WBRC Weather

When You Can See Comet PANSTARRS

(Image Source: NASA)

Earlier in the week I talked about a rare opportunity to see a comet. The comet’s name is L4 PANSTARRS. This comet was first discovered in June 2011 and for weeks it has only been visible in the southern hemisphere. This week the comet became visible to viewers in the northern hemisphere. However seeing the comet has been a challenge because it is low on the western horizon and you have to catch it just after twilight using binoculars or a telescope.  So you must have an unobstructed view towards the western horizon. To further complicate viewing conditions, clouds have entered the mix. I do have some good news for fans of the night sky. The clouds should clear on Tuesday and that is when we will have one of the best opportunities to see the comet. Be looking to the west after twilight as PANSTARRS should rise higher above the horizon.

Many astronomers are already talking about the possibility of a more spectacular phenomena in November as comet ISON approaches the sun at a distance of 1.2 Million Kilometers from sun. If the comet survives this encounter we could witness a comet with a tail as bright as the moon. 

Comets are bodies composed of ice and frozen gases. When the comets approach the sun they develop a thin/hazy atmosphere and often a tail. NASA shared this image of PANSTARRS that was captured in Mount Dale, Western Australia. They also added that the distant lights are from Armadale, a city located southeast of Perth. (Image credit: Astronomy Education Services/Gingin Observatory) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fox6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt
wwyatt@wbrc.com
Twitter@weswyattweather
Facebook.com/weswyattfox6

Winter Weather Advisory through Noon Saturday

Rain is Coming and Big Snow for the Northeast

Low pressure continues to track northeastward across the Southeast.  This is going to spread rain into Alabama during the overnight hours.  I expect some rain in the Tuscaloosa area by 2-3am.  We are not anticipating severe weather, but areas south of I-20 will see some heavy rainfall.

The ride into work or school will likely be wet for many of us.  Expect the rain chances to taper off after 4pm.  Rain will shift into East Alabama during the afternoon.  I do think we'll still see some linger off and on showers Friday.  Temperatures will remain in the upper 50s to lower 60s during the afternoon Thursday.

The big weather news on the national scene will be in the Northeast.  The low pressure area that will bring rain to the Southeast will track up the Mid-Atlantic and New England.  Forecast models are indicating snowfall totals as high as 36" in the Boston area.  New York City will likely receive between 10-20" of snowfall.

We can expect massive travel delays and possibly power outages in the Northeast from Friday into Saturday in New England.

Weekend Forecast and Beyond: Saturday will be dry across the state with highs in the lower 60s.  We'll see partly sunny skies.  Sunday will generally be dry with only a few showers during the evening.  We could see some thunderstorms after midnight into Monday morning.  Rain and thunderstorms will continue Tuesday and Wednesday.  Heavy rainfall will be possible.  It's still too early to determine if we'll see some severe storms out of next week's system. 

I am confident we are going to be looking at some much colder air somewhere around the 15-16th of the month.  Looks like a major pattern change with highs only reaching the 40s.

J-P Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: @jpdice_Fox6

Daytime Rain and Nighttime Storms

A big shield of rain and elevated thunderstorms is moving into Alabama this morning.  Dewpoint temperatures are still in the upper 40s and lower 50s so the atmosphere is pretty stable.  We're looking at mainly a cloudy, rainy, and cool start to Christmas Day.   Our primary concern still remains after sunset.

Models can only do some much with this type of forecast.  We're going to really have to monitor the weather in real-time (NOWCASTing) to get a handle on the timing of this severe weather.  I'm still thinking we'll be under the gun for tornadoes this evening.  The question is - just how far northward that severe weather threat will exist.  I will say with pretty good confidence the highest tornado potential will be South of I-20/59 and West of I-65.  For folks living in Pickens, Sumter, Hale, Greene, Perry, Tuscaloosa, Bibb, and Chilton Counties - the weather will be of particular concern.  It is this region where the highest instability and wind shear will come together.  Again - we have no problem with the wind shear, but the models and observations both are having a tougher time with the amount of instability that will move into the area.

Take at look at the map for 1pm today.  This is instability based off the NAM model.  The "juicy" air is still staying confined to the Gulf Coast.  For things to really kick off - we need to have more green up our way.  I will tell you the more it rains today, the tougher the warm front will have lifting northward.

Let's take a look at the instability later tonight based off the same model.  This is the CAPE values projected around 9-10pm.

You can now see that narrow "tongue" of higher instability tracking northward into the southwestern portion of Alabama.  Instability will continue to increase tonight.  That's why I'm sticking to this mainly being a nightime weather event.

What can we expect?  I think we'll see something that is two-fold.  We will have the tornado threat.  The tornadoes that do develop could be signifcant and long-track south of the warm front.  In addition, we will have a more widespread damaging wind threat.  Even if you're not in the bullseye for tornadoes - it's likely you'll experience winds over 50mph across much of the state.  With the high wind shear - just about every thunderstorm will show rotation on radar.

Is severe weather guaranteed with this system?

No.  This is still not a clear-cut system.  I think what has everyone so stirred up regarding this system is the incredible wind shear.  It would not take much instability to result in tornadoes.  There is still some question on how far north the instability reaches.  If the warm front hangs down to the south - we'd likely just get some gusty winds and rain.  But - it's much too early for me to make that kind of call so we must remain on-guard with this system.  We'll have a better idea as the system progresses through the day.

Stay up to date with the latest weather information here on Fox 6 and www.myfoxtracker.com

J-P Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: jpdice_Fox6 

 

Great Viewing Conditions For The Geminid Meteor Shower

(Image Source: NASA)

I think I may brave the cold tomorrow night and look towards the stars. The Geminids have arrived! The clouds have shifted east and with a New Moon arriving, viewing conditions will be ideal tomorrow night.  This will be the the final major meteor shower of 2012 and it's forecasted to peak tomorrow night and Friday night. The event will begin prior to midnight and continue through the early morning hours. In some cases the Geminid shower has produced over 100 meteors.

Fox 6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt 

Great Visit Today to Central Park Elementary

I had a fantastic time talking to the wonderful students at Central Park Elementary in Birmingham.  Mrs. Worford invited me to speak with the students about weather and weather safety.  I spent a good
bit of time reinforcing the need to wear a helmet during severe weather and always have a severe weather plan.  Thanks again for the wonderful gift basket.

J-P Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: jpdice_Fox6

Football Forecasts

Curiosity Lands On Mars! 1:14 AM EDT

Its been an exciting night for our nations space program. Curiosity has landed safely on Mars and has already transmitted images from the surface of the Red Planet. The Curiosity Rover is much larger than the previous Rovers that have visited our neighboring planet. The Rover is about the size of a car so this made the journey even more challenging. Curiosity landed at 1:14:39 EDT.

Over the coming days the instruments will record data that could help pave the way for human exploration. This includes a closer look at the weather conditions on Mars.

Fox 6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt

wwyatt@wbrc.com

facebook.com/weswyattfox6

twitter@weswyattweather

Curiosity NASA Press Conference-Live Stream

Video streaming by Ustream

Thanks to my twitter follower Amanda Dykes a teacher from Birmingham for sharing this link. She is attending this press conference.

Fox6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt

wwyatt@wbrc.com

Twitter @ weswyattweather

facebook.com/weswyattfox6

 

Curiosity's Challenge-The 7 Minutes Of Terror; Curiosity Live Feed

Today is going to be a very exciting day in the world of space exploration! At this hour, Mars Curiosity is positioning itself to enter the atmosphere and land on the Red Planet. The included video, courtesy of NASA and JPL-Caltech, shows the enormous challenges of landing this explorer on the planet.

I’m always amazed at the sophistication and challenges that go into these missions. On a clear night the Red Planet may seem like a tiny red star. Can you image creating a system that can leave our planet, travel over 30 million miles, enter the Mars atmosphere, travel over terrain, and then transmit data? It seems almost impossible. Having said that, I never thought I would see or own a smart phone one day.

The landing should take place tonight and NASA has a LIVE stream here. Good luck Curiosity!

Live Video streaming by Ustream

Fox6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt

wwyatt@wbrc.com

Twitter @ weswyattweather

facebook.com/weswyattfox6