Record Setting Stretch of Cold Days

Between 1890 and now Tampa has never experienced a streak of chilly days like the one we are currently in.

As of Monday January 11th we've had 9 consecutive days below 60 degrees and it is likely that Tuesday will make it 10 days in a row. That shatters the old record set 54 years ago in 1956 when tampa saw 7 straight days below 60.

Not to be outdone St. Petersburg has also set a new record of 9 straight days below 60. The old record was 8 days set in 1995

Tampa
1) 9 Days ending 1/10/2010
2) 7 Days ending 1/14/1956
3) 6 Days ending 1/04/2001 and 6 Days ending 1/29/1940
St. Petersburg
1) 9 Days ending 1/10/2010
2) 8 Days ending 12/28/1995
3) 6 Days ending 1/04/2001 and 1/14/1956 and 1/29/1940

There have been several record low temperatures and a few record low-high temperatures broken around the Bay Area since Christmas day. Incredibly with all of this cold air we were unable to break the all-time record low temperatures for January set on January 21, 1985 with 21 degrees in Tampa and 27 in St. Petersburg.

Here is a list of a few new record breaking lows recorded on Monday morning:
Tampa 25, St. Petersburg 33, Bartow 27, Brooksville (Chin Hill) 24, Chiefland 15, Inverness 18, Lakeland 23, Plant City 24, Sarasota-Bradenton 28, Winterhaven 27.

On Tuesday we head into a warm-up and our cold snap will probably be over. If nothing else at least you can say you were here to witness the record cold of 2010.
(Statistics Courtesy NWS Ruskin)

New Parameters For Severe Weather

Up until now the criteria for a severe thunderstorm warning has been winds of 58 mph and greater or hail larger than 3/4 of an inch.
Now, after years of discussion the hail size is changing. It's growing.
Beginning on January 5, 2010 a severe t-storm warning will be issued for hail of 1 inch or larger.
The reason for change is related to damage. Researchers have found that damage is unlikely with hail smaller than 1 inch.
In addition the National Weather Service is concerned that the public is becoming desensitized by too many marginal warnings for hail explaining that the 109 hail warnings over the past two years contained only 35 for hail larger than 1 inch across central and southwest Florida.
This is good news for us in the Bay Area. Now with less warnings expected we can focus on what are truly the worst storms.

Brrrr Coldest Air Of The Season

Grab the coat and the extra blanket. Shut the windows and hit the heater.

Brrr we woke up to 46 degrees in Tampa on Friday morning and we will be even colder on Saturday morning with low 30s possible north of the Bay.

This is the coldest air since early last march when we dipped to the 40s between the 2nd and the 4th. The record low for Saturday is 32 degrees in 1903 and that record should remain unbroken.

At least it feels more like the holidays with the cooler, drier air in place. And look on the bright side.....we get to wear those winter sweaters and boots.

FYI, all of this may be repeated again next week with another round of storms followed by a big cool down.

Catastrophic Conditions In Australia

Hot, dry and dangerous....many parts of Australia are suffering through record November heat and an extreme fire danger.
For the first time in New South Wales a "Catastrophic" category has been used to warn for unpredictable and uncontrollable fires.
The heat has exceeded 46 degrees Celsius or 115 Fahrenheit and at night the temperature has remained above 84 F.
Farmers were asked to leave their lands and school bus service was cancelled while schools closed.
All of this may seem extreme unless you recall the Black Friday Fires of February 2009. Hundreds of people were killed in fires with 60-70 foot flames. It was considered Australia's worst natural disaster in over a century.
Having seen the destruction of wildfires first hand while growing in in the back country of San Diego, California I witnessed family homes burning, family members fleeing for their lives as they lost everything but the clothes on their backs. The destruction is indescribable. The speed and unpredictability of fires also make them one of natures worst disasters.
My heart goes out to everyone living through these dangerous conditions down under.

Time For A Thanksgiving Make Over

Every Thanksgiving my family sits down to the traditional fare of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pies. It's a day for football, after dinner walks and quality family time.
Well, this year we are making the break from tradition.
Instead of turkey how does Stone Crab sound?
After a quick survey of my family (they are flying in from the west coast) and it was crab eight, turkey zero.
So, we are pardoning the holiday bird and switching to seafood.
We are also planning a picnic at the beach and maybe a little early morning fishing.
Let's hope the weather cooperates. There is a chance of rain next Wednesday with clearing on Thursday, but we are prepared to switch the big feast to Friday if need be.
Oh and one more thing.....this year will feature key lime pie and home made pumpkin ice cream for desert.
What are your plans for the big day? Share them on the blog.
P.S. I'll see you all on TV at 11 PM on Thanksgiving night. After all weather never takes a vacation.

NEVER TIRED OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE

It was a spectacular for Space Shuttle Atlantis to soar into space.
Beautiful blue skies made it possible to clearly see the launch from here in the Bay Area.
Following man's exploration of space has been a life long hobby.
My father introduced me to the efforts of NASA as a child and since that time I have been hooked on the possibilities for exploration and even colonization beyond our own atmosphere.
This was the last shuttle launch of 2009 and one of only six shuttle missions remaining before the end of 2010. That's when the shuttles will be retired.
I plan to gather my family and make the trek across Florida to catch a glimpse of one of those final shuttle trips.
Hopefully my young son will inherit my love of looking to the stars and dreaming of what we may find on future space missions.

Not Quite The Coolest Fall Temperatures

I received e-mails from many of you about this mini-cool snap we are experiencing.
Thursday started with a morning low of 59 and a daytime high of only 67.
Normally we should see a high and low of 79 and 61.
Yes, the 50s and 60s are unusual for this time of year, but just last month on October 18th we had a high of only 66 and a low the next morning on the 19th of 48.
Now that's chilly for Fall in Tampa.
Maybe it's Mother Nature's way of preparing us for our Winter outlook which is cooler than average and wetter than average.
Either way just grab an extra blanket for the bed and bundle the wee ones up as they head to school on Friday. By Saturday we will be warming up.