Here’s the terrible joke I told to Kontji Anthony just before coming back on-air for the 8:15 a.m. weather forecast…It didn’t make air, but we had a laugh as the cameras were turned back on.  I thought it only fair to share.

What’s the difference between weather and climate? 

You can’t weather a ladder but you can climate!

Yes.  It’s lame, BUT it is something you can tell the kids.

High temp of around 85 today with sunshine.  Pretty much the same on Sunday.  We’ll sandwich a mostly clear night in between with lows in 50s and 60s.

Have a great day!

Afternoon temepratures are hovering in the low to mid 80s today, pretty much on target for this time of year.

A light northeasterly wind- thanks to the center of high pressure to our North- has kept the humidity level in check, so it actually feels a bit like Fall.  We’re coming into a period in which overnight lows will take a dip into the 50s in parts of the Mid-South.  Hopefully this will result in less of a workout of the thermostat and a break on the utility bill.

I’m very optimistic about the weekend outlook.  It looks like rain chances are going to hold off until early next week.  At this point chances of rain look to be low, so for everyone fired up about getting behind that lawn mower, crank it up!

Our team is forecasting mainly dry conditions this week.  Mid September to Mid October is one of the driest time periods of the year for the Mid-South.  This, of course, can be altered by activity in the Tropics or some other specific feature.  Notice the “Big Blue H” just North of New York state.  This High pressure center is massive and will ridge down all the way into the Mid-South.  As a result, look for highs in the middle 80s this week as overnight lows dip into the middle 60s.  I will say that on about day nine or ten from now, there are signs a potent Fall cold front may dip into the Country.  We have many days to track it and of course and we will.  Thanks for stopping by!

Equinox is either of the two times during the year that the sun crosses the celestial equator, an imaginary line through the sky, and appears directly above the equator, the imaginary line that divides the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres. When this occurs, the length of the day and the night are approximately equal at every place on earth. While the earth orbits around the sun, the position of the sun changes in relation to the equator. Between the March, or vernal, equinox and the September, or autumnal, equinox, the sun appears north of the equator. It appears south of the equator in the time between the September equinox and the March equinox.

In the northern hemisphere, the autumnal equinox will occur either on September 22 or September 23, depending on the earth’s position in a given year. This day also marks the beginning of autumn. The word equinox is derived from the Latin word aequinoctium (equal night).

Corn dogs, pronto pups, whatever. 

Note to Mid-South Fair vendors: Have mustard ready to go if you serve what’s in the picture above.  I’ll be seeing you in the coming days at the Fairgrounds.

We’ve got some grrrrreat Mid-South Fair weather lined up for the next several days.  There’s just a slim chance of a shower before Saturday, then it’s smooth sailing into the 1st day of Fall on Monday.

In the meantime, expect mostly sunny skies with a high today (and through early next week for that matter) in the mid 80s.

Clouds will be on the increase as we track some activity progressing through central & southern Texas.

It’s the last hurrah before the Fair moves to Tunica County.  May you win that stuffed animal or Aerosmith mirror you’ve always dreamed of getting!  Actually, if you can shoot hoops I may have a business proposition for you.

Have a great day!

Good Morning!

I’ve been keeping an eye on Ike’s rain bands for the last few hours.  We’ve got a TORNADO WATCH until 10 this morning and a WIND ADVISORY until 4pm.  It’s my hope the tornado watch gets removed early.  Once we are out of the watch box, that will signify us about to turn the corner to better weather.

It’s going to be windy for quite a bit of the day, so the real payoff won’t happen until Monday, but losing the severe weather threat will be a nice start.

The forecast is set and ready to go for the TODAY SHOW @ 7 a.m. then ACTION NEWS 5 @ 8 a.m. 

I was just looking at the heartbreaking football box scores of my alma maters…Memphis & Mississippi State. 

Auburn 3, Miss. State 2 ?!?!  Are you kidding me?  I had to do a double take.  3 to 2???  Baseball, sure.  Soccer, I would buy.  Softball, perhaps.  Seriously, a field goal and a safety & that’s it?  I don’t know if this guy went to the game, but if so I can’t wait to hear the details.

The Tigers lose another tough one, this time to Marshall by one point.  Surely, lady luck will smile upon the Liberty Bowl next weekend.

Back to weather, be sure to bookmark our Hurricane Tracker.  As Ike exits, others could eventually follow.

6pm newscast is underway.  Double duty but that means I get to work with Kontji and Anna Marie in the same day.  Not a bad deal!

Ike is a Tropical Storm and has been responsible for a few Tornado Warnings in central Arkansas.  Here in the Mid-South we’ve got a few showers on STORM TRACK DOPPLER 5 HD.  As it ventures further from the Gulf, I’m personally rooting for Ike to weaken and be downgraded to a Tropical Depression ASAP!  Max sustained winds below 39mph will be key.

Whatever type of tropical event Ike will be, I’ll be tracking it into the wee hours if the outer bands continue to take advantage of the sheared environment. 

There’s a WIND ADVISORY tonight through Sunday afternoon.  The wind chimes will be flapping tonight.

Stay tuned to wmctv.com.  We’ll keep you updated as Ike affects the Mid-South.

Ike is now a Category 1 hurricane.

Watching first footage and reports coming in.  No doubt Mother Nature announced her presence with authority.  I’m just hoping rescue efforts will be low in need, but it’s too early to tell.

First waves topping Galveston sea wall on Friday (photo courtesy nationalgeographic.com).

Ike made landfall as a Category Two Hurricane near Galveston, Texas.  As I write this, very little in the way of visual assessment has been made regarding damage in the Galveston & Houston metro areas.

We’re tracking Ike and you can as well with the WMC 2008 Hurricane Tracker.  The next 48 hours in the Mid-South will be breezy thanks to the hurricane.  Ike, along with a cold front to the west, should provide us some rainfall chances on Sunday. 

Keep good thoughts for folks affected by the hurricane.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Admistration released its results for the month of August.  Some very interesting data………

NOAA: Above Average Temperatures in U.S. for August, Summer;
Midwest Much Drier than Average in August, South Much Wetter

 This June-August 2008 summer season was the 22^nd warmest on record for the contiguous United States, according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Also, last month ended as the 39^th warmest August for the contiguous United States, based on records dating back to 1895.

The average summer temperature of 72.7 degrees F is 0.8 degree F above the 20^th century average, based on preliminary data. The average August temperature was 73.2 degrees F, which is 0.4 degree above average.

U.S. Temperature Highlights

• California had its ninth warmest summer, while New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island had their eighth warmest summers.

• The western United States experienced its fourth warmest August on record, with an average temperature of 75.3 degrees F, 2.9 degrees above the 20^th century mean.

• While temperatures in most western states were above normal in August, temperatures across much of the eastern half of the U.S. were below normal.

• Cooler temperatures in the east and warmer temperatures in the western U.S. contributed to a near average national residential energy consumption for August and the summer season. Based on NOAA’s Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index, temperature-related energy demand was just 3.5 percent below average in August, and 4.2 percent above average for the summer.

U.S. Precipitation Highlights

• For June through August, precipitation across the contiguous United States averaged 9.05 inches, 0.8 inch above the 1901-2000 average and ranks as the 15^th wettest summer since 1895.

• An average of 3.11 inches fell across the contiguous U.S. in August, 0.51 inch above average. This was the ninth wettest August on record for the nation.

• Eight states (Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida) were much wetter than average for August. Mississippi had its all-time wettest August, and Florida and Alabama their second wettest August on record.

• Seven states (Delaware, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin) were much drier than average. Delaware had its driest August on record, Kentucky had its third driest August and Wisconsin ranked sixth driest.

• Drought conditions in the southeast United States improved slightly in August, thanks to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Fay. However, the western Carolinas remained in exceptional drought and severe-to-extreme drought affected eastern Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, western North Dakota, Texas, and several of the Hawaiian Islands, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Moderate-to- severe drought also covered nearly all of California and much of Nevada. At the end of August, 24 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate to extreme drought, a decrease of four percent from July.

• Fay also brought extensive flooding to Florida, where Jacksonville and Tallahassee each recorded 16.5 inches of rain, making this the wettest August on record for these cities. Thomasville, Ga., totaled 27.5 inches in August, and Fort Pierce, Fla., and Orlando broke their all-time 24-hour precipitation records with 8.84 and 8.23 inches, respectively. August 20-22 saw 18.48 inches of rain fall in Melbourne, Fla., a three-day record.

Other Highlights

• Four named Atlantic tropical cyclones – Tropical Storm Edouard, Tropical Storm Fay Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Hanna – developed in August. Edouard made landfall in Port Arthur, Texas on Aug. 5. Fay made an initial landfall in Key West, Fla., on Aug. 18. Gustav struck Grand Isle, La., on Sept. 1. August usually sees an average of three Atlantic/Caribbean tropical cyclones and on average one makes landfall in the U.S. every 2.3 years.

• Severe weather in the Chicago area on August 4 left nearly a half million residents without power, spawned at least three tornadoes and prompted travelers at O’Hare International Airport to be evacuated to lower levels, and a sell-out crowd at Wrigley Field to seek shelter in interior concourses. Nearly 350 flights were cancelled at O’Hare.

• Wildfires scorched parts of 12 states in August, primarily in the northwestern United States. From January 1 – August 29, 64,034 wildfires have burned more than 4.5 million acres of the United States, according to statistics from the National Interagency Fire Center. While the number of fires was above the 1999-2008 average, the acreage burnt was approximately one million acres less than average for the year-to-date.