Hurricane Charley Location!

I know everyone is talking about tornadoes tonight, and congrats to all the chasers that got one today! However, my mind is always with hurricanes! Here is some great video from Jim Leonard during Hurricane Charley. It turns out the location I chased Hurricane Charley (with my good friends Josh Johnson & John Walker) in Port Charlotte, FL, was extremely close to Jim's location. 70 days until hurricane season!

Jim Leonard - Hurricane Charley Video (Port Charlotte, FL)

Also, with the help of Michael Laca/Rob Jones during the Hurricane Igor chase in Bermuda, I found the exact location where myself, Josh Johnson, & John Walker rode out Charley:

21419 Olean Boulevard Port Charlotte, FL

BY FAR the best chase of my life!

Must Read!

Here is Joe Bastardi's/Joseph D'Aleo's hurricane power and impact rating system... Something in my personal opinion that should be implemented as soon as possible! A much better representation of the actual power/impact of a hurricane!

Hurricane Power & Impact Rating System

Tri-State Tornado!

Today is the 86th year anniversary of the famous Tri-State Tornado! A F-5 tornado flying at speeds up to 73 mph, with a continuouss path length of 219 miles! It was the deadliest US tornado, killing 695 people... Here is a great link about the event from the NWS in Paducah, KY. Enjoy!

Paducah, KY - Tri-State Tornado

One more great link!

11 Retired Hurricanes!

I have now chased 11 hurricanes which have been retired!

Igor & Tomas Retired - Story

Retired Hurricanes Since 1954

HE'S BACK!

Since it is spring break, I probably won't be blogging a lot, but I did want to leave a link for everyone tonight. As you now, I'm a huge Joe Bastardi fan when it comes to weather forecasting. He's the best in my eyes, and I have learned SO MUCH from him over the years! He left AccuWeather recently, but thankfully, he's back! He now works with another great forecaster (Joseph D'Aleo), and they have combined forces to form a new weather site/business called WeatherBell! Here is the link! Enjoy!

WeatherBell

Joe Bastardi

Joseph D'Aleo

18 Years Ago Tonight! + Japan Earthquake Update!

18 years ago tonight the "Superstorm" was getting its act together! This storm made weather a passion for me! I remember measuring a pressure of 28.53" at my house in Arlington, VA on March 13th, 1993...

The 1993 "Superstorm" produced 12 foot storm surges in western Florida (Apalachee Bay), including 11 tornadoes (3 at F2 strength)! Also, it produced a derecho in Cuba (gusts to 130mph)! It was a beast of a storm, one of the strongest mid-latitude traveling cyclones ever! Plus, I'm not even talking about the record snowfalls/pressure readings it produced in the Deep South and all along the East Coast... I'm pretty sure I'm right about this, but at one point, every county in Alabama was under a blizzard warning. That won't happen again for a long long time! Here are two great videos from the weather channel... Enjoy!

1993 "Superstorm" Part: 1 - TWC

1993 "Superstorm" Part: 2 - TWC

*Here is a quick update from the great Japan earthquake!

The USGS just officially upped it to a 9.0 magnitude earthquake: CLICK HERE FOR LINK

That would tie it as the 4th strongest earthquake since 1900: CLICK HERE FOR LINK

ALSO, here are some stunning/jaw dropping before & after photos from the Japan Tsunami: CLICK HER FOR LINK

The Great Japan Quake!

To some up what I saw last night, is impossible! I have NEVER seen such horror on live TV. I was in class during 9/11, so for me, this was the most horrific thing I have seen in my life on live TV. Watching tsunami wave after wave coming in was so sad, especially because you knew hundreds/thousands would die. Officially, the quake stands at a 8.9, even though I have heard reports it could be upped to a 9.0 or even a 9.1. As of now, this stands as the 5th strongest earthquake since 1900. Tsunami waves reaching 30 feet + wiped cities off the map, especially in the northeastern coastal cities of Japan! Instead of me continuing to talk about this historic event, I'll just leave links to pictures/videos that speak for themselves. A picture really does speak a thousand words in situations like these! I'm still in shock with what I saw? The power of water is incredible!

The Big Picture - Massive earthquake hits Japan

Jaw Dropping Photos from Japan

This was the 1st live shot I saw

This is when my jaw started to hit the floor

Still on the floor

More insane video

Oil refinery on fire

Longer video that sums up this horrific event well

There are so many incredible videos out there, so I would recommend searching the web if you want to see more. Of course it doesn't do it justice, as again, I have NEVER seen anything like it on live TV! INSANE! Also, very sad! :-(

Incredible Tornado Videos!

Here are five incredible tornado videos from a hardware store in Theodore, AL... Thankfully, no one was hurt, which really is a miracle when you see the videos! The tornado was rated an EF-2, so it wasn't a weak tornado by any means. I'll I can say is WOW!

Alexander Hardware - Theodore, AL #1

Alexander Hardware - Theodore, AL #2

Alexander Hardware - Theodore, AL #3

Alexander Hardware - Theodore, AL #4

Alexander Hardware - Theodore, AL #5

Whale's Mouth...

Here are some amazing shots of a whale's mouth in Pensacola, FL today! These photos were shot by Jim Edds, who is one of the best storm chasers/photographers out there! I highly reccomend checking out Jim's work! You won't be disappointed!

Whale's Mouth

Jim Edds - Website

Forecast Contest!

Doug Gillham is the master of the forecasting contest, and he has always told me over the years, don't change your forecast by more than 2 degrees! I have been in the contest for 9 years, so I know this well. Basically, it's the always go with your first instinct rule! Which is a rule I always try to live by in life! So what do I do? I change my high from 33 to 31 at the last second, and what do you know, the high is 34! #EpicFail... LOL! AWESOME! :-(

Delta Farm Weather...

I wanted to bring everyone's attention to a great blog my friend/student Chad Swindoll writes... I'll leave a link below, as I really enjoy reading Chad's blog! I highly recommend it to all you weather lovers out there!

Delta Farm Weather

Just Before The Rain!

I took this shot just before the rains got to Starkville this afternoon. Same tree as below, but as you can tell, the blossoms are starting to fall fairly quick! It almost looks like pink snow covering the ground... Pretty chill!

It Sure Feels Like Spring!

Today was such an amazing day! Temperatures were in the lower 70's, so I took a walk around campus today. Here is a beautiful pink "saucer" magnolia I took a shot of! I love tress that blossom like this! My absolute favorite is the Yoshino Cherry Blossoms you find in Washington D.C. If you have never been to Washington D.C. in late March/early April to see the cherry blossoms, I HIGHLY recommend it! So beautiful...

2011 Hurricane Season Trailer #2...

Here is the second 2011 hurricane season trailer made by Jesse Vinturella! There are only 91 days until the start of the hurricane season, so the time to get prepared is now!

2011 Hurricane Season Trailer #2 - Jesse Vinturella