The Big Delay

Well this post is for all of the space nerds out there…including myself. The shuttle landing was delayed today. It just goes to show you that even with a gazillion dollar budget, you can plan a NASA space mission but you can’t plan for the weather. Oh and Florida is certainly seeing lots weather today…well, lots of rain anyway. Although this rain is an inconvenience for the folks at NASA it is much needed for the state of Florida that has been drought stricken for quite some time.

Now the shuttle landing was postponed until tomorrow but looking at the latest American model, that low doesn’t look to be moving anywhere fast. I’m not saying NASA will delay the landing again but I’d expect a landing at Edwards on the west coast as the Kennedy Space Center will still likely be experiencing a lot of rain. That low is just kicking in a ton of moisture. So why is it that a Space Shuttle can handle the extreme conditions of outer space and not a little stormy weather? Well, unlike a plane, a shuttle uses no engines as it lands. It is essentially a billion dollar glider. Imagine trying to glide something that large through high winds and rain without power. Shuttle pilots are amazing.

Now on to the weekend weather for our region. We could see a shower tomorrow by late afternoon…but likely we’ll just see a mix of sun and cloud with (unfortunately) more cloud than sun. But it’s still not looking too bad and Sunday looks to be great! Enjoy the weekend!!!

The Journey Begins

It officially begins. This is the week that I officially start the 3 year quest to become a meteorologist. For the last few months I’ve been brushing up on my math skills and reading a lot of great books on weather and atmospheric science. (Yes one of those books was ‘Weather for Dummies’…great book). This is an effort to prepare myself for the next three years. Can you tell that I’m nervous?

I am very fortunate to already have a great job in television as a “ Weather Guy” for such a great station, which makes going back to school a tough thing to do. When you work with great people in an awesome city you don’t want to leave. Luckily for me…I don’t have to! Mississippi State University offers a renowned Broadcast Meteorology program that is very extensive and boasts a great list of alumni. Oh and did I mention that most of this course is offered online? Awesome! That means that I not only get to study meteorology, I also get to keep this fantastic job as well and continue to call Peterborough my home. I love it here!

It’s going to be an exciting and very busy next couple of years but in the end I hope to become a better forecaster. From time to time I’ll keep you posted on what I’m learning here on the blog. Oh…and thanks for making my first 9 months or so here at CHEX so great! I know I had some VERY big shoes to fill and I appreciate everyone here giving me a chance and making me feel very welcome in Peterborough.

The Sweet Spot!

What a great day! Late May??? It felt more like June today and tomorrow is shaping up to feel more like July. That high to the southeast of us is continuing to keep things clear and also kick in some great, war air from the south. (Thanks to that high's clockwise wind direction). That low to the west is being blocked by the high and is also helping with the warm up and that southerly flow of wind. Pinched between that high and low is a great place to be. Folks out west would be loving this weather right now…it snowed in the prairies again today. In fact it’s snowing in Saskatoon as a write this. Sorry guys.

A short week but a good one!

The best thing about the long weekend definitely wasn’t the weather. We saw some rain on Saturday, some high winds Saturday night, a bit of a cool down Sunday (sarcasm) and then some decent weather yesterday. At least today was nice…although we had to get back to work. But it is a short work week and the long range is looking good. We could see sunshine continue right through the weekend…but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. I never put much stock in the long range. As for the next two days though, things are looking good. That pretty picture you see with the two big blue H’s is what tomorrow should look like. That high to the south looks to kick in a nice southerly flow of wind that’ll warm things up and keep the conditions nice and clear. By Thursday we could see a high of 29 degrees that’ll feel even warmer with the Humidex…NICE! I may just have to wear shorts and flip flops on the green screen.