Hi everyone,

Halloween is upon us. My idea of a good Halloween is to buy lots of candy, turn off the lights; pretend I’m in Tucson and then eat every stinking piece.

I’m not being selfish. Really I’m not.

I figure that I’m actually doing a vital public service by doing this. Just think of all the dental bills that parents won’t have to pay for their children thanks to my noble sacrifice.

At any rate, I hope you have a good Halloween and I hope to see you at our next ALERT meeting, which will be on Election Day, Tuesday November the 8th.

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2016 Simulated Emergency Test Results
The Simulated Emergency Test (SET) which was held on October 15 was a great success, both for ARES and ALERT. A callout was issued for the SET by NWS Liaison Russell Thomas, KV4S at 1:44PM October 13.
ALERT Responders were Casey Benefield NZ2O, Justin Glass N0ZO, Ronnie King WX4RON, Michael Lamb KK4OHW and Roger Parsons KK4UDU.
The following are excerpts from Casey’s After Action Report:
“OVERVIEW
(From SET Script Overview) This year’s statewide SET event is being conducted to simulate our communication response to a Category 5 Hurricane making landfall near Ft. Walton Beach, FL, travelling due north. The NWS requested us to share our coverage maps that indicate where we have operators who can provide information in advance of weather emergencies. The target is to produce maps that indicate where our operators, repeaters, and primary served agencies are located, as well as the capability of contacting and passing messages to and from each county EMA representative.
In addition to the original purpose of SET, ALERT responders would be tested on what we might do to establish an operational station by the start time of the event at 13:00 UTC (12:45 UTC for ideal start time), in the event of radio station damage, or in this case a dismantled station due to renovations being done.
EVENT TIMELINE
* 11:45 UTC – Arrival, NWS Sign-in and Briefing, Equipment Unload/Setup. Event/photos announced on social media, to show how amateur radio works when the primary communication station fails.
* 12:55 UTC – Station in conference room brought online. Capabilities/set-up as follows:
o Equipment (NZ2O): 115AH Gel Cell (Not Used), Astron RS-20, ICOM ID-5100 (VHF, UHF, Analog/D-Star), 100FT 50 Ohm Coax, Comet GP-1 Dual Band Base Antenna, Pofung GT-5, Baofeng BF-F8+, Channel Master Tripod, military mast (1 guy ring, 4x 4ft Pieces – 16 ft, antenna at approximately 17 ft, total height approximately 21 ft), 66ft of non-galvanized guy wire, 3 stakes. Tools: Hammers for stake install/removal. Multi-tool for cutting/dealing with guy wires. Gloves for handling fiberglass. Consumables: Electrical tape, for cable wrapping, orange safety flag tape, to flag the guy wires for safety reasons.
o Equipment (WX4RON): Laptop PC, Wouxum VHF/UHF Radio, Bridgecom 220MHz Radio for EMA contact.
o Equipment (N0ZO): Ultrabook PC, Internet Access Point for NWSChat, Cross-band repeater to KK4BSK (146.76MHz) in vehicle, ICOM D-Star Capable VHF/UHF Radio.
o Reachable Repeaters/Frequencies: 146.76 (Main), 146.88, 147.32, 146.98, 145.35, 146.58S, K4DSO D-Star
o Unreachable, Monitored Repeater: 147.39 (Jasper, AL)
* 15:40 UTC – NWSChat Test Messages, with Mary Keiser’s guidance.
* Approximately 16:30 UTC – Net Control Stations declare this SET session to be complete. ALERT/K4NWS advises Net Control Stations on 146.76/146.88 that the station is standing down, as courtesy to Net Control.
* Approximately 17:10 UTC – Temporary station being dismantled, returned to owners.
OUTCOMES
K4NWS was not online at the pre-planned 12:45 UTC, but we only missed by 10 minutes. We were online before the SET exercise began at 13:00 UTC. An acceptable result.
* The reason for this appears to be our initial choice of a site for the antenna support was too close to the building, and there was a lot of coiled excess cable, which might have resulted in degraded station performance/air-choke behavior. The antenna was moved more to the front of the building, which also likely eliminated the building as a source of line-of-sight interference.
We also were working with new guy-wire, which had not been cut to the proper length prior to the event. It will be useful in the next event, and it may be a good idea for temporary station antenna guy wires to be pre-cut. Today was a sunny and clear day, but measuring, cutting, and putting together the same in dark or rain conditions would have made it much more difficult. Note: It is not safe to work with an antenna during a storm with thunder.
* If this were a real emergency, we may be well-served by first establishing cross-band repeat operations first, and then have the temporary antenna and support structure being worked on afterwards.
* For the temporary station that we deployed today, we were on street power, but capable of emergency power by both gel-cell battery and the permanent on-site generator. The cable was run through a wire conduit to the outside, from the conference room. The NWS’s conference room computer was not used.
* A headset/earpiece in a multi-radio, multi-operator setup might be helpful for clarity/noise level.
K4NWS was ready for reports, and conducted test reports with NWS. The standard Local Storm Report form was used, and the reports were also entered in NWSChat as a test.
* As part of our storm reports, let’s be reminded that the time that an event occurred is important to the meteorologist, and may be different from the time that the report is received.
o SKYWARN® spotters are trained to wait until danger has passed, if any, to provide reports.
o Meteorologists might find the event time useful, when comparing a report with data or other reports.
o This demonstrates and reinforces the value in re-taking/refreshing our SKYWARN® storm spotter training once yearly, or more.
* NWSChat Best Practice shared by Justin (N0ZO): Have a notepad window up, and type the report up in full in that notepad. This prevents accidentally pressing enter, which immediately sends messages. This may also assist, by giving the operator a template to work with, reducing time typing messages. Note: In many cases by procedure, unless responding to a callout/severe event at home, the LSR form is handed directly to meteorologists, instead of NWSChat.
K4NWS’s temporary station was dismantled within 30 minutes, without incident.
Both the temporary station and the cross-band repeater worked well for the entire event. No uncommon occurrences took place.”
This test demonstrates clearly the resilience of ALERT and our capability of providing emergency communications under emergency conditions. I’ll add that if needed, HF capability could be added in “on the fly” just as successfully as VHF/UHF communications were.
I wish to say “thanks” to our responders.
You “did us proud”.
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K4NWS Operational Again
As mentioned in Casey’s After Action Report, the NWS office has been undergoing renovations, and as a result K4NWS has been temporarily out of commission as the cubical was modified to fit the new office scheme.
Roger, KK4UDU went by the office and tested K4NWS and everything appears to be operational again. He made successful contacts on 146.76, 147.140, 146.88 (on both the Alinco and the ICOM), 440 (the Shelby Co 440 input into the 146.88), and was able to activate the repeaters on 220 and D-Star.
He reports “we have an operable station again.”
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Mark’s Almanac

With the arrival of November we enter our second tornado season. Alabama and the Southeast are “blessed” by being the only area on Earth having two tornado seasons. And, the cause of the second season is the same as the spring season – clashes of cold and warm air masses. The cold air of winter is invading and trying to push the warmth of the summer back into the sea, which is the same process of springtime.

This second season is often more destructive than the spring season. So beware of a warm & muggy November day. Especially one with a south wind, as something may really be “in the air”.

The Hurricane threat greatly diminishes, with hurricane activity occurring mainly in the open Atlantic, threatening the Eastern Seaboard, but usually veering off into sea as cold fronts off the East Coast deflect them. Hurricanes can still form in the Caribbean, which usually visit the Yucatan, but can enter the Gulf.

Hurricane season ends November 30.

November Tropical Cyclone Breeding Grounds

The blooms of summer have faded, but you may find yourself still sneezing, due to ragweed and mold.

Mold is a fall allergy trigger. You may think of mold growing in your basement or bathroom – damp areas in the house – but mold spores also love wet spots outside. Piles of damp leaves are ideal breeding grounds for mold.

Oh, and did I mention dust mites? While they are common during the humid summer months, they can get stirred into the air the first time you turn on your heat in the fall. Dust mites can trigger sneezes, wheezes, and runny noses.

November welcomes the peak of fall colors. For Birmingham the peak occurs around November 15, but the date can vary depending on your elevation & latitude.

Indian Summer and Squaw Winter continue to battle it out, but the cool or cold weather will eventually win, with the first average frost being on November 11.

The usual fall effects occur in North America with Canada’s Hudson Bay becoming unnavigable due to pack ice & icebergs. Navigation in the Great Lakes becomes perilous due to storms bringing the “Gales Of November” made famous in the Gordon Lightfoot song “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald”.

And, don’t be surprised if you hear ducks overhead & see wedges of Canadian geese heading south for the winter. And if you see strange birds appearing in your front yard, remember that for 336 species of birds Alabama IS south for the winter.

Looking skyward, Mercury is hidden in the glare of the Sun

Venus shines low in the Southwest at evening twilight, at magnitude -4.0.

Mars glows at magnitude +0.3 in the south-southwest at dusk, 40 degrees upper left of Venus.

Giant Jupiter, magnitude -1.7 is low in the east in the early dawn.

Saturn, magnitude +0.5 is low in the southwest about 4 degrees above Venus as evening twilight fades.

Uranus, magnitude +5.7 in Pisces is well up after dark in the east

Neptune, magnitude +7.8 Aquarius is also well up after dark in the southeast.

The Taurid Meteor Shower will occur the night of November 4 & 5. This is a minor shower producing only 5 to 10 meteors per hour. It is an unusual shower in that it consists of two separate meteor streams. The first stream is dust grains left behind from Asteroid 2004 TG10, while the second stream is debris from Comet 2P Encke. The shower runs from September 7 to December 10, but, peaks overnight on November 4 & 5. The first quarter moon will set just after midnight leaving the skies dark for viewing the shower. The meteors will radiate from Taurus, but, can appear anywhere in the sky.

Full Moon will occur at 13:52 UTC or 7:52 AM CST November 14. November’s Full Moon is called “Beaver Moon” in Native American folklore, because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon.

This will be a Supermoon, as the Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may appear slightly larger and brighter than normal

The annual Leonid meteor shower occurs from November 10 – 21 and peaks on the night of November 16/17. Though the Leonids are an “average shower”, producing only an average of 15 meteors per hour, they are well known for producing bright meteors and fireballs.

This shower is also unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001. The Leonids are produced by dust grains left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865.

Its productivity varies per year, but it can deposit 12 to 13 tons of particles across the planet. Which is why having an atmosphere to shield us is such a nifty thing.

A waning gibbous moon will block many of the fainter meteors, but, you should be able to catch the brighter ones. The meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but, can appear anywhere in the sky.

New Moon will occur November 29 as the Moon is located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun. This phase will occur at 12:18 UTC or 6:18 AM CST.
.
3402 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of October 27, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/.

Finally, don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour at 2 AM, Sunday morning November 6nd, as Daylight Savings Time ends.

Remember that according to the National Time Act of 2014 states you MUST wait until 2 AM to reset your clocks, or you will be in violation of Section 15, Paragraph 114, Subset 195485 (24(234b)) (see page 4537) of said act.

I saw it on social media, so it must be true. For NO ONE would post unverified muck on the internet, oh perish the thought.

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This month’s meeting will be on November 8 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

If for some reason you cannot attend the meeting in person, you can still participate via telephone. The teleconference number is 1-877-951-0997 & and the participant code is 741083.
Hope to see you there!
Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database

Hi everybody and welcome to the October ALERT Newsletter.

October has arrived, and the dead grass that was once my front lawn reminds me that we are as dry as the Mohave Desert.

Thunderstorms, tornadoes and flooding seem either a distant memory or far into the future, when in fact our second severe weather season is only five weeks away.

So, with this preface I will ask a simple question.

Are you still prepared?

You see, we humans are reactive creatures. We make plenty of emergency plans AFTER a disaster has struck. But, as time passes and memories fade, so does our focus on personal emergency preparedness.

As October is the month for the Simulated Emergency Test, which we will discuss in a couple of minutes, why not do you own a quick test? Think of this as a “Simulated Emergency Test On The Cheap”.

Ask a family member to pick a date & time, not telling you of course when, and on that date and time they go to the breaker box & flip the switch.

For the test to be a realistic test it should be during the last 15 minutes of the finale of that mini-series you’ve been watching for the last five months. Or the end of that John Wayne movie when he has 3 bullets and 300 Apaches closing in. Or that ball game that’s in the bottom of the 15th inning, with the bases loaded. Or, dare I say, before the Imodium kicks in? You know….the usual times that the telephone decides to ring off the hook

Anyway, “poof”, you are in the dark.

Do you know where the flashlight is? Does it work? Is it once again full of that mysterious green powdery goop that was once upon a time, long, long ago, was a set of batteries?

Where is your HT? Is it charged? Have you charged it this year? This decade?

More importantly, if this were the “real deal” could you and your family reach your “place of safety”? Or do you even have a “place of safety” planned?

How ready are you really?

Notice that none of these questions pertain to callouts, deployments, or any other “official” EMCOMM activities. For your emergency preparedness must always begin and focus at home.

For you can’t deploy with any emergency group if you are dead or desperately trying to dig your family out of the rubble.

So the time to prepare is now. Prepare, and to stay prepared.

Knowledge is the most perishable commodity that exists. So read and reread those books you have. Take courses and refresher courses. Recheck & rethink your vulnerabilities and plans.

Take the time to take the time. For you and your family are certainly worth the effort.

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2016 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test

The ARRL Simulated Emergency Test is an annual exercise in emergency communications, administered by ARRL ARES Emergency Coordinators and Net Managers. Both ARES and the National Traffic System (NTS) are involved.

The SET weekend gives hams the opportunity to focus and hone emergency communications capability within their community while interacting with NTS nets.

The purposes of the SET are to:

1. Determine the strengths and weaknesses of ARES and NTS, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and other groups in providing emergency communications.

What methods, equipment and protocols do or don’t work? What changes need to be made to adjust to changing times, technology and resources, such as available repeaters? Old repeaters disappear and new ones appear on a regular basis. Are we depending on a repeater that no longer exists, while another repeater with twice the range is in an area, but we don’t know about?

Also, it provides an opportunity to demonstrate to our served agencies, such as the NWS, the EMA, and Red Cross as well as the public and news media, the value that Amateur Radio provides, particularly in time of need.

And, to help radio amateurs test their equipment and gain experience in emergency communications using standard procedures and a variety of modes under simulated emergency conditions.

This year’s SET will be divided into small segments of time so that we can maximize our ability to get as many hams and served agencies involved.

This test will differ from tests of previous years in that it will involve three separate tests.

The NWS and the state EMA have expressed a need to know the actual, not theoretical, effectiveness of Amateur Radio in contacting a county and surrounding counties EMA offices and the ability to reach the State EMA in Clanton via Amateur Radio.

I’ll mention at this point a little known fact, is that since the State EMA Office is underground, most cellphones will not work. So this is a good example of why “when all else fails, there’s Amateur Radio”.

The schedule for the 2016 SET is as follows:

The first part, which is limited to a designated county liaison, the particular county EMA and the NWS, will occur Friday October 14 from 15:00 to 17:00 UTC. This will NOT be open for general ham participation.

The second part, which will be the traditional SET for ham operators, will be Saturday, October 15 from 8:00 to Noon, using standard procedures including VHF/UHF county emergency nets, ALERT and the various EMA offices.

This year’s scenario involves a Category 5 Hurricane which strikes near Ft. Walton Beach Florida and moves northward through the center of Alabama. This is reminiscent of Hurricane Opal’s path in 1995.

Sunday evening, October 16 will be the HF portion of the SET during the normal time slot for the Traffic Net Mike on 3.965 MHz LSB, at 18:30 UTC. The SET events of the day will be reviewed and the NCS will provide updates and request the participants to provide information related to their activity in the SET events, including, whether they have 2 meter capability, emergency power capability, mobile capability and a list of successful contacts with adjacent counties.

ALERT will be active during this event and your participation is needed.

Watch for the callout and if you are available to volunteer (and I hope you are), please contact our NWS Liaison Russell, whose contact information will be included in the callout notice or via Russell@kv4s.com and “step up to the plate”.

It’s is a worthwhile effort and a good training exercise.

I hope to hear you on the air!

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Mark’s Almanac

“This place gets more rain in 12 months than some places get in a year” – Russell Coight – “All Aussie Adventures” 2001
The tenth Month, October is so named because it is the eighth month on the Roman calendar. To the Slavs of Eastern Europe it is called “yellow month,” from the fading of the leaf, while to the Anglo-Saxons it was known as Winterfylleth, because at this full moon (fylleth) winter was supposed to begin.

By whichever name you call it, October is a mild and dry month, the driest of the year, in fact. And, it is a sunny month with the amount of possible sunshine reaching the ground in the 60% or greater range.

Weather shifts from autumn pattern to revisiting the summer pattern and back again. The Azores-Bermuda High shifts eastward into the Atlantic, but, leaves weakened high pressure centers over the Virginias, which still try to block out approaching fronts.

October is usually a quite month for tornadoes, with a 40% decrease in activity. Nationwide an average of 28 tornadoes occur in October and those tornadoes are usually weak.

Our Hurricane threat continues, with hurricane activity increasing during the first half of the month, concentrating in the Caribbean, both from formation in the Caribbean and from the long track Cape Verde hurricanes, which enter the Caribbean. And, we still have the little “gifts” that the Gulf of Mexico occasionally will provide. But after the second half of the month the activity will begin a steady decrease.

28% of the year’s hurricanes occur in October.

October Tropical Cyclone Breeding Grounds

This is the month for Alabama’s version of “Indian Summer’s” arrival.

Technically speaking Indian Summer doesn’t occur until “Squaw Winter” or the first frost arrives, but exact date when Indian Summer arrives varies with latitude.

We live in Alabama, and while the earliest frosts have been known to occur by October 17, they usually wait until November. So, we, in our milder climate call the first warm up after the first cool down “Indian Summer”.

The Yellow Giant Sulphur Butterflies are very noticeable as they continue to drift South-Southeast on their migration towards Florida. They prefer red things & if you have red flowers they will zero in on them.

The Monarchs also will be seen gliding by in their migration towards Central America.

Fall colors will become prominent & by late October & early November the leaves will be reaching their peak fall colors.

Looking towards the sky, at the beginning of the month Mercury shines at magnitude -0.8 low in the East about 45 minutes before sunrise.

Venus shines at magnitude –3.9 is low in the west-southwest at twilight. Start looking for her about 25 or 30 minutes after sunset.
Mars, at magnitude 0.0, is passing above the Sagittarius Teapot in the south-southwest at dusk.
Jupiter is hidden behind the Sun.
Saturn, magnitude +0.5 is far to the left of Mars at dusk, in the southwest; with the red star Antares twinkling at magnitude +1.0 a little to the left and 6 degrees below the sixth planet.
Uranus shining at magnitude 5.7, in Pisces is well up in the east after nightfall is complete. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth on October 15 and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Uranus, but, due to its distance, the planet will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
Neptune shining at magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius also is well up in the southeast after nightfall.
October’s first New Moon occurs October 1 at 00:11 UTC or Central Daylight Time being five hours behind, at 7:11 PM CDT on September 30.

Using the UTC format this would means October has two New Moons – more on this later.

The Draconid Meteor Shower will peak on October 7. This minor shower is produced by dust grains left behind by Comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was discovered in 1900. This shower, which runs from October 6 – 10, is unusual in that it is best observed in the early evening, instead of the early morning hours as with most other showers.

The first quarter moon will block the fainter meteors in the early evening. It will set shortly after midnight leaving darker skies for observing any lingering stragglers. Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky

October’s Full Moon will occur October 15 at 04:23 UTC or 11:23 AM CDT. This month’s moon is “Full Hunter’s Moon” so named by Native American tribes because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This moon has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon.

This Full Moon will be a “Supermoon”, the first of three for 2016. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and my look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

This isn’t that usual. Contrary to social media, the moon won’t be a “glorious orb looming in the heavens”, and I doubt it will have any “prophetic implications” concerning the upcoming November elections, though I do believe it may be an omen that my beloved Cubbies will make it to and WIN their first World Series since 1908.

The Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on October 21 & 22. This shower, which runs from October 2 to November 7, is produced by the broad debris trail of Halley’s Comet. Halley’s Comet is set to make its next closest approach to Earth, a much closer approach than the distant passage in 1986 when it and the Earth were on opposite sides of the solar system, on July 28, 2061. I will be 103 years old. So mark your calendars T-Minus 55 years and counting!

Earlier we mentioned the New Moon occurring on the night & morning of September 30 & October 1.

Basing this event on UTC instead of CDT, so it won’t mess up the article I’m writing, October’s second New Moon occurs October 20 at 17:38 UTC or 12:38 PM CDT, when the Moon will on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky.

You may remember that a second of Full Moon in a single month is popularly called a “Blue Moon”, but what about two New Moons in a single month?

A second New Moon in a month is a “Black Moon”.

Now a more persnickety definition, is the third Full Moon in a season which has four Full Moons is a Blue Moon and the third New Moon in a season which has four New Moons is a Black Moon.

By this definition, the next Black Moon will occur October 21, 2017.

A third definition says a Black Moon is a month with no Full Moon, which will occur in February 2018.
Which means both January and March 2018 will have two Full Moons or Blue Moons.

A fourth definition states that it is a month with no New Moon, which last happened in 2014, and will next occur on February 2033.

No one writes songs about Black Moons. “Black Moon, you saw me standing alone….”
It just doesn’t “sing”,

3388 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of September 15, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/.

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This month’s meeting will be on October 11 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

If for some reason you cannot attend the meeting in person, you can still participate via telephone. The teleconference number is 1-877-951-0997 & and the participant code is 741083.
Hope to see you there!
Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database

Hi everyone,

Do you have any plans Sunday night?

If not, or if you can squeeze it in, I cordially invite you to join the ALERT Sunday Night Net.

This net, formerly the BARC Sunday Night Net meets every Sunday at 7PM on 146.88 MHz. Glenn Glass, KE4YZK, formed the net about 19 years ago and I took over as Net Manager from Mark Nichols, K7NOA in 2001. BARC has since then donated the net to ALERT for ALERT promotion and visibility.

The ASNN is a “discussion net” and at times we try to slip training snippets in concerning net operations and what the NWS and ALERT does and doesn’t need reported.

We have a dedicated staff of Net Control Stations:

David Hanna – WX4NCS
Jackson Chance – KK4NGD
Dale Wisely – N4HEY
and every now and then Mark WD4NYL

One thing to be stressed is that this net is NOT an emergency net and won’t be activating for emergencies. One should always respond to your local ARES / Skywarn Net when situations arise.

Should the ASNN be in session and a severe weather arise, it will, as it has in numerous cases in the past, clear the frequency for the Jefferson County ARES Emergency Net.

So, once again, if you are available (carry an HT into the choir loft, the minister won’t mind), give the net a try.

I think you will like it!

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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1151 AM CDT THU SEP 1 2016

…NWS Birmingham Webpage Changes Coming September 27th…

On September 27th, 2016, the look and feel of our webpage will be
changing. On this date, our office, along with all Southern Region
NWS Weather Forecast Offices, will migrate to a new layout on the
front page of our web home page. This is in response to a required
web infrastructure consolidation that will occur by the end of the
year. The change will also provide office-to-office consistency
because the layout of the home page will be set across the region.

In addition to the new front page layout, all webpage links will be
changing. You can visit the following webpage for more information
on the forthcoming changes: http://w2-mo.weather.gov/bmx/webpagetransition
We will be updating this page with new information as we approach
the transition date.

Our office is working hard to ensure that the transition will be as
painless as possible, but as with any major change, there are going
to be some initial growing pains. To assist with the transition, a
webpage re-direct will be implemented for high-priority webpages for
at least a few months after the transition date.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as
we go through this major transition. If you have any questions or
concerns, please contact our webmasters at sr-bmx.webmaster@noaa.gov

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Spy & Numbers Stations Decoded

Radio in its various forms has always been a fascinating hobby to me. My first exposure to radio, other than me having the AM radio blasting music, was listening to my brother, Sonny K4FHX’s ham radio, and the weird sounds emanating from his speaker. When he got out of the hobby in the early sixties he gave me his equipment. But, I was six years old, and of course I destroyed every piece of that Hallicrafters gear. All that is left today is the Speed-X straight key, which I still use to this day.

My next exposure to radio was with my Uncle Luther’s shortwave radio, listening to the strange squeaks and squawks and some tick-tocking station with a guy saying “thirteen hours forty five minutes Greenwich Mean Time”.

Seeing that I was hooked, my parents gave me a Ross shortwave radio the Christmas of 1972.

I would stay up into the wee hour of the night listening, usually with the lights turned off, so my parents wouldn’t worry why I wasn’t asleep, listening to stations all over the country and all over the world.

The radio did not have a beat frequency oscillator or BFO, so I was unable to listen to sideband signals. All I heard were people who sounded like they were gargling with wet socks.

One of the mysteries of those days was something called “Spy and Numbers” stations.

These would come on at irregular intervals up and down the band, but, usually just below the 40 meter band. They were always in AM, and though I have heard them in English and German, the strongest were in Spanish, usually female, with a strange regularly spaced clacking sound in the background.

The typical format was as follows:

Either at the top or the bottom of the hour after about 20 minutes of a carrier with that strange clacking sound, the call would begin something like this:

“Attencion, attencion…..quatro cinco uno…..quatro cinco uno…..quarto cinco uno…
uno ocho sies ocho quatro ocho tres uno tres……repeata….. uno ocho sies ocho quatro ocho tres uno tres…..fine…fine…”

And then the signal would disappear as mysteriously as it had appeared.

What were these signals?

The leading theory was that they originated in Cuba and were being sent to covert operatives in the US. But, nothing could ever be proved.

Until now.

Recently Dateline NBC had the story of an ex-Soviet spy who defected and fell off the radar and for decades lived and raised a family using an assumed identity. In the story he said he received his instructions “from numbers given in Spanish on a shortwave radio from Cuba”.

Mystery solved. But, how did it work?

The following is what I was told by a gentleman, now deceased who was in the Air Force OSI – Office Of Special Investigations. I feel safe describing this because many years have passed and technology has progressed to where things are delivered via “other means”.

The code was an unbreakable code.

To use it you simply needed two people with two identical books, with the same publisher and edition. Which book didn’t matter really. It could be Macbeth, The Gospel of Luke, The ALERT Newsletter, etc.
They just had to have the same page number, paragraph and word location.

The first three numbers given after the “Attencion” was the operative’s number.

The long sequence of numbers told where to look in the book.

“uno ocho sies ocho quatro ocho tres uno tres” or in English “106040313”

Which mean Page 106, Paragraph 04, Line 03, Word 13

They would simply write down the numbers and look them up in the book.

But, which book? That’s what made it unbreakable. Only they two parties involved knew which book, and they would change that on a regular basis or as needed.

Let’s say Agent 008 (that’s 007’s clutzy partner) needed money. He might use the Gideon Bible, and choose:

“my God will meet all your NEEDS according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” and then
“For the love of MONEY is the root of all evil…”

After deciphering the page, paragraph and locating words 7 & 5 the recipient would that know Agent 008 “needs money”.

And so ends the mystery of the Spy & Numbers stations.

This is 008 signing out…

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Mark’s Almanac

September is the ninth month of the year and the seventh month of the Roman calendar, which is where the month gets its name.

Temperatures are still hot at the beginning of the month, but, by months end, fall will definitely be felt.

Noticeable in September will be the thickening of the cat’s fur, as she begins growing her winter coat & the drift of Yellow Giant Sulphur Butterflies as they migrate towards Florida.

Weather starts shifting from the summer to autumn pattern and then back again. Storm activity resembles the August pattern, but the Bermuda High starts shifting southward and begins weakening, which weakens the blocking effect that has hampered fronts attempting to invade from the northwest.

September is the peak of the hurricane season, the actual peak being on September 10. This peak coincides with the time of “syzygy”, when the combination of the solar and lunar gravity and autumnal equinox combine to provide the highest astronomical tides of the year. Add a hurricane’s storm surge on top of this and you can have incredibly destructive flooding.

September Tropical Cyclone Breeding Grounds

Looking towards the sky, Mercury is fading and disappearing into the sunset, below Venus and Jupiter. By the end of the month he will reappear in the morning sky and will reach his highest point above the eastern horizon on September 28, when he will be 17.9 degrees above the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest altitude above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

Venus and Jupiter are very low in bright twilight, shining at magnitudes –3.8 and –1.7 respectively. Venus is creeping a little higher each night and Jupiter sinks farther to Venus’s lower right. Their separation grows by 1° per day.
Mars, magnitude –0.3, in upper Scorpius is moving rapidly eastward away from Saturn, magnitude +0.4 and the red star Antares, magnitude +1.0, below Saturn. Look for them in the southwest after dusk. The triangle they make is again widening.
Uranus shining at magnitude 5.8, in Pisces is well up by midnight in the southeast.
Neptune shining at magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius also is well up by midnight in the south. Neptune will be at his closest approach to Earth on September 3. Due to its extreme distance the giant blue planet will appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
New Moon occurs September 1 at 4:03 AM CDT when the Moon will on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky.

There will be an annular solar eclipse on September 1, but, it will only be visible from Africa.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The Sun’s corona is not visible during an annular eclipse.

Fall begins at Autumnal Equinox on September 22 at 9:12 AM CDT, when the Sun crosses directly over the equator and night and day is approximately the same length.

One term that occasionally pops up is “equinoctial storms”. Which are severe storms in North America and the UK that supposedly accompany the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. Where this belief originated is obscure. Some say perhaps from the 1700’s when sailors were greeted by West Indies hurricanes, or due to the coincidence of the first fall severe storms sometimes coming in the latter half of September. At any rate, statistics show no evidence to support the belief.

On this date, if there is sufficient solar activity, and you are away from city lights, the aurora may possibly be seen, as the Equinox dates are the two most favored times of the year for auroral sightings.

September’s Full Moon will occur September 16 at 2:05 PM CDT. This month’s moon is “Full Corn Moon” in Native American folklore because corn is harvested this time of year.

This year it is also “Harvest Moon”. Harvest moon get its name because the moon is larger and seems to rise at almost the same time every night, which allowed harvesting to continue on into the night.

Most believe that Harvest Moon is always in September; however this isn’t always the case. Harvest Moon is actually the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox, and so occasionally it can occur with October “Hunters Moon”.

There will be a penumbral lunar eclipse on September 16, but, it will only be visible from Eastern Europe, Eastern Africa, Asia & Western Australia.

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s partial shadow, or penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely.

High in the Southern night sky an asterism or a group of stars appearing clustered together, but not actually gravitationally bound will be seen that resembles a teapot. This is the Teapot of Sagittarius.

To the naked eye, the Teapot is roughly the size of your fist at arm’s length. Above the spout of the Teapot lies a band of light, the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud. A pair of binoculars will reveal a sea of stars and faint grayish patches, the largest of which is the Lagoon Nebula. When you look upon these nebulae you are seeing stars in the process of being born.

The spout, which is tilting and pouring to the right, also points towards the galactic center of the Milky Way, located just beyond the Large Sagittarius Star cloud, but largely hidden by the dust clouds, which lie along the plane of the Sagittarius arm of the galaxy.

3375 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of August 25, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/.

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This month’s meeting will be on September 13 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

If for some reason you cannot attend the meeting in person, you can still participate via telephone. The teleconference number is 1-877-951-0997 & and the participant code is 741083.
Hope to see you there!
Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database

Hi everyone,

Do you know of anyone interested in becoming a ham? If so, there is a great opportunity for them.

On August 13, ARES and the Amateur Radio Advancement group ARA will conduct a “Ham Cram” for the Technician License.

A Ham Cram is a single day class that teaches everything needed to earn an FCC radio amateur license, followed by a testing session.

This class will take place at the 2020 building on University Ave or 8th Ave South, beginning at 8:00 AM. The cost is $15 (donations for the groups time and transportation will be welcome also).

Seating is limited to 35 people so please call Jefferson County EC, Johnnie Knobloch at 205-934-7392 to reserve a spot.

Incidentally, food will not be provided, so bring your own lunch.

Once they are licensed, remembering how it was when YOU first got your license, when YOU had to deal with snarky, whiney, nitpicking know it all old goats, be sure YOU welcome them warmly, YOU include them and YOU gently mentor them as the good Elmer that YOU ARE should do.

Says old goat WD4NYL, Pollutant Of The Airwaves since 1977…

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HEAT & Its Dangers

Heat and heat related illnesses are not something to be shrugged off. About 237 Americans die each year due to heat related illnesses.

In arid regions such as the desert southwest, the heat lacks humidity, and though it will be blazing hot, the evaporation helps the body combat the heat, as evaporating sweat helps cool to body down.
A “dry heat” is not as uncomfortable as the “humid heat” which we endure.

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, climatologically our summer conditions are similar to that of those experienced in the Amazon Valley, with the same heat, humidity, tropical downpours and mosquitoes that can carry small dogs away.

In our semitropical climate, humidity from the Gulf works against our bodies cooling mechanisms – internal blood circulation adjustments, sweating and evaporation, not allowing the body to combat the heat, and we are in placed in a seriously dangerous situation.

Though you are rapidly losing your body’s water reserves, up to 1.5 liters or 1.6 quarts per hour through sweating, the sweat cannot evaporate fast enough to dissipate the heat in the high humidity.

We are familiar with the term “heat index”. This index was developed to help identify the danger zone, and express how the combined temperature and humidity “feels” or affects the human body.

The Shaded Heat Index can be determined using this chart.

I picked this version because it uses the Dewpoint. Some charts use Relative Humidity, which is fine, except the humidity is constantly varying with temperature fluctuations, while the Dewpoint usually remains fairly steady.

Heat Index Chart (Temperature & Dewpoint)
Dewpoint
(° F) Temperature (° F)
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105
65 94 95 96 97 98 100 101 102 103 104 106 107 108 109 110 112
66 94 95 97 98 99 100 101 103 104 105 106 108 109 110 111 112
67 95 96 97 98 100 101 102 103 105 106 107 108 110 111 112 113
68 95 97 98 99 100 102 103 104 105 107 108 109 110 112 113 114
69 96 97 99 100 101 103 104 105 106 108 109 110 111 113 114 115
70 97 98 99 101 102 103 105 106 107 109 110 111 112 114 115 116
71 98 99 100 102 103 104 106 107 108 109 111 112 113 115 116 117
72 98 100 101 103 104 105 107 108 109 111 112 113 114 116 117 118
73 99 101 102 103 105 106 108 109 110 112 113 114 116 117 118 119
74 100 102 103 104 106 107 109 110 111 113 114 115 117 118 119 121
75 101 103 104 106 107 108 110 111 113 114 115 117 118 119 121 122
76 102 104 105 107 108 110 111 112 114 115 117 118 119 121 122 123
77 103 105 106 108 109 111 112 114 115 117 118 119 121 122 124 125
78 105 106 108 109 111 112 114 115 117 118 119 121 122 124 125 126
79 106 107 109 111 112 114 115 117 118 120 121 122 124 125 127 128
80 107 109 110 112 114 115 117 118 120 121 123 124 126 127 128 130
81 109 110 112 114 115 117 118 120 121 123 124 126 127 129 130 132
82 110 112 114 115 117 118 120 122 123 125 126 128 129 131 132 133
Note: Exposure to full sunshine can increase HI values by up to 15° F

HEAT INDEX EFFECTS
80 to 90 degrees – Fatigue possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity.
90 to 105 degrees – Sunstroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion are possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity.
105 to 130 degrees – Sunstroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion are likely, and heatstroke is possible, with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity.
130 degrees and higher – Heatstroke or sunstroke are highly likely with continued exposure.

I hope you noticed the line stating that if you are in full sunlight the heat index can be up to 15 degrees higher than the indicated values.

Be exceedingly careful with your exposure to the heat and sunlight.

The Dew Point itself is a great indicator of how comfortable or miserable you will be when you step outside and adjust to the conditions

Dew Points

< 55 degrees – Pleasant
55-60 degrees – Comfortable
61-65 degrees – Getting Sticky
66-70 degrees – Uncomfortable
71-75 degrees – Oppressive
76+ – Miserable

To help combat the heat danger, stay indoors as much as possible, hugging the air conditioner. Avoid strenuous activity. Wear loose, lightweight, light colored clothing made from cotton or linen, as they absorb your sweat and help with cooling.

Your clothing is a vital defense. That’s why the age old habit of guys trying to act macho by stripping off as much as is legally possible, to show off their abs, pecs and biceps, isn’t the most intelligent move that one can make.

You want to dress more like Sheik Omar, and less like a Krispy Critter.

Wear a good sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher.

Drink lots & lots of water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they dehydrate the body.

Sports drinks are ok for a once one-jug drink to help replenish your electrolytes, but the body absorbs water much more quickly. Sports drinks are so loaded with minerals that the body misidentifies the juice as food and waits for it to be digested before sending it on to the lower innards to be absorbed into the body. Your dehydration worsens though your stomach is full of liquid. So make water your primary drink.

Drink. Drink even if you aren’t thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

A rough guide to the minimum water intake needed to maintain body fluid while at rest in the shade is as follows:

At 68 degrees drink 1.2 liters or 1.3 quarts
At 77 degrees drink 1.4 liters or 1.5 quarts
At 86 degrees drink 2.5 liters or 2.6 quarts
At 95 degrees drink 5.1 liters or 5.4 quarts

Note that just walking may double these requirements.

It is better to drink small amounts of water, such as 250 – 350 milliliters or ¼ to 1/3 quarts every 20 minutes, rather than try to gulp large amounts of water every hour.

To get down and earthy with the subject, if your urine is clear and there is a lot of it, you are properly hydrated, if this is not the case, if the urine dark or there is little or none being produced, you are in serious danger.

Dehydration has been found to compromise mental function by dropping our brainpower by 25%. This keeps you from thinking straight & doing the smart things you need to do to help keep you above the daisies.

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Recognizing and Treating
Heat-Related Illnesses
Even short periods in high temperatures can cause health problems that range from minor to life threatening. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness in order to ensure proper treatment.
Heat Rash
Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. It can occur at any age but is most common in young children.
Symptoms:
Heat rash looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters, with intense tingling and itching. It is more likely to occur on the neck and upper chest, in the groin, under breasts, and in elbow creases and other skin folds.
Treatment:
• The best treatment is to provide a cooler, less humid environment.
• Cleanse area.
• Keep the affected area dry.
• Dusting powder may be used to increase comfort, but avoid using ointments or creams as they keep the skin warm and moist and may make the condition worse.
Treating heat rash is simple and usually does not require medical assistance.
Sunburn
Sunburn should be avoided because it is damaging to the skin and reduces the body’s ability to dissipate heat. While the discomfort is usually minor and healing occurs in about a week, some sunburns can be more severe and require medical attention.

Symptoms:
Skin becomes red, painful and abnormally warm after sun exposure. In severe cases there is also swelling, blisters, fever and headache.
Treatment:
Consult a doctor if an infant under 1 year of age is sunburned or has the following symptoms: fever, fluid-filled blisters and/or severe pain.
Tips for treating sunburn:
• Use Sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.
• Avoid repeated sun exposure.
• Apply cool compresses or immerse the affected area in cool water.
• Apply moisturizing lotion to affected areas. Do not use salve, butter or ointment.
• Do not break blisters.
• Do not apply ice.
Heat Cramps
Usually heat cramps affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. When the body is depleted of salt and moisture, the low salt level in the muscles causes painful cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.
Symptoms:
Heat cramps are muscle pains or spasms that usually occur in the abdomen, arms, or legs, which may occur in association with strenuous activity.
Treatment:
• If you have a heart problem or are on a low sodium diet, seek medical attention.
• Stop all activity and rest in a cool, shaded area.
• Do not return to the strenuous activity for a few hours after the cramps subside, further exertion may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
• Seek medical attention for heat cramps that do not subside within one hour.
• Drink fluids such as water, fruit juices and sports drinks to rehydrate and replace salt and mineral levels.
Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of water and salt contained in sweat. Those most prone to heat exhaustion are the elderly, people with high blood pressure and people working or exercising in a hot environment.
Symptoms:
Warning signs of heat exhaustion include:
• Heavy sweating
• Intense thirst
• Irritability
• Confusion
• Paleness
• Muscle cramps
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fainting
• Skin may feel cool and moist
• Pulse rate will be fast and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow
If untreated, heat exhaustion may progress to heat stroke. Seek medical attention immediately.
Treatment:
Cooling measures that may be effective include:
• Move to a cool area, or air-conditioned environment
• Cool, non-alcoholic beverages, as directed by your doctor
• Loosen clothing
• Rest with legs elevated
• Cool compresses to head, neck, face and inside of elbows.
• A cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
• Lightweight clothing
• Call 911 if condition worsens.
Heat Stroke
When heat stroke occurs the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down and body temperature may rise to 106ºF or higher. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not given.
Symptoms:
Warning signs of heat stroke vary but may include:
• A body temperature above 103º
• Red, hot and dry skin (no sweating)
• Rapid, strong pulse
• Throbbing headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Confusion
• Unconsciousness
Treatment:
Heat stroke can be a life-threatening emergency. Immediately begin cooling the victim and call for medical assistance.
• Call 911
• Get the victim to a shady area.
• Rapidly cool the victim using whatever methods are available:
o Wrap the victim in a cool, wet sheet and fan vigorously.
o Spray or sponge with cool water and fan.
o Immerse in a tub of cool shallow water only if awake and alert.
o Place in a cool shower.
• Monitor body temperature, and continue cooling efforts until the victim’s temperature drops to 101-102º.
• If emergency medical personnel are delayed, call a hospital emergency department for further instructions.
• Do not give fluids or food!
Courtesy of Johnson Controls & The Southern Nevada Health District

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Summer Heat & Dangers To Pets
Or
How To Not Roast Your Chihuahua

Recently as I was leaving a grocery store, I happened to glance towards the pet store up the street. There I saw an elderly gentleman walking out of the store with a small dog on leash. The gentleman seemed well pleased that the dog was prancing about as they crossed the blazing hot parking lot. The dog was prancing, to be sure, but, not due to happiness, but, due to its footpads being scorched.

With this in mind, this month we will discuss heat and pets.

Dogs generally don’t wear shoes. We do, and therefore we have no clue as to how hot the pavement really is.

When the weather radio or TV says it is “90 degrees”, there are a couple of things to consider. One is that the “official” temperature readings are not taken at ground level, but, by international standard they are taken in special “house” 2 meters or about 6 feet above ground level. This house has a double layered roof so that the temperature reading is not “contaminated” by the effects of direct sunlight, and the house is ventilated with louvers so that wind can flow freely, and the heat not build up inside like a hot box.

The actual ground level or surface temperature where Fido & Puss have to walk is much, much hotter.

I once conducted a series of experiments by placing thermometers at different places on the ground to see what temperatures the critters & their footpads were actually having to endure. I included grassy areas, concrete and asphalt. In some places, particularly the sidewalks and pavement, the temperature easily reached 150 degrees.

At temperatures this high second degree burns can occur within two minutes. Third degree burns can occur within three minutes of contact.

Then there is the question of Heat Index. If the “observed” temperature, again measured six feet above ground level, is 90 degrees and the humidity is 50%, the Heat Index is 105 degrees which is dangerous for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke in humans. If the actual surface temperature is 150 degrees, which again is very likely, the Heat Index at 50% humidity for the dog or cat is 385 degrees. Even if the humidity is much lower, say 25%, the Heat Index is still 230 degrees.

This places the animal in extreme danger of an imminent heat stroke.

Remember that dogs cannot tolerate too much heat. Their fur, which covers their entire bodies, prevents them from sweating. The only external surfaces not covered with fur is their nose and paw pads — which explains the damp paw prints you might find on the sidewalk on hot summer days. They can have a heatstroke just as easily, if not more so than we humans can.

You are not doing him a favor by forcing him to walk barefoot/bear paw on 140 degree pavement. To them it feels just as if you were taking a cigarette lighter and searing their paws.

You don’t want to shave outdoor pets either, by the way. If you remove their fur, you are also removing the only protection they from getting a serious sunburn.

All this said, if you think, as was advocated on a local news program, that you are doing Old Shep a favor by taking him for a walk during this heat to keep him from becoming bored and flabby, before taking Muttley for a walk, place your hand on the pavement and see how hot it really is. If it’s miserable to you, it will be miserable to him also.

And, if this sermon is hitting a deaf ear, go ahead and walk him, only you go barefoot also. That way you can both end up bonding in the ER together.

Or just take this well-meant advice and walk him in the morning or wait until the sun has set and it cools off to a tolerable level and try to sticking to grassy areas. Then go have a good time together.

Cats, incidentally usually have enough sense to find a shady cool spot. Make sure their water bowl is full. Or better yet, keep them inside. If you can, make them a permanent indoor feature, as they live much longer indoors.

That way dogs can’t get them and cars can’t squish them.

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Mark’s Almanac

August was originally named “Sextilis”, the sixth Roman month. It was renamed August in honor of Caesar Augustus and lengthened to 31 days, to equal Julius Caesar’s month of July.

August is hot and humid and summer temperatures remain at or near their summer peak.

The rapid vegetation growth of spring is over, and, since conditions are now perfect for the growth of mold, fungi & germs, plants have a “used” look, which is enhanced if rainfall is scarce.

In August the choir of cicadas whine in the afternoon & towards the end of the month the big Yellow Sulphur Butterflies will begin heading to the South-Southeast, giving hints of their soon upcoming fall migration & cats will begin to hint of growing their winter coats.

Hurricane breeding grounds in August are the Atlantic, with Low Latitude storms forming off of Africa crossing the Ocean and either threatening the Eastern Seaboard or striking the Leeward Islands, entering the Caribbean and then striking the Yucatan, or the Western or Northern Gulf coast. Breeding grounds also include the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

21% of a year’s Hurricanes occur in August. 85 to 95% of land falling Hurricanes have not occurred by August 15.

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, Mercury is very low in bright twilight visibility beginning about 15 minutes after sunset, just above the west-northwest horizon, with Venus keeping him company, nearby.

On August 16 Mercury will reach his highest point in the sky, or “greatest eastern elongation” of 27.4 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

Venus is very low, but, bright at magnitude -3.9, above the west-northwest horizon, 8 angular degrees from Mercury at the beginning of the month.

Mars is shining at magnitude -0.7 just to the right of the head of Scorpius.
Jupiter shining at magnitude -1.7 between Leo and Virgo, shines low in the twilight and sets as twilight ends.

On August 27 there will be a spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky. The two bright planets will be extremely close, appearing only 0.06 degrees apart. Look for this impressive pairing in the western sky just after sunset.

Saturn, shining at magnitude +0.3 in Southern Ophiucus glows in the South at dusk, 6 degrees above the orange star Antares, and 11 degrees upper left of Mars.

Uranus shines at magnitude 5.8 in Pisces is high in the Southern sky well before dawn begins.
Neptune, magnitude +7.8 in Aquarius, is high in the South well before the light of dawn.
The moon will disappear from the sky, its night side facing Earth, when New Moon occurs August 2 at 20:55 UTC or 3:55 PM CDT.

The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on the night of August 12 & 13, with 50 to 60 meteors per hour. This shower, produce by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, ranks as the best of the best, famous for producing bright meteors. The waxing gibbous moon will set after midnight leaving a fairly dark sky, and if you can get away from city lights you should have a good show.
Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Perseus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
August’s full moon is “Fruit Moon” in Cherokee Folklore, “Women’s Moon” among the Choctaw, “Sturgeon Moon” by the Algonquin and at one time was called “Dog Days Moon” by the Colonial Americans. This will occur August 18 at 9:26 UTC or 4:26 AM CDT.

3371 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of July 28, per NASA’s
Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

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This month’s meeting will be on August 9 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

If for some reason you cannot attend the meeting in person, you can still participate via telephone. The teleconference number is 1-877-951-0997 & and the participant code is 741083.
Hope to see you there!
Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

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