Strong Thunderstorms Expected | Our Twitter Page

Thunderstorms are expected to develop during the day on Thursday and Friday. Some of the thunderstorms could be severe with strong thunderstorms likely impacting a majority of the area around Skidaway Island. I expect the majority of lightning-producing thunderstorms will develop after 2pm in the afternoon in the far southwestern areas of southeastern Georgia. Fairly benign thunderstorms (if you could use that term) will develop mainly in the afternoon and progress toward the north and north-east. 

We also have a twitter feed that will have up-to-the-second severe weather updates should that weather develop. Our twitter ID is 'skidawayweather' and our page is located at http://www.twitter.com/skidawayweather/. 

Why have we received so much rain?

Have any of you wondered why it has been so dreary this last few days? Chances are: you have. The continuing presence of a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico has led to an increase it overall areal coverage of precipitation in our area. And unlike most convection/precipitation that moves into our area, it does so by moving from the west toward the east (roughly). Typically, these systems that affect us do not have the same effect as a stationary--or partially stationary--low pressure that has brought rain the past five days. 

The Savannah International Airport reports that today we have seen 1.61" so far. That's not incredible; however, combined with other totals in that range for the past few days, that adds icing on the cake--a cake that already has four inches in the past week. 

I am sure most of you have seen the low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico and pondered the idea of a tropical low pressure system. Though the prospect did look promising earlier this week, that did not materialize. In fact, the subtropical low pressure was consumed by a mid- and upper-level low pressure and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center lost hope entirely (or lost hope in the lightest sense as most of the meteorologists and "hurricane specialists" did not want to spend hours tracking a potentially deadly and mass hysteria-creating cyclone that would accompany that task). The above picture shows the low centered in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

The "feeder bands" have wreaked havoc on parts of Florida. Flooding has been isolated in east-central parts of the Sunshine State. Some of you may know of the Daytona Beach International Speedway. That facility has be inendated with rain, excessive rain that is, and the precipitation has gone so far as to overflow the drainage pools and impact the tunnel of Turn One of the speedway. The event, so far, has been marked as the most flooding of any system in certain areas and the fourth most signficiant (quantitatively with rain totals) of any weather system in Florida's history since records were started. The governor, Charlie Christ, has declared a state of emergency for eleven Florida counties including Brevard, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Lake, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, and Volusia. The governor is currently in south Florida for a Memorial Day party and has not yet had a chance to survey completely the flood ravaged areas. 

For more information, including radar maps and weather conditions for our area and locations around the Southeast and around the country, log on to our website at http://www.myskidawayisland.com/weather/ . 

Severe Weather Outbreak: Feb. 18 - 19, 2009

We saw quite a few strong to severe thunderstorms in the general area early this morning and late last night. If you were like me, your weather radio was sounding almost unceasingly throughout the wee morning hours of today (February 19). There were a total of seven severe thunderstorm warnings and approximately five marine weather warnings and advisories for the local area.

Late Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center issued a severe thunderstorm watch for their (Charleston, SC weather service office) entire county warning area. Later that night, rather, late Thursday morning, the SPC revised that initial severe thunderstorm watch and disseminated a tornado watch for all counties in Charleston weather office's county warning area Georgia counties. We saw a fair amount of rainfall totaling just under one half inch on Skidaway Island from our weather station. There is more weather information, including real-time radar imagery and forecast data, located on our weather website at http://www.myskidawayisland.com/weather/ .

Until next time.

Icing Problems Could Have Caused Airplane Crash

I am sure most of you are aware of the aircraft that crashed in upstate New York on Thursday night (around 10:30 pm). The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the crash and its cause(s). Most experts believe that the crash's cause was ice, particularly, the failure of the aircraft's deicing mechanisms. Since the aircraft was propeller-driven and unlike many jets in use today, it had deicing boots. These boots expand and contract to decrease the amount of ice buildup on an aircraft's wings and other parts of the aircraft. The plane crashed approximately six miles from the Buffalo Airport where light snow and mist were being reported. These conditions are ideal for icing on an aircraft.

The Manassas, VA-based company, Colgan, is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines. They owned the aircraft that crashed into a home in suburban Buffalo. Experts say that, because the aircraft pitched down very violently, ice was mostly likely a large cause of the aircraft's crash. This is the first fatal crash of a commercial jetliner in nearly two and a half years. While the Federal Aviation Administration has not commented, and the NTSB has not ruled out any potential causes, many believe that icing could inhibit air from properly flowing over the wings, causing catastrophic failure of the aircraft's aerodynamic lift mechanisms--the wings.

The website, LiveATC.net, has released the final minutes of air traffic control recording from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport tower. That audio is located here. Source: LiveATC.net

(c) 2009 Skidaway Island Weather Center. All rights reserved. Duplication or distribution is strictly prohibited without written permission from the author.

Severe Weather Awareness Week

Every year, Georgians face some of the most deadly weather in the world. We encounter it all: tornadoes, lightning, flooding, and the occasional tropical cyclone. These phenomena are among some of the reasons why the National Weather Service along with the Office of the Governor of the State of Georgia have created the Severe Weather Awareness Week. Here is a press release from the Chatham County Emergency Management. We encourage everyone who participates in outdoor activities during the summer months to have a plan of action should inclement weather develop.

Preparing for the Unexpected Now Can Save You Later

Savannah, GA – February 2, 2009, 2:30 PM

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency (EMA) supports the National Weather Service in observing February 1-7, as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Georgia . Encouraging Georgians to practice emergency preparedness and response procedures for all types of severe weather events that occur in the state is the goal of the week-long observance with a daily focus on these topics:

February 1 Sunday Family Preparedness Day
February 2 Monday NOAA Weather Radio
February 3 Tuesday Thunderstorm Safety
February 4 Wednesday Tornado Safety (Statewide Drill)
February 5 Thursday Lightning Safety
February 6 Friday Flooding (Alternate Drill Day)
February 7 Saturday Volunteers/Weather Spotters

"Severe Weather Awareness Week is the perfect time for every family in Chatham County to plan and rehearse what they should do during the first 72-hours of any severe weather-related event or disaster," stated CEMA Director Clayton Scott.

To help people get started, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency's Ready Georgia - a statewide emergency preparedness campaign - offers the necessary tools that residents need to make an emergency supply kit, develop a communications plan and stay informed about potential threats. Ready Georgia 's interactive Web site, www.ready.ga.gov, provides detailed information on Georgia-specific emergency preparedness and allows users to create a personal profile and receive a customized checklist and a family communications plan.

During winter storms, floods, tornadoes or hurricanes, it may take emergency workers 72-hours or more to reach certain areas in order to open roadways and restore utilities. The benefit of being self-sufficient for 72-hours, or longer, is that you and your family can survive circumstances that might otherwise be tragic, if you were not prepared. "With a little time and effort, families can prepare for severe weather hazards affecting our area. Developing a family disaster plan is the first step," said Director Scott.

Where will you and other family members be when severe weather or disaster strikes? Whether you are at work, at school, in the car or out-of-town, how will you find or contact each other? How will you know if your children are safe?

Severe weather or a disaster may force an evacuation of your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What will you do if your basic utilities - water, gas, electricity, or telephones -- are cut off? These are the types of questions your family disaster plan must address in order to help protect your family.

Follow these basic steps to develop a family disaster plan . . . .

Gather information about hazards
In addition to your local emergency management agency (CEMA), you may contact the nearest National Weather Service office, Ready Georgia or the American Red Cross. Find out what type of disasters could occur and how you should respond. Learn the community's warning signals and evacuation plans.

Meet with your family to create a plan
Discuss the information you have gathered. Pick two places to meet: a spot right outside your home for an emergency, such as fire, and a place away from your neighborhood in case you cannot return home. Choose an out-of-state friend as your "family check-in contact" for everyone to call if the family gets separated. Discuss what you would do if advised to evacuate.

Implement your plan
1. Post emergency telephone numbers by phones.

2. Install safety features in your house, such as a NOAA Weather Radio, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.

3. Inspect your home for potential hazards: such as items that can move, fall, break or catch fire; and, correct them.

4. Have family members learn basic safety measures: such as CPR and first-aid; how to use a fire extinguisher; and, how and when to turn off water, gas and electricity in your home.

5. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1 or your local Emergency Medical Services number.

6. Keep enough supplies in your home to meet your family's needs for at least three days.

7. Assemble an emergency preparedness kit with items you may need in case of an evacuation. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers, such as backpacks or duffel bags. Keep important family documents in a waterproof container. Keep a smaller disaster supplies kit in the trunk of your car. A disaster supplies kit should include a three-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food which will not spoil; one change of clothing and footwear per person; one blanket or sleeping bag per person; a first-aid kit (including prescription medicines); emergency tools (including a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio and a portable radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries); an extra set of car keys and cash; and, special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.

Practice and maintain your plan
Ask questions to make sure your family remembers meeting places, phone numbers, and safety rules. Conduct drills. Test your weather radio and smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Test and recharge your fire extinguishers according to the manufacturer's instructions. Replace stored water and food every six months.

For more information, contact CEMA at (912) 201-4500 or visit these Web sites: www.ChathamEmergency.org, www.gema.ga.gov, www.ready.ga.gov, www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/, or www.ready.ga.gov.

About Ready Georgia
Ready Georgia is a statewide campaign designed to educate and empower Georgians to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, pandemic outbreaks, potential terrorist attacks and other large-scale emergencies. The campaign is a project of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and provides a local dimension to Ready America, a broader national campaign. Ready Georgia aims to prepare citizens for maintaining self-sufficiency for at least 72 hours following an emergency, and uses an interactive Web site, online community toolkit, television and radio advertising and public awareness media messaging to reach its audiences.

"Mr. Tornado" -- Theodore Fujita

Since it has been just over ten years since Dr. Fujita's death, I wrote a quick summary of his life and just a few of his accomplishments. Even though, truth be told, I have not done him justice.

Although he died in 1998, Dr. Tetsuya Theodore Fujita continues to be one of the most instrumental meteorology figures. He advanced the science of atmospheric science and severe thunderstorms like no other during his time. His legacy still continues today because of his endless devotion to studying and explaning severe weather phenomena. You may recognize the name Fujita; it is the common name for the tornado intensity scale--the Fujita Scale. Recently retired and replaced with the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the Fujita Scale was the first tornado rating scale based on damage severity alone. Mr. Tornado, as he was called, realized that there was a distinct corrolation between damage and tornadic wind speed.

Dr. Theodore Fujita was born in Japan on October 23, 1920 in the small rural town of Kitakyusu. After earning several degrees, including a Doctoral of Science from Tokyo University, Horace Byers encouraged him to come to the University of Chicago to futher his studies and teach meteorology.

Until the late 1970s when Dr. Fujita made extraordinary discoveries in the field of meteorology, tornadic thunderstorms were thought to have one main tornado that caused all of the damage associated with its path. The different wind damage patterns puzzled meteorologists and the general public. After observing and studying thousands of data and images, Dr. Fujita theorized that there were other "mini" tornadoes or vortices--more specifically called multiple vortex tornadoes-- that coexisted in particularly severe thunderstorms. In addition, he believed that thunderstorms had different types of wind shear within them--some surface based phenomenon included downbursts and tornadoes. He opined in several scientific journals that downbursts could be grouped into two distinct categories: either macrobursts or microbursts. The two prefixes simply indicate the magnitude of the damage from the air that falls. If the damage swath is less than 2.5 miles in diameter it is a microburst, if more it is a macroburst. All downbursts are caused by rapidly descending columns of air because of dry layers within a thunderstorm. These columns hit the surface of the Earth and spread rapidly outward. The damage caused by these collapses within cumulonimbus clouds had a distinct and obvious difference with the damage caused by tornadoes. These theories by Dr. Fujita were later proven by other scientists.

Dr. Fujita truly was an old-school scientist. Born in 1920, he was not educated in an age with supercomputers and computer modeling techniques. When the advent of computers did materialize, he believed that the computers simply "didn't understand these [meteorology] things" ("Tornado researcher Ted Fujita died in 1998," 2005).

During his childhood, he was in Japan amidst the growing tensions between the United States and Japan resulting in World War Two. Ironically, Fujita was saved by Mother Nature herself when the weather was overcast, which proved unfavorable for an atomic bomb drop at the Kokura Terminal which was about three miles from where Fujita worked. After the atomic bomb drops on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the Japanese government sent Fujita to study the damage that was inflicted on those areas (Marshall, 1998). It is amazing that the weather saved Dr. Theodore Fujita's life, the very living person that would make unprecedented meteorological discoveries.

I thank him for his work in the atmospheric and meteorological fields. I wish that I would have had the opportunity to meet such an intelligent man and discuss his theories. It has been ten years since his death yet his discoveries are still the foundation of what we know today about mesoscale meteorology. We dedicate this entry to him and his hard work.

(To request references, please contact us.)