The WEATHER SHELTER

Published monthly by the North Jersey Weather Observers

Volume XX Number 2 February 2001

Web Address: http://www.njwo.org

Important Reminders:

This month's meeting is Wednesday February 21^st at 7:30 pm. Everyone is welcome. Club members will meet at the Bergen County Museum of Art and Sciences

Please remember to send all correspondence to be printed in "The Weather Shelter" in electronic format to: nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

This month's guest speaker is our own Roger Brickner. Roger comes from Haverhill, New Hampshire. Roger is a noted author and founder and curator of a Weather Museum. Be there! You won't be disappointed.

Year 2001 Meeting Schedule:

All meetings are the last Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. unless noted.

Date Speaker Date

February 21 Roger Brickner August 29

March 21 September 26

April 18 Andy Horvitz, NWS Co-op October 31

May 30 November 28

June 20 December 26 - Holiday Party

Guests are welcome. Please mark these dates on your weather calendar and see if you can make it.

President’s Message

NJWO is on the move again. Our goal is to recruit 100+ new members this year. We also need the members’ help in getting back some ‘lapsed” members. We will be working with the news media with PR releases that target our goal of having members interviewed and special articles written. We are going to be ‘after’ the news media in a big way. We need to know about all the weekly community newspapers throughout New Jersey, the addresses and phone numbers. Please bring this information with you to the meetings.

We will be ‘re-activating‘ the NJWO library and asking for workers on a new committee that I will propose at this meeting. I am also going to suggest that we have a NJWO historian. This individual will be invaluable in documenting the NJWO successes. Very useful information to long standing members and especially to all the many dozens of anticipated new members of all ages. There are many, many other projects on the ‘drawing board’. Please come to the meeting and participate. The NJWO needs you! You will love it!

Bob Draper

NJWO MEETING MINUTES

Wednesday, January 24, 2001

by Dennis O'Keefe, Secretary

The weather was hazy and 31 degrees. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by President Bob Draper. The treasurer's report will be presented next month due to the absence of last year's treasurer. Nick Stefano, electronic editor of The Weather Shelter, requested that articles be sent to him for publication.

Bob Ziff sent a message that our data was used four times during the month in the newspapers. Our reports were mentioned on Channel 5 during the December snowstorm. Channel 12 did a story on Nick Stefano.

Greg Petridis reported that our hotline has seen more activity recently. There were 46 reports during the snowstorm.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in The Weather Shelter.

President Draper requested that members try to get to the meeting in time for the 7:30 beginning. He said that we need to get new members involved with the organization and predicted that we will have one hundred new members within a year. Bob requested that during the business meetings topics presented for discussion be in the form of a motion and seconded by another member.

Art Petridis replied to a comment in an article in the most recent Shelter regarding snowfall measurements used in our contests. Art said that our informal contest held at the December meeting didn't necessitate using an outside source observation for snowfall measurement. When the contest was started at the meeting it was decided to use the Petridis's station in Elizabeth as the point of reference, and as it turned out, Greg Petridis's prediction was the winning one.

Vice President Nick Stefano said that as a test, he will mail letters to schools regarding our club to see if we can get new members, and he will make a link to our Web site from his.

Following the refreshment break, Scott Gordon was the evening's speaker. His presentation started with a survey of the members' favorite snowstorms of the generation and a discussion of what made each one memorable.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 21, 2001, beginning promptly at 7:30 p.m.

Club Member's Weather Reports

MONTHLY SUMMARY - JANUARY, 2001

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA.

Typical winter weather prevailed in King Of Prussia during January with nothing out of the ordinary or extreme occurring. Temperatures averaged 30.5 degrees, 0.1 degree warmer than in January, 2000. Interestingly, highs were generally colder but lows were warmer this year than last. There was one record low: 22 on the 24th & one record high: 53 on the 30th(tie). Precipitation totalled 3.38”. Snow & ice measured 7.5”, increasing the winter season total to 19.8”.

Sparkling sunshine, gusty WNW winds & wintry temperatures started off the first day of the new year. On the 2nd, morning snow showers & flurries developed, slightly dusting the ground. During the first set of snow showers, hazy sunlight filtered through thin cloudcover in the eastern sky, illuminating medium sized snowflakes bright white while milky white blue sky approached overhead from the NW.

On the 5th, an Alberta clipper produced snow, moderate-heavy at times from late morning until early evening, driven by south winds gusting past 20mph. Almost two inches of snow was measured here. Intermittent flurries continued until midnight. On the 7th, afternoon temperatures warmed into the upper 40s; the first time since 12/17 the mercury reached or exceeded 40 degrees.

On the 8th, light rain developed then changed over to wet snow in the mid-late afternoon as temperatures dropped a few degrees. A small accumulation (0.2”) was measured. Fog also developed. Sunshine returned on the 9th with gusty WNW winds averaging 15-25mph. Late in the morning “sunflurries” occurred, leaving a dusting. The event was very similar to another earlier in the month on the 2nd: the sun shone continuously while scattered thin clouds moved NW-SE across whitish blue sky. On the 10th, a strong cold front to the north triggered a period of fine grained light snowfall during the second half of the morning, once again leaving behind a non-measureable dusting.

Fair weather prevailed from the 11th-13th with highs in the 40s. Sunshine gave way to cloudcover on the 14th. On the 15th, a storm system caused rain overnight followed by light drizzle until late morning. Fog, present throughout the day, became dense from late afternoon through most of the night. On the 16th, black ice formed on roadways throughout the area as skies cleared before sunrise & temperatures dropped below freezing. Numerous accidents were reported.

From the 18th-21st, a series of storms delivered a mixed variety of weather conditions. On the 18th, developing low pressure caused light snow of varying intensity from late morning until mid afternoon. Minor accumulation (0.3”) whitened the ground but roadways stayed wet. Fog formed just before the snow ended & continued through the evening hours. An even stronger storm brought milder air along with significant rainfall (1.06”) & fog on the 19th. Rain followed by drizzle & fog continued throughout the morning on the 20th. Intermittent rain mixed with sleet developed in the mid afternoon, changed to freezing rain & sleet then to snow before midnight as a strong upper air disturbance in the Ohio Valley redeveloped along the Virginia coast & colder air filtered down from the north. Snow, heavy at times accompanied by gusty NNE winds occurred overnight, ending as flurries after daybreak on the 21st. Thundersnow was observed between 12:30 & 1:00am(EST). Total snowfall measured 4.6”. During the day on the 21st & on the 22nd, sunny skies along with windy & cold conditions prevailed. Ice coated trees were illuminated silvery white by the bright sunlight, creating a stunning winter scene.

Except on the 27th, fair weather with moderately cold temperatures prevailed from the 23rd-29th. Light snow & flurries overnight & during the morning of the 27th left 0.6” which melted away quickly in the afternoon.

On the 30th, freezing rain changed to rain overnight & continued into early afternoon, briefly heavy at times as a storm system moved northeastward. Moderate-dense fog accompanied the rain. Temperatures surged from 32 degrees to a record tying high of 53 in the afternoon; the first time the mercury had reached or exceeded 50 since 12/17. On the 31st, sub freezing temperatures overnight caused black ice to form on roadways while dense fog lowered visibility significantly. Morning cloudiness & a period of sprinkles eventually gave way to sunshine with increasingly windy conditions & an afternoon high of 50.

Observer: Michael Cerio

Station: King Of Prussia, Pa.

County: Montgomery

Elevation: 185’

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

Tom Shaw

Q: Where do you live?

A: Westwood, NJ. I have been married to Joan since 1962. I have one son and one grandson, 8 months old. My wife supports my weather activities and takes readings for me when I am not home.

Q: What is your occupation?

A: I am currently retired. Previously, I was an Air Traffic Control Specialist and Tower Supervisor. Additionally, I was a Pilot Weather Briefer. In 1960 I had my 1^st Job with the FAA at JFK Airport and from 1965 to 1989 at Teterboro Airport.

Q: How did you become interested in weather?

A: I have been interested since I was a child growing up in Fort Lee. I have always been into science and took physics courses in High School. I became further interested when taking weather courses in the Air Force. After the service, working in the Control Tower at JFK and Teterboro exposed me to the variations in weather conditions reported by pilots en route. I have a B.S. in Environmental Sciences, as well as, Air Force training, FAA and NWS Technical School training on Aviation Weather.

Q: Do you keep records and what kind of instruments do you use?

A: I have kept basic daily readings since 1969. I started with a Clearview rain gauge, and Max-Min Thermometer. I began keeping more detailed logs in the mid 1970’s and later converted to Davis Equipment in 1980. From 1974 on, I phoned in daily readings to Bob Harris, Bill Korbell, and John Gambling at WOR Radio. I was also the voice of Newark-Elmira Radio, providing terminal forecasts for pilots. Occasionally, I also provided local data to community newspapers.

Q: When did you join NJWO?

A: Late 1980’s, I was dragged to a meeting by Herb Tallboys.

Q: What is your favorite type of weather event?

A: Thunderstorms and their effects on Aviation .

Q: What is your favorite seasons?

A: Spring and Fall.

Q: What is your most memorable weather event?

A: The Blizzard of 1947. I was 11 years old.

Q: Do you have any other hobbies?

A: I enjoy gardening. I also build/fly model airplanes indoors and outdoors. I enjoy all types of model planes including rubber band, electric, and radio control.

Is there a member you would like to see profiled in an upcoming issue? If so, please contact Bonnie Ziff at 201-236-1021 or bbz@att.net.

26th Annual Northeastern Storm Conference

A weather conference is organized by the meteorology students of Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont. This will be the 26th annual event. Dennis O’Keefe has attended each one since 1993, which happened to be on the same weekend as the big blizzard. The conference is held at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs, New York. It will begin on the evening of Friday, March 9 and runs until noon on Sunday, March 11, 2001. It is mostly non-stop weather presentations during that time. Non-weather nuts coming along for the ride should be prepared with reading or other things to keep themselves occupied while we are busy.

Check out their web site or send Dennis e-mail if you have any questions. Our NJWO member Scott McKim is a student at LSC and you can direct any questions to him too.

Conference Information: http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/ams/conf.html

Scott McKim: mckims@mail.lsc.vsc.edu

Dennis O’Keefe: okeefed@matrix.newpaltz.edu

Computer Corner
by dabour@att.net

Interesting Weather Links on the Internet

New Jersey Weather Center. http://www.geocities.com/chrisp07747. The site's creator, Chris Philbin, is interested in any feedback you have on the site. Email him directly at: supercell@ugo.net

School Project!

Red Cross Project "Hurricane Proof House" Leon High School (Tallahassee, FL) science students learned about protecting their home from hurricane wind damage and had fun at the same time. To read more about this Red Cross project, go to : http://www.tallytown.com/redcross/hurrproof.html

High School Curriculum involving Global Positioning System

Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, Maryland are participating in a joint program between the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) and the National Ocean Service's National Geodetic Survey (NGS). They are learning about global positioning systems (GPS) in a hands-on environment. This program creates highly accurate maps of their school grounds. In 1998, GPS became a part of the school's curriculum through a program entitled "Information Technology in a Global Society". Students get the opportunity to use telecommunications, computers, and other emerging technologies to gather, analyze, and communicate information in a growing technological world. To read more, go to: http://www.nos.noaa.gov/education/outreach.html

Cool Links of the Month

The Weather Calculator

http://www.nws.mbay.net/wxcalc/wxcalc8.html

The Richter Scale: What It Is And What It Measures

http://www.dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010126/tsqualke_india_dc_13.html okx/

New Dish Service

by Dave Dabour

A new weather only satellite dish service has just been announced. It's designed for meteorologists who need to stay briefed at home and radio/TV station managers looking to save money on weather data services. It's called the WeatherDish Satellite System http://www.weatherdish.com. This system replaces the more expensive Contel/DynCorp WeatherWire and DTN satellite system with an inexpensive ($34.95 per month) DBS receiver with live sat and radar graphics, bulletins, forecasts, data, and worldwide weather info. It can be added to most Pentium class PC's and can also trigger alarms. Almost every TV and radio station in the US can use this system to stay informed and save hundreds of dollars yearly in weather data subscription fees they may now be paying for WeatherWire services. The system can also be setup as a school/educational, or mall/airport kiosk program, where the TV station logo and promo info appears on every bit of info or graphic displayed.

Model Data

By DH Tolleris

The following sites have fabulous model data:

1. NOGAPS   ENSEMBLES!  Finally navy fleet meteorology gets into the game.

http://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/PUBLIC/

click on TOP LEFT SIDE of page  underlink  ENSEMBLE FORECAST.

2. MM5 the much talked about but not well known new model. Typically the mm5 uses 3 or 4 domains -- a 36 km gird, 12 Km grid 4 km and some other variable. It can have up to 9 grids all going at once, the first model for meso and synoptic scale! The MM5 is run regionally at about 10-12 centers around the nation- SUNY, PSU, NASA, NCSC and all run the mm5 with various graphics. Here is the list so you can pick and choose.

Highly recommended MM5 sites: SUNY, NCSC and PSU. The SUNY and NCSC site in the east is preferred since the resolution is excellent:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrhq/mm5sites.html

Also this site has the MM5 out to 144 hours!

http://rain.mmm.ucar.edu/mm5/ 

3. New ENSEMBLE site:

http://eyewall.met.psu.edu/super/index.html

This site was recommended by the legendary Glenn Schwartz in Philly. This site, also from PSU, displays several parameters of your choosing for many models.  For instance, you can overlay the MSLP day 7 of the MRF, nogaps, Ukmet, etc., as well as, see the standard deviation.

Be aware, the site says it displays the ECMWF  -- but in fact it does not. Enjoy the new model sites.

National Severe Weather Workshop Announced

The SPC is heading up a severe weather workshop that's aimed at EMs, weather enthusiasts (chasers), and anyone else interested on March 2-3 at the Postal Training Center in Norman. Below is the official news release prepared by Keli Tarp, the NOAA Norman Public Affairs officer. The workshop should be pretty interesting if you can make it.

The nation's premier severe weather experts will discuss their latest research findings and forecasting techniques during the National Severe Weather Workshop on Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 in Norman, Okla. Designed for emergency managers, storm spotters and other weather enthusiasts, the event is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center, Central Oklahoma Chapter of the American Meteorological Society/National Weather Association and the Oklahoma Emergency Managers Association.

The Friday afternoon and Saturday event offers an unique opportunity to learn about the National Weather Service's outlook, watch and warning process, severe weather preparedness and safety, StormReady, EMWIN, severe storm risks, lightning effects, wind damage effects and new ways to get radar data. Speakers will include nationally-recognized experts as well as forecasters and researchers from the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman: Storm Prediction Center, National Severe Storms Laboratory, Radar Operations Center, Warning Decision Training Branch and National Weather Service Norman Forecast Office. Storm spotter training will be offered in conjunction with the workshop.

"All areas of the United States experience some form of severe weather, including tornadoes, heavy snow, hail, strong winds or lightning," said Joseph Schaefer, Director of the Storm Prediction Center. "The workshop will provide up-to-date severe weather information and insights into the forecasting techniques used by the National Weather Service to save lives and property."

More information and a registration form is available online at http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/nsww2001 or by calling (405) 579-0771.

Officers and Committee Chairs

President: Robert Draper 201-394-8525

Vice President: Nick Stefano 973-702-9090

Secretary: Dennis O'Keefe 914-255-7374

Treasurer: Albert Manganelli 973-983-0063
adman@bellatlantic.net

Sergeant at Arms: Gregory Petridis 908-352-1876

Standards: Nick Stefano 973-702-9090
nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

Public Relations: Bob Ziff 201-236-1021

Scholarship: Russ Stammer 201-337-8501

Hotline: Gregory Petridis 973-628-6869

NJWO Web Master: Dave Dabour 908-995-7114
dabour@att.com

NJWO Homepage: http://njwo.org

Editor: Bonnie Ziff 201-236-1021

Electronic Editor: Nick Stefano

Send articles electronically to: nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

Send Club dues to: Albert Manganelli / Treasurer
11 Darlington Drive
Rockaway Township, NJ 07866

Regular …….$25.00/year

Student:…….$15.00/ year