Inside 13NEWS Weather Lab

Ike to Houston? A Tough Week Ahead...

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:28:32 -0500

A lot can happen to the forecast track of a hurricane over 5 days. That's why the "cone of uncertainty" widens so much beyond three days. Right now, the forecast models suggest residents living near Houston may have to deal with "Ike" by the end of the work week.

Reflections on Hanna

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:26:40 -0500

All eyes are now rightly trained on Hurricane Ike, but the passage of Tropical Storm Hanna on Saturday got me to thinking about how we cover severe weather here at 13 News and viewer reaction to it...

That's a wrap

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:55:20 -0500

Hanna is moving rapidly to the northeast, leaving behind power outages, some downed trees, and not as much rain as I had hoped.

One last band

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:13:17 -0500

At high noon Hanna is located across western parts of the 13News viewing area with the actual center pretty much between Hopewell and Williamsburg. Much of the Southside and Northeastern North Carolina has seen the rain end with the exception of a few isolated showers.

Hanna Zips Along, About to Enter VA

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:31:43 -0500

At 9:30 AM Hanna is centered just south of the state line along I-95. The heavy band of rain near the Outer Banks has cleared the coast. Much of Hampton Roads is done with the heaviest rain. So what comes next?

8 AM Update... Hanna is Weakening but Getting Closer

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:11:14 -0500

A quick update on Hanna... Max winds are down to 50 mph with higher gusts. A heavy band is clearing the coast of North Carolina. The wet weather will become more scattered.

An Early Start, Coverage Started at 4 AM

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:39:09 -0500

Our overnight was fairly quiet in Hampton Roads. Central Virginia and North Carolina have had heavy rain and it has been widespread. The stronger winds and more areas of rain are closer to the center of Hanna. We got an early jump on the television coverage (and the competition!) to keep our viewers informed about the todays developments.

1 AM Update

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:16:44 -0500

At 11:00 PM the center of Tropical Storm Hanna was located near latitude 32.4 North, longitude 79.1 West or 140 miles South-Southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Not much difference

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:31:53 -0500

Earlier tonight I said on the air that there wasn't much of a difference between a strong Tropical Storm with 70 mph winds and a weak hurricane with 75 mph winds. Soon afterward I got a call from an engineer pointing out that because the force of the wind increases as the square of the wind speed that my statement wasn't really correct. Well, we are both correct.

8 PM Hanna Update - Friday

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:20:58 -0500

At 8:00 PM the center of Hanna was located near latitude 31.6 North, longitude 79.3 West, or about 200 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina.

5 PM Hanna Update

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:17:35 -0500

At 5:00 PM the center of Hanna was located near latitude 30.8 North, longitude 78.7 West, or about 240 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina.

UPDATE Hanna Gets Closer... The Picture is Clearer

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:28:38 -0500

This is an updated entry as I have just received the 11AM (EDT) advisory on Hanna. With each new update the impacts from Hanna for our region become clearer.

It's different if it's here in our backyard

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:22:26 -0500

Whenever I see a strong tropical storm or a weak hurricane heading for somewhere else I almost always think back to Bonnie and Isabel. If you look up in hurricane guides the expected damage from storms of that intesity you will find that there shouldn't really be much.

Here's How I'm Preparing For Hanna...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:52:55 -0500

It is sunny and hot today. This is pretty typical weather just before and after a tropical storm or hurricane moves through. You get a lot of sinking air all around the outskirts of the storm itself. So today is a great day to get things in order before Hanna hits.

Hanna's steering currents and its path

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:23:27 -0500

I often get asked why there are such changes in the expected path of a tropical system from day to day, or sometimes within the same day. Well, at the risk of oversimplifying things I will try to explain.