Mr. Dennis Cryer shared some really cool photos with me.  Mr. Cryer noticed this interesting cloud formation while looking out the window of his Chicago-bound flight.  When the low-level air begins to rise, clouds can form.  On some days there is a layer of stable air above, and that limits the vertical extent of the convection.  If the wind is fairly uniform the clouds can form “streets”.  As in Mr. Cryer’s photos, there are parallel lines of clouds alternating with clear air.  These are caused by the rising/sinking air produced by the rotating horizontal cylinders in the atmosphere.  Very cool!

Cloud streets West of Chicago...taken by Mr. Dennis Cryer

Cloud streets West of Chicago...taken by Mr. Dennis Cryer

Cloud streets West of Chicago...taken by Mr. Dennis Cryer

Click here to learn more about “cloud streets”

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It was a little blustery and wet when I visited Mrs. McCormick’s class on November 24th.  Last year when I was there we all sat out in the school garden and took photos.  This year, with the wet weather we had to improvise and take our pictures in the classroom.  We talked about some of the tools meteorologists use to help us forecast the weather.  We also talked about weather instruments, storms and how we really don’t stand in front of the weather map when we’re on TV.

Thanks for a nice day in Janesville!

Janesville Community School

Janesville Community School

A rainy day in Janesville

Jeff, Mrs. McCormick and the Janesville 5th graders

HEY! Are you giving me Bunny Ears??!!

Click here to see the Janesville 5th graders in action!

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The National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (also known as NOHRSC) monitors snow conditions over the United States.  Data are based on ground measurements, airborne and satellite estimates.  This information is then used to estimate snow/water equivalent, snow depth and snow pack temperatures.

Click here to go to NOHRSC’s home page

You’ll see a map like the one below.  You can then click on a region of the country to learn more about the snow characteristics of that area.

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I got to be part of this year’s Festival of Trees at College Square Mall in Cedar Falls.  The Festival benefits Sartori Hospital’s auxilliary…and the trees are on display through Thanksgiving weekend.  Here are a couple samples of what you’ll see.  I think you’ll be in the Holiday spirit after you visit the displays!

(L to R) Joe Surma from Wheaton Health Care, Laura Niner and Jodi Hyers with Festival of Trees, and Jeff with KWWL!

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I got to visit with the 4th graders at Cuba City Elementary school on Tuesday November 17th.  We talked about weather instruments, the water cycle, the seasons and about how we do the weather on TV.  Cuba City is the City of Presidents!  Each street light pole on Main Street has a banner with one of the US  Presidents.  Make sure to get some fresh cheese curds when you visit Cuba City, too!

Cuba City Elementary School

Cuba City Elementary School

Main Street Cuba City

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

City of Presidents

Cuba City 4th Graders!

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Folks from KWWL were happy to help kick off the 2009 Salvation Army fundraiser.  This year we were at the Crossroads Hy Vee ringing the bells!  It’s always nice to visit with everyone that stops by to say hello…and we really appreciate it when they put some change or a few bills in the kettle!

Jay, Lesley, Maria from KWWL...Capt. Rob and Sue from Salvation Army

Jeff, Maria from KWWL...Capt. Rob and Sue from Salvation Army

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I was honored to spend part of Veteran’s Day with AMVETS Post 90 in Fredericksburg.  I am always so humbled to be in the presence of these heroes.  We ate, sang, took pictures and spent time paying tribute to those who have served our country.  Oh, yeah…while I was there, I got to talk a bit about the weather!  My thanks to all the members of Post 90 for a very enjoyable time.

AMVETS Post 90 banner

WW II Veterans

Korean War Veterans

Viet Nam War Veterans

Desert Storm Veterans

Iraq War Veterans

AMVETS Post 90 Womens Auxiliiary

Jeff with some of the Veterans

Jeff with some of the Veterans

Jeff with some of the Veterans

Jeff and Joan from AMVETS Post 90

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The month of November is notorious for producing intense storms in the Midwest.  In his song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, Gordon Lightfoot sang about “The Witch of November”.  One of these huge November cyclones likely caused the sinking of a giant ore carrier on Lake Superior.

When the Edmund Fitzgerald was launched in 1958 it was the largest vessel on the Great Lakes.  The Fitz was 729 feet long and weighed 13,632 tons.  On November 9th, 1975 the Fitz left Superior, Wisconsin with 26,000 tons of ore.  The big ship was headed for Detroit, and Captain Ernest McSorley was the skipper. 

At 7:00 PM on November 9th the National Weather Service issued a Gale Warning for Lake Superior.  The forecast included wind speed between 34 and 40 knots (39-46 mph).  At 2:00 AM on the 10th of November that forecast was upgraded to a Storm Warning.  Wind speeds were expected to be 48-55 knots (55-63 mph) and waves were forecast to be 8-15 feet.  Wave height is a function of wind speed, the duration of the wind and the fetch (the length of water over which the wind blows).  The stronger the wind, the longer the wind blows and the greater the over-the-water distance, the bigger the waves will be.

Another ore carrier, the Arthur M Anderson, was about 15 miles behind the Edmund Fitzgerald.  At 2:45 PM on the afternoon of November 10th, the Anderson reported wind of 43 knots (49 mph) and waves 12-16 feet.  Late in the afternoon of November 10th, the Fitzgerald reported a bad list (the ship was leaning over in the water), both radars were out and the ship was taking heavy seas over the deck.  At 7:10 PM that night, the Anderson still had the Fitzgerald on radar.  Captain McSorley told the Anderson “We are holding our own”.  Shortly after that, the Fitzgerald disappeared from the Anderson’s radar.

Click here to read an in-depth paper on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The Edmund Fitzgerald

The Fitzgerald carried over a million tons of ore through the Soo Locks

The route of the Edmund Fitzgerald...and the path of the November 10 storm.

The Fitzgerald initially followed a more Northerly route, going into Canadian waters. This sheltered the ship from the strong Northeast wind and huge waves caused by the storm.

When the wind shifted to the Northwest, the Edmund Fitzgerald was in the path of the tall waves.

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The morning of November 11, 1940 was unusually warm in Eastern Iowa.  The temperature had been in the 50s and 60s the day before, and most of the Midwest had enjoyed Indian Summer.  At 7:30 AM on the 11th Chicago reported 55 degrees, Davenport checked in with 54.  On the other side of Iowa, however, Sioux City’s temperature was 12.  It was turning into the “Perfect Storm”. 

Weather forecasting in 1940 was nothing like it is today.  In fact, the Weather Bureau’s Midwest Weather Headquarters in Chicago wasn’t even staffed at night, so no one saw the storm coming!  Even if there had been forecasters on duty, there was no such thing as a Winter Storm Watch or Blizzard Warning.  Most folks ignored the weather report because it was often wrong.  This storm had all the ingrediants…and it turned into what meteorologists call a “Bomb”.  The pressure at Des Moines that morning was 29.09″…at Charles City 28.92″.  Most home barometers don’t even measure that low!

That morning, since it was Armistice Day (now called Veterans’ Day), many had the day off.  Duck hunters in Minnesota and Iowa took advantage of the nice weather to head to lakes and rivers.  Most were dressed for the warm day.  The warm day didn’t take long to turn into a nightmare.  16 year old Jack Meggers was hunting with his dad near Harpers Ferry.  Jack said that the sky turned orange as the cold front moved through.  Hunters reported that they had never seen so many ducks in the air.  Thousands of the birds flew low to the ground, and the hunters had a heyday.  The ducks knew something that most hunters didn’t, though…and they were trying to outrun the storm. 

Within a few hours the temperature fell more than 40 degrees.  There was a brief burst of heavy rain, but that quickly turned to heavy snow.  The wind began to roar with gusts approaching hurricane strength.  Visibility fell to near zero.  Many hunters lost sight of the shore and were stranded on the water or on small islands on the Mississippi.  More than 150 lives were lost in the storm.  26.6″ of snow fell in Collegeville, Minnesota.  Drifts were 20 feet deep.

Excelsior Avenue in Minneapolis

Cars stranded in the storm

Morning weather map from November 11, 1940

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