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Latest entries from the Weather Journal blog
About Kevin
Kevin Myatt grew up in Arkansas to the tune of tornado sirens and the rhythm of hailstones, aspiring to be a meteorologist before his studies and career were turned to journalism instead. Though he often chases storms, he prefers living in the cooler, more tranquil weather of the Blue Ridge. He moved to Roanoke in 1999 to take a job on the copy desk of The Roanoke Times; writing headlines and editing copy is his principal work for the newspaper today.
Each May, Kevin assists Pulaski County High School / Virginia Tech meteorology instructor Dave Carroll in leading college and high school students to the Plains to observe severe weather firsthand. The accounts of many of his storm chases can be found here on the storm chasing page of his weather blog on roanoke.com.
Kevin was an editor for "Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States," a book written by D.C.-area weather enthusiast Rick Schwartz and published by Blue Diamond Books that documents hurricanes striking the mid-Atlantic states since colonial times.
The Weather Journal column began in 2003 and appears on Friday's Virginia section front in The Roanoke Times. The Weather Journal blog began in 2006 and follows weather day-by-day between the larger columns.
November normal but colorful
By Kevin Myatt
The Roanoke Times
Rumors of the demise of this autumn's colorful foliage were certainly premature.
I'm not a tree expert, so I can't fully explain why, but the colors around Roanoke the past several days have been really pretty. Virginia Tech forest biologist John Seiler said in Friday's Roanoke Times that the wet period we had in late October may have renewed some root activity in the trees.
I do know part of why they were late, though -- it was like summer until mid-October.
But November, after three months of over-the-top heat and a year full of bizarre ups and downs on the thermometer, is actually just about what it's supposed to be.
Through Thursday, the month was averaging one-tenth of a degree above normal at Roanoke Regional Airport.
We've had a couple of warm afternoons above 70 and a few cold mornings below freezing. Most days have been in between. That is what November typically feels like.
Most folks in our readership area had a few snowflakes Thursday night and Friday morning. You may have slept through it or it may have just been a few flurries you couldn't make out in the yard lights.
On the mountaintops west of Interstate 81, there was even enough to whiten the ground in a few spots.
Snow showers in mid-November, caused by northwesterly winds blowing up the western slopes of the Appalachians, are certainly not unusual. In fact, we're just now entering the beginning of the period of time when we need to keep our eyes out for winter storms.
But for the next several days, the focus for the potential of severe cold and heavy snow will be on the Western states.
A high pressure system in the northern Pacific Ocean will force the jet stream far to the south over the West, and a large storm system will mix the Arctic air sinking south with copious moisture.
This could bring a large snowstorm to mountain areas of the West, with rain, wind and storms in the Plains. As the low pressure systems pulls northeast, we could end up with some needed rain in our area next week.
Eventually, the cold air in the West may seep eastward, but it will probably moderate as it does.
So for now, the forecast for the rest of November is that it will be continue to be typically November-like.
Apply now to chase supercell storms in May
Some of you may have seen some episodes of the reality show "Storm Chasers" on the Discovery Channel. The series has centered on the Tornado Intercept Vehicle, an armor-plated Mad Max-like contraption designed to drive into a weak to moderate tornado.
As you know if you have followed this column or my blog for the past few years, Pulaski County meteorology teacher Dave Carroll and I lead a group of college and high school students to the central United States each May for approximately two weeks to chase and observe storms.
I say "observe" because we are in minivans and we do not drive into tornadoes. And I say "storms" because our focus isn’t solely on tornadoes, but on the awe-inspiring supercell thunderstorms that spawn them.
There are five slots available for Southwest Virginia high school students for the 2008 trip and four spots available for some Virginia Tech students who have taken meteorology courses. We are taking applications through Dec. 1. Please visit this Web site to consider whether you’d like to apply.
The most exciting part of our 2008 trip is that it will be tied in with National Geographic’s Jason Project and also with the Public Broadcasting System. I will have more details on that in the future.
Conditions and Storms
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