Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween everyone! Today marks the final day of October, which also means for the first time in a couple years, I did not chase during the 10th month. On the flip-side, however, I enjoyed a bunch of snow. A total of 17.5 inches measured at my apartment this month between three storms. The biggie obviously being last week's 10 inch dumping. With nothing exciting expected today, we just oughta have a cold trick-or-treat this evening.
 In other news, the first of two big packages arrived for me yesterday. After a disaster on eBay trying to get tapes, I scored well! Last week, I won an auction for 68 brand new Sony 8mm tapes. They arrived yesterday. Total price, $39.50 with shipping ($10.50 winning big plus $29.00 shipping). Add this to my Maxwell tapes I've been winning off-an-on, I have a total of 105 brand new tapes. I'm going to archive and back up a lot of my videos on a lot of these, but should be well stocked for the chasing season when it arrives. The second of my two packages should be delivered today; that includes the two replacement aluminum cases for my cameras as well as some new lens filters. I am going to use one of the cases to store about half of those tapes. The other case I am going to use to store my two digital cameras and two video cameras.
I am also wrapping up work on my chapter for the Storms of 2006 Charity DVD. I want to thanks chasers Amos Magliocco, Scott Eubanks, and Eric Nguyen for their timely contributions. I also want to credit my buddy DJ Dani Garza for supplying tunes for the opening segments as well as music behind the tornadoes and end credits. I'm completing work on the video tonight and will have it to Producer Verne Carlson in the next day or so. If you're interested in a copy, you can go to http://www.stormsof2006.org and pre-purchase your copy. All profits go to the American Red Cross to help storm victims.
So with that, I again wish you all a Happy Halloween! Here's to another snowy month here in Denver!
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Thursday, October 26, 2006
Just a quick entry to point everyone to my log on today's winter storm which totalled up 10 inches here in Lakewood by storm's end. You can view that log here! I've included all the pictures and snow totals (thanks to Chris Spears at 7News for compiling that list). What an awesome storm and a terrific day! I had a blast interning at 7News for this and without a doubt would say this is the best experience I've had thus far in this semester internship! The energy of everyone in the studio this morning made this an incredibly fun event to work! Its amazing how many people on so little sleep can be as excited to be at work! You know when you're that way, you've found what you love to do. And everyone, anchors, reporters, and us weather nerds, sure seemed excited and happy to be working this event! I sure was!
http://www.tornadoeskick.com/snow061026.html
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I just arrived home after doing a little snow chasing on the west side of town. Heavy snows, up to 10 inches fell over by Red Rocks Community College and 7 inches was measured at my place here off Wadsworth and Alameda. I took dozens of pictures of the incredible amounts of snow, most of which I'll post on a page for this storm sometime tomorrow after all clears out.
 The 24/7 Team on Duty During This Winter Storm Mike Nelson, Tony Laubach, Chris Spears, and Richard Ortner
I've been up for a bit less than 28 hours straight, and probably will get a nap in sometime after 11. Snow still continues to fall over the area, so will take official storm total measurements later in the afternoon! But it looks like I nailed my forecast! :o)
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Current Temperature: 32
Current Conditions: Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 2.0
Caffinated Beverages: 2
Hours Since Last Sleep: 24.50
The morning show has finished and we're wrapping up the morning. We think we did great compared to the other local stations and I'm sure our excitement was radiant over the air. What a blast this has been! Without a doubt, the best experience to date for my internship here! Well worth the 24 hour plus I've been up and I would sooo do it again, no questions asked!
We're going to wrap things up and I'll probably make my way back to Lakewood in the next hour once I see the roads clearing a bit.
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Current Temperature: 32
Current Conditions: Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 2.0
Caffinated Beverages: 2
Hours Since Last Sleep: 24.00
Now at the 24 hour mark of no sleep, we're winding down our morning show. Richard Ortner is outside in the lawn measuring up to 2 inches of snow here. We have about 20 school closings reported to us here at 7News. Westbound I-70 is delayed at Georgetown as semis are stopped to put on chains. Not sure if its an official closing, but its definately got traffic stopped. Roads in the metro area remain wet with water ponding. A few areas are becoming snow-covered, mainly in the western and southern metro area. We are definately at the height of this storm right now as snow will continue to fall heavy for the next couple of hours.
I've called into work and class this afternoon to allow me a chance to get some sleep before my evening shift tonight. This is a blast and we're having a ton of fun here in the 24/7 Weather Center! I'll update again here from the studio in another 30!
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Current Temperature: 32
Current Conditions: Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 2.0
Caffinated Beverages: 2
Hours Since Last Sleep: 23.50
Snow reports are starting to come in and here are a few from NWS Boulder...
15.5 inches at Breckenridge, 13.0 inches 10SW Nederland, 9.0 inches 3N Bailey, 4.1 inches 2NW Elizabeth, and 2.5 Broomfield.
Snow continues to fall heavy here in downtown and C-DOT cameras are showing crazy snows over the Palmer Divide and out west towards the foothills.
Having a blast!!! This is awesome!
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Current Temperature: 32
Current Conditions: Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 1.5
Caffinated Beverages: 2
Hours Since Last Sleep: 23.00
Snow continuing to fall across the metro area. Snow is starting to accumulate in the southern and western suburbs while most is melting on contact here in downtown. A report from a 7News viewer in Fraser indicated 16 inches of snow up there. So far, no official reports from the National Weather Service on the storm, but imagine those will start to flood in as people awaken.
C-DOT cameras are showing snow accumulating on roads in the southern and western sections of the city, including side streets and major arteries. Here downtown, we're mainly just wet.
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Current Temperature: 32
Current Conditions: Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 1.5
Caffinated Beverages: 2
Hours Since Last Sleep: 22.50
We've go on air for the 5am show and have begun our coverage of the storm. Snow continues to fall on us here at the studio and it continues to accumulate with just over an inch outside. Waiting for sunrise to start shooting more pictures!
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Current Temperature: 32
Current Conditions: Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 1.0
Caffinated Beverages: 2
Hours Since Last Sleep: 22.00
The crew has arrived in studio! Mike Nelson has come in and we're putting together the morning show as we speak. Outside, snow is falling steadily and accumulations should start to make their climb. Thanks to Mike for sacrificing one of his Burger King biscuits to settle my stomach. We'll continue to post updates as the morning goes on. I'm awaiting first light to get outside and start taking some photos from around the area. Even as the storm has been slow to develop, I'm having a blast with all of this!!!
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Current Temperature: 32
Current Conditions: Light to Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 0.5
Caffinated Beverages: 2
Hours Since Last Sleep: 21.50
We have begun ticker coverage on 7News and are updating the websites with the current info. Temps are falling across the metro area right now and we're watching road conditions through rush hour. Roads are just wet with areas of standing water in places. As temps cool, we expect the accumulations to start to pick up with totals possibly making our 6 to 12 inch forecast. 7News Meteorologist Richard Ortner has arrived and Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson is due in sometime in the next 30 minutes.
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Current Temperature: 34
Current Conditions: Light Snow
Current Accumulation: 0.5
Caffinated Beverages: 1
Hours Since Last Sleep: 21.00
Snow has tapered off for the time being here at the studios. 7News Weather Producer Chris Spears is on his way in from Aurora where he reported the changeover about an hour ago. Radar showing a hole in the precip right over Central Denver at this time with bands of heavier snow south, east, and north. There's a dry hole in the precip which extends from about Central Denver northwest towards the Boulder area. I'm figuring this will fill in over the next 30 minutes.
Latest AFD indicates the most accumulation will occure between now and noon. The dropping of snow totals by NWS seems to go along with the late changeover tonight, thus decreasing accumulations overnight and having the heavier, more accumulating snows from the morning rush through noon. The dynamics continue to work in our favor for strong upslope and deep moisture, so I'll hang on to my 6-12 inch thinking as I think most places will see at least half a foot by the time all's said and done.
Another update in a bit...
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Current Temperature: 34
Current Conditions: Light to Moderate Snow
Current Accumulation: 0.5
Caffinated Beverages: 1
Hours Since Last Sleep: 20.25
I have made it to the 7News Studios where it is currently snowing outside. About half an inch of snow has stuck to grassy areas and continues to accumulate. Snowfall was in the moderate catagory along most of my drive along 6th Ave and judging by the radar images I am seeing, that should continue for a while. One of the first things I did when I arrived, poured me a cup of mocha and am slamming that down! The game today is can I drink more cups of caffine than we get inches of snow! :o)
The morning show begins at 5am, so any updates I do between then and 7a may be a bit few and quick just because I'm sure I'll be busy with a lot of other things. In the meantime, I'm going to keep tabs on the storm and caffinate myself! Let the mayhem begin!
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Current Temperature: 35
Current Conditions: Light Snow
Current Accumulation: Trace
Caffinated Beverages: 0
Hours Since Last Sleep: 19.50
A correction on this entry and light snow has begun to fall. Glancing down at cars from my third story balcony shows a dusting on windshields. Radar showing a heavier area of precip to the north of town at this time with a heavier batch poised to move in from the southwest. Will be leaving my Lakewood location for the studios inside of 30 minutes.
Also, wanted to point out that the temeraptre I am grabbing is coming from the Channel 7 studios from their website which would account for discrepencies between temperature and current conditions. There is several miles between locations and thus the actual temperature may be a bit cooler overe here. Unfortunately my apartments don't allow many places to mount a weather station.
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Current Temperature: 39
Current Conditions: Light Freezing Rain
Current Accumulation: 0.0
Caffinated Beverages: 0
Hours Since Last Sleep: 18.25
SPC has put out a pair of MDs this evening; the current one discusses heavy snow potential after 9z (3am) for the Front Range locations with snow rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour with the rest of the metro area getting in on the heavy stuff around 6am. Rush hour is sure to be a pain and I'm curious to see the closures as the morning progresses. The timing alone on this system has to make a person wonder.
Finishing up with my packing of gear and am ready to head out on a moment's notice.
By the way, for those wondering where my sleep hours are coming from; I got up this morning for work at 6:45. I've been up since then.
More later...
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Current Temperature: 41
Current Conditions: Freezing Rain
Current Accumulation: 0.0
Caffinated Beverages: 0
Hours Since Last Sleep: 17.50
Still at home as its been raining off and on for about an hour now. The thunder and lightning have gone away. The changeover should be within the next hour or two. I may consider heading out just to keep myself going. Mochas will be coming in abundance here in the next couple of hours.
Glancing at some obs over the region, most areas in Wyoming are in the 30s right now and near saturation. The front which blew thrrough a couple hours ago is bringing the colder air down. The new WRF has a lot of precip compared to its ealier runs. From midnight to 6am, it has Denver under an area of about 0.4 inches of precip; the next 6 hours (6am-noon) has a big area over southern Denver of over an inch. All said, the WRF is cranking out about 1.5 inches of liquid over the next 18 hours. That's a hefty amount of precip during a time where temps should be cold enough for snow. That's a big increase in precip values from its previous run.
The GFS has moved downward with its precip values, and slid them further south across southern Colorado. The models seem to have a difficult time determining the track of this low. ultimately, that would play a huge role in exactly was happens over the next 12 to 18 hours.
A cold wind is blowing as I stepped outside and quickly reawakened. The temps are falling fast and I imagine snow will be soon as well. My apologies for the trouble updating as Blogger is having technical issues which are preventing me from posting in a timely manner. Another update later.
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Current Temperature: 53
Current Conditions: Light Rain and Thunder
Current Accumulation: 0.0
Caffinated Beverages: 0
Hours Since Last Sleep: 14.25
Lightning and thunder are over the area right now with light rain. Temps are falling as I believe the front is making its way through. I am still at home in Lakewood at this time and will continue to remain here til the first flakes fall. I am charging cameras and drying clothes while watching Mortal Kombat Konquest. Very stoked for tonight! Think we may get a surprise in terms of snowfall!
Stay tuned!
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Watches have been upgraded to warnings across the Front Range and areas near the Palmer Divide and the mountains. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for the Metro area through tomorrow morning with snow accumulations ranging from 1-3 inches northeast to upwards of a foot along the foothills and Palmer Divide. The big question with all of this is when the rain/snow changeover will be. Right now, it looks as if temps will cool and precip should be all snow sometime between midnight and 3am. The system has been slowed a bit by the models, meaning we could see snow til early afternoon as opposed to noon. The changeover, when it occurs, will mean the beginning of the heavier snows.
So with that, tonight I'll do something I did many times as a kid. Pull an all-nighter while watching the weather. I'll return to my apartment in Lakewood til the snow starts to fall before returning to the 7News station to ride out the rest of the storm through morning. My goal, other than staying awake, is to update this blog every hour starting with an entry to say I'm on my way in. Obviously he updates will be a bit harder to get to during on-air hours as I'll be helping 7News Meteorologists Mike Nelson and Richard Ortner with the morning's show. Be sure to stay here and check with 7News or thedenverchannel.com to stay on top of this potentially potent winter storm.
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The details of this upcoming system are starting to become a bit clearer... here's my latest forecast discussion on this approaching winter storm...
A MAJOR WINTER STORM IS SET TO EFFECT COLORADO LATER TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. WHILE THERE IS STILL GREAT UNCERTAINTY IN REGARDS TO A FEW THINGS, THERE IS A POTENTIAL TO SEE ACCUMULATIONS UPWARDS OF A FOOT IN PARTS OF THE METRO AREA THROUGH TOMORROW.
A LOOK AT THE MODELS THIS MORNING SHOWED A GENERAL TREND TOWARDS YESTERDAY'S GFS. WHILE THE OTHER MODELS DON'T CRANK OUT THE PRECIP AMOUNTS THE GFS IS GOING FOR, THEY ARE COMING TO MORE OF AN AGREEMENT ON THE FACT THAT PRECIP WILL FALL. HOWEVER, AS STATED YESTERDAY IN MY BLOG, TEMPERATURES ARE A CONCERN. AT SOME POINT DURING THIS STORM, TEMPS WILL COOL ENOUGH FOR SNOW, HOWEVER, THE DURATION OF RAIN IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS STORM WILL GREATLY AFFECT THE TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS WE WILL GET.
ONCE SNOW DOES START TO FALL, IT SHOULD COME DOWN HEAVY. MODELS ARE SHOWING A GOOD UPSLOPE FLOW FROM A LOW WHICH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CO/NM BORDER AND INTO THE PANHANDLES THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING. THIS WILL CONVEY GOOD MOISTURE IN STRONG UPSLOPE FLOW INTO THE FRONT RANGE AREAS. WHILE AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF DENVER, NAMELY THE PALMER DIVIDE, WILL DO MUCH BETTER WITH THIS STORM, THESE LATEST RUNS INDICATE FAVORABLE DYNAMICS FOR HEACY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN AND ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND EAST FACING SLOPES. ACCUMULATIONS OF 6-12 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ALL ACROSS THE METRO AREA WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS NEAR THE PALMER DIVIDE WHERE TOTALS COULD RUN AS HIGH AS 15 OR MORE INCHES.
IF THE GFS PRECIP TOTALS WERE TO VERIFY, SNOW TOTALS COULD APPROACH THE TWO-FOOT AREA. ITS WORTH MENTIONING THAT THE GFS IS PROBABLY A BIT EXTREME ON ITS PRECIP AMOUNTS, BUT SINCE ITS LAST RUNS, HAVE NOW PUT TWO 6-HOUR PERIODS OF A 1-INCH BULLS-EYE OVER THE FRONT RANGE METRO AREA. WHEN ADDED UP OVER THE 24 PERIOD, NEARLY 2.5 INCHES OR PRECIP IS FORECASTED. FIGURING ON A DURATION OF ABOUT 12 TO 18 HOURS, IT APPROACHES 1.5 TO 2 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIP, WHICH AT 10 TO 1 RATIO, WOULD PUT US CLOSE TO 20 INCHES TOTAL. I DON'T THINK THIS WILL OCCUR, BUT ITS WORTH A MENTION NONE-THE-LESS.
THE NORTHWEST WIND COMPONENT STILL SHOWS UP A BIT AT TIMES IN THE MODEL RUNS. IF WE WERE TO GET SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SNOW THAN WHAT I'M GOING FOR, THAT WOULD BE TO BLAME. THE WRF KEEPS A PRETTY STEADY NW WIND DIRECTION GOING WITH LIGHT PRECIP AMOUNTS. IT DOES GIVE US A BULLS-EYE OF 0.375 AT 36 HOURS, HOWEVER, ITS EAST OF THE CITY AND WOULD RESULT IN A SCENARIO SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED TO US LAST OCTOBER WHEN A NORTHWEST WIND PUSHED THE BEST SNOWFALL EAST OF TOWN.
IF THE NEXT COUPLE OF RUNS CONTINUE THIS TREND OF INTENSIFYING THIS STORM, I WOULD FIGURE ON SEEING THE WATCHES GO TO WARNINGS. THE GENERAL TREND IS TO MOVE SNOW INTO THE AREA, BUT ITS HOW MUCH AT THIS POINT WHICH LIES AS THE $64,000 QUESTION. WILL CHECK AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND BEGIN TO FINALIZE MY FORECAST ON THIS POTENTIAL WINTER STORM.
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
A big forecasting challenge upcoming for the Front Range area through Friday. All week, I've been tracking the next front which is suppose to swing down from the north. Up til today, it looked very benign, however, the models have intensified a low pressure system that could draw up some extra moisture from Paul making for a very interesting situation!
The range of possibilities of this scenario go from our original thinking of a benign and windy system to a potent blizzard over the Eastern Plains and Front Range. This is shown in the wide range of numbers cranked out for precip by the various models. For instance, numbers on the NGM at Denver have only 0.02 inches of liquid while the NAM's numbers crank out about 0.63 inches of liquid. The GFS graphic from Dupage has us sitting under a ONE inch bulls-eye in 48 hours (12z Thursday). Not to mention the other forecasts from 42 and 54 hours which peak us at over 1.5 inches total for this storm. Snow ratios similar to the previous two storms would have us sitting at nearly 2 feet of snow.
Of course, snow depends on how cold we can get and how fast we can get there. Timing of the front is still an issue and will determine how much of this precip falls as snow after the front has passed.
Another issues showing up on Futurecast and models is a northwesterly wind component which would dramatically reduce snow totals across the Denver Metro area. This would create a downslope effect over the immediate front range and all but kill any chance for measurable snow. However, if this system deepens and slows a bit, we would see more upslope and allow for snow accumulations to increase here in town. This would bring those significant accumulations east of Denver and along the Palmer Divide.
I think the Eastern Plains from I-70 southward will get nailed with blizzard conditions in the form of strong winds and blowing snow. Accumulations are the big question where things track!
I'll continue to watch this system with eager intent and hope that we can get a decent storm for out of this. Right now, I'm leaning toward the side of caution with the northwest winds keeping me from getting too excited. However, watching the models flips as hard as they have over the last 24 hours definately has me hopeful.
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Saturday, October 21, 2006
Waking up in the middle of the night sucks. And I was surprised when I glanced out my window at 3am that I saw snow. The forecasts had called for an inch or two, and it looked like we got that. When I got up for real shortly before 7am, I headed out and plopped my foot in the snow. There was more than 2 inches. Try double that and change, 4.5 inches I measured at my place this morning. Very surprised to see such an amount. When I got downtown, it looked like between 1 and 2 inches. Checking the snow reports from around the area, Boulder hit 5 inches, Ken Caryl had 3.5", 3S of Golden had 4", Arvada came in at 3.5", and 5NW of Denver had 3.8". Little more snow than I think anyone had thought. Checking the discussion, apparently a pretty heavy band of snow moved north to south across the western suburbs and dumped the heavy snow in the short amount of time. When I was up in the middle of the night, I didn't notice any major snow falling, so my guess was between midnight and 3am when it all fell. I'll post this storm and its 4.5" in my log, but no pictures with it.
Also, I completed my off-season index page which will go up from September 1 through March 1. It basically allows visitors to visit other areas of my site which are better highlighted or more active in the calmer part of the year. It also puts more emphasis on my DVDs, video, and images as opposed to chasing. Since I update my winter and photo sections more this time of year, I thought I'd highlight those first. You may also notice my rotating images are different as well! The chasing index page is still online and can be viewed here. I won't change back to that til March 1 regardless of whether or not I chase between those dates. Chasing is so infrequent during this time of year, its not a big deal.
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Wednesday, October 18, 2006
I uploaded the shots I took this morning of the snow here in Denver before the sun got to it and melted it all away. I've posted them in the winter storm log for the event and you can chekc them out by clicking here or the picture below!
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Woo hoo! The first snow of the season! As of this writing, the heaviest snow has moved off to the east and we'll probably see a few flurries overnight here in Lakewood. I got home about 7:30pm to see about 3 inches of heavy, wet snow on the ground. Roads were a bit slushy in places as I made my way from downtown, but all-in-all, not too bad. Snow began this morning much earlier than anticipated, but has also left much earlier than anticipated as most of our accumulations fell from about 3p through 6p in a heavy dumping which lasted about 3 hours. Fortunately temps got cold enough quickly enough to allow for the rain to change to snow earlier in the day which allowed us the snow totals for our first snow. Below are a couple shots when the snow first started falling over the Auraria Campus (taken with my new Kodak EasyShare Z730). The last three shots are from my balcony at my apartment taken literally minutes ago showing the three inches of snow which fell this evening. They're a bit noisey as I shot them with low light on my Canon Digi, but you get the picture! I'll shoot a few more tomorrow in the daylight, but none-the-less, our first snowfall of the 2006/2007 season!
I'll have a small photo gallery on this storm in my winter weather section which has been updated. Much like my storm chase logs, I'll record snowstorms or other major winter weather events here. Only storms which accumulate 3 inches or more will be logged, and anything over a foot will go into the top table list which includes the blizzard of my lifetime back in 2003. If I take pictures or just get bored, I'll create a page on the storm. Otherwise, it'll just be a working list of decent snowfalls!
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At 11:38am today, the first flakes of the winter season began to fall here at the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver. Big, wet flakes signaled the first snow for us. More snow is expected overnight with accumulations ranging from 2 to 4 inches with possibly up to 6 in ther southern and western suburbs. Most of this sticking to grassy areas cause of the warm surface temps. Snow should end before noon tomorrow! I'll happily be posting photos tomorrow! :o)
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Monday, October 16, 2006
The Spring 2007 semester schedule came out today allowing me a chance to eyeball dates for next year's Mayathon. Finals week is May 7-May 12, and with all my classes going Monday thru Thursday, my first free day would fall on Friday, May 11. The summer semester should begin two weeks later during the week of May 28. Giving myself the extra week for June, I may opt to make my official trip from Friday, May 11 - Sunday, June 3 and work a summer schedule which allows me a chance to chase midway into June while maintaining some sort of working schedule.
Pre-season chasing will be kept to a minimum in March and will start to open up gradually through April and into May. I'll work on campus (including classes) Monday thru Thursday, then drive pies Fri and Sat plus an evening or two during the week. In April, I'll drop the Saturday shift, then in May, rid of the Friday shift to allow for full weekends before the Mayathon. I'll put my official time off request in in late January once I get a better handle on my class/work situations.
So as of now, May 11-June 3 looks to be my dates of choice.
With no real chasing setup emerging in the models through the next week, its my speculation that there will be no October chase this season. With that, I'll officially conclude my chasing season. With a move pending, I'll get all my gear packed into containers and set aside til next Spring. I need to inventory my list for insurance purposes, but also to plan ahead for how I will set up. I also have some light vehicle maintanance to attend to in the coming months. My hopes are before Thanksgiving Break, my P.O.S. Toyota will be running, allowing my van to sit quietly through chasing season.
So with that, the long-term planning begins for Mayathon 2007. I'll have my quirky graphics up on the website in the coming days.
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Friday, October 13, 2006
Channel 7's Big Weather seminar was held last night at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and was a complete success! Verne Carlson and I were video presenters along with Roger Hill and Tim Samaras (who was in D.C. and taped his show). Tim's lightning video was some of the most incredible stuff I had ever seen. He shot lightning on a camera that shoots at 10,000 frames per second. The images he showed were beyond anything I could even imagine. Not to mention his tornado footage that between him and Roger Hill, will make any tornado-nut drool. Verne, who was sporting a snazzy suit, and Michael showed off their incredible Sept. 16 tornado video. I followed them showing off some flood, hail, and lightning footage including my Seminole, TX hailstorm stuff. It was a ton of fun! Several of our chasing buds including Jon V, Allison, Jon M, Tom, and some friends from UNC attended as well! It was a blast! The seminar as a whole was a complete success for the news station and I would like to think an annual event held at the IMAX could be a possibility! Thanks to Mike Nelson and crew for setting up such a wonderful event and allowing us a chance to get up and show some of our work off on the IMAX! That's a pretty awesome thing to do!
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Friday, October 06, 2006
Welcome to the new look of Tornadoeskick.com! With about 80% of my site completed, I wanted to throw up the new version to run it through its live tests. As you'll see, many of the pages are not up, completed, or working as of this post. I figure to have most of the major pages up and online within the next week or so.
The biggest change you'll see is the layout. Very simple, black on white, and centered. This is a much cleaner version and easier on the eyes, I think. Most of the page layouts themselves are copy and pastes from the old site, but I think it comes about as a little less cluttered.
The area which underwent the biggest changes was the logs section. I completely redesigned this into a more tabled format. You'll also notice little video icons on the right side of the lists. Any log which includes those icons indicates that there are videos (hosted by YouTube) linked from those logs. Also changed, I've eliminated cheesey titles to the logs and have added some basic information, including mileage, type of log, the states traveled, and a brief list of what information you will find in the log. You'll also see many logs not linked. Those are logs for which I had no pictures. They're included in the list for mileage purposes, but if there were no images, I will no longer put them up.
A couple of logs I want to point you to right away... first, the most recent chase from September 16, 2006. This was a log I didn't put up in the old site as I was closing in on finishing the update. Its up for the first time and ready to view.
Second, my two big tornado days in May 2004. I've cleaned up and updated both the May 12, 2004 and May 29, 2004 chase logs with updated locations, images descriptions, and a better layout. Also, the May 29 summery page which was missing in the old site is now online.
My Tornado Images section changed a bit as well. I've opted to include a list of every tornado I've seen, including the two prior to my official count (Clarksburg '97 and OKC '00). This list will include a thumbnail pic of that particular tornado as well as a link to the chase log associated with that tornado (if any). The date and location of those tornadoes are also documented here.
The blog! Incredibly enough, the blog updated beautifully! I thought I may have to delete and start from scratch, but fortunately blogger made the transformation nearly flawless! Obviously with the replacement and restructuring of my images, most of the graphics posted in blog entries are probably broken. More than likely, I will not go through and make the edits. However, all images from here on out should appear just fine.
So with that, I'm off to do some touch-up work. Again, please pardon the dust of the new site and allow me a chance to get the remaining few pages in their places. I'll worry about content as time passes as most will be cut 'n' paste from the old site. In the meantime, the most important areas of my site are up and running! Let me know what you think!
Ciao!
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