Details here .

Just one item on my Christmas list [so far]...

Hmm. Maybe not. Assuming this is accurate, it is extremely likely the heat was highly exaggerated. As Steve notes, this is a tile room which is notorious for reflecting heat. Official temperatures are supposed to measured over grass, not tile roofs. Second, that is a set of amateur weather instruments. That, in and of itself, is not bad but we have no way of knowing whether the instruments are properly calibrated. Before you scoff at France, we have that issue with a number of climate stations in the United States.

Here is an article in ArsTechnica  well worth your time pertaining to the restoration of the Apollo 11's control room. And, to whom did NASA turn when they wanted this job to be done? They turned to the same organization the Smithsonian turns to: The Kansas Cosmosphere's Spaceworks .  The Cosmosphere, outside of Wichita in Hutchinson, is generally considered to be the second best (behind the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum ) in the world. If you have never visited, especially with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 coming up, it is well worth the trip.

I was asked which movies were my favorites. I had never given it any thought so I thought about it and here is the list. The top four, in order, The Right Stuff Blazing Saddles The Godfather Saga (I and II assembled in chronological order with some originally cut scenes added back in) Gone With the Wind I've put the others in groups:  A Christmas Story Titanic  Zero Dark Thirty Casino Get Shorty Caddyshack Groundhog Day Dr Strangelove  The Producers Saving Mr Banks LA Confidential Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Annie Hall Patton Little Mermaid What are your favorite movies?

Forbes  has an article about the commercial weather industry . I, too am skeptical about the newcomers they discuss but time will tell.

Here is the story from the Wichita Eagle . 

Brainwashing children. The global warming movement is about power and $$. Period. 

"Taming" the weather...from a well-done article in the New Yorker : It’s easy to forget that behind each [weather] prediction is one of humankind’s greatest accomplishments. The article tells the story, from a European perspective, how weather forecasting came to be mankind most successful forecasting endeavor. The article is extremely well done until its final paragraph which, unfortunately (and, inevitably these days) goes into global warming. No, storms are not getting worse and no, weather forecasting is not more difficult these days. If you wish to read a "global warming-free" story of the development of the storm warning system that saves so many lives, just scroll down.

...you might be interested in the story of how meteorologists have saved so many lives through storm warnings. You can read the first chapter, free, by clicking here . Whether at Barnes & Noble , Goodreads , or Amazon , readers love this book! Because of its upbeat nature, it make a great summer read. Check it out!

There is a significant risk of tornadoes and an enhanced risk of destructive hail, possibly driven by high winds, in the orange area. This includes: Lamoni, Kansas City, St. Joseph, Lawrence, Manhattan Pawnee City, Topeka, Lawrence, Salina and Beloit. Put your smart phone and laptop on a charger, now. Here's what I recommend: listen for a severe thunderstorm or tornado watch. If one is issued for your area, Put your car in the garage. Bring in lawn furniture or other items that could be blown about. Take your phone and laptop off the charger so any power surges do not zap them.  And, most of all, make sure you and your children are ready to move indoors as thunderstorms approach and take shelter if a tornado warning is issued. 

All-America City For 2019.

Following up on the posting below, this is how bad it is. By the way, you'll see a clip of the Twins at the Rangers. We (AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions when I worked there) had a lightning warning (40 minutes in advance!) for Six Flags Over Texas at the time which was directly across the parking lot.

The Critical Nature of Expert Weather Warnings  For Event Organizers Two items have come together during the last four days that I want to bring to the attention of our readers. We begin with a video taken Saturday evening at the Country Stampede, a 3-day outdoor concert and event held this year in Topeka, Kansas. Video via Twitter and WIBW Radio's Shawn Wheat People in attendance talked about the ineffective efforts of the organizers to alert attendees to the threat of lightning and get them to safety (their cars). Since the video and comments were posted on Twitter, I have been trying to get the facts as to what occurred and, as I write this, I still do not have all of them. But, they aren't needed to make several important  points about this type of event. The National Weather Service does not explicitly forecast lightning. They do not have the second-by-second lightning data nor do they have the patented techniques we had (and, I'm sure, still h...

A slice of flying these days. Every one of these things has occurred to me except the tripping of the drunk guy. Addition: My brother and sister-in-law were on my our least favorite airline, United, coming back from Europe yesterday. Their flight was 1.5 hr. late leaving Brussells, which caused them to miss their connection in Newark. So, they were sent to Denver (overflying their destination of Kansas City). Of course, since it was United, the plane they would take from Denver to KC was 2.5 hours late coming from California to Denver. So, they arrived in KC at 2:37am, which was 3 hours and 15 minutes late. And, of course, United lost their bags.

This is the region where I am most concerned about the weather the rest of the afternoon and evening. Within the red area is where there could be spots where hailstones could exceed 2.5" in diameter. Thunderstorm wind gusts could exceed 60 mph.  In the purple area there is a chance for 2-4 tornadoes although this does not seem to be a day with a major tornado threat.  Please keep an eye on the weather through 11pm. After that time, there is the possibility of serious flash flooding developing. I'll update on that topic later this afternoon or evening. 

There are serious weather risks to deal with this afternoon through tonight. Tornado There is a significant risk of tornadoes in the brown area from Wichita and Hutchinson southwest through Woodward, Elk City, and Childress. Damaging Winds and Hail The yellow area is a significant risk of damaging winds and hail. The red+hatching is a high risk of hail with sizes (in the hatching) larger than 2" in diameter.  Flash Flooding The yellow areas have significant risks of flash flooding. As much as eight inches of rain fell near Peabody, Kansas, last night which is an indication of what could happen tonight if thunderstorms move slowly. There will also be a risk of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding tomorrow. I'll update tomorrow morning.

I'm concerned about the weather in Kansas and Oklahoma tomorrow (scroll down). These thunderstorms didn't start to form until around 9:30pm which shows how much energy exists in the atmosphere over the region. The storm that is producing the lightning was so tall the top of the storm was so far above the horizon that it was catching the sun at 9:55pm. Via Twitter Here is the radar at the time the lightning was captured. Please closely monitor the weather Saturday in Kansas and Oklahoma. 

From New Scientist : I wish to assist the author, Graham Lawton, with some basics of Christianity since he does not seem to be familiar with the faith. We believe that God created the universe and each of us. It is our job to conform to God's will and Commandments. Jesus tells us He welcomes respectful petitions but they should be in the form of prayer. I'm a bit put off by his comment, "it would be better if He was on our side." That is exactly backward: we are to be on God's side. That said, Catholics are instructed that we are to be good stewards of the earth but that hardly means we have to believe Al Gore's catastrophic global warming hysteria. We are to use the intelligence that God has given us, especially since the scientific case for  catastrophic global warming is extremely weak. Finally, there is nothing to fear from religion. The job of religion is assist each of us with the salvation of our souls. I happen to be Catholic but try to resp...

We usually do not forecast tornadoes and severe thunderstorms more than a day in advance. However, I am making an exception because it is a Saturday and, at least in Kansas, there are several major outdoor events scheduled. Throughout the yellow area, there is a marginal risk of thunderstorms that could produce damaging winds and some hail. However, in the red, hatched area, there is an enhanced risk of giant  hail and damaging winds. There is also a risk of tornadoes, especially in Kansas and northwest Missouri. I'll update on this tomorrow. In the meantime, please factor the weather into your weekend plans.

Stamp Out Bad Weather Grammar!! Meteorologists, like every other profession, develop their own lexicon. But, two items are pet peeves of mine and we just had an example of one of them.  Who "broke" the line of showers? This term dates back to written radar summaries before we had the ability to transmit radar data from one place to another. The term "broken" was sent to pilots to let them know a line of thunderstorms was not "solid" and that they might fine a space between the storms where they might safely fly through. The other pet peeve is "these storms may exceed 'severe limits'." I don't know how this got started because it is just bad grammar. What they mean is the storm may exceed severe thresholds,  which are defined as hail at least 1" in diameter or wind gusts of 58 mph (50 knots, this, too, began with aviation).

East Coast The area in purple has a high risk of damaging winds. This is a situation where widespread power outages could occur . Please prepare accordingly! Central U.S. The two biggest threats are giant hail and tornadoes. Tornado The brown areas have a significant risk of tornadoes. The easternmost area includes Omaha, Lincoln, St. Joseph, Atchison and Kansas City. Hail The hatched area is where hailstones larger than 2" in diameter are forecasted to fall. Yesterday, a hailstone near 6" in diameter fell in southwest Arkansas! It is a good day to put your car in the garage.  I continue to believe this very active weather pattern will continue through the weekend. Please keep up on the latest weather information, especially in the central third of the United States. 

On April 28, I documented the Kansas City Royals continuing to play as lightning moved right over the stadium. The madness continued in Pittsburgh this evening according to Jon Nee. In many cases, you are not  safe from weather hazards in major league stadia. It is long past time for this nonsense to cease.

To read all of my content, please follow me on Twitter @usweatherexpert. Thank you.

The brown area is where a significant risk of tornadoes exists through about 10pm this evening. A heads up for this weekend: there is a risk of tornadoes and violent thunderstorms Friday through Sunday in various areas of the Great Plains and western Midwest. If you are planning to camp or boat, make sure you have a means of receiving storm warnings and a sheltering plan.

We don't understand exactly how tornadoes form. For a time, it looked like one might move right across Wichita. Still photo shows the rotating wall cloud as it was approaching downtown Wichita. The arrow shows the area of rotation. Tornadoes often occur in association with wall clouds. The time-lapse video below is quite brief but it shows the rotation depicted in the photo above. Whew!!

We have two areas of concern today. Middle Atlantic Region This area of significant risk includes Philadelphia, Atlantic City and Wilmington. Kansas, Texas Panhandle   and Oklahoma The brown is a significant tornado risk. It includes Woodward, Enid and Emporia. The yellow is an enhanced risk of tornadoes and includes Wichita and Salina. If you live in these areas, please keep up on the weather later today!

Because of the rash of tornadoes occurring around the anniversary of the Joplin Tornado, we did not get much time to talk about When the Sirens Were Silent . Here are some recent review from Goodreads (a very tough audience): For those interested in tornadoes or preparedness, this is essential reading.

A wonderful essay on storm chasing by the Washington Post's  Ian Livingston.

Here is an article about the best pizzeria in each state . In Kansas, they picked Ziggies . Since Wichita is the founding home of Pizza Hut, you would expect our entrepreneurs to make great pizza and they do. I like Ziggies and have been there several times. However, the best pizza in Wichita and Kansas is Picassos . Amazing.

Leawood, Kansas, Thursday Happy Father's Day to the most under-appreciated segment of society. I love the display of ties.

No photoshop. No adjusting the digital files. That is the way the storms developing over eastern Kansas looked at 8:50pm. The radar at the time is below. And, a taste of the lightning. Kansas is an amazing, under appreciated place.

There is a significant risk of tornadoes later today in the brown area from Quincy and St. Louis across Salem and Lake Carlyle and then to Indy and Cincinnati. Please keep an eye on the weather later today. There is also a risk of very damaging thunderstorm straight-line winds in Oklahoma and parts of northwest Texas. Winds in this area are forecast to gust higher  than 75 mph. This could cause power failures along with damage due to toppling trees and items blowing about. It would be a good idea to bring in lawn furniture and put your car inside.

Brian Lowry, McClatchy, DC The above photo is of Washington-based US Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees, whose jobs are  researching farming and agriculture , turning their backs (protesting) on the announcement they will have to move to Kansas City to be near, you know, farmers. The USDA also wants them to be near Kansas State University and the other land grant colleges that do so much research in agriculture and agricultural security. Of course, I realize the protesters have friends and family and a lifestyle. But, in theory, they are supposed to be "civil servants" and their jobs exist to serve the people of the United States. So, they can transfer to other jobs or resign. On numerous occasions, most recently  here , I have strongly advocated for dispersing the federal government. This is a small step in that direction. Considering their job is directly related to farming, moving them out of Washington, DC into farm country is a very good thing.

Oy!