MARCH 26, 2008: SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK

March 23-29, 2008 is Ohio's Severe Weather Awareness Week, focused on getting Ohio residents prepared for tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, and other severe weather events that occur during the spring and summer seasons.

Ohio's peak tornado season is generally April through July, and the state has designated Wednesday, March 26th for the "Statewide Tornado Drill." This is your chance to develop and test a family tornado preparedness plan. Keep these tips in mind to be prepared:

• Always listen to your local media or NOAA Weather Radio for warnings and information about severe weather. It is important to remember, however, that tornadoes can occur with little or no warning, and you must be ready to act quickly.

• The safest place to be during a tornado is in the basement - if you don't have a basement, choose a small room on the lowest floor, and as close to the center of your home as possible. The room should be away from windows - bathrooms or closets are good choices.

• If you are outside, head for lowest level of a nearby building. If there is no building to go to, protect yourself by lying flat on the ground in a low area, and cover your head with your arms and hands. Do not seek shelter under a highway overpass or bridge - these areas are not safe.

Find more information and severe weather preparedness tips at the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA) website: http://www.weathersafety.ohio.gov/.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

MARCH 25, 2008 SMART UMBRELLA

With a new device on the market, you may no longer need to check the morning news to decide whether to bring that umbrella. Say it isn’t so! I’ll be out of a job! The Forecasting Umbrella will tell you itself if its needed.

The umbrella received weather updates from Accu Weather and if its going to rain in the next 12 hours, the umbrella handle flashes. It’s so smart it even differentiates between a big storm (blinking fast and furious) and just a sprinkle (flashing slow and steady). The umbrella is always on and the cell battery lasts up to a year. Developed by the company Ambient Devices, the umbrella is available online from Hammacher Schlemmer (www.hammacher.com/publish/74187.asp)

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

MARCH 18, 2008: WHY IS EASTER SO EARLY?

As you’ve probably noticed, Easter Sunday falls very early this year. Some of you might wonder why? Here’s how it is determined: Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which falls on March 20 this year). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

So, based on the above, the next time Easter will be this early (March 23 will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older, you were the only ones around for that!) The next time it will be a day earlier (March 22—the earliest it can ever be) will be in the year 2295(277 years from now). The last time Easter was on March 22 was 1818. By the way next year Easter falls much later on April the 12th.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

MARCH 17, 2008: WHY DOES SPRING ARIVE IN THREE DAYS?

March 20, 2008, is a date that most of us recognize as symbolic of changing seasons. As we welcome spring, people south of the equator are actually gearing up for the cooler temperatures of autumn.

What Happens at the Equinox?

Far from being an arbitrary indicator of the changing seasons, March 20 (March 21 in some years) is significant for astronomical reasons. On March 20, 2008, at precisely 1:48 A.M. EDT (March 20, 05:48 Universal Time), the Sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox.

Equinox Means "Equal Night"

Translated literally, equinox means "equal night." Because the sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. A second equinox occurs each year on September 22 or 23; in 2008, it will be on September 22 at 11:44 A.M. EDT (15:44 UT).

Reasons for the Seasons

These brief but monumental moments owe their significance to the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt, we receive the Sun's rays most directly in the summer. In the winter, when we are tilted away from the Sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures. If the Earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, there would be no variation in day lengths or temperatures throughout the year, and we would not have seasons.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

MARCH 13, 2008: COOLEST WINTER SINCE 2001

The average temperature across both the contiguous U.S. and the globe during climatological winter (December 2007-February 2008) was the coolest since 2001, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. In terms of winter precipitation, Pacific storms, bringing heavy precipitation to large parts of the West, produced high snowpack that will provide welcome runoff this spring.

A complete analysis is available online at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2008/feb/feb08.html

U.S. Winter Temperature Highlights

* In the contiguous United States, the average winter temperature was 33.2 degrees F (0.6 degrees C), which was 0.2 degrees F (0.1 degrees C) above the 20th century average – yet still ranks as the coolest since 2001. It was the 54th coolest winter since national records began in 1895.

* Winter temperatures were warmer than average from Texas to the Southeast and along the Eastern Seaboard, while cooler-than-average temperatures stretched from much of the upper Midwest to the West Coast.

* With higher-than-average temperatures in the Northeast and South, the contiguous U.S. winter temperature-related energy demand was approximately 1.7 percent lower than average, based on NOAA’s Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index.

U.S. Winter Precipitation Highlights

* Winter precipitation was much above average from the Midwest to parts of the West, notably Kansas, Colorado and Utah. Although moderate-to-strong La Niña conditions were present in the equatorial Pacific the winter was unique for the above average rain and snowfall in the Southwest, where La Niña typically brings drier-than-average conditions.

* During January alone, 170 inches of snow fell at the Alta ski area near Salt Lake City, Utah, more than twice the normal amount for the month, eclipsing the previous record of 168 inches that fell in 1967. At the end of February, seasonal precipitation for the 2008 Water Year, which began on October 1, 2007, was well above average over much of the West.

* Mountain snowpack exceeded 150 percent of average in large parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oregon at the end of February. Spring run-off from the above average snowpack in the West is expected to be beneficial in drought plagued areas.

* Record February precipitation in the Northeast helped make the winter the fifth wettest on record for the region. New York had its wettest winter, while Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, and Colorado to the West, had their second wettest. * Snowfall was above normal in northern New England, where some locations posted all-time record winter snow totals. Concord, N.Y., received 100.1 inches, which was 22.1 inches above the previous record set during the winter of 1886-87. Burlington, Vt., received 103.2 inches, which was 6.3 inches above the previous record set during the winter of 1970-71. * While some areas of the Southeast were wetter than average during the winter, overall precipitation for the region was near average. At the end of February, two-thirds of the Southeast remained in some stage of drought, with more than 25 percent in extreme-to- exceptional drought. * Drought conditions intensified in Texas with areas experiencing drought almost doubling from 25 percent at the end of January to 45 percent at the end of February.

Global Highlights * The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the 16th warmest on record for the December 2007-February 2008 period (0.58 degrees F/0.32 degrees C above the 20th century mean of 53.8 degrees F/12.1 degrees C). The presence of a moderate-to-strong La Niña contributed to an average temperature that was the coolest since the La Niña episode of 2000-2001.

* While analyses of the causes of the severe winter storms in southern China continues, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory scientists are focusing on the presence of unusually strong, persistent high pressure over Eastern Europe, combined with low pressure over Southwest Asia. This pattern directed a series of storms across the region, while northerly low level flow introduced cold air from Mongolia. Unusually high water temperatures in the China Sea may have triggered available moisture that enhanced the severity of these storms.

* Record Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in January was followed by above average snow cover for the month of February. Unusually high temperatures across much of the mid- and high-latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere in February began reducing the snow cover, and by the end of February, snow cover extent was below average in many parts of the hemisphere.

* While there has been little trend in snow cover extent during the winter season since records began in the late 1960s, spring snow cover extent has been sharply lower in the past two decades as global temperatures have increased. February Temperature Highlights * February was 61st warmest in the contiguous U.S. and 15th warmest globally on record. For the U.S., the temperature was near average, 0.2 degrees F (0.1 degrees C) above the 20th century average of 34.7 degrees F (1.5 degrees C), which was 2.0 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) warmer than February 2007.

* Globally, the February average temperature was 0.68 degrees F/0.38 degrees C above the 20th century mean of 53.8 degrees F/12.1 degrees C.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

MARCH 8, 2008: WINTER STORM UPDATE

The wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain will change to snow today. All of us will see some accumulation of snow today, but it will be very dependent on location. Here is a county by county breakdown of expected snowfall through 7 pm Saturday evening.

Ohio

Jefferson: 2 to 4"

Columbiania: 2 to 5"

Harrison: 3 to 6"

Belmont: 2 to 4"

Monroe: 1 to 3"

Noble: 2 to 5"

Guernsey: 3 to 6"

Tuscarawas: 3 to 6"

Carroll: 3 to 6"

West Virginia

Hancock: 2 to 4"

Brooke: 2 to 4"

Ohio: 1 to 3"

Marshall: 1 to 3"

Wetzel: 1 to 2"

Tyler: 1 to 2"

Winds will increase this afternoon from the north at 10 to 25 mph, this will cause blowing and drifting of snow. Snow is expected to end this evening, but the brisk winds will continue in the wake of the storm.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

MARCH 5, 2008: THE WINTER OF EXTREMES

Locally this winter has seen its fair share of extremes. Mild weather is followed by frigid conditions. Storms bringing a mixed bag of snow, ice, and rain are common. Some locations across the country are taking this winter to the extreme.

For instance the world's tallest snowman, which is actually a snowwoman, is being unveiled in the western Maine town of Bethel. "Olympia," named for Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, is said to be about 122 feet tall. That's 10 feet taller than "Angus, King of the Mountain," who has held the record as tallest snowman since 1999. He was named for Angus King, who was governor at the time.

Olympia's creators say she has eyelashes made from skis and bright red lips crafted from painted tires. She wears a giant pink hat and gets some bling from a snowflake pendant that's more than six feet in diameter! Her arms were created from pine trees.

In Detroit, Michigan, a radio station's effort to set a snow angel record has fallen short. WDTW-FM organized Saturday's record attempt at Freedom Hill County Park. But the station says it didn't break the record of 8,962 set in Bismarck, N.D.

The station didn't say how many people turned out, but hopes to try again next winter.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.