Articles about Meteorology
Dallas White Rock Marathon to be Wet, Windy, Cold
God bless you if you plan to be among the thousands running the Dallas White Rock Marathon on Sunday morning. Whether you’re participating in memory of a family member or a mentor, or your church, or just for some strange sense that you’ve accomplished something in your life, the weather forecast promises temperatures in the 40s with rain and wind.
The Dallas Morning News running blog has a number of tips for the challenging day. Basically, don’t wear cotton. Have layers, some of which you might be able to dispose of along the way. Don’t overdress. But the best tip comes from Spareribs Lamothe (he of quite possibly the greatest name ever):
And no matter what you do, do NOT bring a jacket, then get hot and tie it around your waist! You will look like an idiot for one, and for another, the jacket will act as a giant sail and slow you down. If I see you out there with a jacket (or worse, a sweat shirt) around your waist I’m going to fine you five dollars.
If you do find yourself getting overwhelmed by the cold, WFAA assures us that doctors will be standing by to help. There will be a relay team of doctors from Baylor running the route so that they’ll be nearby should any emergency needs arise. They’ve also got a fancy piece of equipment, which WFAA calls a “bear hug” in case anyone suffers hypothermia.
The device is actually a “Bair Hugger.” So doctors would be doing something like this.
Leading Off (10/17/11)
Rangers, Meet Cardinals: Let the break downs begin: Battle of the sluggers; don’t underestimate the birds; teams have only met once before; both teams trust bullpens; storied Cards have historical edge; unofficial NPR poll favors Cards; it’s tough to hit homers in St. Louis;Â schedules/projected lineups.
Occupy Dallas Shoved Out of Pioneer Plaza: While Occupy Dallas is forced to move, Occupy Fort Worth protesters are arrested. And even if all of these satellite OWS protests seem more and more irrelevant, I’m starting to think Jim Schutze’s nightmares are reality.
Cold Weather Coming: Today’s expected high of 89 degrees may be the last of it. Here comes fall.
Leading Off (10/10/11)
This Week’s Perry Controversy: You have to question the judgment of any politician who willingly stands within 200 yards of the ever-controversial Dallas First Baptist pastor (and our neighbor!) Robert Jeffress. Last Friday, Jeffress introduced Perry at a “Values Voter Summit,” and then proceeded to dismiss Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Mormonism as “false religions” (which, I suppose, means they don’t have “values?”). Never mind that GOP front-runner Mitt Romney is Mormon. Oh wait, yes, mind it a lot, as the rest of the GOP pool spent the weekend tangled in  Jeffress’ comments. Perry? No comment, but his campaign did say that the Texas governor doesn’t think Mormonism is cult. Well, that’s nice of him.
What’s The Most Important Thing to Happen to the Texas Economy: Economist Ray Perryman runs down the top ten things that impacted the growth of Texas’ economy, including some obvious factors, like DFW Airport and the high tech industry, and some not as much, such as the oil embargo and air conditioning.
Rangers Rained Out, First Pitch Today at 3:19 p.m.: Game two of the American League Championship Series was postponed yesterday due to rain, even though Arlington didn’t actually see a drop Sunday night, prompting some to question whether or not The X-Factor had anything to do with the dubious decision to push off the game. The postponement screws Rangers fans who can’t skip work today to catch the game, which was a boon to quick-actors on the secondary ticket market, but those wild deals seem to have dried up. As for today’s weather? Looks like a 10 percent chance, but better yet, Rangers baseball can stand up ratings-wise to the double feature of Judge Joe Brown and Judge Judy, the shows which normally occupy the Monday afternoon slot.
North Texas Needs 12 to 15 Inches of Rain Now
So we’re told that the last 11 months in Texas have been the driest since at least 1895. It’s so bad that ranchers are going to slaughter about 500,000 more beef cows this year than they normally would because they can’t afford to keep feeding them. That’s going to drive up beef prices to a record next year.
The Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put together this map showing just how much rain we need to alleviate the drought conditions. Much of Texas needs more than 15 inches.
And the next 6-8 months don’t look promising.
I need a drink.
Thomas Friedman Notes That It’s Hot in Dallas
An alert, nature-loving FrontBurnervian points us to a Thomas Friedman op-ed in the Times today. He points to the hell-hot summer we’ve had in Dallas and suggests that Rick Perry might want to reconsider his position on global warming. Yeah, but tomorrow’s high will only be 87. Take that, Thomas Friedman.
Our Dallas Summer Heat Was Worse Than The Dust Bowl
We’re No. 1!
Texas just finished the hottest June through August on record in the U.S., the National Weather Service said Thursday.
Weather service meteorologist Victor Murphy told The Associated Press that Texas’ 86.8 average beat out Oklahoma’s 85.2 degrees in 1934.
That Dust Bowl year is now third on the list for the three-month span, behind No. 2 Oklahoma’s heat wave this June through August (86.5 degrees).
Yeah, so, remember The Grapes of Wrath? Worse than what caused that.
Leading Off (8/29/11)
Parents’ Bedwetting Punishment Kills Child: Because bedwetting isn’t enough of a humiliating ordeal, the parents of a 10-year-old Dallas boy decided to withhold water from their child for five days as punishment, and the boy eventually died when he collapsed and hit his head. That’s why Michael Ray James and Tina Alberson, both now in Dallas County jail, are this week’s winners of the most despicable and sickening parents in the world award.
Later This Week, The Sun Devil May Finally Show His Mercy: Forecasters are calling (sub. req.) for highs in the low 90s later in the week with a chance of rain. Couldn’t come sooner, as Sunday really strained the power grid. But the DMN article seems to lament that a break in the temperature later this week will mean we will come up short on breaking the record for most 100-degree days. I don’t really understand the desire. Seriously, just make it stop.
Jonathan Hudson Wins Dumbest Juror Ever Award: Why? Because he tried to “friend” the defendant in the case on Facebook. Nice.
Dallas Police Lineup Unit Stands Out From the Crowd: In this Boston Globe article (via the NYT, it would seem) Dallas’ special lineup unit gets a close look ahead of New Jersey’s efforts to overhaul their lineup program. Dallas assigns specially trained officers to lineups who have no relationship with individual cases to avoid witness coercion.
Perry Became a Millionaire While In Office: My favorite bit about this story is that when it comes down to hard cash, the anti-government poster boy, much like Michele Bachmann, has no problem pocketing government agricultural subsidies. Notice how both major Republican candidates have made their living/fortunes off the government or by leveraging their governmental positions.
Dirk Receives Germany’s Top Sports Honor: It’s called the Silver Laurel Leaf, and who else was going to win it this year, Andreas Klöden?
Beltre, Cruz Swap Spots on DL: The good news: Adrian Beltre starts a rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A Round Rock today and should return to the Rangers in a few days. The bad news? Friday night’s hero, Nelson Cruz, left last night’s game with a strained hamstring.
Yet Another Fan Seriously Injured At Ranger Game An unidentified 24-year-old man fell from a stairwell after the game Saturday night, proving once and for all that the Ballpark was constructed over an Native American burial ground and it is haunted by spiteful spirits, meaning the Rangers will need to move to a new stadium downtown preferably with a retractable roof so their starters won’t run out of gas mid-August.
Scary Video of Drought Consuming Texas
As you’re watering your lawn tonight, I want you to think about this video and hear “In the Hall of the Mountain King” thundering in your head. The fun part happens right at the end.
Leading Off (8/8/11)
Questions Over Senator Royce West’s Business Behavior: Exactly what role Royce West will play in the ongoing investigation into the nefarious dealings of John Wiley Price is still unclear, but the most interesting part of this report in the Dallas Morning News this morning (sub. req.) about the state senator, a long time associate of Price and a powerful presence in local politics, is the section that breaks down his various contracts with government entities, particularly DISD and DART. West has already had his hand slapped for playing loosey-goosey with ethics rules. Last year the Texas Ethics Commission fined the politician for paying rent on an election office from campaign contributions to a company he owned.
Town Outside Dallas Shuts Off Water Supply: Yes, yes, yes, it’s hot. How hot? If we keep hitting 100 degrees through Friday, it will break 1980’s 100 degree day streak, the longest ever. It is hot enough to catch the attention of British papers, and now some fear the drought will persist into next year. But it doesn’t get worse than in the Kaufman County town of Kemp, where the city has turned off its residents’ water supply.
Michael Young Gets 2,000th Hit: It was a little dribbler down the third base line that Young beat out. Not sensational, but somehow an appropriate way for one of baseball’s most underrated players and a consummate journeyman to reach the milestone.
It’s So Hot That …
You know how hot it is? It’s so hot that when you’re welding the Museum Tower together, you’ll take shade from a big ol’ gay pride umbrella. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)
Leading Off (7/18/11)
Hundreds Rally In Support of John Wiley Price: Some of the 800 supporters who turned out at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church to rally for County Commissioner John Wiley Price, currently being investigated by the FBI, waved signs calling for justice. Can’t argue with that.
Third Earthquake Hits Ellis Country Since June: Economic pundits say Texas is the new California, but I don’t think this is what they have in mind.
Locked-Out Football Players Continue to Find Creative Ways to Kill Time: Tony Romo came in second over the weekend at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship near Lake Tahoe. Meanwhile, the Colts’ Jerry Hughes and former Cowboy Stephen Hodge, along with fellow TCU alum, Cory Grant, were arrested for public intoxication in downtown Dallas early Sunday morning.
It’s Hot: Which is great for algae growth, if not the taste of tap water. Shorelines are shrinking, and don’t expect anything changing anytime soon. We’re now trapped in a “heat dome.”
When Tornadoes Touch Down Everywhere …
… and sirens are going off and other meteorologists at other stations are using words like “safe place,” “seek shelter” and “get off the road,” it’s nice to see that WFAA has its priorities straight, and gives Dallas what it really needs: Dancing with the Stars.
At this point, tornadoes may have touched down near 75 and Mockingbird. Funnel clouds were sighted (or rotation, at least) in the Park Cities. Storm systems that produced giantish hail are headed toward the Ballpark in Arlington, where thousands of fans sit, waiting for a rain delay to end. And yet, Dancing with the Stars is what WFAA saw fit to air.
I have an e-mail out to the station now, but don’t expect an answer until tomorrow, if at all. But given that Pete Delkus and crew seem to live for this kind of stuff, going so far as to send a member to Joplin, Mo., this week, not following storms that are actually, you know, local, seems weird.
An Allegedly Particularly Fearsome Tornado Threat Heads This Way
In the next couple of hours or so, the giant red, yellow blue, green and orange globs you see will be heading to the area, which has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Tornado Watch for the area. But not just any watch – this one has been given the PDS distinction – Particularly Dangerous Situation. You can read more about it here, here, and here.
So far, the gauge I use to determine how bad it really is hasn’t been on screen – Pete Delkus’ shirtsleeves status is still a mystery, and Oprah is on. So either it’s not that bad yet, or Oprah is way more powerful than Forbes lets on. But just the same, I would load the bathtub up with creamed corn and tuna, get your mattress and protective headgear ready, and maybe put on some nice clothes so when Anderson Cooper gets here later you look good on TV.
In all seriousness, though, as we’ve learned from the horrific damage and death toll from the Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornadoes, they don’t just hit the rural areas. And since this thing is looking like it might just hit while all of you are coming home, drive safely. Don’t make me call roll tomorrow morning.
Home |
Masthead |
News from D |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Subscribe |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Customer Service |
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index