Fast Moving Thunderstorm

Radar Image of a very fast moving thunderstorm cell. It is moving northwest at 80 mph.

January 28, 2013 Weather Outlook for Macon County

I have been told by several people that their workplace has blocked access to Facebook, so I'm firing this back up for their convenience to mirror (and augment) what I am posting on my Macon County Public Safety, Road Conditions and Weather Updates Facebook Page.

January 28, 2013 Weather Outlook for Macon County

Canadian high pressure will remain over the region into mid-week. A strong cold front will pass through Macon County on Wednesday, bringing the threat of strong storms and heavy rain with it and cold air and the possibility of snow behind it. A weaker cold front is expected later in the week.

Today: A chance of rain, mainly between 7am and 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 54. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Hazardous Weather Outlook: None expected today. See below for information on the possible severe weather event for Wednesday.

Tuesday: A chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely, mainly after 1am. The rain could be heavy at times. Cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind 8 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Hazardous Weather Outlook for Wednesday:

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP EAST ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ON WEDNESDAY. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT TUESDAY NIGHT AND PERSIST UNTIL THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THESE WINDS COULD BLOW DOWN TREES AND CAUSE POWER OUTAGES...ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND OVER THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM...AND THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR ISOLATED FLOODING TO DEVELOP ALONG STREAMS AND RIVERS ON WEDNESDAY. IN ADDITION...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY...MAINLY OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. FINALLY...TEMPERATURES WILL FALL RAPIDLY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW SHOWERS EXPECTED OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS NEAR THE TENNESSEE BORDER...AND AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS SHOULD PREPARE TO REPORT ANY WIND DAMAGE OR FLOODING TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AND ALSO ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

Wednesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 61. Breezy, with a south wind 20 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain showers before 3am, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 3am and 4am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Daily Weather Briefing for 08-26-2012

Here is the weather outlook for today and tomorrow and a look at the situation with Isaac. The projected paths of the storm have resumed their westward trend, so we still cannot be sure exactly where Isaac will come ashore and whether or not it will pass close by Macon County sometime next week.


Today: Patchy dense fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Hazardous Weather Outlook: A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE PRIMARY THREATS BEING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Patchy fog between midnight and 3am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Monday Night: A slight chance of showers after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.


Tropical Weather Outlook:

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ISAAC WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.0 WEST. ISAAC IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/H. A WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS WITH A GRADUAL DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF ISAAC IS EXPECTED TO MOVE JUST NORTH OF THE NORTH COAST OF CUBA THIS MORNING...MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND MOVE INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO ON MONDAY.

DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 65 MPH...100 KM/H...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND ISAAC IS EXPECTED TO BE AT OR NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH WHEN IT REACHES THE FLORIDA KEYS.

TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES...335 KM FROM THE CENTER.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY THE AIRCRAFT WAS 995 MB...29.38 INCHES.

BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM ISAAC ADVISORY NUMBER  21
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL092012
500 AM EDT SUN AUG 26 2012

...ISAAC A LITTLE STRONGER...EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE FLORIDA KEYS LATER TODAY...HURRICANE WATCH ISSUED FOR PART OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST...


SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...23.1N 79.0W
ABOUT 205 MI...330 KM ESE OF KEY WEST FLORIDA
ABOUT 215 MI...350 KM E OF HAVANA CUBA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...65 MPH...100 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 305 DEGREES AT 18 MPH...30 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...995 MB...29.38 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER EASTWARD TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA...NOT INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS.

THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN EXTENDED NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST COAST AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TO INDIAN PASS.

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS DISCONTINUED THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE FLORIDA KEYS INCLUDING THE DRY TORTUGAS
* THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA FROM BONITA BEACH SOUTHWARD TO OCEAN
REEF
* FLORIDA BAY
* ANDROS ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM GOLDEN BEACH SOUTHWARD TO OCEAN REEF
* THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA...NOT
INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS

Daily Weather Briefing for 08-23-2012

Here is a pre-weekend weather outlook and update on the tropical weather situation for next week...


Today: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Patchy dense fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy through mid morning, then becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Hazardous Weather Outlook: SCATTERED TO ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS. SLOW MOVING STORMS OVER URBAN AREAS AND OTHER POORLY DRAINED AREAS COULD RESULT IN EXCESSIVE RAINFALL.

Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10am. Areas of fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Calm wind.

Tropical Weather Outlook:

TROPICAL STORM ISAAC ADVISORY NUMBER 9
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
400 AM EDT THU AUG 23 2012

...AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT FINDS ISAAC SLIGHTLY
WEAKER AND FARTHER SOUTH...


SUMMARY OF 400 AM EDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...15.3N 64.0W
ABOUT 255 MI...410 KM SSE OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO
ABOUT 370 MI...595 KM ESE OF ISLA SAONA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...40 MPH...65 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...W OR 270 DEGREES AT 12 MPH...19 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1004 MB...29.65 INCHES

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ISAAC HAS REFORMED NEAR LATITUDE 15.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 64.0 WEST. ISAAC IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 12 MPH...19 KM/H.

SOME ERRATIC MOTION TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWEST COULD OCCUR THIS MORNING...BUT A STEADY MOTION TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BY THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF ISAAC SHOULD PASS TO THE SOUTH OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO TODAY...AND APPROACH THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.

DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND A NOAA BUOY INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 40 MPH...65 KM/H...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. HOWEVER...RE-STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS....AND ISAAC COULD STILL BECOME A HURRICANE ON FRIDAY BEFORE IT REACHES HISPANIOLA.

TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM FROM THE CENTER.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE BASED ON REPORTS FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND A NEARBY NOAA BUOY IS 1004 MB...29.65 INCHES.