Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you well as we ease into summer!

With the world having for the most part, reopened I trust that you are getting back into the swing of things. Enjoying outings, the great outdoors, concerts, ballgames or just puttering around with friends.

Enjoy things now, for soon the heat of summer will arrive and we will be wishing for snow.

I will be trying to keep a promise I made during a frigid day a few months back and not complain about the heat.

Back, then I said, “I’m ready for summer, mosquitoes are my friends!”

I much prefer summer heat, but I just might have to renege on the latter part.

We shall see.

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Where Is Everyone?

I have always been interested in ham radio statistics, especially since I have heard for 40 plus years now what deplorable shape the hobby is in.

So where do we stand?

As of May 26, 2022, not counting club or organization licenses, there are 776,471 individual ham radio licenses in the US, 12,299 of which are in Alabama.

The Fourth Call Area leads the nation in new callsigns, having entered the KQ calls, while other areas lag, in some cases by quite a margin, in the alphabet soup.

Some of the latest sequential callsigns in descending alphabetical order are:

KQ4AWF
KN6UKR
KK7GLB
KI5VOA
KF0JMF (which we call “zero land” but is actually the Tenth Call Area)
KE8UZR
KD9VGG
KD2ZOQ
KC3UHS
KC1RIF

One question which comes to mind is what callsign format will the FCC use once they reach KZ4ZZZ in ten years or so?

Will they start with AA3AAA – AL4ZZZ? They can’t go any higher, because Spain and other countries are allocated AM – AZ and they can’t issue A4AAA calls because they belong to Oman.

My best guess is they will start with NA calls, such as NA4AAA.

Another possibility is that they could resume issuing 2×3 W calls which they suddenly stopped issuing when they switched to the KA4### format.

The last sequential WD4 call was WD4SNE in South Carolina in 1978.

Examples of the evolution of US ham calls are:

AU (before 1912 they just made them up)
1AW (after 1912)
W1AW
W4CUE
K4UMD (my Elmer)
WA4XYZ
WB4XYZ
WD4NYL (me)
KA4AAA – KQ4ZZZ

There is a gap in the sequence between the WB & WD calls. WC was reserved for control stations in linked systems. Also, there were the old WN calls for Novices, which when they upgraded were converted to a different permanent callsign. Some were allowed to remain WNs when the new format debuted. WR was reserved for repeaters and WX for experimental stations.

There were already 2 x 3 K callsigns in existence before the format change. These were issued to US hams outside of the continental US. Such as:

KC4 – Antarctica
KH – US Pacific islands
KL7 – Alaska
KP2 – US Virgin Islands
KP4 – Puerto Rico
KZ4 – Canal Zone

Incidentally, the move to the KA format was condemned by some as being “the death knell of ham radio….they are making a way for those 20 million CBers to come in.” Since they vaguely resembled the CB callsign format. For instance my CB callsign issued in 1976 was or I say still is KAJD8693.

But, somehow ham radio survived and on paper at least, thrived.

There are at least four times as many licensed hams today as when I started in 1977. Which this leads to the question posed in the title – where is everyone?

There is one repeater in Birmingham that sees consistent activity – 146.140 MHz. Occasionally you hear people on 146.880 MHz, but it is certainly not haunted by hams as it was in the 80’s and 90’s.

The HF bands are quiet. You hear a few stations on, but, with the exception of contest weekends, they are the land of wide open spaces. During contests suddenly the bands miraculously open for the contest and there are dozens upon dozens of stations on the air. Then the contest concludes, and the ionosphere suddenly evaporates and again you here plenty of nothing.
There are various theories as to why, though there are more licenses now than ever, hams seem to have disappeared into thin air:

Woefully inaccurate numbers – Some point out that since it is a 10 year license. some may have been dead for years but are still listed. This is true, but, even if 50% of us have gone to the Great Ham Shack in the sky that would still leave 388,000 hams that ought to be being heard somewhere.

Another theory is that the operators are there, and on the air, but with so many modes available they are scattered all over creation in their own little niches, where in the past they would all be clustered on one of the few repeaters out there. Specialization has scattered the flock.

Also, it might be the case where we turn on the radio, and hearing nothing, say “the band is dead” and just cut off the radio and get back on Facebook so we can argue about politics and post cat memes.

But is the band actually dead?

Many times, if you listen above and below a ham band you will hear heavy activity, whether from Short Wave broadcasters or utility stations, such as marine, aeronautical stations and nondescript squeaks, squawks and squeals of various digital modes. Then you tune across the ham band and hear plenty of nothing.

That “dead band” is open also, but there just is no one home to use it.

There has also always been the question “the numbers look good, but how many are really active?” It can also be asked “how do you define active?” One QSO per day? Per Month? Per season? In my case I might go weeks without transmitting and then suddenly have a spurt of talking coast to coast, and then time crunches reappear, and I am back to my cat memes.

For whatever the reason that the bands are ghost towns and I have my share of blame.

One of the greatest tools for promoting ham radio is “hamming it up”.

Though I discovered ham radio by listening to nets dealing with tornado outbreaks, what “hooked” me into wanting to become a ham radio operator was just listening to hams on the air on a VHF “police radio”. Just hearing regular random rag chews and realizing “this is fun, I want to do this.”

Our greatest recruitment tool is just being on the air talking and having a good time. Leading by example and showing that “this is fun you really don’t want to miss out on.”

So, I have resolved to get back on the air more often. It may not be a daily occurrence, but my goal is to become consistently active. WD4NYL will be on the air, somewhere, if not on 2 meters, then polluting HF.

I challenge you to do likewise

Let’s show people just how “radioactive” we can really be.

 

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2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins

The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins June 1. The National Hurricane Center, to err on the side of caution in case there was an early arriving storm began issuing outlooks on May 15.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year. NOAA predicts a likely range of 14 to 21 named storms, of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes, including 3 to 6 major hurricanes. NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which 6 become hurricanes, including 3 major hurricanes.

This outlook represents an increase from last years outlook and the seventh consecutive year for a possible above normal season.

As mentioned last month, both Colorado State University and Accuweather are also predicting above normal seasons.

This is due to warmer Atlantic Temperatures, La Nina conditions, weaker tropical trade winds and an enhanced West African monsoon. An enhanced monsoon supports stronger storm systems or easterly waves which are the seeds for many of the strongest and longest lived storms.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter how many storms form, what matters is where they end up arriving. A year with 28 storms that never reach land isn’t overly significant, where a year with only one named storm and it being a repeat of Katrina, Camille or Andrew is.

With the 2022 North Atlantic Hurricane Season beginning it is a good time to review our preparedness plans.

This has become an annual tradition, this is the only Newsletter rerun that you ever see, and it grows a little longer year by year.

The source for much of this information is the late John Hope of the National Hurricane Center and later The Weather Channel.

While at the NHC, Hope developed a theory called the John Hope Rule. It consists of two parts. Part 1 states: “If a system is not a bona fide tropical storm before crossing the Windward Islands, or the Lesser Antilles, it will not survive the trek across the Eastern Caribbean Sea. If the wave is still present, formation in the Western Caribbean is possible.” Part 2 states: “If the structure of a wave or storm is good, never discount it or write it off”.

I call that “The Oops Rule” for when something shouldn’t have developed, but it does it anyway.

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Hurricane Impact & Hurricane Response

Alabama is impacted by hurricanes in three ways:

1. Direct Impact – Where the core of the storm or the rain / wind field strikes or passes through a portion of Alabama. Examples being Hurricane’s Fredrick, Opal, Ivan, and Katrina.

2. Indirect Impact – where the core is not over Alabama, but the feeder bands are passing through and causing havoc. Rita’s feeder bands being a good example, which dropped 21
tornadoes over west Alabama in a 4-hour period.
3. Distant Impact – A storm that is not even near Alabama but affecting our weather. Such as with Olivia, a Pacific Hurricane which was off Western Mexico. Her moisture was captured by the jet stream, crossed the Sonora desert, the Arklatex region & dumped monsoon type rains on Alabama & Mississippi, causing flooding.

ALERT typically will activate during scenarios 1 & 2. ALERT’s coverage would concentrate on monitoring D-Star directly and using a liaison station to monitor HF offsite on 3.965 MHz or the backup 40-meter frequency of 7.243 MHz

Then as the storm moves northward into the BMX County Warning Area the focus would then shift to the individual county Skywarn Nets, as we would do during a “normal” callout.

HF Gulf Coast Nets to monitor are:

Primary State ARES Frequencies & Nets for Gulf of Mexico & regular meeting times.

3.965 MHz Alabama Emergency Net Mike 4:00 PM Sunday*
3.940 MHz Florida Amateur Single Sideband Net 6:00 PM
3.975 MHz Georgia Single Sideband Net 7:30 PM
3.910 MHz Louisiana Traffic Net 6:30 PM
3.862 MHz Mississippi Section Phone Net 6:00 PM
3.873 MHz Texas Traffic Net 6:30 PM

* Note that this is also the frequency of the Alabama Traffic Net Mike, meeting daily at 5:30PM Central Time & Sunday’s at 8:00 AM Central Time and the Alabama Day Net, which meets daily at 10:00 AM Central Time.

Wide Coverage Nets

14.235 MHz Hurricane Watch Net As Needed
3.935 MHz Central Gulf Coast Hurricane Net 1:00 UTC

The Hurricane Watch Net is only activated when a storm is within 300 miles of a populated land mass. Normally you shouldn’t check into this net, but only listen. Only check in if you have a legitimate need to do so. A legitimate need being emergency or priority traffic or if the NCS specifically calls for a station in Central Alabama, only then should you pick the microphone up. Occasionally, if there is a lull in activity, they may give a call for general check-ins. But don’t be surprised if they don’t. Helping stations in the affected area is their primary concern.

Once upon a time a, which if I remember correctly was in 1988 when Gilbert, was rearranging Jamaica, the NCS asked “do we have any stations in the affected area, the affected area only?” Some fellow from Zero-land, piped in and very slowly drawled out “This is Kay Zero Que Arr Emmm, Homer over in Tulsa Oklahoma, just wanting to tell you fellers what a fine job, a fine job you fellers are doing. And, if I can be of any help, any help at all just let me know. This is Homer, K0QRM, over in Tulsa Oklahoma on frequency and standing by on the side.”

What harm was done? You might ask.

First, it hampers any emergency traffic trying to reach the net.

Fifteen distress calls probably could have been received and handled in the time it took Homer to ooze over “on the side”.

Secondly, it exacerbates the problem of NCS operator fatigue. Sometimes the adrenalin rush of the moment will keep an NCS sharp and “in the game” as it did with Ivan when I was on the air at K4NWS for 16 hours straight, but, minus that adrenalin rush, when it’s just station after station, checking in hour after hour, just so they can say they checked in, it can wear an NCS out.

So, learn from a bad example. Don’t do this.

Some Internet resources you should have in your toolbox include:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ – The National Hurricane Center out of Coral Gables, FL

http://www.hwn.org/tools/streaming-audio.html – Hurricane Watch Net Streaming Audio.
Note that the audio feed is only active when the net is active.

http://derecho.math.uwm.edu/models/ & http://www.ral.ucar.edu/hurricanes/realtime/current/
– Hurricane Forecast Models

Navy/NRL TC_PAGES Page – Satellite imagery and data – worldwide

Many other resources, including coastal radar picket, Caribbean & Mexican radar,
charts and satellite imagery can be found on my website, which is slowly being updated, www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/ and clicking on “Tropics, Charts & Satellites”.

For the most reliable information, the National Hurricane Service and the local National Weather Service Forecast Offices for your area and the areas affected should always be your prime source.

The local offices know the historical conditions, topographical factors and the local quirks which make up the microclimate of the area, which may influence or alter situations on a local level, which a forecaster 500 miles away, no matter how good they may be, might not have a clue about.

Major media sources can be trusted, however, internet sources, especially social media prophets and gurus should never be substituted for official sources.

Social media reports and websites, until one knows their sources, the timeliness of their information, their track record of veracity and in some cases their motives, should, for one’s own safety, be viewed with a jaundiced eye and treated with the same caution as you should with all internet sources.

Don’t spread information without it being verified from authentic sources. Your credibility and very possibly the safety of others is at stake.

That includes my wise prognostications also.

Just remember that some who would have you believe their “expert opinions” are also the same ones who would have you believe that Queen Elizabeth is a shape shifting lizard lady. And, though I have always suspected that my second-grade teacher, “Mrs. Martin” aka “Madre De Satanás”, might have actually been one, in the case of the Queen, it is still yet unproven.

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Hurricane Tracking Gleams And Glints From Mark’s Crystal Ball

I’ve always enjoyed trying to second-guess the National Hurricane Center. It’s fun! Many times our forecasts agree, they have outguessed me an honorable number of times & every now and then, when Divine Providence intervenes, I have beaten them.

The following are some random hints and items I have stored in my dusty brain, which every now and then come into play as I gaze into my tropical crystal ball.

The first thing I will touch on is the name itself – “Hurricane” and its origin.

Some believe the name originated from “huracan” which was the Carib peoples of Northern South America term for “evil wind”. Others credit the Mayans of Central America and believe that is originates from “Hurakan”, the Mayan god of wind, storm and fire. According to the Mayan Creation Myth, Hurakan caused the Great Flood after the first humans angered the gods. According to the myth, he lived in the windy mists above the floodwaters and repeatedly called forth the earth until land came up from beneath the seas.

Whichever its origin, it is known that the names Hurican and Hurikan predate the appearance of Europeans on the horizons of what would become known as the “Americas”, stretching back into the dim mists of antiquity.

The Spanish word for “Hurricane” is “Huracan” to this day.

A couple of terms which you have undoubtedly heard of is “El Niño” & “La Niña”.

El Niño or more precisely the “El Niño Southern Oscillation” (ENSO), is a planetary-scale climate variation caused by interactions between the atmosphere and the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean, which in turn affects the tropical climatology of the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic Ocean.

El Niño refers to unusually warm ocean temperatures that occur every 2–7 years around Christmas time along Peruvian coast, extending into equatorial eastern and central Pacific Ocean, while La Niña refers to unusual cooler temperatures. A normal temperature is referred to as “neutral”.

Though many factors are used in making seasonal hurricane forecasts, El Niño & La Niña weigh heavily in the process.

The warm El Niño favors stronger hurricane activity in the central and eastern Pacific basins due to lower vertical wind shear, weaker trade winds and greater instability, while suppressing it in the Atlantic basin due to stronger wind shear tearing and shredding the thunderstorm columns of storms trying to form, stronger trade winds hampering large scale organization and greater atmospheric stability.

The cool La Niña does the opposite suppressing hurricane activity in the central and eastern Pacific basins and enhancing activity in the Atlantic basin.

2021 is La Niña year, which is one of the reasons why 2021 is expected that we will have a vigorous tropical season.

Some other hurricane facts are:

The maximum number of tropical systems that the Atlantic Basin (which includes the Gulf and Caribbean) can simultaneously contain, and support is five storms.

If major tropical systems get too close to one another they don’t merge as thunderstorms often do. The upper-level winds associated with each storm counteract or buffets each other preventing this from occurring.

If you have a large storm and a smaller storm enters the influence or wind field of the larger storm, the smaller storm will tend to rotate counterclockwise around the primary storm in a process called the Fujiwhara Effect.

If the smaller storm is very weak, say a tropical storm versus a Category 4 storm, it is possible that the smaller storms circulation can be totally disrupted by the larger storm and then it can be absorbed into the larger storm’s circulation. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNjUSsqJgek&feature=relmfu as Typhoon Ma-On gobbles up Tropical Storm Tokage in 2011.

Tropical systems, for all of their tremendous energy, are totally without an engine or steering mechanism, but are at the mercy of the whims of the upper-level winds. A tropical system can spin all it wants to, but unless the storms thunderstorm columns reach high enough to snag the upper-level winds, and then act as a sail, the storm is going nowhere fast. If the upper-level winds die down, the storm can drift aimlessly for days.

If the storm sits still long enough, it will begin to dissipate due to it stirring up the deeper cooler waters beneath it and it cooling the sea surface temperature below the 80 degree critical threshold needed to sustain a tropical storm. This is “upwelling”. The one exception to this rule is if it is sitting over the Gulf Stream, as the incoming current will continually replenish the warm water beneath the storm.

Air pollution or the lack thereof can influence tropical activity. NOAA has found that a 50% decrease in pollution particles and droplets in Europe and the U.S. is linked to a 33% increase in Atlantic storm formation in the past couple decades, while the opposite is happening in the Pacific with more pollution and fewer typhoons. Less pollution lets more sunlight to reach the ocean surface and vice versa.

Saharan sand blown across the Atlantic and into the Gulf will limit tropical development by blocking sunlight. This is a common occurrence which happens every spring and summer.

A well-formed storm will have a perfectly circular Central Dense Overcast or CDO, an area of thunderstorms surrounding the eye wall, with “feeder bands” of thunderstorms spiraling inward counterclockwise, parallel to the storm’s inbound horizontal winds, and “feeding” energy from the warm tropical ocean into the storm.

The winds being drawn into the eye, once arriving can only go in one direction – up – and in a well formed storm the system will be capped by high pressure, which helps evacuate these winds as they reach the stratosphere. This forms a false cirrus shield of clouds rotating in a clockwise fashion, as the winds are vented outward. If the storm has a tear drop shape or a long plume of clouds extending from the storm, this indicates heavy shearing, which will limit its growth, or shred the circulation. The storm will be veered by the shearing and try to deflect towards the direction of the plume.

A poorly organized storm can have a completely exposed center, with the cloud shield nowhere near the center. Until it starts “stacking up” it will remain a weak storm.

Intense, Category 3 or greater hurricanes will go through a process called an “eyewall replacement cycle”. In this case the eyewall contracts so small that some of the outer rain bands may strengthen and form an outer eyewall, causing the storm to weaken by robbing energy from the inner eyewall and will eventually choke it out completely and replace it, causing the storm to re-intensify.

This is a common occurrence. Less common is when you have a triple eyewall, as was the case with Typhoon June and Hurricane Juliette.

The fastest intensification from a Tropical Storm to a Category 5 Hurricane occurred with Hurricane Wilma in 2006, which in 24 hours went from 70 mph to 155 mph and then vacationed in the Yucatan.

The fastest intensification from a Tropical Depression to a Category 5 Hurricane occurred with Wilma & Hurricane Felix, which took just 54 hours to bloom and then blessed Nicaragua with its presence in 2007.

Honorable mention also goes to Hurricane Delta, which took just took just 36 hours to grow from a Tropical Depression to a Category 4 storm in October 2020.

The World Champion is Super Typhoon Hagibus which grew from a tropical storm to the equivalent of a Category 5 storm in only 18 hours in 2019.

Tropical systems cannot penetrate frontal boundaries. If a tropical system is threatening the coast, and you see that a front will be approaching the coast from the West, don’t worry about the coast, as it will either stall the storm, deflect it to the Northeast or as in the case of 2009’s Tropical Storm Danny, it can absorb a weak storm.

When looking at hurricane forecast model ensembles, such as http://derecho.math.uwm.edu/models/ & http://www.ral.ucar.edu/hurricanes/realtime/current/,
you can judge the “confidence” of the models by the grouping of the plotted tracks. If the plots are tightly grouped together, you can have “high confidence” in the reliability of the track and if the timing given by the plots agree, that also. The narrower the spread, the greater the confidence, and the wider the spread, the lesser the confidence. Some tracks will be obviously wrong, those you can dismiss. If the forecast tracks go look like they were written by a drunken spider, with paths going in every direction at once, that storm is heading nowhere fast.

One must be very cautious of jumping to conclusions when they see a forecast model indicating a tropical system and then blasting on the internet that “it’s about to get real in Mobile” and then causing people to panic and spread even more rumors online, when in fact that one model shows nothing 12 hours later. A single model can be misleading or just plain wrong. Consistency is the key. If a model consistently and persistently shows a system, then you know that THAT model thinks something will happen. But what do the other models say? Do they agree with the intensity and forecast track? Do they even show anything at all? That’s why the NHC is the best place to get your information.

The NHC issues outlooks for 2 days and 5 days. Beyond that everything is guesswork.

If a storm exists, they will issue full advisories every 12 hours and intermediate advisories every 6 hours.

One staple of NHC graphics is the “forecast cone” or “cone of uncertainty”, which represents the probable track of the center of the tropical cyclone.

The size of the cone is drawn so that about two-thirds of the time, the center of the storm will remain in the cone.

The cone does not take the size or shape of the storm into account, only where they think the center will be located. Some storms are large with damaging winds extending far beyond the cone. Some storms are compact, and the damaging winds lie within a small area in the cone. Some storms are lopsided, with nothing much happening on the western side leading people to carp about “over hyped forecasts for ratings” while the same distance away on the eastern side of the storm people are literally hanging on for dear life.

It is always to be remembered that a hurricane is not a point on a map; impacts often occur well outside of the core.

The cone indicates the forecast up to five days out from the last recorded position of the storm, with each increase in time from this initial period, the error factor grows.

Forecast Period (hours) Average NHC Forecast Track Error (miles)
12 9.1
24 26.3
36 42.0
48 56.9
72 73.8
96 109.7
120 221.7

This is why one should always get the latest information from the NHC, as they are constantly fine tuning their forecasts.

Tropical storms and hurricanes are steered by winds aloft, and the overall track can be a function of a storm’s intensity. These days, intensity forecasts still have some limitations, but there is a concerted effort to make improvements.

Theoretically Tropical Storms will lose strength over land. The 1997 version of Danny (which came up I-65 reached Birmingham and then turned East heading along I-20 towards Atlanta, as if He knew what he was doing) forgot this and strengthened while over the swamps of South Carolina and then moved into the Atlantic as a rejuvenated system heading for New England. The theory at that time was that the swamps were so warm and humid that the storm “thought” it was over the sea. Now they say it was due to the effects a frontal system closely following the storm. I always preferred the first explanation, as it seemed more logical, if not niftier.

Storms named “Danny” and I are old companions, incidentally. In 1985 I accidentally managed to intercept Hurricane Danny a few hours after it struck Louisiana. I remember the feeder bands passing with heavy rain and gusts, and then it calming and clearing in between waves. “Looks like it can’t decide whether it’s coming or going” said the old guy at a truck stop where I was refueling. I also remember making a ham sandwich for an old dog at a rest stop. Old Shep looked hungry, so I fixed him one. He woofed it down, thanked me kindly and then disappeared into the mist.

If a storm strikes just West of Alabama, expect sorry weather. If it strikes just East of Alabama, expect dry weather and lowering humidity, as the storm drags the moisture away with it.

If a 120 MPH storm is moving North at 20 MPH the wind field around the eye will be affected as follows. The winds on the Eastern side combine and are in effect 140 MPH, while the winds to the West subtract and are in effect 100 MPH. This is the “fast moving hurricane rule”.

If the Eastern Pacific Basin is active, the Atlantic Basin will be quiet & if the Atlantic Basin is active the Eastern Pacific Basin will be quiet.

Category 5 storms have never occurred in both the Atlantic & Pacific Basins in the same year.

Hurricanes can cross Central America from either the Atlantic or Pacific Basins, enter the other Basin and restrengthen and be renamed. The last being in 1996 when Category 1 Hurricane Cesar which scraped Northern South America, crossed Central America & restrengthened into Category 4 Hurricane Douglas.

Then there is the case of 1961’s Hurricane Hattie, which formed in the Caribbean, stuck Central America on Halloween, dissipated, then after reaching the Pacific, her remnants helped generate Tropical Storm Simone on November 1. Simone then turned Northwest striking Southern Mexico on November 2, dissipated and her remnants crossed Mexico, entering the Gulf of Mexico. These remnants in turn helped generate Tropical Storm Inga, which dissipated on November 8.

Alphabetical name position can’t be used as an indicator of possible storm strength. Andrew and Opal, both unruly guests, with names toward the opposite ends of the alphabet, are good examples.

Never underestimate the potential impacts of late season storms. Category 5 Hurricane Mitch was active from October 22 – November 5, 1998, with maximum sustained winds of 180 MPH. This storm struck Central America, Yucatán Peninsula & South Florida causing 6.2 billion dollars in damage and caused 11,000 deaths.

Remember that winds do not blow OUT of a hurricane; they are drawn INTO the storm in a spiraling motion. By factoring in the Coriolis Effect of the Earth’s rotation and the counter-effects of surface friction you can determine the general direction of any tropical storm or non-tropical low-pressure center using the surface wind direction as follows:

Wind Direction Storm Center Location

South North West
Southeast West
East Southwest
Northeast South
North Southeast
Northwest East
West Northeast
Southwest North

Calm winds suddenly occurring during a hurricane indicates the eye is over you. The winds will return just as suddenly, often stronger in the opposite direction.

My sister’s family was living at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines in 1974, when Typhoon Bidang passed directly over. When the winds suddenly died down, they knew they were in the eye. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and opening it she found a delivery van with the furniture she had ordered. The Filipinos crew unloaded everything, said “thank you” and drove off into the darkness as the rear of the eyewall appeared and began blowing at full force.

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NHC Hurricane Tracking Chart PDF’s

Here are handy hurricane tracking charts from the National Hurricane Center.

For the Atlantic Ocean: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/tracking_chart_atlantic.pdf
For the Pacific Ocean: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/tracking_chart_epacific.pdf

Someone once asked me “why do you bother tracking the Pacific ones?” For practice, so that when the Atlantic ones do appear you are already ahead of the game experience wise.

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Mark’s Almanac

Originally the fourth Roman Month, June at one time had 29 days, until Julius Caesar in a glow of inspiration added the 30th day.

What June was named for is uncertain. Some say it was named for Juno, wife & sister of Jupiter. Juno was the goddess of marriage and a married couple’s household, so some consider it good luck to be married in this month, which is why June has become a month for so many marriages.

The beginning of meteorological Summer is June 1.

Storm activity retains many of the characteristics of spring, but more and more the pattern takes on the summer pattern of pop-up thunderstorms.

Hurricane season begins, June 1, however June hurricanes are usually small and of minor intensity, occurring roughly once every two years.

The centers for June Tropical Cyclone activity are the extreme Western Caribbean, with the storm tracks striking the Yucatan or veering toward Western Florida & the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico, with other storm tracks aiming toward the Mexican mainland.

From 1851 to 2021 there have been 98 Tropical Storms and 33 Hurricanes, of which 19 impacted the United States. The most notable June hurricane was Audrey, one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in US history, which killed 416 as it devastated the southwestern Louisiana coast in 1957.

The center of maximum tornadic activity shifts northward over Kansas and Iowa. Activity in Texas and Oklahoma dies down. There is a 5% decrease in tornadic activity over the May average & by June 4th 50% of the year’s tornadoes have occurred.

Days continue to grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon increases from 78.5 degrees at the beginning of the month to maximum of 79.9 on Summer Solstice on June 21 and then lowering to 79.6 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight increases from 14 hours 14 minutes on June 1 to the maximum daylight of 14 hours 23 minutes at Summer Solstice on June 21 and then decreases to 14 hours 21 minutes on June 30.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

June 1 Sunrise 5:38 AM Sunset 7:52 PM
June 15 Sunrise 5:37 AM Sunset 7:59 PM
June 30 Sunrise 5:40 AM Sunset 8:01 PM

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.7 is in Taurus.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude +4.1 in Taurus, is hidden deep in the glow of sunrise, As the month progresses, he rises higher in the morning sky reaching his highest point above the horizon in the morning sky or “Greatest Western Elongation” of 23.2 degrees from the Sun on June 16,

Venus, magnitude -4.0 in Pisces, rises soon after the beginning of dawn. She will continue to rise around the beginning of dawn continuing through August.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the constellation Taurus.

Mars, magnitude +0.6 in Pisces, in the early morning hours and during dawn in the east-south near bright Jupiter. The two planets are in conjunction sitting side by side in the predawn sky. After the beginning of the month Mars will slowly move away from his neighbor.

Mars will reach his closest approach to the Sun or “perihelion” on June 21, 1,284,000 miles.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude +8.8, is in Gemini.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.2, in Pisces, as mentioned above is in conjunction with Mars.

Saturn, magnitude +0.7, in Capricorn, is 40° or four fist widths right or upper right of Jupiter before dawn.

“About” is a good qualifier as not everyone has the same sized paw.

This comes to play also with the rule “you can determine the hours of Sunlight left in a day using an outstretched hand with the bottom touching the horizon. Each finger is 15 minutes and the full four fingers represent an hour.” The rule doesn’t take into account if you have a slender paw or one the size of a baseball mitt.

That’s why you should use your watch experiment and see what works for you. I hae to add my thumb to get the equation to work.

Uranus, 5.9 in Aries, is lost in the eastern dawn.

Neptune, 7.8 magnitude in Pisces, is 9° west or right of Jupiter before dawn begins.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.4 in Sagittarius.

Pluto, which was discovered February 18, 1930, takes 248.9 Earth years to complete and orbit around the Sun. He will complete his first orbit since his discovery Monday, March 23, 2178.

I know I can’t wait!

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.3 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) faintly shines at magnitude 17.1 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.7 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least four additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 between Hydra and Serpens.

50000 Quaoar,and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Ophiucus,

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.9 in Taurus.

225088 Gonggong, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Aquarius.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System, Asteroid 2018 AG37, nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.

5035 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of May 24, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

The Moon will be at Apogee, or her farthest point from the Earth on June at 252,395 Miles.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur June 7 at 9:49 AM or 14:49 UTC.

During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0

June’s Full Moon is “Strawberry Moon” in Native American folklore. This will occur on June 14 at 6:52 AM CDT or 11:52 UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. It is called “Strawberry Moon” for it signals the time to start harvesting strawberries, as it is peak strawberry ripening time. Other names are “Rose Moon” & “Honey Moon”.

This is also the first of three supermoons for 2022. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7.

The Moon will be at Perigee, or her closest point from the Earth on June 14 at 222,099 Miles.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur June 20 at 10:11 PM CDT or 04:11 UTC on June 21.

Summer Solstice will occur at 4:05 AM CDT or 09:05 UTC on June 21. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

The June Bootids Meteor Shower will occur from June 26th until July 2nd. It peaks on June 27th. Normally the shower is very weak, with a Zenith Hourly Rate or ZHR of 1 or 2, but occasional outbursts produce a hundred or more meteors per hour. The source of the June Bootids is Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, which orbits the Sun once every 6.37 years.

A near New Moon should not interfere with this unpredictable shower.

New Moon will occur June 28 at 9:23 PM CDT or 02:53 UTC on June 29. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

The Moon will be at Apogee, or her farthest point from the Earth on June 29 at 252,638 Miles.

Around 10PM in mid-June, Libra the Scales will be passing due South. When Alpha Librae, the lower-right of the two brightest stars of Libra, is due south, if you look directly below it you will see nothing but horizon. But, if you were at a lower latitude, say 29°, the latitude of Orlando, or points south would see our brilliant, -0.27 magnitude neighbor Alpha Centauri above the horizon.

At 4.37 light years distance, the Alpha Centauri system is nearest star system to our own.

It is a triple star consisting of Alpha Centauri A, also called Rigil Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri B or Toliman and the closest star to the Sun, Alpha Centauri C also called Proxima Centauri, 4.24 light years from Earth,

Alpha Centauri A is a near twin of our Sun in almost every way, including age, while Alpha Centauri B is somewhat smaller and dimmer but still quite like the Sun. The third member, Proxima Centauri is a much smaller red dwarf star that travels around the A-B pair.

Proxima Centauri has three known planets: Proxima b, an Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone or so called “Goldilocks Zone” – not too hot and not too cold to support some form of life if it has a suitable atmosphere. Proxima c, a super-Earth, which is possibly surrounded by a huge ring system and Proxima d, which orbits very closely to the star.

Alpha Centauri A may have a Neptune-sized habitable-zone planet, though it is not yet known to be planetary in nature and could be an artifact of the discovery mechanism. Alpha Centauri B has no known planets.

If Mr. Musk will hurry with his secret warp drive project, I’m all packed up and ready for the ultimate DXpedition.

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This month’s meeting will be on June 14. The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting.

Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

Hope to “see” you there!

Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you well

This newsletter sets a milestone as we now have completed 15 years of publication.

I appreciate the support you have given me through these years, and I look forward to seeing where this journey leads us.

Remember, this is YOUR newsletter, and your input and articles are welcome and appreciated.

May your May be a happy one!

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Uh, what?

That was the reaction online recently by some meteorologists when the Storm Prediction Center issued Tornado Watch #159, covering Central Oklahoma.

In addition to the tornado threat, it was mentioned “isolated very large hail events to 5 inches in diameter likely.” But what caught their eyes was a graphic that was circulated which contained the text “HAIL Scattered Hail Up To DVD Size Likely.”

DVD size?

The largest hail size reference I had heard of was “softball” size hail.

So, I did some research and per the NWS Syracuse Indiana Office there is indeed a DVD size Category.

Beaufort Wind Scale (Estimated wind speeds) (weather.gov)

Their Hail Size Comparison Scale is:

BB <.25 inches
Pea .25 inches
Dime 7/10 inches
Penny ¾ inches
Nickel 7/8 inches
Quarter 1 inch
Half Dollar 1¼ inches
Golf ball 1 ¾ inches
Billiard ball 2 1/8 inches
Tennis ball 2.5 inches
Baseball 2.75 inches
Softball 3.8 inches
CD/DVD 4.75 inches

There has always been a question as to “pea size”. Are referring to English peas, field peas, sweet peas, black-eyed peas and so forth.

Which is why locally we steer clear of “pea sized”. That, plus it is below the “severe” threshold.

Now in fairness to the Syracuse office, the Storm Reporting form on the Birmingham NWS site Submit a Storm Report (weather.gov) while varying the peas size report to range from .25 to .5 inches, also include Walnut size 1.5 inches, hen egg size 2.00 inches, teacup size 3.00 inches, grapefruit size 4 inches and “giant” size larger than 4.5 inches.

Going with the flow, I think we should expand the charts to include:

45 RPM Record 7 inches
Volleyball 8.15 – 8.39inches
Bowling ball 8.5 inches
Soccer ball (regulation) 8.5 – 9 inches
Basketball 9.4 inches
78 RPM Record 10 inches
33 ½ LP 12 Inches

How fast do hailstones fall?

Per the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory – NSSL: “For small hailstones (<1-inch in diameter), the expected fall speed is between 9 and 25 mph. For hailstones that one would typically see in a severe thunderstorm (1-inch to 1.75-inch in diameter), the expected fall speed is between 25 and 40 mph. In the strongest supercells that produce some of the largest hail one might expect to see (2-inches to 4-inches in diameter), the expected fall speed is between 44 and 72 mph. However, there is much uncertainty in these estimates due to variability in the hailstone’s shape, degree of melting, fall orientation, and the environmental conditions. However, it is possible for very large hailstones (diameters exceeding 4-inches) to fall at over 100 mph.”

The speed at which a hailstone (or rain) strikes the ground is referred to as “Terminal Velocity”.

Hailstones the size of DVDs hitting one’s noggin should be “terminal” enough.

Just go ahead and ship my saddle home.

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2022 Hurricane Outlooks

Colorado State University has issued its outlook for the 2022 tropical season, which runs from June 1 to November 30

Their forecast predicts an above average season with 19 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane season. Of those, researchers expect 9 to become hurricanes and 4 to reach major hurricane strength of Category 3 or greater, with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater.

There is 71% chance for at least one major hurricane to strike the United States.
There is 52% chance for at least one major hurricane to strike the US East coast including the Florida Peninsula.
There is 46% chance for at least one major hurricane to strike the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Brownsville Texas.

AccuWeather released its 2022 Atlantic hurricane forecast earlier. Their outlook also calls for an “above average season with 16 to 20 named storms. Of those storms, 7 to 8 are forecast to become hurricanes; and 4 to 6 are likely to hit the United States.

The National Hurricane Center will issue their outlook on May 15.

A “Normal” season sees about 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes.

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season had 21 named storms, 7 hurricanes 4 of which were major. 8 hurricanes directly impacted the United States.

The forecasts just given both are calling for a season more severe than the 2021 season.

The 2022 North Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclone names are Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Martin, Nicole, Owen, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tobias, Virginie & Walter.

Note that the names are used on a six-year rotation & that this list will return in 2027. Only names of catastrophic or damaging storms are retired. Which is why you will never have another Andrew, Betsy, Camille, Fredrick, Gilbert, Ivan, Katrina or Opal, to name a few ne’er-do-well storms of the past.

If so many storms occur that the 2022 list is depleted, the storm names will revert to the World Meteorological Organization supplemental list of names: Adria, Braylen, Caridad, Deshawn, Emery, Foster, Gemma, Heath, Isla, Jacobus, Kenzie, Lucio, Makayla, Nolan, Orlanda, Pax, Ronin, Sophie, Tayshaun, Viviana and Will.

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2022 Tornado Totals As Of Mid-April

In the previous article I mentioned that a“ Normal” hurricane season sees about 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes.

But, what about tornadoes?

According to the Storm Prediction Center, the United States averages 1,251 tornadoes per year.

How is 2022 stacking up so far?

As of April 2 1, there had been 534 tornadoes reported in 23 states.

As of April 18, Alabama lead the nation in tornado warnings, with 115, Mississippi was second with 10 and Texas, which covers a lot of acreage, had 104 warnings.

As of April 18, Alabama was second in tornado watches covering a least one county in the state , with 46, just 3 behind Arkansas with 49, and ahead of Mississippi’s 42 watches.

As of April 21, central Alabama had had 39 confirmed tornadoes. The 2021 total was 47 for the entire year while the average number of tornadoes per year for the past 30 years is 27.

The most tornadoes that have touched down in Central Alabama in a year was in 2011, when 78 tornadoes hit the central part of the state, 29 being from the Super Outbreak of April 27.

We are already well above average, and 8 away from central Alabama’s last year’s total, and the late spring and fall tornado seasons have yet to occur.

Statewide tornado numbers as of mid-April 2022 are:

NWS Birmingham 39
NWS Huntsville 7
NWS Mobile 20
NWS Tallahassee 3
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Grand Total 69 Tornadoes

While the focus of late April tornadic activity has shifted to the Midwest, the Dixie Alley could refire, and the Fall season isn’t that for away.

Always keep a jaundiced eye towards the sky and stay aware of possible upcoming threats.

https://www.weather.gov/bmx/

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Mark’s Almanac

May is the fifth month & third month of the Roman calendar. May is named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with, Bona Dea, the Goddess of Fertility, who was celebrated in May.

Since ancient times the first day of the month, “May Day” has been a time of celebration. In Rome it honored Flora, the goddess of flowers.

On May the fifth Mexican’s celebrate Cinco De Mayo, the celebration of Mexico’s 1862 victory over Napoleon III’s forces at Puebla. This is not, as many assume, Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually on September 16.

Rainfall decreases in May as the Azores-Bermuda High strengthens, expands Westward over the Southeastern US & begins rerouting storm systems northward.

The door opens to the Gulf of Mexico & Gulf moisture spreads northward over the continent.

The center of maximum tornadic activity also shifts northward over the Nation’s Heartland. May is the peak tornado month, with a 42% increase over April’s amount.

Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15, and although the North Atlantic hurricane season has not arrived, occasionally a tropical system will form in the Gulf of Mexico. From 1851 to 2021 there have been 27 Tropical Storms and 5 Hurricanes, including an 1863 Category 2 storm, the knowledge of which is based on historical reanalysis by NOAA’s Michael Chenoweth and Cary Mock in 2013 and posthumously given the name Hurricane Amanda, named after, a Union ship the storm washed ashore. It made landfall near Apalachicola Florida.

60% of off-season Hurricanes occur in May.

Days continue to grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon increases from 71.6 degrees at the beginning of the month to 78.4 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight increases from 13 hours 31 minutes on May 1 to 14 hours 13 minutes on May 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

May 1 Sunrise 5:59 AM Sunset 7:30 PM
May 15 Sunrise 5:47 AM Sunset 7:41 PM
May 30 Sunrise 5:39 AM Sunset 7:52 PM

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.7 is in Aries.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude +1,2 in Aries, is low in the west-northwest in the fading twilight.

He will soon be lost in the glow of the sunset and will pass between the Earth and the Sun or be in “Inferior Conjunction” on May 21.

Venus, magnitude -4.2 in Aquarius shines low in the east-southeast as dawn brightens, with Jupiter nearby.

Venus will reach her farthest distance from the Sun or Aphelion on May 15.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the constellation Taurus.

Mars, magnitude 0.9, in Aquarius, rises around 3:49 a.m. Start looking for Mars around 4:40a.m. as he clears trees and buildings.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 9.0, is in Taurus.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.1, in Pisces, rises around 4:27 a.m. and is low above the horizon around 5:20 a.m.

Saturn, magnitude +0.8, in Capricorn, rises around 3:06 a.m. Start looking for Saturn around 4:00 a.m. in the southeastern sky

Uranus, magnitude +5.9 in Aries, is hidden behind the glare of the Sun.

Neptune, magnitude 7.8 in Aquarius, though unobservable in the dawn glow, is in the background of Jupiter.

Four planets, Neptune, Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn are arrayed across the predawn morning Sky. Four are visible, with Jupiter and Venus being bright “morning stars” and fainter Mars & Saturn trailing and slowly moving apart.

This is a great opportunity to see half the solar systems planets at a glance.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.4 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.3 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) faintly shines at magnitude 17.1 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.7 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least four additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 between Hydra and Serpens.

50000 Quaoar,and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Ophiucus,

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.9 in Taurus.

225088 Gonggong, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Aquarius.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System, Asteroid 2018 AG37, nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.

5017 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of April 19, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

The Moon will be at Apogee, or her farthest point from the Earth on May 5 at a distance of 251,834 miles.

The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower, an above average shower, peaks May 6 & 7. It can produce up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, but most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30 meteors per hour, which is still a decent shower. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, due to return in a mere 40 years in the summer of 2061. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. It peaks this year on the night of May 6 and the morning of the May 7. The waxing crescent moon will set early in the evening, leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius but can appear anywhere in the sky.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur May 8 at 1:21 PM or 18:21 UTC. During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0

Full Moon will occur May 15th at 11:15 PM CDT or 04:15 UTC, May 16. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. May’s Moon is “Flower Moon” in Native American folklore, because of the abundance of spring flowers. It has also been called “Corn Planting Moon” & “Milk Moon”.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7.

There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse on May 15 & 16. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth’s dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color.

The eclipse will be visible throughout North America, Greenland, the Atlantic Ocean, and parts of western Europe and western Africa.

In Birmingham the eclipse timings are:

Eclipse Begins 8:32 PM
Partial Eclipse Begins 9:27 PM
Total Eclipse Begins 10:29 PM
Maximum Eclipse 11:11 PM
Total Eclipse Ends 11:53 PM
Partial Eclipse Ends 12:55 AM
Eclipse Ends 1:50 AM

During the maximum eclipse the lunar magnitude will drop to +1.414

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest distance from Earth on May 17, when she will be 223,879 miles from Earth.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur May 22 at 7:43 AM or 12:43 UTC. During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0

New Moon will occur on May 30 at 6:32 CDT or 11:32 UTC. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

In the Northern Sky the Big Dipper, part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, begins the month
upside down, “spilling its water” on Polaris, the North Star, which is the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper or Ursa Minor, the Little Bear.

Interestingly, the Big and Little Dippers are arranged so that when one is upright, the other is upside down. In addition, their handles appear to extend in opposite directions. Of course, the Big Dipper is by far the brighter of the two, appearing as a long-handled pan, while the Little Dipper resembles a dim ladle.

The Big Dipper is called by other names. In the Netherlands it’s the “Saucepan”, “The Plough” in England and “The Great Wagon” in other parts of Europe.

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This month’s meeting will be on May 10. The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting.

Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

Hope to “see” you there!

Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you having safely weathered the storms of Wednesday. That stormy night goes to underscore the danger and vulnerability we all face from a tornado that season is far from over.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, March 2022 has set the March record for tornadoes with at least 219 confirmed tornadoes occurring nationwide and counting, as storm surveys are still ongoing. This breaks the previous record of 191 tornadoes which was set in 2021.

Research at the University of Alabama Huntsville indicates that appears to have been a shift in areas tornado formation, or “tornado alleys”. While there are certainly many, many tornados that form in the traditional and legendary “Tornado Alley” of the Midwest, the major areas of formation have shifted from Oklahoma & Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with Mississippi being the bullseye. This is accompanied by a marked increase in long track tornadoes on a southwest to northeast axis from central Mississippi to western and northern Alabama, including Jefferson County.

So, with the storms of April brewing, now is definitely not the time to let our guard down.

The threat is real and ongoing, so make sure you have a plan in place and a safe place in mind, both at home, school and at work should a tornado threaten you or your loved ones.

Pay attention to forecasts – possible tornado threats are usually forecast days in advance.

Pay attention Watches and Warnings – have multiple reliable ways to receive them wherever you
may be located.

Pay attention to the conditions around you – brief spin up tornados can occur between radar
scans or in areas of problematic radar coverage, either due to the distance from the radar, signal obstructions or atmospheric conditions affecting the radar returns.

Do understand that with the exception of the NWS, state and local authorities, and local news media, not everyone will give you good valid information or instructions as to what to do in an emergency and social media is perhaps one of the worst sources, as everyone is an “expert” online and on Facebook.

Beware of well-meaning misinformed people.

Heed the advice of learned authorities and reliable sources, as they know what is or may be about to happen and any overriding circumstances and conditions that may be present that may alter the usual recommended actions.

Stay safety!

See: Tornado Safety (Online Tornado FAQ) (noaa.gov)

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FCC Fee Reinstatement

The long awaited FCC new fee schedule will officially take effect on April 19. Starting that date there will be a S35 fee for any new ham license, renewal or callsign change.

Three will be no charge for “Administrative” changes, such as name or address changes or license upgrades.

If you are interested in obtaining a license for the General Mobile Radio Service, the license fee will drop to from $70 to $35. The test free license covers the entire family.

The vast majority of GMRS traffic in Birmingham is business related, but families using this for local communications is a very good choice. Do be aware that there are no GMRS repeaters in Birmingham, although there are repeaters in Tuscaloosa and Blount Counties, so everything is simplex and shared with the lower power Family Radio Service or FRS.

The simplex VHF Multi-User Radio Service – MURs remains license free. It’s 5 frequencies are little used in Birmingham and having 2 watts output and the ability to use better antennas than the supplied stock antennas make them a good option.

CB remains license free and is a valuable tool to have on the road and at home.

Amateur Radio, GMRS, FRS, MURs and CB all are different realms, with different purposes, customs, operating traits, “lingo” and so on. Some things I like, some I don’t. One size does not necessarily fit all.

To help determine which is the best fit for you, I direct you to the March 2019 ALERT Newsletter which features the article “Non-Amateur Radio Options For Emergency Preparedness”, which is a much more detailed comparison of the various services so you can choose the right one for you.

ALERT NEWSLETTER – March 2019

Or you can do like I do.

I’m greedy, I have them all.

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AM DXing

I have always had a never ending fascination or perhaps love affair with radios. The fact that I can listen to voices from hundreds of miles away with a little box or a collection of parts thrown together is mystical to me. That someone across an ocean can hear my puny signal radiating off an antenna that could easily double for my Mom’s clothesline borders on miraculous.

My first memorable exposure to radio was listening to “Tick, tick, tick…This is radio station WWV Fort Collins Colorado” on my brother’s ham radio probably around1962. His callsign was K4FHX.

Christmas of 1966 saw Santa Claus somehow having been duped into believing that I had been a good tike and me receiving a little black Truetone AM radio, a little larger than a deck of cards.
In 1967 you would have found a 9 year old non-wrinkled version of me walking around with an earphone stuck in my left ear listening to mainstays of those days WSGN, WVOK, WBRC and WAPI. Mainly WSGN and WVOK though since they played the “good stuff” and later listening as the ratings wars between WSGN and WERC and DJs Christopher “Super Foxx” and “Coyote J Calhoun” raged in the 70’s.

WSGN, WVOK and WBRC are now WAGG, WJOX and WERC as stations changed ownership and formats over the decades. Callsigns WSGN and WVOK are now assigned to different stations in Alexander City and Oxford. There is no WBRC on the AM dial.

I’ll digress for a moment and say that while I understand stations changing their callsigns either to reflect new format directions or in some cases, such as when Taft Broadcasting sold WBRC AM to Mooney Broadcasting, FCC regulations at that time prohibited non-commonly owned stations from sharing call letters, and so WBRC became WERC, that I think that there should be exceptions for “historical” or shall we say “legacy” callsigns.

On April 24, 1922, Alabama’s first licensed AM radio station, Alabama Power’s WSY – “We Serve You” went on the air from a studio near its Powell Avenue Steam Plant in Birmingham.
The radio station was used to reach isolated steam plants and rural work crews, It proved successful, as letters from residents poured in thanking them for the broadcasts, which included weather reports, interviews, stock quotes, an orchestra composed of Alabama Power employees, five Birmingham church services and other programming.

As one of the country’s first radio stations, WSY had the ability to reach people as far away as Canada and Cuba. Unfortunately, the station proved too successful and Alabama Power, instead of hiring employees dedicated solely to running the station, decided to get out of the radio business and sold the station, producing its final broadcast on Nov. 6, 1923.

Meanwhile in Auburn, the Alabama Polytechnic Institute now known as Auburn, put WMAV – “Making A Voice” on the air in September 1922 from Boun Hall. Alabama power donated WSY’s equipment to WMAV and in 1925 the stations callsign was changed to WAPI – “Alabama Polytechnic Institute”. The Station was moved to Birmingham in 1928 and remains to this day. So callsign WAPI is 97 years old.

My Mom, who was a little girl at the time said signs popped up all over Birmingham saying “WAPI is coming!” She said she was hard pressed to figure out what a “wapee” was.

In 1925 WBRC began transmitting on 1210 kHz. WBRC was the acronym for “Bell Radio Corporation” named after it’s owner Dr. J.C. Bell. Eventually moving to 960 kHz, it would remain “WBRC” until 1972 – 42 years.

In 1934 long forgotten WKBC was sold to the Birmingham News and became WSGN – “South’s Greatest Newspaper” and broadcast on 1310 kHz, With twin towers looming over the Alabama State fairgrounds, the station was a prominent fixture at 610 kHz until it was sold and the call sign changed to WZZK AM in 1985 – 51 years.

WWL in New Orleans is celebrating 100 years on the air, as is WSB in Atlanta, WOR in New York City, WBT in Charlotte, NC, WBAP in Dallas – Fort Worth, WBZ in Boston and WLW in Cincinnati.

KDKA in Pittsburgh is approaching 102 years on the air.

The point being that callsigns which last this long reach a point where they are landmarks on the radio dial. Historical RF signposts that stretch generations and I feel really should have be preserved.

I have nothing against WJOX on 690 kHz. I just wish the owners of WJOX had kept the callsign WVOK.

I think of all the programs and history that those stations covered – programs now called now Old Time Radio shows, but, then brand new. Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” during the Depression, The War Of The Worlds, Edward R Murrow reporting live during the air raids on London at the start of World War II, Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, the first tentative steps into outer space, Apollo 11, The Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, the Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas, Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, Chicago and the Rolling Stones.

Somewhere in an ever increasing orb of radio signals radiating from Earth, those programs and broadcasts are still “live, as it happens”.

But then I am a sentimental sot, which explains why while others quickly shed their new callsigns I have been the one and only WD4NYL since December 1977 and always shall be until they pry the microphone from my desiccated paws.

But, back on topic, as I listened and blew out my eardrums listening to local stations, I soon discovered that with nightfall other stations in distant cities would fade in.

Better equipment would follow, and the hobby of AM DXing was firmly established.

Late at night into the wee hours of the morning one would find me scouring the band and straining the ears for a station ID. Back then it was a little easier. Most programming was local, so you would have local advisements. “Ed’s Macho Taco in Paducah” gave a hint, as did local talk shows. Plus, broadcasters wanted you to remember their station, so they weren’t hiding their callsign. Talk shows gave you a taste of the flavor of the town and there were very few syndicated programs. You always kept your fingers crossed that the signal didn’t fade out just at that time that the ID was coming – “you are listening to sfsfssfsfsfsfsfsfssfs ……..ssfsfsfsfssfsfssfsfsfs I’m your boogie man, that’s what I am. I’m here to do whatever I can. Be it early morning, late afternoon, or at midnight. It’s never too soon”

Another busted ID.

Today is different with so much syndication and so much simulcasting. You can listen for hours to people droning on and on and on and never hear an ID, or if you do it’s “Scintillating Newstalk 101.1 The Lizard” and you look at the dial which clearly says 1460”.

So, I have had to alter my strategy a little with time. Yep, I Google it.

I look up “101.1 The Lizard”, if it gives a callsign I Google it and see if it has an AM frequency of 1460. Or I search “101.1 MHz 1460 kHz”. Sometimes that worked. If I have two definite possibilities and they have an online feed, I compare that feed to the actual signal. This is especially effective with stations in Mexico and Cuba. And some stations actually give their callsign like the Good Lord and the FCC prefer.

It’s all part of the adventure.

The denizens of the AM Broadcast band come in three categories, Clear, Regional and Local Channels.

Clear Channel Class A stations are the Big Kahuna’s of the airwaves. Operating between 10 to 50 kilowatts 24 hours a day. Some have directional antenna arrays, and they have the longest range of AM stations.

Regional Channel stations also found on Clear Channels in the daylight hours but, are required by the FCC to reduce their power or cease operating at night in order to avoid interference with the Big Boys Of The Night.

Then there are exclusive Regional Channels with restricted range and Local Channels which are low power stations covering a particular county.

The lowest on the Totem Pole are the “Graveyard Frequencies of 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490 kHz.

The most crowded channels on the AM broadcast band, there are 150+ stations operating on each frequency. Most of them run 1000 watts day and night into non-directional antenna arrays. Listening to any of these frequencies after sunset can sound like a noisy crowd at an overstuffed restaurant, making reception of individual stations very difficult.

The easiest Graveyard station for Birmingham is on 1400 kHz, WJDL in Fairfield. The others will make you pull your hair out.

The following loggings were made using the most commonly available AM receiver there is – my car radio. As I went to and from work, during day and night shifts I would torture my eardrums and log what I found.

The farthest interception was PJB3 – Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, 1883 miles away, from which I received a QSL card.

There are those using better equipment who under perfect conditions can hear Europe and Africa.
Their AM band is slightly different, as their channel spacing is 9 kHz as opposed to out 10 kHz. So if you are listening and hear a faint heterodyne you may be receiving signals from across the Atlantic.

I intend to try this once I get my antennas better situated and have more time, using my HF receiver. Also, I will try to see if I can hear the megawatt stations in the 155 – 281 kHz European & African Long Wave AM broadcast band.

Knowledge of our AM band and that these stations exist is a valuable piece of your emergency preparedness scheme. Should a major disaster hit and knock out our local stations, news from the outside world could be received by the more distant clear channel stations. Likewise, if a disaster hit an area where you have loved ones, being able to listen to stations from that area might give some scope of the situation, unfiltered (also possibly unconfirmed) information apart from online or network sources. Remembering that if their Internet infrastructure has been damaged, yours being functional may not be that great of an asset.

If you have never given AM DXing a try, give it a shot. You never know what you may hear, and what memories you will build or revive.

“Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna make a sentimental journey
To renew old memories.”
– Doris Day 1945

 

 

Radio Log
Fall 2019 – Spring 2022

kHz Class Day Night

530 – Local Bleed over & Splatter / CMBR – Havana, Cuba – 766 miles
540 R WDAK – Columbus, GA – 128 miles / KMLB – Monroe, LA – 316 miles
550 R WDUN – Gainesville, GA – 179 miles / WAUK – Milwaukee, WI – 660 miles
KTRS – St. Louis, MO – 400 miles / KTRS – St. Louis, MO – 400 miles
560 R WHBQ – Memphis, TN – 217 miles / WHBQ – Memphis, TN – 217 miles
570 R WAAX – Gadsden, AL – 57 miles / KLIF – Dallas, TX – 580 miles
— / WWNC – Asheville, NC – 281 miles
580 R WELO – Tupelo, MS – 120 miles / WELO – Tupelo, MS – 120 miles
590 R WDWD – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles / KXSP – Omaha, NE – 734 miles
600 R Bleed over from 610 / Bleed over from 610
610 R WAGG – Birmingham, AL – 4 miles / WAGG – Birmingham, AL – 4 miles
620 R Bleed over from 610 / Bleed over from 610
630 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WMBQ – Savannah, GA – 346 miles
— / WLAP – Lexington, KY – 338 miles
— / KYFI – St. Louis, MO – 400 miles
640 C WGST – Atlanta, GA – 140 Miles / CMLA – Las Tunas, Cuba – 1055 miles
650 C WSM – Nashville, TN – 182 miles / WSM – Nashville, TN – 182 miles
660 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WFAN – New York, NY – 860 miles
670 C WYLS – York, AL – 112 miles / WSCR – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
— / CMBC – Havana, Cuba – 766 miles
680 C Bleed over from 690 / WMFS – Memphis, TN – 217 miles
690 C WJOX – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles / WJOX – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles
700 C Bleed over from 690 / WLW – Cincinnati, OH – 406 miles
710 C Local Bleed over & Splatter / WOR – New York, NY – 860 miles
720 C WVCC – Hoganville, GA – 112 miles / WGN – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
730 C WUMP – Madison, AL – 81 miles / WFMW – Madisonville, KY – 266 miles
740 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / CFZM – Toronto, Canada – 806 miles
— / KRMG – Tulsa, OK – 552 miles
750 C WSB – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles / WSB – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
760 C WURL – Moody, AL – 19 miles / WJR – Detroit, MI – 642 miles
770 C WVNN – Athens, AL – 89 miles / WABC – New York, NY – 860 miles
780 C WTXT – Tuscaloosa, AL – 49 miles / WBBM – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
790 C Local Bleed over & Splatter / WQZI – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
800 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / CKLW – Windsor Ontario, CA – 727 miles
— / PJB3 – Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles – 1883
810 C WCKA – Jacksonville, AL – 76 miles / WHB – Kansas City, KS – 582 miles
820 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WBAP – Fort Worth, TX – 669 miles
830 C WQZQ –Goodlettsville, TN – 205 mi / WCCO – Minneapolis, MN – 1076 miles
— / WACC – Hialeah, FL – 745 miles
840 C Bleed over from 850 / WHAS – Louisville, KY – 366 miles
850 C WXJC – Birmingham, AL – 11 miles / WXJC – Birmingham, AL – 11 miles
/ KOA – Denver, CO – 1094 miles
860 C Bleed over from 850 / Bleed over from 850
870 C WWL – New Orleans, LA – 344 miles / WWL – New Orleans, LA – 344 miles
880 C Bleed over from 900 / WCBS – New York, NY – 860 miles
890 C Bleed over from 900 / WLS – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
900 C WATV – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles / WATV – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles
910 R Bleed over from 900 / WEPG – South Pittsburg, TN – 154 miles
920 R Bleed over from 900 / WLIV – Livingston, TN – 253 miles
930 R Bleed over from 900 / CMKN – Santiago De Cuba, Cuba – 1151 mi
940 C WCPC – Houston, MS – 135 miles / WCPC – Houston, MS – 135 miles
— / XEQ – Mexico City, Mexico – 1239 miles
950 R Bleed over from 960 / CMBD – Havana, Cuba – 767 miles
960 R WERC – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles / WERC – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles
970 R Bleed over from 960 / Bleed over from 960
980 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WFYN – Nashville, TN – 183 miles
990 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WNML – Knoxville, TN – 233 miles
1000 C WKLF – Clanton, AL – 48 miles / WMVP – Boston, MA – 1050 miles
1010 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WJXL – Jacksonville, FL – 374 miles
1020 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / KDKA – Pittsburgh, PA – 608 miles
1030 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WBZ – Boston, MA – 1050 miles
1040 C WJBE – Powell, TN – 235 miles / WHO – Des Moines, IA – 669 miles
1050 C WSGN – Alexander City, AL – 63 miles / WEPN – New York, NY – 860 miles
1060 C Bleed over from 1070 / Bleed over from 1070
1070 C WAPI – Birmingham, AL – 5 miles / WAPI – Birmingham, AL – 5 miles
1080 C Bleed over from 1070 / Bleed over from 1070
1090 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / KAAY – Little Rock, AR – 328 miles
1100 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WTAM – Cleveland, OH – 618 miles
1110 C WBIB – Centerville, AL – 44 miles / WBT – Charlotte, NC – 360 miles
1120 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / KMOX – St Louis, MO – 400 miles
1130 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WBBR – New York, NY – 860 miles
— / KWKH – Shreveport, LA – 408 miles
1140 C WBXR – Hazel Green, AL – 98 miles / XEMR – Monterrey, MX – 975 miles
— / WRVA – Richmond, VA – 593 miles
1150 R WRJD – Tuscaloosa, AL – 48 miles / WHBY – Kimberly, WI – 747 miles
1160 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WYLL – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
…. / KSL – Salt Lake City, UT – 1463 miles
1170 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WGMP – Montgomery, AL – 85 miles
1180 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Spanish – Unknown (like in a barrel)
1190 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WOWO – Ft. Wayne, IN – 532 miles
1200 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WOAI – San Antonio. TX – 744 miles
1210 C Bleed over from 1200 / Bleed over from 1220
1220 C WAYE – Birmingham, AL – 3 miles / WAYE – Birmingham, AL – 3 miles
1230 L g Bleed over from 1220 / Bleed over from 1220
1240 L g Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1250 R Bleed over from 1260 / WTMA – Charleston, SC – 401 miles
1260 R WYDE – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles / WYDE – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles
1270 R Bleed over from 1260 / WBOJ – Columbus, GA – 128 miles
1280 R Bleed over from 1260 / WODT – New Orleans, LA – 344 miles
Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1290 R WYEA – Sylacauga, AL – 40 miles / WHKY – Hickory, NC – 346 miles
1300 R Heterodyne of 610 & 690 / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1310 R Bleed over from 1320 / Bleed over from 1320
1320 R WENN – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles / WENN – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles
1330 R Bleed over from 1320 / Bleed over from 1320
1340 Lg WMHZ – Holt, AL – 44 miles / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1350 R WWWL – New Orleans, LA – 344 mi / WRWH – Cleveland, GA – 189 miles
1360 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1370 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WZTA – Vero Beach, FL – 557 miles
1380 R Harmonic of 690 / XECO – Mexico City, MX ? – 1239 miles
— / WAOK – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
1390 R Bleed over from 1400 / Bleed over from 1400
1400 Lg WJLD – Fairfield, AL – 4 miles / WJLD – Fairfield, AL – 4 miles
1410 R Bleed over from / Bleed over from 1400
1420 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1430 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / WPLN – Nashville, TN – 183 miles
1440 R WLWI – Montgomery, AL – 85 miles / WZVX – Cowan, TN – 122 miles
1450 L Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WCRS – Greenwood, SC – 270 miles
1460 R Heterodyne of 610 & 850 / WZEP – DeFuniak Springs, FL – 198 miles
1470 R Bleed over from 1070 / WMBD – Peoria, IL – 519 miles
1480 R WMMD – Irondale, AL – 6 miles / WMMD – Irondale, AL – 6 miles
1490 L Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1500 C WQCR – Alabaster, AL – 19 miles / Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1510 C Bleed over from 1500 / WLAC – Nashville, TN – 183 miles
1520 C Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / KOKC – Oklahoma City, OK – 624 miles
1530 C WCKY – Cincinnati, OH – 406 miles / WCKY – Cincinnati, OH – 406 miles
1540 C Heterodyne 690 & 850 / CHIN – Toronto, Canada – 805 miles
Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1550 C Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / WKTF – Vienna, GA – 201 miles
— / WIGN – Bristol, TN – 336 miles
1560 C Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / KGOW – Houston, TX – 567 miles
1570 C WCRL – Oneonta AL – 35 miles / XERF – Ciudad Acuna, MX – 883 miles
1580 C WVOK – Oxford, AL – 56 miles / WVOK – Oxford, AL – 56 miles
1590 R Heterodyne 690 & 900 / WCSL – Cherryville, NC – 335 miles
— / WQCH – Lafayette, GA – 119 miles
1600 R WAOS – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles / WAOS – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
1610 R Nil / CHHA – Toronto, ON – 805 miles
1620 R NIL / WNRP – Gulf Breeze, FL – 220 miles
— / WTAW – College Station, TX –592 miles
1630 R NIL / KCJJ – Iowa City, IA – 619 miles
1640 R WTNI – Biloxi, MS – 248 miles / WTNI – Biloxi, MS – 248 miles
1650 R Heterodyne 690 & 960 / Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1660 R NIL / WCNZ – Marco Island, FL – 606 miles
— / KRZI – Waco, TX – 616 miles
1670 R WMGE – Dry Branch, GA – 197 miles / WMGE – Dry Branch, GA – 197 miles
1680 R NIL / KRJO – Monroe, LA – 316 miles
1690 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / WVON – Berwyn, IL – 578 miles
1700 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / KKLF – Richardson, TX – 575 miles
1700 – NIL / NIL

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Mark’s Almanac

The Romans called April “Aprilis”, probably from the word “aperire”, which means, “to open”. This time of year being when buds open. It was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before Roman King Numa Pompilius added January & February in 700 BC.

Freezing weather comes to an end as Birmingham’s average last freeze is April 1, while Tuscaloosa’s is March 26. The record for the latest freeze date is April 21, 1953 for Tuscaloosa and April 23, 1986 for Birmingham.

Snowfall is still possible though, as April 3, 1987’s 5 inches proves. The latest trace of snow was April 25, 1910.

April is less wet than March & rain becomes more localized and less widespread in nature. The sun heats the lower atmosphere near the ground and since the upper atmosphere is still cold, the warm air rises, reaches the dew point line, forms clouds & then it may rain. April is the first time in the spring season that favors local convective activity, which is why you have “April Showers”.

North Atlantic Tropical activity remains at a minimum. From 1851 to 2021 there has never been a Hurricane and only two Tropical Storms – Ana in 2003 and Arlene in 2017 which affected only shipping.

April is peak tornado month, with wide scale outbreaks possible. There are 2 ½ times the number of tornadoes as in March. 25% of the year’s tornadoes will have occurred by April 28.

From April 1950 to 2020, 9499 tornadoes were reported causing, as of 2020, 1820 deaths and as of 2013, 29,090 injuries.

As of 2017, Oklahoma leads the nation in killer violent tornados, having had 64, followed by Iowa with 54, Texas with 53, Kansas with 48 and Alabama 44.

As of 2015, Alabama ranks fourth in the number of April tornadoes, following Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. They along with Illinois belong to the “over 400 club” having had over 400 tornadoes since 1950.

As of 2017 Alabama leads the nation in F5 & EF5 tornadoes, having had 9, followed by Oklahoma and Kansas with 8, and a two-way tie for third between Iowa and Texas with 6.

As of 2016 Alabama leads the nation in tornado deaths with 633, followed by Texas with 552 and Mississippi with 477.

The counties most likely to be struck by violent EF5 tornadoes are Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan, Madison and Marion, all of which have been struck three times.

Tuscaloosa has been stuck by four F4 & EF4 tornadoes including 1932, 1975, 2000 & 2011.

The suburbs of Birmingham, including Oak Grove, Pleasant Grove, McDonald Chapel and Smithfield have been struck by two F4 & EF4 tornadoes in 1956 & 2011 and by two F5 tornadoes in 1977 & 1998.

My Grandfather, who passed away in 1958, once said “someday a big tornado is going to go right up Jones Valley and tear everything up”.

Indeed, there is no logical or climatological reason why and an EF4 or EF5 tornado hasn’t struck or won’t strike the densely populated areas of Birmingham, including the high rises of downtown.

Whether it is due to “Divine Providence” or “random chance” otherwise known as “luck”, Birmingham has been spared.

When will that luck run out?

From 1950 to 2020 the top ten counties for tornadoes are:

Jefferson – 100
Mobile – 98
Baldwin – 97
Cullman – 92
Madison – 80
Tuscaloosa – 77
Marshall = 72
Limestone & Dekalb – 65
Walker – 57
Blount – 53

There is no basis to the myth that mountains can block tornadoes, and yet there is the strange coincidence that from the southern terminus of the Appalachian Mountains at Tannehill State Park in Tuscaloosa & Bibb Counties northeastward through Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, St. Clair, Marshall, Etowah, Dekalb and Cherokee Counties there are roughly twice as many tornadoes on the windward side of the Appalachian mountain range than on the leeward side.

But no matter where you might be reading this, always beware of the storms of April.

Days continue to grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 61.1 degrees at the beginning of the month to 71.3 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 12 hours 32 minutes on April 1 to 13 hours 29 minutes on April 30.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

April 1 Sunrise 6:35 AM Sunset 7:08 PM
April 15 Sunrise 6:17 AM Sunset 7:18 PM
April 30 Sunrise 6:00 AM Sunset 7:29 PM

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Pisces.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude -1.1 in Aquarius is hidden in the glare of the Sun.

He will pass behind the Sun or be at “Superior Conjunction” on April 2 and will then reemerge in the evening sky, reaching the highest position in the evening sky or “Greatest Eastern Elongation” on April 29.

This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

Venus, magnitude –4.4 in Aquarius, is the brilliant Morning Star low in the morning sky in the southeast.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the constellation Pisces.

Mars, magnitude +1,1 in Capricornus, is near Saturn in the early morning sky. Mars will pass very close, a mere 0.3°South of Saturn on April 5 and then they will begin drifting apart.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 8.9 is in Taurus.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.0 in Aquarius, is hidden deep in the glow of the Sun.

Saturn, magnitude +0.8, in Capricornus, is low in the southeast at dawn.

Uranus, magnitude +5.9, in Aries, is disappearing into the sunset.

Neptune, magnitude +7.8 in Aquarius, is hidden in the glow of the Sun.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.5 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.4 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) faintly shines at magnitude 17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.8 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least four additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 between Hydra and Serpens.

50000 Quaoar,and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Ophiucus,

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

90377 Sedna, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

225088 Gonggong, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Aquarius.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System at a distance of 12,246,241,135 miles, and asteroid unofficially called Asteroid 2018 AG37, and nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.

5005 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of March 16, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

New Moon will occur on April 1 at 1:27 AM CDT or 6:27 UTC. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on April 7, when she will be 251,306 miles from Earth.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur April 9 at 1:48 AM or 6:48 UTC. During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0

April’s Full Moon will occur on April 16 at 1:57 PM CST or 18:57 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon, and the Egg Moon. Many coastal tribes called it the Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7.

The Moon will be at her closest distance from Earth or perigee at 226,889 miles on April 17.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower which, runs annually from April 16 – 25, peaks on the evening of April 22 and morning of April 23. This is a minor shower, with only 12 to 24 meteors per hour. These meteors sometimes produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds.

This shower is produced by dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861.

The waning gibbous moon may block some of the fainter meteors this year, but there is still potential for a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra but can appear anywhere in the sky.

April 2022 features two New Moons. The second will occur April 30 at 3:30 PM CDT or 20:30 UTC.

During this New Moon there will be a Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun, sometimes resembling a bite taken out of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun’s reflection. This partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of the southeast Pacific Ocean and southern South America. It will be best seen from Argentina with 53% coverage.

If you have two New Moons in a month, or a “the third New Moon in a season with four New Moons”, the second New Moon is unofficially called by some a “Black Moon”.

Evenings in early April offer an excellent opportunity to view the zodiacal light. Zodiacal light is a faint, roughly triangular whitish glow seen in the night sky which appears to extend up from the vicinity of the sun along the ecliptical plane. It is caused by sunlight scattered by space dust in the orbital plane of the Earth.

From the Northern Hemisphere, early spring is the best time of year to observe this elusive glow after sunset. It appears slightly fainter than the Milky Way, so you’ll need a clear moonless sky and an observing site located far from the city. Look for the cone-shaped glow, which points nearly straight up from the western horizon, after the last vestiges of twilight have faded away.

This is the time of year when the dim Little Dipper – Ursa Minor – juts to the right from the North Star, Polaris, which is the end of the Little Dipper’s handle, during late evening. The much brighter Big Dipper curls over high above it, “dumping water” into it. They do the reverse in the fall.

Now that it’s spring, the signature fall-and-winter constellation Cassiopeia is retreating down after dark. But for mid-northern latitudes Cassiopeia is circumpolar, never going away completely. Look for it fairly low in the north-northwest these evenings. It’s standing nearly on end.

 

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This month’s meeting will be on April 12 at 7PM.

The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting. Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
WD4NYL & WRJE893
Editor
ALERT Newsletter
Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database
www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Hi Everyone,

The Birminghamfest is almost here, and I hope you can attend.

This event will be held at the Trussville Civic Center on Friday March 4 from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Saturday, March 5 from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

There will be forums, vendors, ham radio testing and a flea market with parts and equipment needing a new home.

Admission is $10, which includes 1 prize ticket. Children under 12 will be admitted for free.

For more information go to http://birminghamfest.org/

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Birmingham NWS Spring 2022 Storm Spotter Courses

The Birmingham NWS office will present several online Basic Spotter Courses and a single online Advanced Spotter Course this spring. These online classes allow individuals to complete the courses in the comfort of their own home or office using GoToWebinar.

By attending any course, which are free and runs about 2 hours, individuals or a group of individuals will become SKYWARN Storm Spotters.

Unless you are in need of or just want to attend a refresher Course, you do not need to attend more than one Basic SKYWARN Course, as the material covered is the same; however it is required you to attend at least one Basic SKYWARN Course before taking the Advanced SKYWARN Course.

These courses are two-way, meaning you will be able to interact with the meteorologist leading the training. You will be muted while training is in-progress, and unmuted when applicable (e.g., for questions); or, you can use the built-in chat feature.

How do you Attend an Online SKYWARN Spotter Class?

To avoid being hurried, give yourself at least 15 minutes prior to
the start of the class to complete the following steps:

1. Via the schedule below, register by clicking the link
corresponding to the class you’d like to attend.

2. Select the ‘join webinar’ button on the registration page or
in your confirmation email and follow the prompts.

3. Enjoy the class and ask questions.

The current online schedule is as follows:

Basic Class Tuesday, March 9at 1:00 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4995442385794405132
Basic Class Tuesday, March 8 at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2635345074819786765
Basic Class Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7540743634374993676
Basic Class Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2681283770139924492
Advanced Class Tuesday March 30, at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3265345446326175243

These classes will help you provide the NWS the vital “ground truth” information they need to verify radar indications, target their attention and help you relay reports in a clear manner to the NWS, via the direct number, by calling 205-664-3010 and pressing option 2, online at http://www.weather.gov/bmx/submit_storm_report or amateur radio.

This knowledge helps SKYWARN Net Control stations filter reports, by giving them knowledge of what reporting stations are trying to describe. This way they can tell if the report is a valid report, an invalid report by an overly excited operator or a valid, but poorly described report, which without this knowledge would be mistakenly dismissed.

For further information on these classes visit: http://www.weather.gov/bmx/skywarnschedule

 

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N1YZ HF Net LIST

Ham radio nets have always had a special place in my heart.

It was listening to hams working the tornado outbreak of April 3, 1974, on the AENX or Alabama Emergency Net Xray on the old 146.94 MHz repeater that piqued my interest in amateur radio.

There are many types of nets. There are emergency nets, disaster relief nets, DX spotting nets, social nets and NTS or National Traffic System Nets such as the Alabama Traffic Net Mike or ATNM. The ATNM which meets nightly at 18:30 UTC and Sunday morning at 8:30 UTC on 3.965 MHz LSB, is a net which along with other state or section nets, region nets and wide area nets provide a nationwide network for passing radiograms which provide a crucial non-internet dependent means of communications, which is even more relevant than ever considering the fragile nature of modern communications, where an incident or accident a thousand miles away can knock out communications in your own back yard.

The ATNM becomes the Alabama Emergency Net Mike during emergency situations and id the statewide ARES Net.

The designations Alabama Emergency Net “Xray” and “Mike” are legacy designations going back to a time in the 60’s and 70’s when Alabama’s nets were organized in a system called “the Alabama Emergency Net System.

Some nets that are in this system or at one time were, are:

Alabama Emergency Net Alpha – St. Clair County
Alabama Emergency Net Bravo – Defunct Alabama CW NTS Section Net 3.575 MHz
Alabama Emergency Net Delta – Defunct Alabama Slow Speed CW NTS Section Net 3.725 MHz
Alabama Emergency Net Juliette – Northwest AL
Alabama Emergency Net Kilo – Franklin, Mario & Winston Counties
Alabama Emergency Net Mike – Statewide ARES Net 3.965 MHz
Alabama Emergency Net November – Now the Shelby County ARES Net
Alabama Emergency Net Quebec – Covington County
Alabama Emergency Net Sierra – Marshall County
Alabama Emergency Net Uniform – Tuscaloosa County
Alabama Emergency Net Victor – Tallapoosa County
Alabama Emergency Net Whiskey – Calhoun County
Alabama Emergency Net Xray – Now the Jefferson County Emergency Net
Alabama Emergency Net Yankee – Etowah County
Alabama Emergency Net Zulu – Dekalb County

I know there are some I missed, and If anyone has further information I would be interested.

What ever became of the Alabama Emergency Net System, whether it still exists or not, I have never been able to determine. In fact, based on fruitless inquiries, I’m not sure if anyone other than me remembers that it even existed.

Back on topic, our friend, Rod Scott N1YZ has created an HF Net Webpage. This directory is in the form of a Google Doc and is maintained and updated by Rod, as he receives inputs, updates and corrections from his ham audience.

Rod has passed the link along to us.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cpaIUPJOG9Kdb0Xo-hyzhcVKcyvOr37vrGIF1mIETHs/edit#gid=906307814

If you know of other nets which should be added to the list let Rod know.

Special thanks to Rod for making this list available to us.

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Mark’s Almanac

Originally called Martius, March is the third month & first month of the Roman calendar. March is named for Mars, the god of war, and was the start of the military campaign season.

The beginning of “Meteorological Spring”, which is based on changes in temperature and precipitation, not the solar angle, is March 1

March is a wet month. Most floods occur in March and rainfall averages around 6 inches.
Tornadic activity sharply increases in March with there being an increase of 2.2 times the number of tornadoes over the February amount. The focal point for this tornadic activity is the Gulf States.

March is the hail maximum for the Deep South. This is due both to the number of thunderstorms & due to the freezing level still being near the surface. This allows hail to form at lower altitudes and reach the ground intact, as opposed to summer months, when the freezing level is higher and near surface level temperatures are higher melting the hail into liquid before impact.

North Atlantic Tropical activity remains at a minimum. From 1851 to 2021 there has been only one Hurricane to occur. A 100 MPH unnamed Hurricane which affected the Lesser Antilles in March 6- 9, 1908. Some sources also cite a pre-Civil War Tropical Storm also occurring, but others do not.

South Atlantic Tropical activity doesn’t have a sharp peak as the North Atlantic season does in September, however currently March has a thin lead in activity, as from 1957 – 2021 there have been 86 identified Tropical or Subtopical Storms, including the only known South Atlantic Hurricane – Hurricane Catarina which struck Brazil March 28, 2004.

Brazilian authorities at first were unwilling to admit that Catarina was a hurricane, for up until that time is was considered impossible for the South Atlantic to generate a tropical system, due to wind shear, cold sea surface temperatures and the lack of storm systems from which a storm could develop. With extensive damage from an impossible storm looking at them, they finally reluctantly agreed that maybe NOAA’s opinion was right.

Meanwhile, back in Alabama…

Killing frosts are gone and the last average frost is on March 16.

March is a snow month for Alabama & there is a 45% chance of snow up to one inch, and an 8% chance of one inch or more.

The good news is that there is hope on the horizon as Spring will arrive at Vernal Equinox on March 20 at 15:33 UTC or 10:33 AM CDT.

The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall, or Autumnal Equinox, in the Southern Hemisphere.

Remember to get the eggs out, as it is said that you can stand eggs on their ends at the hour of equinox.

You might also think about the Aurora, for Auroras love equinoxes. At this time of year, the interplanetary magnetic field or IMF can link up with Earth’s magnetic field, prying open cracks. Solar wind then pours in to fuel displays of the aurora borealis with no geomagnetic storm required. Researchers call this the Russell-McPherron Effect, named after the physicists who first described it in the 1970s

If you do see them be cautioned though, for among some northern Native American tribes it is said that as you are looking at the northern lights do not wave sing or whistle at them. Alerted to your presence the spirits of the lights will come down and take you away.

This month sees the return of Ruby Throated Humming Birds and the Giant Yellow Sulfur Butterflies that migrated south during the Fall.

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 49.0 degrees at the beginning of the month to 60.7 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 11 hours 28 minutes on March 1 to 12 hours 30 minutes on March 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

March 1 Sunrise 6:16 AM Sunset 5:44 PM
March 15 Sunrise 6:58 AM Sunset 6:55 PM
March 31 Sunrise 6:36 AM Sunset 7:07 PM *Daylight Savings Time

Why the sunrise is later midmonth as opposed to the first and the last of the month is due to a combination of the quirks in the Earth’s orbit, it’s axial tilt and it being near equinox affecting the length of day based on sunlight as opposed to the measurement of time based on the Earth’s rotation.

Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 AM on March 13. So remember to “spring forward” one hour. This, of course means I will lose one hour of “beauty sleep”, which is something I desperately need.

I don’t particularly care for Daylight Savings Time. I share the same opinion I found on the “Republic Of Lakotah” website:

When told the reason for daylight saving time the old Native American said…
“Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket.”

Saint Patrick’s Day is Thursday March 17, and you better participate by wearing a Touch O’ The Green or you will be plagued by leprechauns and gnomes. Not a pleasant experience, I can assure you.

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Aquarius.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude -0.1 in Capricornus, is below the horizon at the first of the month but will soon reappear the predawn sky.

Venus, magnitude –4.8 in Sagittarius, rises 2 ½ hours before sunrise and is approaching
“Greatest elongation west” or her highest position in the predawn skies, which will occur on March 20, when she will be 46.6° above the horizon.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the constellation Pisces.

Mars, magnitude +1.3, in Sagittarius, rises 2 hours before sunrise.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 8.7 is in Taurus.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.0 in Aquarius, is hidden in the Sun’s glare and will pass behind the Sun or be in Conjunction on March 5.

Saturn, magnitude +1.4, in Capricornus, is hidden in the glare of the Sun.

Uranus, magnitude +5.8, in southwestern Aries, becomes visible above the Western horizon around 6:39 PM CDT as dusk fades and sets around 10:38 PM.

Neptune, magnitude +7.8 in Aquarius, is hidden behind the Sun and will pass directly behind the Sun at Solar Conjunction on March 13.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.5 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.4 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) faintly shines at magnitude 17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.8 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least four additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 between Hydra and Serpens.

50000 Quaoar,and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Ophiucus,

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

90377 Sedna, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

225088 Gonggong, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Aquarius.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System, and asteroid unofficially called Asteroid 2018 AG37, and nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.

FarFarOut is 12,246,241,135 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 15 minutes and 40.1951 seconds from Earth.

This object was discovered during an ongoing search for the source of the “gravity well” or the pull of gravity of a large body in space beyond Neptune that is apparently altering the path of objects in the outer solar system. The yet to be discovered Planet X, presumably is a Neptune sized planet tracing an unusual, elongated orbit in the outer solar system 20 times more distant from the Sun than Neptune.

4935 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of February 22, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

New Moon will occur on March 13 at 11:38 AM CDT or 17:38 UTC. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur March 10 at 4:46 AM or 10:46 UTC. During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on March 17, when she will be 251,200 miles from Earth.

March’s Full Moon will occur on March 18 at 2:20 AM CST or 7:20 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as “Worm Moon”. So called because the rains disturb the earthworms & they are seen wiggling around after the rains.

This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7,

Vernal Equinox occurs at 9:33 AM CDT or 15:33 UTC on March 20. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall, autumnal equinox, in the Southern Hemisphere.

The name “Vernal” comes from the Latin vernālis, which means “of those things pertaining to the spring”.

The Moon will be at her closest distance from Earth or perigee at 229,761 miles on March 23.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur March 25 at 12:39 AM CDT or 18:39 UTC.

Celestial carnivores are emerging from hibernation. After dinnertime at this time of year, five carnivore constellations are rising upright in a ragged row from the northeast to south. They’re all seen in profile with their noses pointed up and their feet (if any) to the right. These are The Great Bear, Ursa Major in the northeast, with the Big Dipper as its brightest part, Leo the Lion in the east, Hydra the Sea Serpent in the southeast, The Lesser Dog, Canis Minor higher in the south-southeast, and The Greater Dog, bright Canis Major in the south.

Sirius, shining at magnitude −1.46, the brightest nighttime star, blazes high in the south on the meridian, in Canis Major by about 8 or 9 p.m. Using binoculars, you will find a fuzzy spot 4 degrees south of Sirius, directly below it when the constellation is directly South. Four degrees is somewhat less than the width of a typical binocular’s field of view.

That dim little patch of gray haze is open star cluster Messier 41, a small gravitationally bound group of 100 stars about 2,200 light-years away and moving away from us at 869 miles per second. Sirius, by comparison, is only 8.6 light-years away.

Canopus, shining at magnitude -0.72, making it the second-brightest star after Sirius, lies 36° almost due south of Sirius. That’s far enough south that it never appears above the horizon if you are above latitude 37° N, such as southern Virginia, southern Missouri and central California. Luckily we lie south of that latitude, with our horizon lying, in the case of Central Alabama, around latitude 33°.

Canopus is located in the southern constellation Carina, The Keel, part of the defunct constellation Argo Navis, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts who searched for the Golden Fleece.

The constellation of Argo was introduced in ancient Greece. However, due to the massive size of Argo Navis and the sheer number of stars that required separate designation, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille divided Argo into three sections in 1763, including Carina, the Hull or Keel, Puppis, the Poop Deck, and Vela the Sails.

In the 19th century, these three became established as separate constellations, and were formally included in the list of 88 modern IAU constellations in 1930.

Canopus, 313 light years away, crosses low above the horizon, due south just 21 minutes before Sirius and is worthy of a peak.

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This month’s meeting will be on March 8 at 7PM.

The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting. Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
WD4NYL & WRJE893
Editor
ALERT Newsletter
Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database
www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/