July 31, 2006: EXCESSIVE HEAT EARLY THIS WEEK

Temperatures are expected to reach into the 90’s across the Ohio Valley through mid-week. The combination of heat and high humidity can be particularly dangerous. The Heat Index is the “feels like”, or apparent, temperature. As relative humidity increases, the air seems warmer than it actually is because the body is less able to cool itself via evaporation of perspiration. The Heat Index is expected to reach into the mid 90’s this afternoon. Tomorrow and Wednesday will be even hotter and heat indices are expected to reach over 100 degrees. You can calculate the Heat Index at the following site: Heat Index.

Linda emailed me this question: “ I've always been told that you should stay away from windows, not operate appliances, not talk on the telephone, or do anything related to water such as showering or doing dishes during a thunderstorm. Something that I've always wondered about is this -- what about folks like me that sleep on a water bed? Should I move elsewhere during a thunderstorm at night? I would hate to see myself, my cat, and my dog get zapped some night when we are sleeping! Any ideas on this?

Linda, good question and I think I have good news for you. There are three main ways lightning enters homes and buildings: (1) a direct strike, (2) through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure, and (3) through the ground. Regardless of the method of entrance, once in a structure, the lightning can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and radio/television reception systems. So stay away from water pipes, but you should be just fine in the water bed.

Phone use is the leading cause of indoor lightning injuries in the United States. Lightning can travel long distances in both phone and electrical wires, particularly in rural areas. Stay away from windows and doors as these can provide the path for a direct strike to enter a home. In general, basements are a safe place to go during thunderstorms. However, there are some things to keep in mind. Avoid contact with concrete walls which may contain metal reinforcing bars. Avoid washers and dryers since they not only have contacts with the plumbing and electrical systems, but also contain an electrical path to the outside through the dryer vent.

Linda, since you mentioned pets, you may want to consider the safety of your pets during thunderstorms. Dog houses are not lightning-safe. Dogs that are chained to trees or chained to wire runners can easily fall victim to a lightning strike.

If you have a weather question that you would like answered in the weather blog email me at weather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

July 28, 2006: RAIN PUSHES OUT FOR THE WEEKEND, BLISTERING HEAT EARLY NEXT WEEK!

Steelers training camp begins today in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, so a heat wave must be in the cards! Downpours of rain plagued the Ohio Valley this Friday morning, but showers should diminish this afternoon from north to south. Rain and clouds will give way to increasing amounts of sunshine this weekend and the mercury will start to head on up. Chances for rain are real slim this weekend, there might be a stray thunderstorm and chances are that thunderstorm will pop up over Greene County in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. This Saturday, July 29th is Rain Day in Waynesburg. It has rained in 109 out of the past 131 years on July 29th! For more information on Waynesburg Rain Day check out this web site: History of Rain Day.

For some local fun this weekend join me in Morristown, Ohio this Saturday at noon. The National Road, the nation’s first federally-funded interstate highway, is 200 years old this year and communities all along the road, from Maryland to Illinois, are celebrating. One of those National Road communities, Morristown, located in Belmont County, will be the site of a celebration on Saturday, July 29th. Featured will be a baseball match between the Ohio Village Muffins, a vintage baseball team from the Ohio Historical Society, and a local team. The game will be played at 12 noon at the Union Local High School baseball diamond. The Muffins play in uniforms patterned after the Currier and Ives lithograph The American National Game. The name "Muffin" originates from the organization of 1860s gentlemen's base ball clubs. The best squad was known as the "first nine," the second-string players were the "second nine," and those not well skilled were the "muffin nine," a muff being the term for an error. For more information about the community and its National Road Bicentennial Celebration, log onto Morristown.
Have a great weekend! I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

July 27, 2006: ALERT KERMIT, FROG STRANGLERS IN THE FORECAST
A tropical air mass is in place and thunderstorms will have no trouble forming in this environment. Thunderstorms will plague the Ohio Valley through Friday. While strong, damaging winds and hail are possible in any thunderstorm over the next couple of days, the primary threat from these storms will be heavy rain. Torrential downpours will produce rainfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour and this will lead to flash flooding problems in the heaviest storms. Check out this cool web site from the National Weather Service: Integrated Flood Observing and Warning System.
You can check rainfall amounts in your county. The automated rain gauges update rainfall amounts on the web site every fifteen minutes. The National Weather Service uses these automated rain gauges to help them forecast flash flooding.

July 26, 2006: SULTRY WEATHER IS BACK

Temperatures have been slowly rising each day this week. Over the weekend we saw high temperatures in the 70’s, Monday we reached into the low 80’s and yesterday we saw the mercury climb into the middle 80’s. High temperatures today are expected to reach into the upper 80’s and you will probably notice the extra stickiness. If you think we will see a break, think again, as high temperatures through the weekend will range from 85 to 90 degrees. The 90 degree mark has been a little less common this summer. Up to date we have seen five 90 degree days this year compared to seventeen 90 degree days last summer. An average summer yields about eight 90 degree days.

This sunny, hot, summer weather made me think of two more weather tunes, from the 1980’s: “The Heat is on” and “Walking on Sunshine”. Judy from Colerain, Ohio emailed me her two favorite weather tunes: “Stormy Weather" recorded by many but most notably by Lena Horne circa 1943. And what about "Oh No, Don't Let the Rain Come Down" by the Serendity Singers circa 1950s. Thanks for the email Judy and I’m glad you and your husband Fritz enjoy the blog! If you have a weather question that you would like answered in the weather blog email me at weather@wtov.com.

July 25, 2006: WEATHER ON THE RADIO

Sun filled summer days like today make me think of cruising down the road in a convertible while my favorite song plays on the radio. Then again I don’t own a convertible but one can always dream. This past May, Bob Dylan began hosting a weekly radio show, called “Theme Time Radio Hour,” on XM satellite radio. For his first show he chose the theme of weather. Some of the songs that were featured included Frank Sinatra’s “Summer Wind,” Stevie Wonder’s “A Place in the Sun,” and Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary.”

This made me think of all the songs out there with weather themes, like “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” “You are the Sunshine of my Life,” “Rainy Days and Mondays” and who can forget about “Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks. If you have a list of your favorite weather songs, drop me an email at weather@wtov.com.
Until next time, keep “Singing in the Rain.” I’m Jeff Oechslein.

July 24, 2006: AHHH! A BREAK FROM THE HUMIDITY

Have you noticed a change in our weather? The case of the sticky’s has been replaced by a case of the comfy’s. You can thank a drop in the dew point. So what’s the dew point? If we cool air without changing its moisture content, eventually we will reach a temperature at which the air can no longer hold the moisture it contains. So water will have to condense out of the air, forming dew or fog. The dew point is the temperature at which condensation occurs.

The higher the dew point temperature the more uncomfortable it feels. The human body uses sweat to cool us off, a process called evaporational cooling. For instance have you ever came out of the shower and shivered while drying off? The evaporation of the water is actually cooling the temperature of your skin. When we sweat on a hot summer’s day it takes longer for the sweat to evaporate when the dew point is higher. When it’s humid, sweating isn’t as effective and the body loses its ability to cool itself.

Enjoy the break from the daily dose of the sticky’s, as it looks like they will make a come back by the middle of the workweek. Jeff Oechslein

July 20, 2006: DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Everyone knows the Dog Days of Summer occur during the hottest part of the summer season. But where did the term Dog Days of Summer originate?

In ancient times, groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor) twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).

The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact it looked so bright that ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. The Romans were barking up the wrong tree though, no pun intended! The Dog Days of Summer begin on July 3 and end on August 11, the 20 day period before and after the conjunction of Sirius (Dog Star) and the sun. Until next time, keep those tails wagging! I’m meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

July 19, 2006: TALKING TROPICS

So far, so good in the tropics, it’s been a very slow year. One year ago Emily became the 5th named storm of the season. We now have the second named storm of the 2006 hurricane season and it’s name is Tropical Storm Beryl. Beryl is about 105 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Beryl will continue on a northerly track and maintain tropical storm strength over the next 48 hours. Outside of an increase in winds and seas along the immediate east coast, Beryl will have little impact on the weather in the United States. The same cold front that will deliver cooler weather for the Ohio Valley will help kick Beryl out to sea this weekend. You can get up to date information and track Tropical Storm Beryl by clicking here: National Hurricane Center.

July 18, 2006: AIR CONDITIONERS ARE ON OVERTIME

One question on everyone's mind is when will we see some relief from the heat? The quick answer is the heat will go down in defeat by the end of the work week. We might pay a price for some temporary relief this afternoon in the form of strong to severe thunderstorms. The Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma is monitoring the Ohio Valley for thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and possible hail. A weak cold front is the culprit for this severe weather threat. A stronger front will push through by Friday morning, ushering in much cooler weather for the weekend. Until next time, stay cool! I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.