December 2007 ALERT Newsletter

“Tis the season to be grumpy, tra-la-la-la-la La-la-la-laaa” Christmastime is a special time of year, which brings out both the best and worst of us all. Once upon a time I worked in retail at Sears and at Christmastime I saw some amazing sights and shining examples of weird human behavior. Strange it was, for instance, seeing supposedly otherwise well balanced people, standing in the freezing cold at 4AM for After-Thanksgiving sales and then later seeing some of the same merry souls being carted away by the police for engaging in a donnybrook over a doll whose head resembled a derriere. And, then later hearing that people were mystified as to why their children were crying and hiding from the Big Derriere Headed Doll’s leering glassy eyed stare — Evil Cabbage Heads from Hades. Or, seeing people, who looked deceivingly intelligent, ignoring the warnings that “Ma’am, the reason this DVD is priced like a piece of junk is that it IS a piece of junk”, them buying it anyway & then soon and very soon returning it & jumping the salespeople for them having sold them the piece of pre-warned junk. Also, I sawstrange reactions from people, who after blasting people for not having the “New Blue Widget Thingamajig, oh you know what it is, that was in your ad” and, having it pointed out to them that they were in Sears, but, “this is a Wal-Mart ad”, and, seeing their eyes momentarily glaze over. Yes, everyone oughtto serve time, I mean be in retail at Christmas once in their lives. That’s why my hair is gray, even though I am such a young and spry thing.. But, by far and wide the kinder, gentler, brighter side of Christmas rules. People generally seem to smile more this time of year and are friendlier, as they drift from store to store looking for gifts and treasures. Christmastime is a time of wonder & mystery. A time of bright lights, shining trees and the time of hide and seek, as presents are hid from inquiring minds and fingers. And, a time one’s mind and memories drift back to days of childhood, and Christmases now long gone by. And, towards friends and family, some here, some now gone & you long that they were once again near, as it was once upon a time. And, it’s a time to remember that the true “reason for the season” occurred in a manger, long, long ago on that first cold and chilly “Silent Night.” Christmas is still a special time, a magical time…. So as you go about your Christmas preparations remember the magic that was once there when you were a child & don’t let that magic die. For Christmas truly is “the most wonderful time of the year”. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Mark’s Almanac December is the cloudiest month of the year, with only 40 to 60% of possible sunshine poking through the clouds. It is also the stormiest month of the year for the Continental US & the Gulf of Mexico. By “stormy” meaning large-scale storms, not necessarily the tornadic storms that they bring, even though we are still in the Second Tornado Season. A region of heavy rainfall usually forms from Texas to Northwest Florida to Tennessee and Arkansas. Cold waves bringing rain, snow, ice and occasionally tornadoes, sweep across the region. Hurricane season is now “officially” over, however Mother Nature sometimes throws a surprise in to make life interesting. In 120 years of records, from 1885 to 2005 there have been 5 December hurricanes. The last being Hurricane Epsilon during the 2005 season, the year in which we ran out of hurricane names. Winter begins Winter Solstice on or about December 21 — St. Mary’s Day December can be cloudy and cold, and, then it can swing into Spring like warmth, luring plants to bloom early, only to have the frosts and freezes to return and the plants be “nipped in the bud”. Do you want a White Christmas? I hope you like Saskatchewan, for it won’t be happening here. In over 100 years of weather records, there has never been a White Christmas in Birmingham. The closest we have gotten was in 1985. Flurries fell on Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning, lightly dusting some areas, but the snow was not measurable. 5.5 inches of snow fell December 22, 1929 & there was still 2.5 inches on the ground Christmas Eve. However, Christmas Day the temperature rose to 51 degrees and the snow mushed and melted away. As my Granddad once said, “we don’t get the snow, just the cold.” December’s Full Moon is “Cold Moon” in Native American folklore. The Geminid Meteor Shower peaks on December 13-14. Geminids are one of the year’s best meteor showers. It’s a consistent and prolific shower, and usually the most satisfying of all the annual showers, even surpassing the more widely recognized Perseids of August This shower typically produces 50 or more meteors an hour, or about one every minute. Although some meteors can be seen a couple of days before and after the peak date, you can expect the peak of the Geminid meteors to start flying through the sky around mid-evening. The moderately fast Geminid meteors slice through Earth’s atmosphere at some 22 miles per second. These meteors originated in a mysterious object called 3200 Phaethon, which looks like a cross between an asteroid and a burned-out comet. The Geminid meteors are named for the constellation Gemini the Twins, the shower’s point of origin. This point — called the radiant point — lies close to Gemini’s bright star, Castor. Castor is one of the two bright stars in Gemini, the other bright star is Pollux. Gemini rises about 8:00 p.m. The meteors should be visible during the evening & peak around 2:00 a.m. You won’t need binoculars or a telescope, the naked eye is usually best for seeing. The field of view of most binoculars and telescopes is too narrow for good meteor observations. These meteors produce long, persistent streaks or tails. I’ve only seen them once though, since it’s usually too stinking cloudy. Give it a try. It’s worth the effort. ………………………………………………………………………………………. This month’s meeting will be on December 11 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport. Among other things we will discuss taxes & Skywarn Appreciation day. I hope to see you there. And, from Mark & Teresa’s house we wish you a Merry Christmas and 73. Mark / WD4NYL President ALERT www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/