Dang! Keep that cold air up there where it belongs, you guys/gals!

[Anole]

Tonight looks like it's going to be the coldest night we've had since I moved my station down here to St. James City, FL in 2003. Forecasts are calling for sub-freezing temps in pretty much the whole area. I think we'll be ok here on the island since the water temps are still pretty warm but inland it will be a different story. Could get ugly for the agricultural side of things. Here's the NWS Freeze Warning. I'm sure this has got to be a little bit funny for those of you living where it gets really cold:

Code:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
224 PM EST WED JAN 2 2008

FLZ050-065-030900-
/O.UPG.KTBW.FZ.A.0001.080103T0600Z-080103T1300Z/
/O.NEW.KTBW.FZ.W.0002.080103T0600Z-080103T1400Z/
/O.EXT.KTBW.LW.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-080103T1200Z/
PINELLAS-LEE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLEARWATER...ST. PETERSBURG...
CAPE CORAL...FORT MYERS
224 PM EST WED JAN 2 2008

...LAKE WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST THURSDAY...
...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM EST THURSDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL HAS
ISSUED A FREEZE WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM
EST THURSDAY. THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL 7 AM
EST THURSDAY. THE FREEZE WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

MUCH COLDER AND DRIER AIR CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON ON A BRISK NORTHWEST TO
NORTHERLY WIND FLOW.

TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO PLUMMET TONIGHT AFTER SUNSET WITH
TEMPERATURES BOTTOMING OUT IN THE LOWER 30S AWAY FROM THE COAST BY
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...WITH DURATIONS OF 2 TO 4 HOUR OF SUB-
FREEZING TEMPERATURES EXPECTED.

IN ADDITION TO THE COLD AIR GUSTY NORTH WINDS IN THE 15 TO 25 MPH
RANGE WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT WHICH WILL LEAD TO ROUGH CONDITIONS
ON AREA PONDS AND LAKES. BOATERS AND OTHER WATER ENTHUSIASTS
SHOULD EXPECT HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS.

TO PREVENT FREEZING AND POSSIBLE BURSTING OF OUTDOOR WATER
PIPES...PIPES SHOULD BE WRAPPED...DRAINED...OR ALLOWED TO DRIP
SLOWLY. THOSE THAT HAVE IN-GROUND SPRINKLER SYSTEMS SHOULD DRAIN
THEIR SYSTEMS...OR COVER ANY ABOVE-GROUND PIPES TO PROTECT THEM
FROM FREEZING.

THE RISK OF FIRE AND CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING INCREASES DURING
VERY COLD WEATHER DUE TO THE IMPROPER USE OF HEATING DEVICES.
NEVER USE PROPANE OR GAS HEATERS INDOORS. BE SURE THAT ELECTRIC
SPACE HEATERS ARE FREE FROM OBSTRUCTIONS AND ARE NOT LOCATED
WHERE THEY CAN BE KNOCKED OVER. KEEP ALL FLAMMABLE OBJECTS AWAY
FROM HEATING DEVICES.

RESIDENTS AND AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS SHOULD TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO
PROTECT TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE PLANTS. COVER THEM OR MOVE THEM
INDOORS. IN ADDITION PETS SHOULD BE BROUGHT INDOORS THIS EVENING

A FREEZE WARNING IS ISSUED FOR 3 OR MORE HOURS OF TEMPERATURES
BETWEEN 27 AND 32 OVER A WIDESPREAD AREA.

A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS ARE FORECAST
TO BE 20 TO 29 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO NEAR OR ABOVE GALE FORCE
FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS. WINDS OF THESE MAGNITUDES WILL CREATE ROUGH
CONDITIONS ON LARGER AREA LAKES WHICH COULD PRODUCE DAMAGE TO...OR
FLIP...SMALL PLEASURE CRAFT.

OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS MAY WISH TO POSTPONE LAKE RELATED ACTIVITIES
UNTIL CONDITIONS IMPROVE.

[SLOweather]

Looks like things are changing all over. Rain is supposed to start here Thursday afternoon or evening, and continue through Sunday. Depending on the location, storm totals are predicted at 2-6" with some mountainous sites having a potential of 10"!

Considering that all last season, we had just over 9" total, this is a "significant event".

And just this afternoon, the NWS released a High Wind Watch for Friday for south winds 30-45 MPH and gusts to 60.

So, you hunker down and try to stay warm. We'll batten down and try not to wash or blow off the hill.

[racenet]

I have the hampsters up here working overtime pumping that cold air down your way. Have to go out every so often to pry their little feet off the wheel. 

It's -3 now and dropping quick. A little brisk out there tonight, not even counting the wind chill. 

Blow the dust off your furnace, you're gonna need it.




Bob

[ncpilot]

We just about flat-lined here at 35 degrees all day... way too cold for us too...

Wait, since my location isn't displayed--that would be Wilmington, NC...

[wmiler]

ncpiliot, you think that's cold, we're at 16F here at 8am! (I heard Asheville even got snow...burr).

[Anthony]

Coldest so far this winter and the new year, lo was 10. We also have about 4" or so of snow. Atleast the winds have died down.

[racenet]

Just a typical NH morning in January. Some areas were -20, not counting wind chill. 

[ocala]

Bob that ain't normal. 20 below? That's freakin nuts. And that's why I'm in Florida
Didn't get as cold as they forecasted. Only got to 26 here. They had said it would be about 19. However yesterday my dewpoint bottomed out at 6.9! I went back and looked and in the 5 years I have been keeping records the lowest I ever made it was 12. That is some seriously dry air to make it this far south.

[racenet]

Tell me about it being dry air. Only sitting at 36% right now. Was even lower this morning. That is not normal for here. Even more so with us being right by the river.
The 20 below thing is quite normal. Took the dog out this morning in a sweat shirt. Didn't really feel cold at all. In all honesty, you get used to it and don't even feel it. I can remember cooking steaks out on the grill for my birthday in January, in a t-shirt at -3. Just another day. 

I wouldn't be able to stand the hot, humid temps in Florida. Spent a week there and couldn't wait to get out. 


Bob

[Anole]

We made it down to 33.5 overnight with inland areas being colder. I'm pretty sure Chris saw sub-freezing temps just a few miles to my east. Worst part of it was the wind (though that was a factor in keeping the temps from being colder than they were). We had gusts over 30mph and steady winds in the 20's for most of the night. My American flag is shredded this morning. It was ready for replacement anyway but it's definitely done for now.

One "cool" thing about it, my station got listed in the NWS report on the event:

Code:

Public Information Statement
400 PM EST Thu Jan 3 2008

...Significant freeze for west central Florida...

A polar airmass moved south across the Florida Peninsula during the day Wednesday, and set the stage for some of the coldest temperatures we've seen in the past three to four years. The strong north winds played a big factor in delivering the cold air to our area, but on the other hand, prevented the temperatures from dropping even lower Thursday morning.

A significant freeze occurred over most of west central Florida Thursday morning, with the coldest temperatures in the normally colder locations north of Tampa Bay. Lows there generally ranged from 22 to 28 degrees. Across the Tampa Bay Metro area east to Polk County and south to The Fort Myers area, lows were in the upper 20s to around 30, with a only a few locations along the beaches able to remain above freezing.  Had the wind gone calm for an hour or so before  sunrise, we would have seen more widespread mid 20s for lows.  The main story though was the freezing temperature durations, as many locations across west central Florida away from the coast observed temperature readings at or below 32 from midnight until shortly after sunrise, resulting in 6 or more hours of freezing temperatures!

The following are some observed lows this morning.
* Indicates new record

Airports:

28  the villages - Sumter
26  Brooksville - Hernando
34  St. Pete Albert whitted - Pinellas
31  St. Pete Clearwater - Pinellas
29  Tampa int'l - Hillsborough
30  Vandenberg Airport - Hillsborough
26* Lakeland Linder Arpt - Polk  (previous record 27 in 1979)
29  Winter Haven Gilbert Field - Polk
32  Sarasota Bradenton Arpt - Manatee
30  Punta Gorda - Charlotte
32* Fort Myers Page Field - Lee  (previous record 34 in 1979)

Coop and agricultural sites:
22  Bronson - Levy
22* Chiefland - Levy  (tied previous record of 22 set in 2001)
26* Inverness - Citrus (tied previous record of 26 set in 1979)
24  Bushnell - Sumter
25  Brooksville chin hill - Hernando
37  Tarpon Springs - Pinellas
27  Plant City - Hillsborough
29  Dover - Hillsborough
27  Balm - Hillsborough
30  Frostproof - Polk
28  Ona - Hardee
28  Arcadia - De Soto
29  North Port - Sarasota
29  Archbold - Highlands
28* Avon Park - Highlands (previous record of 29 set in 1981 and 1979)
32  Sebring - Highlands

Private/home weather stations:

25  northeast Citrus County
27  Dade City - Pasco
27  Land O Lakes - Pasco
28  Port Richey - Pasco
30  Seminole - Pinellas
28  Valrico - Hillsborough
28  NWS Ruskin - Hillsborough
27  Sun City Center - Hillsborough
27  Parrish - Manatee
29  Myakka City - Manatee
29  DeSoto Lakes - Sarasota
29  Zolfo Springs - Hardee
28  Fort Meade - Polk
27  Polk City - Polk
25  Harbour Heights - Charlotte
30  eastern Lee County
34  St James City - Lee

Marine sites:

27  Cedar Key - Levy
36  Anna Maria Island - Manatee
31  Venice pier - Sarasota

*  tied or broken record

Now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[ocala]

That's pretty cool Anole. I've never seen the NWS use a PWS as an official temperature. First time for everything I guess.

[WeatherBeacon]

Lee, where did you find that NWS link?

The rest of you --- all this cold stuff is from global warming. Have you forgotten already?

Kevin...

[ocala]

This from the NWS in Melbourne. Snow flurries in Daytona Beach!


RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE
455 PM EST THU JAN 03 2008

...BELIEVE IT OR NOT...
...RECORD DAILY MAXIMUM SNOWFALL SET AT DAYTONA BEACH...

A FEW SNOW FLURRIES WERE REPORTED ALONG THE VOLUSIA COUNTY COAST
FROM AROUND 7 AM TO 930 AM THIS MORNING. A BRIEF FLURRY OCCURRED AT
THE OFFICAL CLIMATE SITE...THE DAYTONA BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
THE RESULT OF THIS FLURRY IS A RECORD SNOWFALL OF A TRACE. THIS OF
COURSE PILED HIGHER THAN THE OLD RECORD FOR THIS DATE OF NONE.
2001.

[racenet]

My American flag is shredded this morning. It was ready for replacement anyway but it's definitely done for now.

I can cover that department.     



Bob

[Russell797]

01/03/08  8:52p


Indoor Temp: 70.8
Indoor Dew Point: 32.3
Indoor Relative Humidity: 23%

Temp: 4.5°F
Dew Point: -10.5°F
Humidity: 49%
Temp Out H: 11.0°F at 01/03/08  2:58p
Temp Out L: 2.9°F at 01/03/08  7:34a

Barometer: 30.61 inHg
Barometer Trend: Steady

Wind Dir: 300 Deg. or WNW
Wind Spd: 0.6 mph
Wind Gust: 2.0 mph
Wind High Gust Today: 20.0 mph at 01/03/08  9:57a

Rain Today: 0.00 inches

Heat Index: 4.2°F
Wind Chill: 4.5°F
High Heat Index: 10.4°F at 01/03/08  2:50p
Low Wind Chill: -8.3°F at 01/03/08  7:50a


Station Elevation:   180 ft


Notice the indoor humidity at 23%. Heating the very cold, dry outdoor air to comfortable levels drops RH to bone dry conditions. I keep the thermostat set at 68F degrees for the house but the TV/computer/weather station room warms up more with the running electronics. I'm huddled in here with my toys, and every once in a while venture out into the cold to talk to the wife. Just kidding, she cuddled up right next to me. 

Racenet, you keep that super cold stuff up there where it belongs. Next week in the upper 50's and 60's from the mid-west into New England. If it were not for the snow cover it would get even warmer than that. 850mb temps looking like 10-11C!

[racenet]

Racenet, you keep that super cold stuff up there where it belongs. Next week in the upper 50's and 60's from the mid-west into New England. If it were not for the snow cover it would get even warmer than that. 850mb temps looking like 10-11C!

Tell me about the dry air. Inside it is currently sitting at 21% with an outside temp of -12.7 & dropping. We are running almost 6 gallons a day through the humidifier and that's not doing much. Just love putting my finger out in front of the cat and he comes to rub on it and shocks his nose. Just to funny.

We are expected to get a warm up, but I highly doubt it will even come close to the upper 50's and 60's in these parts. We shouldn't be seeing temps like that until May sometime. It would be very unusual if it does.



Bob

[Russell797]

Here is the GFS Model output for next Wednesday at 850mb. Note the 10C temperature at approximately 5,000' up circling New England. That's 50F which if mixed down to ground level at an adiabatic lapse rate of 5.4F per thousand feet, well you do the math for your location! It won't get as warm as that calculation implies but it will be pretty darn warm, yes more like May.

http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/nwprod/analysis/namer/gfs/00/images/gfs_pcp_126l.gif

 The appropriate map changes with time. You can find an updated version for next Wednesday here in the second column:  http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/nwprod/analysis/namer/gfs/00/model_l.shtml

[WeatherBeacon]

We are expected to get a warm up, but I highly doubt it will even come close to the upper 50's and 60's in these parts. We shouldn't be seeing temps like that until May sometime. It would be very unusual if it does.

Bob

Same here. Presently our forecast highs for Sunday and Monday are 47 and 51^oF; the normal high is 30. That usually means something really nasty will follow.

Beginning this Saturday, our forecast lows are above freezing through at least next Thursday. With 10 inches of snow on the ground and rain coming, we could have some flooding.

Coincidentally, today's record high was 59^oF in 2004.

Kevin...

[ncpilot]

Same here. Presently our forecast highs for Sunday and Monday are 47 and 51^oF; the normal high is 30. That usually means something really nasty will follow.
Kevin...

Some wicked storm about to hit California--maybe that's the "nasty" that will head your way...

[WeatherBeacon]

Same here. Presently our forecast highs for Sunday and Monday are 47 and 51^oF; the normal high is 30. That usually means something really nasty will follow.
Kevin...

Some wicked storm about to hit California--maybe that's the "nasty" that will head your way...

Yeah, I really like mild weather in January, but too warm is usually a bad sign.

[Mark / Ohio]

Don't worry guys.  I cannot run my climate control experiment for too long or the black suburbans with dark tint windows start to circle the block.  Just doing a little testing.   

[Russell797]

I know I shouldn't complain, others have experienced worse, but conditions during this coming Sunday's AFC Championship football game between the Patriots and Chargers are going to be nasty. Temperature in the upper teens with gusty winds to start the game at 3:00 pm falling to near 10F by game's end. Wind chills below zero? Snow squalls in the area. Sound like fun? I will be there freezing my you know what off.

How will that cold affect a San Diego team with injuries to key offensive performers. Make those sore bones ache even more? 

Go Pats!!!!!!!

[ocala]

I think it's supposed to be worse in Lambeau. 4 or 5 degree's I heard.
I think the weather is about the only thing that will slow down the Pats. Regardless, I'll be surprised if they don't win by at least 10 points.

[racenet]

Ah, the cold isn't going to bother the Pats. The colder, the better. Those "Left Coast" players will find it hard though. Sucks to be them, even if it wasn't cold. 

[ocala]

Hey, at least they're playing in January. More then I can say for my Browns. And don't be so fast in writing them off. I don't think anyone gave them a chance against Indy. You know the saying, on any given Sunday. But of course on this Sunday that might not apply.