Hi Everyone, I hope all is going well with you. To start our lengthy newsletter, I’ll just give a quick reminder that the ALERT elections will be held at our June 11 meeting. I urge you to attend and let your voice be heard. I hope to see you there! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Broadcast Irresponsibility This is the only way I can kindly describe it, as I sit listening to a replay of Oklahoma City’s KFOR Meteorologist Mike Morgan telling his viewers at least eight times to get in their cars and drive south of the city as a large rain wrapped tornado rapidly bore down on the city. Though admitting that the interstate was already a “parking lot”, since it was rush hour, he later advised people twice to “abandon your cars” as the storm reached the city. “Unfortunately there are hundreds and hundreds of cars on the road……a lot of people are panicking trying to leave their house…..you really can’t move very much.” – Chase Thomason KFOR See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX7uzdfktB4 & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnCP4TMhUTo Of the ei Continue reading →

Hi Everyone, I hope this finds you doing well & that you have been enjoying these sunny mid-spring days. Our May ALERT meeting will feature the presentation of nominees for our upcoming elections. The election normally takes place the meeting after the presentation & the officers then assume their positions at the July meeting. July is also when ALERT dues are due. Remember, if you want to respond to ALERT callouts or serve as an officer you MUST be current with your dues. So put the teeth in, comb that one remaining hair and head to the NWS Forecast Office May the 14th at 7PM. I hope to see you at the meeting! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. The 5 Main Ways To Push Up Daisies In A Disaster Part 3 Before we continue with our series, I want to thank those who have sent me feedback, all of which has been positive. One item covered was fire sustainers, such as Vaseline soaked cotton balls or a candle, to preserve an nascent flame long enough to add fuel to build a workable fire. One intriguing idea which Teresa shared is to use a “trick relighting birthday” can Continue reading →

“There is no tornado in that storm” my English teacher sarcastically told us. “I’m from Kansas, and IF there were a tornado in that storm, there would be hail. There’s no hail.” What prompted the concern of my classmates and I that April day was the skies darkening pea green color and the rapidly increasing wind. Unknown to us, the students on the bottom floor of my school had correctly been told to crouch down in the hallway, while we teenage miscreants on the top floor of the high school were told nothing, except to “hush” and everything was business as usual. We were unaware that the F5 tornado which would become known as the “Smithfield Tornado” was passing us, two miles to the north. The next day the teacher wasn’t particularly interested in discussing her forecasting abilities, even though we were VERY eager to discuss it. “Hush”, she said, free speech being stifled again. April weather in Alabam Continue reading →

Hi everyone, I hope this finds everyone doing well. Hopefully you were able to attend the 2013 Birminghamfest this weekend. The hamfest was well attended and we were treated to a great Skywarn forum on Dual-Pol Radar given by NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist John DeBlock. It was good to see many of our members, and reacquaint with old friends, including one who I haven’t seen since the 9th grade, and good to put faces with the voices I hear on the Sunday Night Net. Revisiting the Sunday Night Net for a second, it’s interesting to remember back in 2001 when I started as net manager and we usually had three check-ins. Now we average 40 to 50 on a consistent basis. Over the years the net has had very few complaints. The most frequent complaint is that the net runs too slowly. “Could you speed it up a little?” Of course I’ve also been told it’s too fast, people use wrong phonetics, no phonetics, “tell folk not to check in if they have weak signals”, so forth and so on. I’ve heard it all. As Net ManagerI Continue reading →