Hi everybody and welcome to the October ALERT Newsletter.

September has been a wet month for us & while the weather never reached the level where a callout was needed, K4NWS has been quite active this month.

The first activation was for the Alabama ARES Simplex test on September 12, which was designed to demonstrate our ability to communicate in the event of widespread repeater failure. Teresa KQ4JC & myself activated the station & we made numerous contacts on 2 meters, 6 meters, 220 and 440 MHz.

The second activation occurred on September 15. Ed Manley W4AGA activated K4NWS for the Shelby County countywide emergency responder exercise, which involved a simulated chlorine spill and ALERT’s capability to assist in supplying weather information

for plume tracking & avoidance.

These activations help us tune up for “Operation Highball” the 2009 statewide Simulated Emergency Test.  This test, which will be held Saturday, October 3rd, runs from 10am to 1pm and will focus on a simulated major railroad incident that releases a plume of hazardous materials and the Emergency Community’s response handling the threat.

ALERT’s role in this will be to gather reports on wind speed and direction via RF and the Spotter Chat to aid in plume tracking, checking in on the local nets & maintaining communications with the State EMA in Clanton at KF4LQK.

It is planned that 2 meters, 220 & 440 be used & formal NTS traffic will be sent via D-Star to KF4LQK.

Volunteers are needed to man K4NWS. If you can help, please give me a call at 382-0830. If you don’t get me immediately, just leave a message via voicemail.

Several years ago, WERC speculated on a “worst case” disaster scenario for the Birmingham area. The scenario they decided on was a major wreck on I-65 at rush hour involving tanker trucks crashing & going over the railing onto railroad tanker cars passing below the interstate, both carrying either ammonia or chlorine & the resulting plume gassing the nearby gridlocked streets of Birmingham.

Of actual disaster incidents, rail accidents rank 3^rd in the number of major incident responses in our state’s history, behind only severe weather outbreaks and hurricanes.

Approximately 40% of all freight transported on a daily basis in the state on rail is classified as “hazardous”. Including chlorine, ammonia, explosives, and limited amounts of radioactive materials associated with nuclear power generation, waste disposal, and weapons research.

Not to be left out is the trucking industry, carrying the same things right by your car.

(Which makes me remember the old CB term “Suicide Jockey”, and also explains why I slow for trucks and hearses.)

So, while this years SET doesn’t involve severe weather, a real life scenario would involve the NWS and ALERT.

So, if you can help with the SET, step right up & give me a call!

………………………………………………………………

Mark’s Almanac

The tenth Mont, 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 weaken 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.

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 know 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 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.

October’s Full Moon is “Hunters Moon” in Native American folklore.

Don’t, too worried about Indians though; think more on the line of hobgoblins and hoodlums as Halloween arrives.

Feel you heart with cheer, doesn’t it?

……………………………………………………………………………………….

This month’s meeting will be on October 13 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

We among other things will be discussing the recent tests, WXSpots, APRS & other resources available for ALERT Operations.

I hope to see you there.

Until then,

73 and take care.

Mark
WD4NYL
PRESIDENT
www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Hi everybody and welcome to the October ALERT Newsletter.

September has been a wet month for us & while the weather never reached the level where a callout was needed, K4NWS has been quite active this month.

The first activation was for the Alabama ARES Simplex test on September 12, which was designed to demonstrate our ability to communicate in the event of widespread repeater failure. Teresa KQ4JC & myself activated the station & we made numerous contacts on 2 meters, 6 meters, 220 and 440 MHz.

The second activation occurred on September 15. Ed Manley W4AGA activated K4NWS for the Shelby County countywide emergency responder exercise, which involved a simulated chlorine spill and ALERT’s capability to assist in supplying weather information

for plume tracking & avoidance.

These activations help us tune up for “Operation Highball” the 2009 statewide Simulated Emergency Test.  This test, which will be held Saturday, October 3rd, runs from 10am to 1pm and will focus on a simulated major railroad incident that releases a plume of hazardous materials and the Emergency Community’s response handling the threat.

ALERT’s role in this will be to gather reports on wind speed and direction via RF and the Spotter Chat to aid in plume tracking, checking in on the local nets & maintaining communications with the State EMA in Clanton at KF4LQK.

It is planned that 2 meters, 220 & 440 be used & formal NTS traffic will be sent via D-Star to KF4LQK.

Volunteers are needed to man K4NWS. If you can help, please give me a call at 382-0830. If you don’t get me immediately, just leave a message via voicemail.

Several years ago, WERC speculated on a “worst case” disaster scenario for the Birmingham area. The scenario they decided on was a major wreck on I-65 at rush hour involving tanker trucks crashing & going over the railing onto railroad tanker cars passing below the interstate, both carrying either ammonia or chlorine & the resulting plume gassing the nearby gridlocked streets of Birmingham.

Of actual disaster incidents, rail accidents rank 3^rd in the number of major incident responses in our state’s history, behind only severe weather outbreaks and hurricanes.

Approximately 40% of all freight transported on a daily basis in the state on rail is classified as “hazardous”. Including chlorine, ammonia, explosives, and limited amounts of radioactive materials associated with nuclear power generation, waste disposal, and weapons research.

Not to be left out is the trucking industry, carrying the same things right by your car.

(Which makes me remember the old CB term “Suicide Jockey”, and also explains why I slow for trucks and hearses.)

So, while this years SET doesn’t involve severe weather, a real life scenario would involve the NWS and ALERT.

So, if you can help with the SET, step right up & give me a call!

………………………………………………………………

Mark’s Almanac

The tenth Mont, 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 weaken 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.

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 know 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 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.

October’s Full Moon is “Hunters Moon” in Native American folklore.

Don’t, too worried about Indians though; think more on the line of hobgoblins and hoodlums as Halloween arrives.

Feel you heart with cheer, doesn’t it?

……………………………………………………………………………………….

This month’s meeting will be on October 13 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

We among other things will be discussing the recent tests, WXSpots, APRS & other resources available for ALERT Operations.

I hope to see you there.

Until then,

73 and take care.

Mark
WD4NYL
PRESIDENT
www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Continue reading →

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds everyone enjoying the unusually cool summer. I’m hoping this weather will hold out for Teresa and I to do some serious camping at Tannehill, preferably by the creek.

My Sister in Florida for a short time lived in Boston. She mentioned a “creek” and the Bostonians had no clue as to what she was talking about. You see they don’t have creeks up there. No, certainly not. They have “brooks”. Babbling brooks.

I guess they never heard of “up a creek without a paddle”. Or sweet tea either, for that matter. The poor deprived souls. We southerners did try to spread some cultural enlightenment to the northerners back in the early 1860’s, but apparently it was to no avail.

At the August meeting I profiled our sister station WX4PTC in Atlanta. The Atlanta / Peachtree City NWS Forecast Office is the backup office for the Birmingham office and vice versa. If Birmingham goes down, severe storm reports would be sent to Peachtree City & they would issue the warnings, as would Birmingham if Atlanta goes down.

What can knock out a WFO? Computer failure, power failure and the backup generator being knocked out or running out of fuel (which has been known to happen) & physical damage to the office, either weather related or mad made – accidental or otherwise.

All Forecast Offices have multiple redundant emergency plans, and it is useful for us to have some familiarity with ours.

Our “Home” of course is the NWS Birmingham

Birmingham’s Emergency Number is 1-800-856-0758

Our NWSChat address is bmxchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by ALERT at K4NWS

HF Operations are conducted on 3.965 MHz with backup of 7.245 MHz

Our Primary Backup is the NWS Peachtree City (Atlanta)

Peachtree City’s Emergency Number is 1-866-763-4466

The NWSchat address is ffcchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by Georgia Skywarn at WX4PTC

When activated, HF Operations are conducted on 3.975 MHz

Our Secondary Backup is NWS Huntsville

Huntsville’s Emergency Number is 1-256-890-8503

The NWSchat address is hunchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by North Alabama Skywarn at WX4HUN

When activated, HF Operations are conducted on 3.965 MHz with backup of 7.245 MHz

Our Tertiary Backup is NWS Little Rock

Little Rock’s Emergency Number is 1-800-482-8471

Little Rock’s NWSchat address is lzkchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by the Central Arkansas Radio Emergency Net (CAREN) with the W5DI wide coverage system.

When activated, HF Operations are conducted on 3.9875 MHz

It would be a rare occasion if NWS Birmingham went down, but it has happened before, due to computer failure. Peachtree City once went down due to a power failure, both primary and backup.

The Huntsville Office had to take cover once due to a tornado bearing down on the WFO.

How do you know when something is awry? You will know Birmingham has gone down if you see NWS products for Central Alabama being issued by the Peachtree City office, if you dial the emergency line and it is out of order or if K4NWS or ALERT informs you that the BMX is temporarily out of commission.

In that event if you have severe weather reports you should call Peachtree City’s emergency number. Report just as you would with Birmingham, except mention that you are in Alabama, as they may have the same county names.

NWSchats of other WFO’s may be accessed by any Operational Member with NWSchat capability.

Simply go to the buddy list, click “buddies”, then click “join a chat” & on the window that pops up enter the chatroom name, such as ffcchat. Click join a chat & you are there. If you want to permanently add the room you click “conversation” on the chat window & then hit “add”. Yet another window pops up & you can name the chatroom under “alias”. Then hit add & you are done.

I have these already programmed in, as well as the Jackson WFO, so I can get a sneak preview of what is headed our way. I also have the WXSpots program running in the background, but, that’s something we will talk about at a later time.

As for Amateur operations, the chances are very good that their ham group will not be active, just as ALERT usually isn’t active unless the Birmingham CWA is being effected, though K4NWS & WX4PTC have contacted each other in the pasts during tests.

In the unlikely event that Atlanta & Birmingham goes down, then resort to Huntsville. And, in the very remote chance all three offices go down, then Little Rock is your office

To be honest though, if we have a situation where all three WFO’s are dead, this would indicate either the weirdest of bad luck or that a regional disaster has occurred on the scale of Katrina or worse. Which may be why our tertiary backup is in Little Rock, located outside of the Southeastern US.

In a scenario THAT bad, my focus probably would not be on storm spotting, but on remembering and utilizing basic survival skills.

Which is a subject we all should have some knowledge of.

We’ll just hope that a day like that never arises (but, always be prepared).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

On a lighter note, here is your opportunity to dazzle folk, be a babe magnet & otherwise appear wondermous & weatherwise.

Courtesy of the El Paso office here is your fake Weather Phrase Finder!

http://www.srh.weather.gov/epz/wxcalc/weathertermcalc.shtml

Use it & you also can tell folk that the Cumulative Orographic Equilibrium is effecting your

sinuses. And, 99% of them will have no clue that you have just served a plate of pure bull.

Try it. You’ll like it!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Mark’s Almanac

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

Normally temperatures are usually still hot at the beginning of the month, and, by months end, fall is definitely felt. However with our 2009 El Nino, it feels as if fall has already arrived.

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 back again. Storms resemble the August pattern, but the Bermuda High will starts shifting southward and begin weakening, which will weaken the blocking effect it has had which prevented fronts from invading 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 sun and moon’s 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

Alabama has lost its position as the national tornado champ. The statistics as of September 1 are:

Texas 102

Alabama 100

Kansas 87

Georgia 64

Missouri 63

Fall begins at Autumnal Equinox on September 22, 2009 at 4:18 P.M. CDT.

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 is “Harvest Moon” in Native American folklore. So called because the moon is larger and seems to rise at almost the same time every night, which allowed harvesting to continue on into the evening.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

This month’s meeting will be on September 8 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

forecast office at the Shelby County Airport

I hope to see you there.

Mark

WD4NYL

President

ALERT

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds everyone enjoying the unusually cool summer. I’m hoping this weather will hold out for Teresa and I to do some serious camping at Tannehill, preferably by the creek.

My Sister in Florida for a short time lived in Boston. She mentioned a “creek” and the Bostonians had no clue as to what she was talking about. You see they don’t have creeks up there. No, certainly not. They have “brooks”. Babbling brooks.

I guess they never heard of “up a creek without a paddle”. Or sweet tea either, for that matter. The poor deprived souls. We southerners did try to spread some cultural enlightenment to the northerners back in the early 1860’s, but apparently it was to no avail.

At the August meeting I profiled our sister station WX4PTC in Atlanta. The Atlanta / Peachtree City NWS Forecast Office is the backup office for the Birmingham office and vice versa. If Birmingham goes down, severe storm reports would be sent to Peachtree City & they would issue the warnings, as would Birmingham if Atlanta goes down.

What can knock out a WFO? Computer failure, power failure and the backup generator being knocked out or running out of fuel (which has been known to happen) & physical damage to the office, either weather related or mad made – accidental or otherwise.

All Forecast Offices have multiple redundant emergency plans, and it is useful for us to have some familiarity with ours.

Our “Home” of course is the NWS Birmingham

Birmingham’s Emergency Number is 1-800-856-0758

Our NWSChat address is bmxchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by ALERT at K4NWS

HF Operations are conducted on 3.965 MHz with backup of 7.245 MHz

Our Primary Backup is the NWS Peachtree City (Atlanta)

Peachtree City’s Emergency Number is 1-866-763-4466

The NWSchat address is ffcchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by Georgia Skywarn at WX4PTC

When activated, HF Operations are conducted on 3.975 MHz

Our Secondary Backup is NWS Huntsville

Huntsville’s Emergency Number is 1-256-890-8503

The NWSchat address is hunchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by North Alabama Skywarn at WX4HUN

When activated, HF Operations are conducted on 3.965 MHz with backup of 7.245 MHz

Our Tertiary Backup is NWS Little Rock

Little Rock’s Emergency Number is 1-800-482-8471

Little Rock’s NWSchat address is lzkchat

Amatuer Radio Operations are conducted by the Central Arkansas Radio Emergency Net (CAREN) with the W5DI wide coverage system.

When activated, HF Operations are conducted on 3.9875 MHz

It would be a rare occasion if NWS Birmingham went down, but it has happened before, due to computer failure. Peachtree City once went down due to a power failure, both primary and backup.

The Huntsville Office had to take cover once due to a tornado bearing down on the WFO.

How do you know when something is awry? You will know Birmingham has gone down if you see NWS products for Central Alabama being issued by the Peachtree City office, if you dial the emergency line and it is out of order or if K4NWS or ALERT informs you that the BMX is temporarily out of commission.

In that event if you have severe weather reports you should call Peachtree City’s emergency number. Report just as you would with Birmingham, except mention that you are in Alabama, as they may have the same county names.

NWSchats of other WFO’s may be accessed by any Operational Member with NWSchat capability.

Simply go to the buddy list, click “buddies”, then click “join a chat” & on the window that pops up enter the chatroom name, such as ffcchat. Click join a chat & you are there. If you want to permanently add the room you click “conversation” on the chat window & then hit “add”. Yet another window pops up & you can name the chatroom under “alias”. Then hit add & you are done.

I have these already programmed in, as well as the Jackson WFO, so I can get a sneak preview of what is headed our way. I also have the WXSpots program running in the background, but, that’s something we will talk about at a later time.

As for Amateur operations, the chances are very good that their ham group will not be active, just as ALERT usually isn’t active unless the Birmingham CWA is being effected, though K4NWS & WX4PTC have contacted each other in the pasts during tests.

In the unlikely event that Atlanta & Birmingham goes down, then resort to Huntsville. And, in the very remote chance all three offices go down, then Little Rock is your office

To be honest though, if we have a situation where all three WFO’s are dead, this would indicate either the weirdest of bad luck or that a regional disaster has occurred on the scale of Katrina or worse. Which may be why our tertiary backup is in Little Rock, located outside of the Southeastern US.

In a scenario THAT bad, my focus probably would not be on storm spotting, but on remembering and utilizing basic survival skills.

Which is a subject we all should have some knowledge of.

We’ll just hope that a day like that never arises (but, always be prepared).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

On a lighter note, here is your opportunity to dazzle folk, be a babe magnet & otherwise appear wondermous & weatherwise.

Courtesy of the El Paso office here is your fake Weather Phrase Finder!

http://www.srh.weather.gov/epz/wxcalc/weathertermcalc.shtml

Use it & you also can tell folk that the Cumulative Orographic Equilibrium is effecting your

sinuses. And, 99% of them will have no clue that you have just served a plate of pure bull.

Try it. You’ll like it!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Mark’s Almanac

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

Normally temperatures are usually still hot at the beginning of the month, and, by months end, fall is definitely felt. However with our 2009 El Nino, it feels as if fall has already arrived.

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 back again. Storms resemble the August pattern, but the Bermuda High will starts shifting southward and begin weakening, which will weaken the blocking effect it has had which prevented fronts from invading 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 sun and moon’s 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

Alabama has lost its position as the national tornado champ. The statistics as of September 1 are:

Texas 102

Alabama 100

Kansas 87

Georgia 64

Missouri 63

Fall begins at Autumnal Equinox on September 22, 2009 at 4:18 P.M. CDT.

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 is “Harvest Moon” in Native American folklore. So called because the moon is larger and seems to rise at almost the same time every night, which allowed harvesting to continue on into the evening.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

This month’s meeting will be on September 8 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

forecast office at the Shelby County Airport

I hope to see you there.

Mark

WD4NYL

President

ALERT

Continue reading →

Hi Everyone,

I hope all is going well with you and yours & that you aren’t melting in this August heat.

We had a great turnout at last months meeting, and if you missed it, rest assured we

did gossip about you.

One of the things we discussed was our antenna situation. I’m happy to say that substantial progress has been made in restoring our RF capabilities. New tri-band antennas are now in place & our range has been greatly increased. We’ve even gained a new band – 6 meters.

More work is going to be done, with another tri-band antenna being mounted. The 220 repeater will soon be back on line & once we have our HF antenna up we will be back at 100% good to go. So things are looking good.

Here is a question for you. What do WX4TOR, WX4MLB, WX4MHX & K4NWS have in common?

Each of these stations are Amateur Stations located at National Weather Service Forecast offices – in this case in Tampa Florida, Melbourne Florida, Newport North Carolina & Birmingham Alabama.

All share the same mission and the same goals. To gather storm reports so that the NWS can issue life saving warnings. Each of these NWS Forecast Offices feels the worth and need for an Amateur Radio presence in their offices. These stations are not alone. I could list dozen’s of stations at WFO’s from Alaska to Hawaii to Chicago to Miami. Some stations more elaborate, than K4NWS, some less so, but all with the same mission and same commitment.

But, K4NWS is “ours” and it is a station to be proud of, and, is second to none.

Often I am asked about K4NWS and suggestions are made. We study these suggestions, implementing some and not choosing others. Usually for logistical reasons, sometimes because we have already tried, “been there done that” and for valid reasons chose another route. Some suggestions are not rejected, but are just waiting for the right time.

Sometimes the ideas may be good, but not within ALERT’s bailiwick. Equipping spotters with APRS for example. It’s not a bad idea, but is something ALERT can’t do, simply because ALERT doesn’t deploy storm spotters. This would be a great idea for county ARES groups & independent Skywarn groups to adopt. They would track their spotters and then report to K4NWS. But, ALERT couldn’t track them and shouldn’t, just as we shouldn’t try to run their nets. That’s their job, not ours. Plus when the weather really is boiling over, are too busy receiving reports to be acting as “Spotter Traffic Control.”

One question asked is “is our physical presence really needed at K4NWS? Can’t we do

the same operations from home?”

The answer is “yes” and “no”.

With our Spotter chat the answer is absolutely “yes”. In fact Spotter chat SHOULD be run at home, so that the operator at K4NWS will be freed to seek out on the air reports.

For RF operations, while many have very well equipped home stations, the very few have a meteorologist sitting in the room to let you know where the areas of interest and concern are.

You really need to be there “on scene” listening to the background chit chat among forecasters to understand the thinking and concerns (or lack thereof if a report comes

in and there is no storm within 75 miles of the reported location) to be able to anticipate their needs.

For, we must remember that our job isn’t to simply to stay parked on 88 or 98 waiting for a warning to be issued & then gather reports that come in. While this is certainly an important facet of our job, it is equally important to try to identify potential trouble areas so we can give the forecasters a head start on issuing warnings.

So if we hear that the forecasters are worried about Coosa County for example, we check for a frequency on our ARES repeater map, and try to seek out reports. Sometimes we find someone, sometimes we don’t. But, when we do, we could be the reason that the warning was issued and the extra time we gained saved additional lives.

So, I look at the radar while I’m at the NWS. But, though I consider myself a fairly decent “Amateur Radar Operator”, having graduated from SPU. (That’s “Spann & Peters University”, by the way), having looked, listened and read for years and years, and picking up things along the way, I make no mistake by realizing that our forecasters know a lot more than I do & I need to be there to understand what they need. Plus I want to be there. There to hear their thoughts, and, there to feed that never ending hunger to learn more about a subject that I love.

Another thing I hear is “I went to a callout – no storms – no reports – bored brainless”.

This I understand completely. There have been times I’ve sat at the NWS looking for hours at what seemed to be Armageddon inbound from Mississippi & then it reaching the border, the entire storm system shriveling and disappearing into that Great Meteorological Black Hole” that seems to drift to the West of us.

I vaguely remember in my hypnotic hazes Mark Rose & Kevin Laws coming over now and then dusting the cobwebs off of me & checking for vital signs.

Then there are the other times when I’ve dealt with multiple warnings been issued, four radios calling me at once, the cell phone ringing & me wishing that my Mom had had triplets instead of just one ME.

But, don’t let that scare you off. I like being “part of the action” & is why I became a Ham.

Just remember what John De Block says: “Callouts are like a box of chawklets. You never know what you are going to get.”

That’s part of the adventure of it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mark’s Almanac

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

August is hot and humid & 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.

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.

Though the Hurricane season has been a dead year so far, don’t discount the late starting seasons or “first letter storms” ferocity. Just think of Hurricanes Andrew in 1992, Betsy in 1965 and Camille in 1969.

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.

Incidentally, Alabama still leads the nation with a 100 tornadoes. The statistics as of August 1 being:

Alabama 100

Texas 97

Kansas 83

Georgia 64

Missouri 62

The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on August 12, with 50 to 60 meteors per hour (if you can get away from city lights).

Augusts’ full moon is “Fruit Moon” in Cherokee Folklore & “Women’s Moon” among the Choctaw.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

When you get a chance, “talk up ALERT”. Let people know who we are, what we do & why they should be involved. For YOU are the best recruitment tool we have.

This month’s meeting will be on August 11 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

I hope to see you there.

Mark / WD4NYL

President

ALERT

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Hi Everyone,

I hope all is going well with you and yours & that you aren’t melting in this August heat.

We had a great turnout at last months meeting, and if you missed it, rest assured we

did gossip about you.

One of the things we discussed was our antenna situation. I’m happy to say that substantial progress has been made in restoring our RF capabilities. New tri-band antennas are now in place & our range has been greatly increased. We’ve even gained a new band – 6 meters.

More work is going to be done, with another tri-band antenna being mounted. The 220 repeater will soon be back on line & once we have our HF antenna up we will be back at 100% good to go. So things are looking good.

Here is a question for you. What do WX4TOR, WX4MLB, WX4MHX & K4NWS have in common?

Each of these stations are Amateur Stations located at National Weather Service Forecast offices – in this case in Tampa Florida, Melbourne Florida, Newport North Carolina & Birmingham Alabama.

All share the same mission and the same goals. To gather storm reports so that the NWS can issue life saving warnings. Each of these NWS Forecast Offices feels the worth and need for an Amateur Radio presence in their offices. These stations are not alone. I could list dozen’s of stations at WFO’s from Alaska to Hawaii to Chicago to Miami. Some stations more elaborate, than K4NWS, some less so, but all with the same mission and same commitment.

But, K4NWS is “ours” and it is a station to be proud of, and, is second to none.

Often I am asked about K4NWS and suggestions are made. We study these suggestions, implementing some and not choosing others. Usually for logistical reasons, sometimes because we have already tried, “been there done that” and for valid reasons chose another route. Some suggestions are not rejected, but are just waiting for the right time.

Sometimes the ideas may be good, but not within ALERT’s bailiwick. Equipping spotters with APRS for example. It’s not a bad idea, but is something ALERT can’t do, simply because ALERT doesn’t deploy storm spotters. This would be a great idea for county ARES groups & independent Skywarn groups to adopt. They would track their spotters and then report to K4NWS. But, ALERT couldn’t track them and shouldn’t, just as we shouldn’t try to run their nets. That’s their job, not ours. Plus when the weather really is boiling over, are too busy receiving reports to be acting as “Spotter Traffic Control.”

One question asked is “is our physical presence really needed at K4NWS? Can’t we do

the same operations from home?”

The answer is “yes” and “no”.

With our Spotter chat the answer is absolutely “yes”. In fact Spotter chat SHOULD be run at home, so that the operator at K4NWS will be freed to seek out on the air reports.

For RF operations, while many have very well equipped home stations, the very few have a meteorologist sitting in the room to let you know where the areas of interest and concern are.

You really need to be there “on scene” listening to the background chit chat among forecasters to understand the thinking and concerns (or lack thereof if a report comes

in and there is no storm within 75 miles of the reported location) to be able to anticipate their needs.

For, we must remember that our job isn’t to simply to stay parked on 88 or 98 waiting for a warning to be issued & then gather reports that come in. While this is certainly an important facet of our job, it is equally important to try to identify potential trouble areas so we can give the forecasters a head start on issuing warnings.

So if we hear that the forecasters are worried about Coosa County for example, we check for a frequency on our ARES repeater map, and try to seek out reports. Sometimes we find someone, sometimes we don’t. But, when we do, we could be the reason that the warning was issued and the extra time we gained saved additional lives.

So, I look at the radar while I’m at the NWS. But, though I consider myself a fairly decent “Amateur Radar Operator”, having graduated from SPU. (That’s “Spann & Peters University”, by the way), having looked, listened and read for years and years, and picking up things along the way, I make no mistake by realizing that our forecasters know a lot more than I do & I need to be there to understand what they need. Plus I want to be there. There to hear their thoughts, and, there to feed that never ending hunger to learn more about a subject that I love.

Another thing I hear is “I went to a callout – no storms – no reports – bored brainless”.

This I understand completely. There have been times I’ve sat at the NWS looking for hours at what seemed to be Armageddon inbound from Mississippi & then it reaching the border, the entire storm system shriveling and disappearing into that Great Meteorological Black Hole” that seems to drift to the West of us.

I vaguely remember in my hypnotic hazes Mark Rose & Kevin Laws coming over now and then dusting the cobwebs off of me & checking for vital signs.

Then there are the other times when I’ve dealt with multiple warnings been issued, four radios calling me at once, the cell phone ringing & me wishing that my Mom had had triplets instead of just one ME.

But, don’t let that scare you off. I like being “part of the action” & is why I became a Ham.

Just remember what John De Block says: “Callouts are like a box of chawklets. You never know what you are going to get.”

That’s part of the adventure of it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mark’s Almanac

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

August is hot and humid & 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.

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.

Though the Hurricane season has been a dead year so far, don’t discount the late starting seasons or “first letter storms” ferocity. Just think of Hurricanes Andrew in 1992, Betsy in 1965 and Camille in 1969.

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.

Incidentally, Alabama still leads the nation with a 100 tornadoes. The statistics as of August 1 being:

Alabama 100

Texas 97

Kansas 83

Georgia 64

Missouri 62

The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on August 12, with 50 to 60 meteors per hour (if you can get away from city lights).

Augusts’ full moon is “Fruit Moon” in Cherokee Folklore & “Women’s Moon” among the Choctaw.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

When you get a chance, “talk up ALERT”. Let people know who we are, what we do & why they should be involved. For YOU are the best recruitment tool we have.

This month’s meeting will be on August 11 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

I hope to see you there.

Mark / WD4NYL

President

ALERT

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Continue reading →

Hi everyone & welcome to your ALERT Newsletter.

With this newsletter, as I begin my third term as ALERT President, the first thing I want to say is “thank you” for your support and your work, which made our successes possible. It’s YOUR work and efforts that have made the things possible that we have done these past two years.

2007 – 2008 was a year that focused on restructuring & strengthening the ALERT organization, with the revision and ratification of our Constitution and Bylaws, the revival of Board or Directors meetings, and our obtaining 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

In 2008 – 2009 we experimented with and made operational the Spotterchat system, which has proven to be a vital tool for ALERT operations, fitting hand in glove with our RF operations at K4NWS.

During this new term we want to build on our successes and move forward tackling some key challenges that we face.

Among these are ALERT’s need to increase its membership, so that we have a vital active team for today and continued growth for the future. So tell people about us. We’re not an “exclusive group”. Tell them “Ya’ll come.”

One key focus area has to be improving our callout response. We, with only one exception, have been able to respond to all NWS callouts. But, lately we have had to issue multiple callouts to finally get a response.

Why is this the case?

This may be simply due to members waiting to see if someone else has responded before they themselves step up and volunteer.

It may be due to burnout, for this has been one of the most active years for ALERT in recent memory.

It may that our older members are tiring and loosing interest, and newer members are having “the new wear off”, and their initial enthusiasm has cooling down.

The Spotterchat system is somewhat to blame, I know. Staying at home and monitoring the Chats is awfully tempting. And, is necessary. But, so is manning the radios at K4NWS, as the former was never designed to replace the latter. Our RF operations cannot be allowed to whither and die on the vine.

Sometimes it depends on the callout lead time, for “short fuse” callouts give very little time to allow for work and other arrangements, which also limits response, as it’s hard to drop everything you are doing at an moments notice.

Sometimes it has to do with the type of Watch issued. Traditionally Severe Thunderstorm Watches have been much more difficult to fill than Tornado Watches.

Part of this is due to the word “tornado” having a higher PF than a “thunderstorm”.

What is PF? It’s the “Pizzazz Factor”.

Tornadoes have an eerie weird romanticism that other storms, with the possible exception of hurricanes, don’t.

For instance, people get very touchy when you say “straight line winds from a microburst” blew down their outhouse instead of the EF3 tornado they have been bragging about.

“Ah know it was a F15 tornader that blowed the thang to pieces, with mah wife Noreen sittin in it & here the dummies are trying to tell me it was just straight line winds”?

Yet damage caused by straight-line winds may be exactly the same as a tornado, or sometimes worse. For tornadoes are actually very isolated events. Where the hit, they wreak havoc. But usually it’s in a very limited area. Yet a severe thunderstorm with a bow echo, or a derecho can cause tornado like damage over a much larger area, with entire counties and multiple counties having heavy damage.

And those damage reports need someone to receive them, and, that’s why we need coverage on the “plain old severe thunderstorm watches” just as badly as we do with tornado watches.

I’ve worked callouts for hurricane landfalls, tornado watches and severe thunderstorm watches, and, the amount of reports I received during this year’s thunderstorm watches have rivaled any tornado outbreak I’ve seen.

But, what are your thoughts on this? If you used to respond to callouts, but have lost the desire to do so, could you share with me (privately) what factors caused this? By sharing your feelings with me, we can get a better idea of what is going on and what we can do, if possible, to help remedy the situation & get you interested again.

This isn’t a rhetorical question either. I’m really seeking feedback. And, all responses will be held in the strictest confidence.

Of the various EMCOMM groups in Central Alabama, ALERT is probably, if not the most active, one of the most active emergency groups around. During severe weather season we may be called on at any time day or night, sometimes with good lead-time to prepare, and sometimes with little or no lead-time at all.

So, if you want a “piece of the action”, then you want to be an active ALERT member.

Finally, to those of you who have responded to callouts in the past, and to those who currently respond, I say “thank you”

Your efforts ARE appreciated. Perhaps we don’t thank you loudly enough or publicly enough, but we really do appreciate your efforts and your contribution to YOUR ALERT’s mission. Which, is to help protect our community by giving the NWS the reports and information they need so that they can sound warnings that save lives.

As David Black told me long, long ago when I joined, “it’s a way to give back to the community”. That’s why I joined ALERT & have stayed active in ALERT. And, to be a part of real-life adventure too.

Helping my community, helping to save lives & being “part of the action”.

Those are pretty good motives, wouldn’t you agree?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mark’s Almanac

Originally called “Quintilis”, the fifth Roman month, Quintilis was renamed “July” in 44 BC in honor of Julius Caesar.

July is miserably hot, as land temperatures reach their peaks in late July through early August – the Dog Days of Summer. The last week of July is usually the hottest week of the year. Tropical conditions are dominant, with conditions similar to that of the Amazon Valley.

This is the time to test the “Brown Grass Theory”. According to the theory, if the grass remains green the temperature will probably not reach 100, but, if the grass turns brown, get set for triple digits. This is a local Birmingham rule, which I learned from the Old Timers at the Birmingham NWS way back when they were on Oxmoor Road.

Tornado activity drops sharply, with a 47% decrease nationwide. July has an average of 103 tornadoes.

Amazingly, Alabama still leads the nation with 99 tornadoes. The statistics as of June 30 being:

Alabama 99

Texas 95

Kansas 76

Georgia 64

Missouri 61

So far no Atlantic Tropical Storms have formed. In July Hurricane activity normally increases, but major hurricanes are not yet frequent. By months end, one hurricane will have occurred. Seven percent of a year’s hurricane total occurs in July.

Long track hurricanes are possible, forming off the African coast and crossing the Atlantic, either to threaten the US East Coast, then eventually veering off towards Bermuda. Or in the case of “Low Latitude” storms, cross the Atlantic, strike the Leeward Islands, enter the Caribbean and then striking the Yucatan, or the Western or Northern Gulf coast.

This years storm names are Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor & Wanda.

July’s Full Moon is “Buck Moon” in Native American folklore.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

This month’s meeting will be on July 14 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

I hope to see you there.

Mark / WD4NYL

President

ALERT

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Hi everyone & welcome to your ALERT Newsletter.

With this newsletter, as I begin my third term as ALERT President, the first thing I want to say is “thank you” for your support and your work, which made our successes possible. It’s YOUR work and efforts that have made the things possible that we have done these past two years.

2007 – 2008 was a year that focused on restructuring & strengthening the ALERT organization, with the revision and ratification of our Constitution and Bylaws, the revival of Board or Directors meetings, and our obtaining 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

In 2008 – 2009 we experimented with and made operational the Spotterchat system, which has proven to be a vital tool for ALERT operations, fitting hand in glove with our RF operations at K4NWS.

During this new term we want to build on our successes and move forward tackling some key challenges that we face.

Among these are ALERT’s need to increase its membership, so that we have a vital active team for today and continued growth for the future. So tell people about us. We’re not an “exclusive group”. Tell them “Ya’ll come.”

One key focus area has to be improving our callout response. We, with only one exception, have been able to respond to all NWS callouts. But, lately we have had to issue multiple callouts to finally get a response.

Why is this the case?

This may be simply due to members waiting to see if someone else has responded before they themselves step up and volunteer.

It may be due to burnout, for this has been one of the most active years for ALERT in recent memory.

It may that our older members are tiring and loosing interest, and newer members are having “the new wear off”, and their initial enthusiasm has cooling down.

The Spotterchat system is somewhat to blame, I know. Staying at home and monitoring the Chats is awfully tempting. And, is necessary. But, so is manning the radios at K4NWS, as the former was never designed to replace the latter. Our RF operations cannot be allowed to whither and die on the vine.

Sometimes it depends on the callout lead time, for “short fuse” callouts give very little time to allow for work and other arrangements, which also limits response, as it’s hard to drop everything you are doing at an moments notice.

Sometimes it has to do with the type of Watch issued. Traditionally Severe Thunderstorm Watches have been much more difficult to fill than Tornado Watches.

Part of this is due to the word “tornado” having a higher PF than a “thunderstorm”.

What is PF? It’s the “Pizzazz Factor”.

Tornadoes have an eerie weird romanticism that other storms, with the possible exception of hurricanes, don’t.

For instance, people get very touchy when you say “straight line winds from a microburst” blew down their outhouse instead of the EF3 tornado they have been bragging about.

“Ah know it was a F15 tornader that blowed the thang to pieces, with mah wife Noreen sittin in it & here the dummies are trying to tell me it was just straight line winds”?

Yet damage caused by straight-line winds may be exactly the same as a tornado, or sometimes worse. For tornadoes are actually very isolated events. Where the hit, they wreak havoc. But usually it’s in a very limited area. Yet a severe thunderstorm with a bow echo, or a derecho can cause tornado like damage over a much larger area, with entire counties and multiple counties having heavy damage.

And those damage reports need someone to receive them, and, that’s why we need coverage on the “plain old severe thunderstorm watches” just as badly as we do with tornado watches.

I’ve worked callouts for hurricane landfalls, tornado watches and severe thunderstorm watches, and, the amount of reports I received during this year’s thunderstorm watches have rivaled any tornado outbreak I’ve seen.

But, what are your thoughts on this? If you used to respond to callouts, but have lost the desire to do so, could you share with me (privately) what factors caused this? By sharing your feelings with me, we can get a better idea of what is going on and what we can do, if possible, to help remedy the situation & get you interested again.

This isn’t a rhetorical question either. I’m really seeking feedback. And, all responses will be held in the strictest confidence.

Of the various EMCOMM groups in Central Alabama, ALERT is probably, if not the most active, one of the most active emergency groups around. During severe weather season we may be called on at any time day or night, sometimes with good lead-time to prepare, and sometimes with little or no lead-time at all.

So, if you want a “piece of the action”, then you want to be an active ALERT member.

Finally, to those of you who have responded to callouts in the past, and to those who currently respond, I say “thank you”

Your efforts ARE appreciated. Perhaps we don’t thank you loudly enough or publicly enough, but we really do appreciate your efforts and your contribution to YOUR ALERT’s mission. Which, is to help protect our community by giving the NWS the reports and information they need so that they can sound warnings that save lives.

As David Black told me long, long ago when I joined, “it’s a way to give back to the community”. That’s why I joined ALERT & have stayed active in ALERT. And, to be a part of real-life adventure too.

Helping my community, helping to save lives & being “part of the action”.

Those are pretty good motives, wouldn’t you agree?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mark’s Almanac

Originally called “Quintilis”, the fifth Roman month, Quintilis was renamed “July” in 44 BC in honor of Julius Caesar.

July is miserably hot, as land temperatures reach their peaks in late July through early August – the Dog Days of Summer. The last week of July is usually the hottest week of the year. Tropical conditions are dominant, with conditions similar to that of the Amazon Valley.

This is the time to test the “Brown Grass Theory”. According to the theory, if the grass remains green the temperature will probably not reach 100, but, if the grass turns brown, get set for triple digits. This is a local Birmingham rule, which I learned from the Old Timers at the Birmingham NWS way back when they were on Oxmoor Road.

Tornado activity drops sharply, with a 47% decrease nationwide. July has an average of 103 tornadoes.

Amazingly, Alabama still leads the nation with 99 tornadoes. The statistics as of June 30 being:

Alabama 99

Texas 95

Kansas 76

Georgia 64

Missouri 61

So far no Atlantic Tropical Storms have formed. In July Hurricane activity normally increases, but major hurricanes are not yet frequent. By months end, one hurricane will have occurred. Seven percent of a year’s hurricane total occurs in July.

Long track hurricanes are possible, forming off the African coast and crossing the Atlantic, either to threaten the US East Coast, then eventually veering off towards Bermuda. Or in the case of “Low Latitude” storms, cross the Atlantic, strike the Leeward Islands, enter the Caribbean and then striking the Yucatan, or the Western or Northern Gulf coast.

This years storm names are Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor & Wanda.

July’s Full Moon is “Buck Moon” in Native American folklore.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

This month’s meeting will be on July 14 at 7PM at the National Weather Service

Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

I hope to see you there.

Mark / WD4NYL

President

ALERT

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Continue reading →