ALERT NEWSLETTER – May 2016

Hi everyone,

I hope this finds you doing well & that you have been enjoying these spring days.

Our May 10 ALERT meeting will feature our annual elections.

If you are a paid up Operational or Supporting Member, which is a member interested in Amateur Radio, Skywarn or Emergency Communications, but doesn’t have a ham license (yet), you may vote in the 2016 – 2017 ALERT leadership elections.

The officers will assume their positions at the July meeting.

July is also when ALERT dues are due. Remember, if you wish to respond to ALERT callouts or serve as an officer you MUST be current with your dues.

Also, there will be a Board of Directors meeting proceeding the regular 7 PM meeting at 6:30.

I hope to see you there!

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Introducing The NWS Enhanced Data Display

One of the more interesting tools or in my case toys for weather analysis is the experimental NWS Enhanced Data Display or EDD. This tool is apparently one of the frequently visited, yet least advertised products that the NWS has made available.

Ranking the 7th most popular GO.USA.gov links, the NWS EDD http://preview.weather.gov/edd/
is described as an “Experimental GIS-centric meteorological display interface that can display a wide range of data including observations, forecasts, radar, satellite, hazards, weather model data and much more.” “…an effort by the NWS’s Weather Ready Nation’s (WRN) Pilot Project in Charleston, WV to be a “one-stop shop” to view and display numerous past, present, and future weather-related datasets important in the delivery of weather decision support services to support the NWS mission to save life and property, and promote the nation’s economy.”

So what exactly is the EDD and what can you do with it?

The EDD is designed to allow users to tap into various forecast products generated by various NOAA and other government entities.

It features an interactive map which you can drag and zoom and if you point the cursor to any location in the continental US or CONUS, the local forecast will appear.

You can add various layers to the map including radar, satellite, hazards, forecasts, observations, upper air balloon soundings, local storm reports and more.

You can choose interfaces allowing you to narrow down the information for various purposes, including hazmat, aviation, hydrology, marine, emergency management or tropical interests.

One of the more interesting tools is the “Travel Weather Forecast”. This feature is accessed by clicking the “slippery road” traffic sign in the upper right corner. A window appears and by adding your start point (by right clicking on the map) and adding the destination in the same manner it will automatically plot the shortest route and give you a very detailed weather forecast at various intervals along the way, along with the estimated time of arrival to these points.

If you are addicted to weather as I am, you can spend hours playing with this tool.

The only cautions I would give are that this is an experimental product. Occasionally a “bug” might rear its ugly head. Also, this site processed lots of data. If you have a slow internet connection, it will operate slowly.

New features are added as the NWS tweaks this site. So check the site frequently for new options.

Another kindred product is NowCOAST, http://www.nowcoast.noaa.gov/
described as a “one-stop” website to real-time coastal meteorological, oceanographic, and hydrologic observations from a variety of Internet sites within and outside of NOAA, along with NOAA forecasts.

Though primary aimed at marine interests, it a valuable resource, and well worth investigation.

Incidentally the primary sites I use during severe weather are:

For the regional real-time conditions, to see what is happening “upstream” I use the Storm Prediction Center Mesoscale Analysis page http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/mesoanalysis/new/viewsector.php?sector=18
which features access to very detailed real-time data, including CAPE values, shear, helicity and much more.

For Dual-Pol Radar I use http://weather.cod.edu/satrad/nexrad/index.php?type=BMX-N0Q-0-6 which has access to radar products, such as the correlation coefficient and differential reflectivity products and hydrometeor classification, which the local site http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/radar.php?rid=bmx&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no
currently does not. I use the local site as my backup site, and to obtain the range or distance of the storms I’m tracking.

Also, I monitor and utilize the NWSchat system https://nwschat.weather.gov/live/?nomap which ALERT members, once approved for access, can use to relay valid storm reports to the NWS forecast office.

Give these sites a try. I think you will be glad that you did!

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Mark’s Almanac

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15, and although the North Atlantic hurricane season has not arrived, occasionally a tropical system will form in the Gulf of Mexico. In 110 years there have been 14 named storms.

Looking skyward, Mercury is fading away in the sunset. On May 9, beginning shortly after sunrise Mercury will begin moving across the face of the Sun in a rare transit – a planetary version of an eclipse. Transits of Mercury are rare events, with on average only 13 transits per century. By some weird coincidence of orbital mechanics and celestial billiards, these transits occur within days of May 8 & November 10.

Timings are as follows:

6:51 AM Sunrise in Birmingham
7:14 AM Transit Begins
10:58 AM Maximum Transit, just below the center of the Sun
2:41 PM Transit Ends

Do NOT try to view this with a naked eye. Use a solar filter or a “pinhole camera” as one would use with a solar eclipse. Construction details may be found at: http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how-to-view-eclipse

One thing to consider is that Mercury will be a small speck on the surface of the Sun. In other words, don’t expect a dramatic display.

The next transit will occur on November 11, 2019 & in 2039.

Mercury and Venus are the only planets that can produce a transit. The last transit of Venus was in June of 2012 and the next will occur in December 2117, when I will be 159 years old.

Venus is lost in the glare of the Sun.

Mars, in the legs of Ophiuchus above Scorpius, rises around 10 or 11 PM. He is highest in the South around 2 or 3 AM to the right of dimmer Saturn and above the twinkly orange star Antares and shines at magnitude -1.3.

His closest approach to Earth will occur May 22. He will be the brightest of the year, appearing as a reddish bright star like object, which refuses to twinkle. Since planets usually don’t twinkle like stars.

Be prepared for the usual Facebook meme that usually circulates around the time of closest approach, which will say, “Mars will appear as large as a full moon” or “we will be treated to two full moons in the evening sky”. As the saying goes “it ain’t gonna happen”.

Jupiter in Leo, dominates the Southern Sky in the evening, at magnitude -2.3. Very conspicuous, one might wonder “what is that?” Sometimes He has caused UFO reports.

Saturn, at magnitude +0.3, has moved into the legs of Ophiuchus. He rises about a half hour after Mars, with Saturn, Mars and Antares forming a triangle in the sky.

Uranus is hidden in the glow of the Sun.

Neptune is very low in the East-Southeast at the beginning of dawn.

The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower, a minor shower, will peak May 5 & 6 with 30 meteors per hour.

It is produced by dust particles left behind by Comet Halley. A New Moon will ensure a decent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

New Moon will occur May 6 at 2:29 PM CDT. This is the best time of the month to observe faint deep sky objects such as galaxies and star clusters, as there will be no moonlight to wash out the evening sky.

Full Moon will occur May 21th at 4:15 PM CDT. May’s Moon is “Flower Moon” in Native American folklore, because of the abundance of spring flowers. It has also been called “Corn Planting Moon” & “Milk Moon”.

Since this is the third of four full moons in this season, this will be a “Blue Moon”.

Beware of Internet rumors of this being the last Blue Moon for centuries or millennia or ever. They actually occur on average every 2.7 years. The next one will be on January 31, 2018.

1966 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of April 28, per NASA’s
Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

Last but, not least, World Naked Gardening Day will occur May 7.

Make sure to wear sunscreen, as some places are best not sunburned.

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This month’s meeting will be on May 10 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

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