Website Remodel!

I’m reworking myweatherlady.com to add videos and other elements to better aide educators and weather enthusiasts.

During this process I will not be updating my daily blog.

If you would like an update on the daily forecast and/or more information on weather phenomena, please go to www.fox8live.com and click on the link for weather.

-Dawn Brown

Red River Rises, Spring Flood Forecast

US Flood Risk, Image: NOAA

Sandbagging continues today on the Red River in Fargo, North Dakota. Residents in North Dakota can monitor the latest river stages. As of 11am this morning, the river was at 31′ feet in Fargo, 13′ above flood stage. It’s expected to crest at 38′ this Saturday. They can also watch the river rise through USGS (United States Geological Survey) web cams. Last year, the river rose to 40.8′, a record level for the Red River in Fargo.

24-Hour Snow Melt, Image: NOAA

Rapid snow melt is the main reason for the rising rivers. Near record snowfall across the Northern Plains caused the National Weather Service to put the Red River at a severe risk for flooding.

Red River Webcam, Image: USGS

This is an updated web cam image from earlier today. Look at the obelisk circled in the image. Two days ago, this obelisk was well above the banks of the river.

Red River Webcam, Image: USGS

You can clearly see the banks of the river, the obelisk and a walking trail. This is in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Major Flood Crests, Grand Forks Image: USGS

Here’s a close up shot of the obelisk on the banks of the river. It marks the flood stage of last year’s flood, and the height of the river in 1897, 1979, 1882 and 1996.

To further monitor the situation, here’s a link to TV forecasters in Fargo and Northern Minnesota.

-Dawn Brown

My New Gig at FOX 8. Check Out The Weather Lab!

It was a gorgeous day in New Orleans today. Dry, breezy and sunny. It’s the kind of weather we look forward to all year. It’s been a cold winter down here, we’ve been waiting for Spring.

Cirrus Clouds, New Orleans Sunset

On my way to talk to a community group tonight, I shot this photo as I was looking to the southwest. What a gorgeous sunset. Louisiana often has beautiful sunsets and sunrises. Interesting cloud formations reflect the sunlight as the sun rises and falls.

Meanwhile, I’ve been neglected my weather blog. My new job at FOX 8 is creating new and interesting challenges. I love my job. We launched a new show called FOX 8 Morning Call on February 1.

Here’s a picture of Chris Franklin and me from this morning at 5am.

Chris Franklin and Dawn Brown, WVUE New Orleans

We started this new show that’s kind of like the Weather Channel, but it’s focused on Southeast Louisiana. We do the usual temperatures, rain chances, forecast, but then we get to spend extra time talking about the wave heights and sea surface temperatures in the lakes and Gulf of Mexico, the kind of stuff fisherman and mariners are interested in. We have the buoy data from all the Gulf  Coast buoys plotted in our new weather system.

Here’s the pic I took Friday of the current sea surface temperatures on one of our new weather systems.

Sea Surface Temperatures, (3/12/2010)

Here’s Chris at the weather wall. Because I’m usually doing the weather, I never get to see how weird it looks that we’re pointing at a blank green wall.

Chris Franklin, WVUE New Orleans

Our weather graphics are projected onto the wall, and we are “keyed” out of the graphics. We can’t wear green or we would blend right into the graphics. We’ll probably both get pinched on St. Patty’s Day!

It’s awesome having two meteorologists in the mornings. Besides having the extra help with forecasts and graphics, we get to explain basic weather phenomenon, like hail, high pressure systems, sea fog, etc.

Every week, Chris and I also host a segment called “Weather Lab”, where we explain basic weather terms with experiments. Last week, Chris crushed a soda can with air pressure.

I’m having a blast! However, I’ve been remiss with my weather blog and adding new features to my website. I’m getting back on track… bear with me.

Thanks – Dawn Brown

A Rough Wednesday in Store

After tornadoes have already struck early this week in places like Oklahoma, another storm system will be swinging into the mid-section of the country with another bout of severe weather on the way for Wednesday and Wednesday evening.  The Gulf of Mexico is now open for business, pushing dew points above the 60-degree-mark all the way up the southern Mississippi Valley, and more moisture is slated to crawl northward.

US Surface Dew Point Map, Image: Unisys Weather

The dew point is the measure of moisture in the air and it is this moisture that drives thunderstorms.  Once the dew point exceeds 60, in combination with several other factors, the atmosphere is generally primed for thunderstorms and just waiting for a system to move in.

US Infrared Satellite Image, Image: Unisys Weather

It is the system circled above that will be that next system on Wednesday.  Therefore, the Storm Prediction Center has extended an area of slight risk of severe weather all the way up the lower Mississippi Valley and into the mid-Mississippi Valley.  The main threats are damaging winds, hail, and isolated tornadoes.

Severe Weather Outlook Wednesday-Early Thursday, Image: NOAA

Television meteorologists are talking about this elevated threat of severe weather in places like Mobile, New Orleans, and Little Rock.

Spring Has Sprung in the East For Now

After record setting snows and unseasonable cold across the eastern 2/3 of the United States this winter, the table have turned, at least temporarily.  This weekend, sunshine is the main player across much of the East as fair-weather high pressure retains control, meaning a well-deserved respite with highs ranging from the pleasant 50s in the Northeast to near 70 degrees across the Gulf South!  Place seeing the beautiful weather include Philadelphia, Raleigh, and New Orleans.

National Weather Service Advisories Map, Source: NOAA

Meanwhile, the “trough,” or dip in the jet stream, that was plaguing the East with precipitation and cold weather, has shifted to the West Coast, allowing in storm systems and markedly colder air.  Here, one cold storm is expected to swing across the Pacific Northwest allowing for snow as low as 1,000 feet around the Medford, OR area d0wn to northern California on Monday.  Here, Winter Weather Advisories are posted above 2,000 feet for up to 4″ of snow.  Another storm is rotating through the Southwest, affecting high elevations above 5,oo0 feet around Flagstaff and Tucson, AZ with up to 14″ of snow through Monday.

Satellite & Surface Map, Image: Unisys Weather

Snow-pack, Continuous Cold Set Stage For Spring Floods

The National Weather Service has released its spring flood outlook, and once again the Red River Valley in North Dakota is threatened.

National Snow Depth, Image: NOAA

The snow-pack is approaching record levels and a cold, cold winter has limited melting and evaporation. The frozen soil in North Dakota will eventually melt, causing streams and rivers to swell.

1997 Red River Flood, Image: NOAA

In 1997, major flooding along the Red River near Grand Forks led to the evacuation of 50,000 people. The river inundated areas 2 miles away.

River Flooding, Image: NOAA

You can keep track of river stages online at the National Weather Service website.

-Dawn Brown