Incredible Footage Taken from ISS of Hurricane Irene

Check out this video taken by cosmonauts on the International Space Station as they flew 230 miles above Hurricane Irene. This storm is incredibly massive and equally as dangerous. Irene is actually over 1,000 miles across!!! Video courtesy of NASA

Hurricane Irene Updates beginning Thursday Aug 25

After following tropical storms for so many years, I've quickly learned that tropical forecasts are very dynamic and tend to shift at every model run. Therefore, I decided to hold off on posting blog updates until the moment of land impacts were at hand. Well, the outer-most cloud bands of Irene are only a few miles off the coast of Florida this evening and she will begin to turn north Thursday afternoon. As she does so, we'll have a much better idea of her future impacts.

Those either living in or traveling to Long Island, the Jersey Shore, or the New York Metro area need to pay very close attention to Hurricane Irene and this blog! 

*TORNADO WARNING*

UPDATE*** 

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A TORNADO WARNING has been issued by the NWS Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren Counties. Doppler Radar indicated a possible tornado associated with a supercell thunderstorm pushing through NW NJ. Take precaution and be careful if you must travel through this storm's path.
The velocity scan below for this cell shows a clear rotation beginning at 30,000ft. This is a very dangerous storm and needs to be taken seriously.

It is moving ESE at 23mph through Sussex and Warren Counties toward Essex County. Budd Lake, Mount Olive, East Hanover, and Livingston areas need to be on high alert!

RECORD HIGH!

Temperatures in and around the Newark area reached into the upper 90s this afternoon.  In Newark, the temperature climbed to a record 99 degrees! That surpassed the previous record of 97 degrees, which occurred twice before (1999 & 1984).  Average highs for this week are typically in the high 70s.  However, these record temperatures will continue into tomorrow.  Forecasts are calling for temperatures to be even higher if only by a few degrees.  Urban locations will experience higher temperatures due to the Urban Heat Island effect.  Heat advisories are still ongoing and will remain in place thru 8pm tomorrow evening.

The good news is that relief is in sight.  A cold front will push through the region tomorrow night.  Strong thunderstorms capable of producing damaging hail, strong winds, and even the threat of an isolated tornado or two.  Stay alert and listen for any warnings posted as these storms approach from the west. 

In the meantime, try to stay cool by drinking plenty of water and keeping out of the sun.

I'm a Weatherman....

Ok so I happened to stumble across this and couldn't stop laughing! I finally have a theme song of my life! haha The meteorologist in the video is former KBTV meteorologist Nick Kosir, also known as the Rapping Weatherman.

Anyway, we have a whole lot of heat in store for us over the next few days. Expect record heat on Wednesday, with temperatures possibly climbing close to 100 degrees! We also may very well have our first tropical cyclone in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico by tomorrow morning and another storm is worth keeping an eye on near Jamaica and Cuba.
Stay Tuned!

Record Tornado Season continues to amaze!

Last week, we witnessed severe storms in the midwest powerful enough to produce several EF-4 and EF-5 tornados.  Yesterday, severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front in the northeast and produced two tornados which claimed the lives of 4 residents in Massachusetts.  The two tornados in the Springfield area have been classified at least an EF-2 with winds between 110-137 mph.  These storms were fueled by record breaking heat along the I-95 corridor from Washington, DC to Newark and even Burlington, all of which set records earlier in the afternoon.  Below is a youtube video which shows the dramatic footage of one of the Springfield tornados as it moved south over the river, paused, then shifted back east and over the city.  

There isn't much good news to come from storms like these; however, just so we can establish some form of a silver lining, following these storms came a much needed cooler air mass.  Today, we saw temperatures drop into the mid to upper 70s along with a cool breeze.  Tonight, temperatures will fall into the upper 40's under clear skies.  Frost advisories have even been issued for the Alleghany Plateau in west New York and Northern Pennsylvania.  Temperatures will remain in the low 70s Friday before climbing back into the 80s, just in time for a weekend at the shore.

I'm Back!

Ok so I've been away for some time now. Unfortunately, I've been a little preoccupied with other obligations and I apologize to those who check this blog regularly. But I'm glad to report that I'm going to be updating this blog as often as I can. Now that summer is at hand, it means I will be covering severe weather outbreaks as well as tropical weather! Later today I will be posting a blog concerning the tornado outbreaks, as well as, a couple of tropical disturbances worth keeping an eye on for further development in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

STAY TUNED!