Mindy and I would wish everyone a wonderful 2014! And, we would like to thank all of our customers and readers for their patronage in 2013.

It looks like the Northeast will usher in a white 2014. AccuWeather has details here . There are no airline delays at the moment. They have issued waivers ahead of the storm, so you can leave early without penalty. Here are two brief articles about how to take advantage of the waivers to avoid the storm: #1 and #2 .

This is a great video that recaptures some of the weather of 2013. For me, the most scientifically interesting item of the year was the El Reno Tornado of May 31. Not only did we lose three highly professional storm chasers, that giant storm with its nearly 300 mph winds  will have meteorologists studying it for years. El Reno Tornado. Wikipedia  And, again, Mother Nature frustrated the global warming doomsayers by refusing to warm earth's atmospheric and sea surface temperatures. Of course, the rest of us found that to be good news. Unfortunately, there is no way to forecast the weather or climate for 2014. But, rest assured that weather science will be working to keep you informed and your family safe in the new year.

Again in 2013, the world experienced another year where temperatures were well below predicted levels, in spite of ever-rising levels of carbon dioxide. Now, after a decade and a half of no real warming and temperatures remaining far colder than forecast, we taxpayers can, and should, ask whether governments should continue spending huge ($165 Billion and climbing) amounts of money on something that may not even be a serious threat. When I saw this piece at climate scientist Dr. Judith Curry’s blog earlier today, I thought my readers would find it interesting. It includes this link to a paper by Rafaella Hillerbrand and Michael Ghil on the morality of huge global warming expenditures.   Societies (or other subjects) are able to part only with a certain amount of money or other resources for predominantly altruistic goals, of which the mitigation of major changes in future climate is only one. Investing in the mitigation of climate-change effects me

More from AccuWeather . UPDATE: United Airlines has issued waivers . Here is how to use them: Part 1 and Part 2 . And, here is the forecast snow accumulation to 7am EST Thursday. More snow is expected to fall later Thursday. I'll cover that on the blog tomorrow.

The light was hitting the Calder mobile just right this morning, so I thought I'd share the view with you. It is in the atrium of the Bank of America Building. AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions' offices are on the 7th floor.

There is an old saying, "red sky in morning sailors take warning, red sky at night sailors' delight."  We rarely have red skies in morning in Wichita, so I thought you'd enjoy seeing this. And, no, we are not expecting any storms in Wichita the next 24 hours. 

Full story is here . Warnings  is written in the style of a novel (much like The Right Stuff, Isaac's Storm, or  The Rocket Boys ). Consider these reviews (in bold type): 'Warnings' is higly educational, but it reads nothing like a textbook. The writing is engaging and entertaining from cover to cover. Even if you're not yet convinced to buy it for yourself, if you know anyone with an interest in the weather, get it for them as a gift. If you're lucky, they'll let you read it when they're done. Better storm safety would be a great New Year's Resolution for 2014. After reading Warnings , you'll be better able to protect yourself and your family when a major storm threatens and you will also be highly entertained. To be quite honest it is the best book I've read in years. I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing in a day and a half. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting book where you can learn something, too

Two years ago, I had an amazing tour of "Hitsville U.S.A." -- the original Motown Studio where all of their great '60's hits were recorded. Here is my original report . Great Britain's Guardian  has a report on the late Maxine Walters who was put in charge of grooming Motown's young artists. She said the wanted them to be able to have an audience with kings and queens. I think you'll enjoy reading it.

click to enlarge Do you have any doubt that if 2013 had a record high  number of tornadoes we would be bombarded with Big Climate proclaiming "woe is us!?" Instead, we have a record low number of tornadoes and we get….. [sound of crickets]

I don't usually talk about storms more than about five to six days away but I think this is worth mentioning because the forecast pattern is similar  to the Christmas Eve-Day that brought power losses from Oklahoma to Maine. Here is the European model forecast for the 5th: It depicts one vigorous storm over New Mexico and a second over Oregon. The U.S. GFS model shows a single very powerful storm moving into Oregon. It is far to soon to get specific as to what may occur. But, I want to let you know there is the potential for a major winter storm the second week of January.

Orange is a blizzard warning currently in effect. Browns are high wind warnings. Winds may gust to 50 mph in these areas. The medium blue is a travel advisory for snow and wind. The lighter blues are warnings of extreme cold (see below). In some areas, wind chills may drop below -50°F.

Details from AccuWeather .

T his informative and very entertaining narrative investigates some of the country's most devastating storms over the past fifty years. In looking to the past, the author shows the effort that went into eventually creating the national severe weather warning system.                                                                                      --- Bookloons

Will this twisted twister of May 19 make the list? I have my list here . UPDATE: Courtesy of Angela Binyon, here is a view of the above tornado from a second vantage point a few moments before it started twisting itself into a pretzel. Please see the comments for more info.

According to news reports, more than 1,000,000 people from Oklahoma to Michigan to Ontario and then onto Maine are still without power from this past weekend's ice storm. Today's weather science can make all the difference between a storm that cripples your business or one that has minor effects. AccuWeather's Enterprise Solutions group specializes in working with our clients to mitigate the effects of this type of extreme weather. You can read more here . In addition, I teach seminars for businesses to learn how to protect people, property and profits. For details, contact Mike Smith Enterprises, LLC at (316) 204-9969 or mindy@mikesmithenterprises.com .

If you enjoy this blog, you'll love these books!! The Kindle and Nook versions have additional color photos that are not in the print version. And, only available in ebook (print version has sold out), is When the Sirens Were Silent . This book tells the story of the 2011 Joplin, Missouri, tornado that killed 161 people.

It is a sparkling white Christmas in Wichita. Hope you are enjoying the day wherever you are. Just saw that NOAA says 41.7% of the U.S. is enjoying a white Christmas today.

From Mindy and me, I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas! Here is some rather cool footage from the moon. It shows, for the first time motion-stabilized, footage from the Apollo program. You'll enjoy watching this video from another world.

Nothing severe, but there will be some light snows. The light purple is a travel advisory for light freezing rain.

AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions' weather-triggered marketing will insure you have what you need to serve your customers regardless of weather conditions.

This is a threat today and Christmas day. It has been extremely dry in most of California in 2013.

This blog is © 2013 by Mike Smith Enterprises, LLC . All rights reserved.

With one exception, things are calmer than they were last week. New England began receiving freezing rain on Saturday and it continues today. Deep purple is an ice storm warning. Light purple is a freezing rain advisory for travelers. The blue is a winter weather advisory for travelers due to snow. This is the current snow depth map: Finally, this is the forecast  precipitation for the next 5-days.

A little rural Kansas humor from our friend Derek Klingenberg.

Here are the current warnings: There are 250,000 homes and businesses without power in southwest Ontario. The legend is as below. Thirteen inches of snow fell in Great Bend, Kansas. Wichita officially had just over three on top of a quarter inch of sleet.

Why do I believe federal funds were involved?

I love this ad, especially on the Sunday before Christmas…

Best sure and visit : visitors descend hundreds of feet in a freight elevator and enter a world covered in glittering, geometric salt crystals. The sparkling crystals during Kathleen and my visit last summer. The underground mine is remarkable. And, for more to do, click here .  And, these recommendations from The Boston Globe. 

UPDATE: 8:42PM: 84,000 homes and businesses in Arkansas are without power due to thunderstorms' damaging winds earlier today. RADAR at 8:40pm shows a line of severe thunderstorms that has been producing tornadoes moving toward Nashville. People in and around Nashville should monitor local weather conditions closely! ORIGINAL POST: Numerous reports of damage from tornadoes and thunderstorm winds are being received this evening. Consequently, the NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued another tornado watch: This does include Birmingham, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa.  At 8:22pm, the only tornado warnings in effect were in Tennessee (red polygons). This is my last weather update of the evening. 

Kansas City region total snowfall. Chicagoland snowfall as of 6am CST, a little more is forecast to fall.

…due to a tornado(oes) in eastern Arkansas and northwest Mississippi. KARK TV via Twitter Reports of homes destroyed, trees blocking highways, etc., from several locations. At 6:57pm, the red areas are under tornado warnings and yellow tornado watches. Amber is severe thunderstorm warnings for damaging winds. Dark maroon are flash flood warnings with serious flooding occurring in several areas. Bright green are flood warnings.

Red a tornado warnings Yellow = tornado watches Amber = severe thunderstorm warnings for damaging winds.  Deep maroon are flash flood warnings Bright green are flood warnings Dark green are flood watches Dark purple are ice storm warnings Pink are winter storm warnings Blue are winter weather advisories for travelers  Light purple are travel advisories for travelers due to freezing rain.  Addition: State of Emergency in northern New York due to the severity of the ice storm. 

Third tornado watch: There are several tornado warnings (in red):

Here is the latest AccuWeather Regional Radar. The purple area is a large region of freeing drizzle and sleet. The blue is snow, the darker the heavier. Strong thunderstorms now moving into Memphis.

Again, note, the possibility of violent tornadoes is "moderate."

1pm Saturday: 7pm Saturday: The deep blues are snows with the darker blue = heavier snow. The patches of red in east central and northeast Kansas indicate there are still areas of freezing drizzle rather than snow. However, by evening, most of the precipitation should be in snow across Kansas and northwest Missouri.

The tornado watch is in effect until 6pm. Note there is a "moderate" risk of violent (≥F-2) tornadoes. The watch includes Houston. Here is the latest radar as of 10:31am CST. Please keep up on local weather information if you are in the tornado watch. Tornado safety procedures are here .

Photo of Ice Storm at  Norman, Okla. from Jed Castles via Twitter Warnings now in effect: Dark red counties are flash flood warnings. Do not drive into flooded areas by foot or by car. Light greens are flood warnings for rivers and streams.  Hunter green are areas under a flash flood watch.  Deep purple are ice storm warnings that now include Detroit and parts of New England Light purples are freezing rain advisories for travelers due to slick roads Pink counties are winter storm warnings, primarily for heavy snow Blue is travelers advisories for snow (lesser condition than a warning).  Here are the AccuWeather forecasts for snow accumulation this weekend: Here are safety tips for ice storms and blizzards .  The AccuWeather Regional Radar at 8:45am. The precipitation near Amarillo will turn into the major snow storm this afternoon. The area of southeast Texas and Louisiana is already being monitored for a tornado watch.  I will not be live-blog