

High pressure builds in for a few days, and this will keep things quiet… and will bring us some really nice afternoons!  Today’s high will reach the mid-60s… and then as the high shifts just east of us Friday, we’ll see a bit of a warm up:

Friday afternoon will be near-perfect with sunshine and highs in the lower 70s!  I sense some will decide to take a long weekend.    Saturday will be sunny for the first part of the day, with an increase in high clouds later on… and even warmer afternoon highs, in the mid-70s.  Unfortunately, a front drops in on Mother’s Day, and we do have a pretty good chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms.  It doesn’t look like a wash-out at this point… but expect at least some rain.  Showers may linger into early next week, but there is still some question as to what extent.  Stay tuned!

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!  Woo-hoo!
Jamie
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One cold front came through yesterday, and that brought in the first push of cool air.  Highs climbed up into the lower 70s yesterday afternoon… so long 80s and humidity!  It really was a nice day.  Today, a second cold front will drop in from the north… you can see it up there on the morning surface map:

That will bring a few more weather changes today.  First, it will keep temperatures running cool.  We are starting off a little refreshing this morning, with the 50s and lower dew points… and afternoon highs will remain JUST below normal, as we end up in the upper 60s.  Second, while we’ll start with some sun, we’ll see clouds increase a bit this afternoon.  As the disturbance approaches us, it will be during peak heating hours and it might be enough to kick off a few spotty showers.  The best chance will be along/north of I-70 between the hours of 2 and 7pm, but not everyone will see rain.  Finally, winds will also increase as the disturbance comes through.  Here’s the Futuretrac forecast for 5pm:

Tonight will be chilly behind this front, as we drop into the lower 40s!  So definitely dress warmer Thursday morning.  High pressure builds in for the rest of the week, and this will bring about lots of sunshine and pleasant temperatures.  Thursday’s highs will be in the mid-upper 60s, and Friday we’re looking at lower 70s.  We’ll end the week with a bang!… some great weather to enjoy.  Next rain chance is Mother’s Day (don’t forget, it’s Sunday!) but it does not look like a wash-out.  We’ll keep you posted!

Jamie
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A cold front passed through the Miami Valley this morning, and you can actually see it coming through on the temperature map, with the cooler readings behind the front.  That’s where temps are falling into the 50s:

There has been rain along and ahead of the front, too, with some spots picking up an inch or more of rain overnight.  Most of the rain will be out of our area by 9 or 10am… with a dry afternoon in the works.  Even though we started rainy and humid, it will actually turn into a pretty decent day.  The clouds will break a bit, and temperatures (while cooler than yesterday’s 83-degrees)… will still be just above normal.  We should make it into the lower 70s today.

A second cold front comes through tomorrow, bringing in slightly cooler air.  There is just a slight chance of a spotty shower with this front–best chance across the northern/eastern counties.  Futuretrac shows this tomorrow afternoon:

No severe weather is expected for the next few days, but we did have a few warnings with the thunderstorms yesterday afternoon and evening.  We had some hail reports and isolated wind damage, but mostly escaped the worst of it.  Here are some great shots of the storms as they came through, taken by Storm Team 2 Meteorologist Brandon Redmond… as he was storm chasing in Darke County.

Have a great day!
Jamie
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We’re starting off quiet today, but we will likely get loud later this afternoon and evening, as thunderstorms move in from the west.  This will be our last 80-ish day, ahead of a cold front… and then we’ll cool off for the rest of the week.

Here’s the big picture… thunderstorms with heavy rain are ongoing this morning just northwest of us:

More than 5-6 inches of rain have fallen in parts of northern Illinois and Indiana, and Flood and Flash Flood Warnings are numerous in these areas:

We may see a few spotty showers or even a thunderstorm before lunch (especially across the northern counties)…. but the best chance of strong thunderstorms will be this afternoon.  The Storm Prediction Center does have us in an Elevated Risk for severe weather today, with wind being the main threat… followed by hail and the potential for an isolated tornado:

The heavy rain threat is there, too, with our precipitable water values running much higher than normal.  This is the amount of water that would be possible if all the water vapor in the atmosphere above a location is condensed into liquid.   It’s measured in inches… and the higher the value, the more moisture for a thunderstorm to work with… and the higher rainfall rates possible.  Here is the range we are in today:

Some models even have PW values around 2″ today, so the threat of flash flooding will be there for us, too.  We will keep you posted of any watches or warnings on Channel 2 and online at www.wdtn.com.  Rain and thunderstorms will continue on and off tonight, as the front is somewhat a slow mover.  Tomorrow morning we’ll start off with some showers, but we expect to dry out Tuesday afternoon.  The cooler air will hold highs to the lower 70s on Tuesday… and then a secondary push of cool air comes in Wednesday.  This may kick off a stray shower or two (especially across the northern counties)… and it will keep highs for the second half of the week in the mid to upper 60s.

Jamie
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I wrote in yesterday’s blog about last night’s full moon being a “super” one.  I asked for your photos and I want to thank you for sending them to reportit@wdtn.com !  I tried to use as many as I could in yesterday’s newscast but there were just too many great ones to show and not enough time.  So I thought I would post some here on tonight’s blog.  There are so many talented photographers here in the Miami Valley!  I also want to direct you to this link  this is our online photo gallery in which many people uploaded their moon photos.  Please remember if you have a great shot of the nice day or severe weather we would love for you to send us your photo!  Thanks everyone.  Enjoy!

Tom Bricker

Bill Telzerow – near Xenia

Sara Mitchell – Waynesville

Donna Mattison – Kettering

jejphotos – Dayton

Misty Adkins

Nancy Davis – Pleasant Hill

Keith Schondelmyer – Kettering

Angela Woodland – Delaware

Alicia Cain – Brookville

Trish Henry

Dan and Cynthia – near Indian Lake

Bill Brandenburg

Theresa Sutera Cook

James Darren Bush

Jeff Smyth

Camilla Fox Ferguson

Not only is tonight a full moon but it’s also called a “super” moon.  I’m not sure if that means we’re going to hear more people howling at the moon or not but at any rate it should be neat to see.

At 11:34pm eastern time the moon will reach its perigee or will be at its closest point to Earth.  This happens because the moon doesn’t orbit around the Earth in a complete circle but rather an elliptical  shape.  This means there are times it is close or at its perigee or at its apogee which is the farthest point away.  I’ve made a graphic to explain this a little more.

During the perigee the moon appears to be 14% larger and 30% brighter than the other full moons we see throughout the year.  So if you need to get to bed early I would make sure you close the blinds and the drapes to make sure the extra moon light doesn’t keep your room lit up like a Christmas tree.

The moon is responsible for creating our ocean tides.  So one might question “Are the tides higher when the moon is at its perigee?”  I’m so glad you thought of this – Yes the tides are slightly higher however there’s no need to worry about flooding.  According the the National Weather Service tides increase tides by only about one inch.  Whew.

As always I would LOVE to see your photos of the “super moon” you can send them to reportit@wdtn.com and I will try to use them in our newscasts or you can upload them to our website by clicking here.

So if you’ve had a few margarita’s on this Cinco de Mayo and “think” the moon looks bigger and brighter – it’s not the booze it’s really happening.

Tara
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The National Weather Service in Wilmington did a damage survey yesterday, to determine if tornadoes hit the southern Miami Valley Tuesday evening.  Sure enough, three tornadoes did occur with that severe weather event… two of them in our area.  These tornadoes were confirmed just west and north of Lebanon in Warren County.  You can read the full report here:  Tornadoes 5/1/12

We’re starting off muggy and mild again, with morning temperatures in the upper 60s, and dew points in the lower 60s.  Yesterday, we came within three degrees of the record high–(Actual: 84, Record: 87)–and will do the same again this afternoon.  Today’s forecast high is 87°, and the record is 90°.  The a/c is on in my car and house… how about you?

The threat of thunderstorms is low again today, with most of the activity expected well to our north–near a warm front.  We lack forcing, but with heating being strong this afternoon… we do have to keep about a 10% chance of a pop-up shower.  Most spots will remain dry!

A better chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms comes late Friday, as a cold front drops in:

We are included in an Elevated Risk for strong storms Friday, too.  We’ll keep an eye on this.  The trend will be to cool off a bit for the weekend, with highs in the 70s both Saturday and Sunday.  There could be some showers Saturday, but we’ll see a lot of dry weather, too.  Overall, not a bad weekend!

Jamie
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Strong and severe thunderstorms rocked the Miami Valley yesterday late afternoon through the overnight hours.  We had several reports of funnel clouds, rotating wall clouds, some large hail reports, and even some wind damage reports.  One of the locations that had some damage was in Warren County–particularly near Lebanon.  We were tracking a storm between 5 and 7pm that had a tornado warning, and some rotation on Live Doppler 2X.  Today the National Weather Service will send a survey team out to look at the damage.  Parts of Butler County will also be surveyed.  If you have storm damage, please report it to the National Weather Service at 937-383-0031.  We will keep you posted on this…

Storm totals were impressive from the overnight rain, and many locations picked up around an inch of rainfall… some spots less, some even more:

One spot that had significantly more is southern Warren County.  The Little Miami River is over flood stage at Kings Mills this morning, and minor flooding is occurring.  There is a Flood Warning for this location through evening.  The thunderstorms have moved off to our east this morning, and today is starting out beautiful!  We’re back into some sunshine and morning temperatures are in the 60s, with a warm front sitting to the north of Dayton:

As discussed yesterday, today’s dew points will be into the lower 60s… and it will feel a little humid.  While you’ll likely notice the increase in moisture, it’s still quite tolerable.  Highs climb into the mid 80s both today and tomorrow–today’s record high is 87, and tomorrow’s is 90, so we will be close.  Much of the day will be dry, but as we head into the later afternoon hours, we can’t rule out a few spotty showers and thunderstorms.  Coverage won’t be as great as it was yesterday/overnight… but any thunderstorm that develops will have the potential to be on the strong side–especially in the northern counties.  The Storm Prediction Center has included this part of the Miami Valley in an ELEVATED risk for severe storms:

Of course we’ll keep you posted of any watches or warnings for the area on Channel 2 and online at wdtn.com.

Enjoy the warmth!
Jamie
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We made it up to 80-degrees in many Miami Valley communities yesterday, and it was also a bit on the humid side!  Very summerlike start to the week… and we’ll continue with above-normal temperatures and muggy conditions.  This morning, our dew points are in the upper 50s… with higher readings to our south, closer to a warm front:

Anytime the dew point gets to around 60°, it will start to feel a little muggy.  Anything over a 60° dew point will feel more humid.  And as that front lifts north late today, not only will our rain chances increase… but temperatures and dew points will be on the rise.  Tomorrow, we’ll likely see dew points in the lower 60s here in Dayton… which you’ll probably be able to notice, but it’s still tolerable on the Muggy Meter:

Most of today will be dry, but once again as we get into the late afternoon and evening, the chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms increases as the front moves in:

The chance for severe weather increases this afternoon, too, with the southern half of the viewing area now in an ELEVATED risk for strong storms:

Wind and hail will be the main threats, with isolated tornadoes also possible.  Any thunderstorm will have the potential to produce heavy rain.  We will keep you posted of any watches or warnings on Channel 2 and online at wdtn.com.  While there, download the 2News Ap so you can keep an eye on Live Doppler 2X.  Better yet, sign up for text alerts, and the watches and warnings will get sent straight to your mobile device.  The box with these links is on our homepage… if you scroll down… on the right-hand side.  All of these tools will come in handy, especially if you’re heading down for the Reds/Cubs game!  Severe weather and large venues can be very dangerous, as we’ve seen in the past.  The best chance of rain will occur between 5-10pm…. however, at least slight rain chances continue overnight into early Wednesday.  By Wednesday afternoon we should dry out and that’s when we REALLY heat up!  We’ll make it into the lower 80s… and in the 80s we’ll stay, right through the end of the week.  I’m sorry to say that once again, there is a chance of rain on Saturday.  BUT the good news: it doesn’t look like the chilly rain we’ve seen the past few weeks.  Temps should be in the 60s/70s.

Have a great 2′s day!
Jamie
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The atmosphere continues to heat up this afternoon with all of the Miami Valley experiencing temperatures in the upper 70′s as of 1:00 PM and even an 80 degree reading in Springfield! If you’ve been outside lately, you can actually feel the increase in moisture and humidity and it even feels somewhat “sticky” out there. Here is a look at the current surface map and temperatures. You can see the increase in temperatures in the warm sector across Indiana and Ohio.

Storms are developing across portions of Illinois and these storms are expected to increase in coverage and intensity as they spread into portions of Indinaa. The Storm Prediction Center is monitoring the outlined areas (portions of Illinois and Western and Southern Indiana) for a potential Severe Thunderstorm Watch.

Our latest run/update of one of our high resolution forecast models has a line of thunderstorms, likely strong or severe, knocking on the Indiana/Ohio line by 7:00 p.m. this evening. This line will spread across the Miami Valley during the mid to late evening hours with a threat for damaging winds and possibly large hail. The atmosphere also has plenty of moisture to work with, so heavy rainfall is definitely a possibility.

Stay with 2 News & Storm Team 2 throughout the afternoon & evening for the latest on the severe weather and of course we’ll bring you the latest watches & warnings at WDTN.com.

Brandon

A meandering frontal boundary and several waves of energy aloft this week will keep us with the chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms.  It won’t be a wash-out, but keep the umbrella handy now through Wednesday morning as periods of rain affect the area.

We did have a few early morning thunderstorms pop across our northern counties today, as a warm front is moving into the Miami Valley.  We’ve been running almost 10-degrees warmer than we were 24-hours ago:

And even warmer readings are on the other side of that front.  As the front moves north of us this afternoon, winds will increase from the southwest and highs will climb back above normal.  We should make it into the mid-70s in Dayton–a little cooler north of town, and a little warmer south of town.

Much of the day looks to be dry in the “warm sector,” but the rain chances then increase late this afternoon and into the evening as a cold front approaches from the west:

Any thunderstorm that moves in later today will have the potential to be strong to severe, and the Storm Prediction Center has included us in an ELEVATED risk for severe weather today:

The front will be just south of us on Tuesday… and lift back north as a warm front through Wednesday morning.  While we start Wednesday with the chance of rain, we will dry out and REALLY warm up on the other side of that front during the afternoon.  Expect 80s for the second half of the week!

Jamie
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After our warm March many wondered if April would follow suit – however it didn’t.  Although April has been on the cooler side overall the monthly temperature is about average.  One thing that sticks out in my mind about April’s weather is the chilly nighttime temperatures.  The National Weather Service kept issuing freeze warnings and frost advisories because for five mornings during the month the temperature was at 32 degrees or lower.  I would like to *hope* we’re done with the freezing temperatures but once we get past Mother’s Day I’ll feel a little more confident.  This might be because I’ll have planted my flowers and vegetables.

As far as precipitation we could have used a little more rainfall.  April ended up being below normal for precipitation and we’re still below normal for the year.

One thing I am looking forward to is the increase of daylight.  (of course sunlight late in the evening isn’t great when I have to fill in on the morning shift) It’s always great to see (and hear) the kids playing outside enjoying the day.
I took a look at the sunrise and sunset times for April and May – there’s quiet a big difference!

I hope this is something we can all look forward to!
Tara
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I took my first vacation of the year last week and went to my favorite place – my grandfather’s farm.  Nestled in western Kentucky off an old gravel road is a place I have been going to all my life.  My grandfather bought this property more than 30 years ago and retired here.  He actually grew up across the road so he knows the lay of the land like the back of his hand.  The two bedroom farm house sits about a quarter mile away from the road.  I started to smile and turned off the radio when I hit the lane to hear the sound of the gravel on my tires.  Seeing the dust in the rear view mirror brought back so many great memories from my childhood.

There’s no internet, no 3G phone service but there’s no need for either.   Swinging on the front porch reading a book, watching the horses graze or counting the cars pass by on the road can entertain you for hours.

I spent so many summers here as a child: feeding the cows, riding horses, cutting the grass (a riding lawnmower makes it so much more fun as a kid), fishing, riding four wheelers and just listening to the birds chirp.  I feel like this is and will always be my home.
There’s so much history on this land as well.  Buildings and trees have weathered many storms and there are so many stories to tell.  I noticed the old barn that has been there all my life is on it’s last leg.  It was built around 1900 and it has seen better days.

It is now leaning well to the right and I’m afraid a strong wind gust will likely bring it down one of these days.  Luckily several years ago my grandfather built a new one for the horses and his tractors.

This is a close up view.  My grandfather told me a story that his father (my great grandfather) helped the owner repair the barn after a strong wind storm damaged it in the early 1900′s.  I’m not sure there’s much left to repair.  I do remember my grandfather stored bales of hay, his tractor and even brought the horses in this barn to saddle them up for a ride.  Now he’s a afraid to go in there and everything he needs is now out of it.
Here’s what the backside of it looks like.

The weather finally warmed up a bit on Thursday so my grandfather and I went on a four wheel ride.  It’s my favorite thing to do there.  While I know the property inside and out it’s always great to see how things have changed since I’ve been there.  My grandfather no longer has cattle but he rents his land out to another cow farmer so we always have to stop to open and close the gates.

We rode all around and ended up stopping at my favorite tree.  I have no idea why I love this tree so much but I do.  I guess it’s because the tree sits several hundred feet away from the main tree line and it’s so unique.  I’m not 100 percent sure  but my grandfather tells me he thinks it’s a weeping cedar tree.  Very rare and it might be the only one in the county.  He just told me while I was on my visit a newspaper reporter from Louisville came out before he bought the property and did a story on this tree.  I’m planning on doing a little more research to see if I can find an article.  However the fact that it was written in the 60′s or 70′s might prove to be a little difficult but I like a challenge

A large ice storm hit western Kentucky a few years ago and the weight of the ice really took a toll on the branches however I’m glad to see it survived and is still thriving. Seeing this tree makes me wonder where did it come from? Why did it grow away from the main tree line? How old is it?  I’m not sure I’ll get the answers to these questions but that’s ok – I’ll just enjoy the view.

I had such a great time visiting family and enjoying the peace and quiet of the farm.  It’s great to get away every once in a while, leave the technology behind and enjoy the view.  I hope you have a similar place that brings you happiness.

Tara
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Beginning on April 25th, 2011 a multi day multi state tornado violent tornado outbreak would begin to impact portions of the Plains, Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley and primarily the South. Over the course of 4 days, from April 25th, 2011 through April 28th, 2011, 358 tornadoes would be confirmed in 21 states.

The worst of the outbreak would begin to unfold on April 27th, 2011. The Storm Prediction Center had issued it’s rare high risk for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. A moderate risk and slight risk was outlined for a large area stretching from Arkansas and portions of Florida all the way to the Miami Valley and even up into portions of New York.

A very powerful weather system developed and moved towards the Ohio and Tennessee Valley by the morning of April 27th. An unusually strong jet stream combined with the strength of this system and very warm and moist air out ahead of the system would lead to an unusually dangerous atmosphere, particularly across portions of the South.

A strong squall line with embedded tornadoes impacted a large portion of Alabama and Mississippi during the early morning hours of April 27th, 2011. This intense squall line left thousands of people without power and also knocked out power to numerous outdoor weather warning sirens in the area (this is why we believe so strongly in having multiple methods of receiving weather warnings). This line of storms also took out telephone lines and caused several NOAA weather radio transmitter sites to go offline.

As the squall line shifted out of the area by mid morning hours, the atmosphere had ample time to heat up and destabilize. By the mid afternoon hours, the atmosphere was a ticking time bomb across portions of Mississippi. Storms began developing as early as 2:00 PM and there was so much rotation and wind shear in the atmosphere, every storm began to rotate and take on a hook echo characteristic. You can see that visually by looking at this radar loop from later in the day as tornado producing storms moved towards Central Alabama.

By 3:00 PM CDT, the tornado outbreak was in full progress with a large damaging tornado, later rated an EF4, moving into the City of Cullman, Alabama. The tornado did extensive damage in Cullman, a city with nearly 20,000 people. The tornado in Cullman damaged 867 residences and 94 businesses! Here is a picture of the tornado as it moved into Cullman captured via local television outlet’s tower cam.

As if one large violent tornado hitting a large population center was not enough, the day would only get worse with a very long tracked and long lived supercell producing violent tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and tracking all the way into North Carolina. This violent supercell originated in Newton County, Mississippi at 2:54 PM CDT and traveled 380 miles before finally weakening in Macon County, North Carolina at 10:18 PM CDT. Here’s an amazing image with radar captures overlaid of the entire track of that intense supercell.

The National Weather Service Offices did an amazing job on April 27th, 2011 issuing hundreds of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings stretching from New York all the way to the Gulf Coast. Here is a look at the most concentrated portion of the outbreak and the numerous warnings that were issued across portions of the South. Red boxes indicate tornado warnings, yellow severe thunderstorm warnings and green flash flood warnings.

The multi day tornado outbreak left 346 people dead, 325 of those deaths being caused by tornadoes. The April 27th tornado outbreak was really a worse case scenario with multiple large and violent, long lived tornadoes impacting large metropolitan areas.

Could another large tornado impact the Miami Valley or impact a large metropolitan area in Ohio? The answer to that is that it is absolutely possible. At some point in time, another large tornado will strike a metropolitan area in the Ohio Valley. That is why self preparedness is so important. We learned valuable lessons following the April 27th tornado outbreak, and one of the most important lessons was that all of us need multiple methods of receiving weather warnings. We can’t just rely on outdoor weather warning sirens, we can’t just rely on NOAA weather radios. A combination of multiple devices and methods to receive weather warnings is the best practice. If you don’t own a NOAA weather radio, they can be purchased at most retail stores and they can and do save lives!

Brandon
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