Ending September on a Cool and Pleasant Note

It was as if we flipped the switch from summer to fall in a span of 36 hours.
We went from high temperatures in the 90's, to high temperatures in the 80's, and from morning lows in the 70's to the 50's.

The image above shows our morning lows from earier today. Most areas bottomed out in the lower 50's, with a few areas briefly touching the upper 40's.

With a cool and dry airmass in place, the next couple of mornings will see similar readings. That means you might actually need that windbreaker or sweater when you head out the door in the morning to work or school.

The cold front that brought in the cooler and drier air came from a big shift in our overall weather pattern.

Right now, we have a big dip in the jetstream across the eastern half of the United States. It is that big dip or trough, that has brought down some Canadian air into East Texas.

The good news is that this weather pattern will not budge much for the next several days.

This not only means more clear nights and sunny afternoons, but also means no tropical systems will invade the western Gulf.

We currently have another tropical depression, which formed earlier today in the Caribbean. We don't have to worry about that depression heading our way as the trough of low pressure across the Southeast U.S. will help steer that system into Florida and areas along the Atlantic seaboard.

If you have the opportunties to make outdoor plans (play golf, tennis, etc), go ahead and do it over the next week and a half or so.

After all, this weather pattern will eventually change. It will just come later rather than sooner.

New HD Look Coming to Your TV Soon

With fall just days away, we are very aware that usually means change is on the way. Even though it is still very warm and humid, fall indicates that fronts and cooler weather are in the offing.

Our weather department at KTRE-TV 9 will be undergoing some change as well.

Over the past few weeks, I have been in training with some of the newest and greatest weather graphics there are to offer.

On Thursday, we are set to debut our new HD look on air for the first time. You will notice a different look and feel to the weather graphics once they hit the airways.

I want to preface HD by saying that even though our news and weathercasts won't be in HD, it is HD compatible, meaning that when we decide to transition to HD, we will be all set to flip the switch.

This new graphic system will have many of the same features you have come to know and love over the years. However, it also has more bells and whistles, so some items will look and be displayed in a different format.

Right now, we are working out the technical side of things with our graphics and engineering department. I can't wait to debut the new look and I'm sure you will be excited about what it has to offer.

Hermine Leaves Her Mark on the Lone Star State

It was anything but ordinary when it came to the weather across the state of Texas this past week.

Flooding rains and even tornadoes greeted residents across much of North and South Central Texas, thanks to Tropical Storm Hermine.

Even though Hermine was just a tropical storm, she left her impact felt in more ways than one.

Here are some of the impressive rainfall totals from select cities across the state.

Georgetown, TX 15.62"
Killeen, TX 12.38"
Austin, TX 11.95"
Fort Worth, TX 7.48"
Houston, TX 4.47"

Here in East Texas, we picked up anywhere from 1-3" of rain, which certainly helped out our rainfall deficit.

This storm goes to show you that you don't need a major hurricane to cause widespread flooding and damage across a region. Sometimes it is the smaller, less intense storms, that can be just as dangerous.

Hermine Means Beneficial Rainfall for East Texas

After a sunny and beautiful weekend, the moisture and rain has surged back into East Texas, all ahead of Tropical Storm Hermine.

Hermine formed early this morning and is situated about 125 miles to the southeast of Brownsville, Texas.

There is a small chance Hermine could briefly strengthen into a category one hurricane before landfall, but due to its close proximity to land, it is not likely.

Tropical Storm Hermine is expected to make landfall later this evening in northern Mexico or extreme South Texas. She will then slow down and track to the northwest, moving through South Texas tomorrow and Central Texas on Wednesday.

It is in and near the circulation where flooding rains (4-8") could fall between now and Thursday.
Our effects from Hermine will be simple: rain showers, some of which will be heavy in the next couple of days.

While we don't anticipate the flooding rains that our friends and neighbors will see in Central and South Texas, we will still benefit from the system as waves of rain move through the Piney Woods.

Our in house computer model suggests that between now and Wednesday evening, many areas could pick up around 1-2" of rain, with some spots seeing as much as 3".

The bottom line is that Hermine is the perfect system for us to help in the rainfall department. Entering today, we were close to 6" behind in rainfall for the year.

These are the tropical systems which can put a big dent, if not erase, the deficit and put plenty of moisture back in the soils.

The Hurricane Train Lining Up

Now that we are approaching the peak of hurricane season, the tropics are really starting to heat up.

Close to home, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are quiet for the time being. However, it is a much different story further out in the Atlantic Ocean.

We have not one, but two tropical cyclones ongoing in the Atlantic, with a third area of low pressure likely to form this weekend.

Hurricane Danielle is our first major hurricane of the 2010 season, and is expected to brush Bermuda before turning northward and eventually weakening as it encounters the cooler waters of the northern Atlantic.

Behind Danielle is Tropical Storm Earl. He is expected to maintain a westward movement and could be a potential threat to the Bahamas and perhaps the east coast of the United States.

Notice that even behind Earl we have a tropical wave coming off the coast of Africa. This area of disturbed weather will more than likely become Fiona over the weekend.

I like to call the current setup you see in our satellite image "The Hurricane Train." This setup is quite common in late August through mid-September as the easterly waves coming off the coast of Africa get very active.

For now, it looks as if the Gulf of Mexico is under no threat in the foreseeable future. Hopefully we can say that another month from now.

Late Summer "Cold" Front

After several weeks of triple digit heat and numerous Heat Advisories, we may finally catch some relief, courtesy of a late summer cold (cool) front.

This cold front will not necessarily drop our temperatures significantly, but rather, lower the humidity.

You will feel the difference in this refreshing airmass by mid-week as dewpoints drop into the upper 50's and lower 60's.

If you watch my weathercasts, you know that I love to talk about dewpoints. It is a measure of the amount of moisture in the atmosphere and is tied into the relative humidity and air temperature.

So far this month, our dewpoints have been in the middle to upper 70's, making for very humid and sauna-like conditions.

With the passage of the front, those dewpoint values will drop into the lower 60's and upper 50's, a sign of the drier air filtering into East Texas.

Our Adonis computer model in the image above shows our dewpoint values in the upper 50's by Thursday morning. This means that when you head out the door to work or school, it will actually feel quite refreshing to take in some fresh air.

Don't get used to it, though. By the weekend, an onshore flow returns, and so does the humidity. That will give us better rain chances, which is something we could use as well.

What the Heat Index is all about

Over the past couple of weeks, you have heard us talk about the dangerous heat levels across East Texas. Even though the air temperatures have only been around 100, it is the heat index, or feels like temperature, that has made it very uncomfortable to be outdoors.

The heat index is what we call the "apparent" temperature in addition to the feels like temperature. This value is calculated by taking into account both the actual air temperature and the humidity.

When you go outside, your body is trying to cool down, not from the air temperature, but from the heat index all-together. Our heat indices have been running from 107-112° during the heating of the day.

Anyting over 105° is dangerous and anything over 110° is when it becomes a reality that heat fatigue and possible heat exhaustion could set in.

The chart above is a heat index chart, calculating the feels like temperature when taking into account the air temperature and relative humidity.

To show you just how important the humidity plays a role in our feels like temperatures, take this scenario. If we had an air temperature of 96° with 50% humidity, it would give us a heat index value of 108°. On the other hand, let's say the temperature was 100° with 40% humidity. The heat index in this case would be about the same.

The bottom line is it can be just as dangerous to have temperatures a few degrees lower, but with slightly higher humidity values than higher temperatures and lower humidity values.

That is why when we show you the heat index on the air, it is a better representation of what your body has to go through in order to cool itself down.