For those of you who rely on The Weather Channel to find detailed information on your local current conditions and forecasts know that its high definition channel made its debut on June 2nd. Being able to see The Weather Channel HD with all the visual eye candy for graphic presentations (yes, including all the maps) in that crystal clear picture is a dream come true for all the weather junkies.
What maintains a relatively high viewership is an important feature on The Weather Channel. It is the Local on the 8s segment. Here is where you can see your local current conditions and forecasts you need on the 8s of every hour. But you've only been able to see it on the original standard definition (SD) channel.
Fans of the HD feed to The Weather Channel are in for a serious treat. You think you loved the live segments on there? Get ready soon for another feature that you will enjoy. It's TWC HD's version of the Local on the 8s coming to a local cable system near you.
On Thursday, it was a privilege for Cablevision customers in the New York City metropolitan area to have been selected as the first to see a "beta testing" launched in debuting the new HD WeatherSTAR version of Local on the 8s.
What is a WeatherSTAR, you ask? To quote what is posted at Wikipedia:
WeatherSTAR refers to the technology used by The Weather Channel (TWC) to generate their Local Forecast segments (currently known as Local on the 8s) on cable TV systems nationwide. The hardware takes the form of a computerized unit installed at the headend of a cable TV company which receives, generates, and inserts local forecast and other weather information, including weather advisories and warnings, into TWC's national programming.
Now that you understand what a WeatherSTAR is, this test run is not for any specific localized location... yet. Right now, this is a new HD WeatherSTAR being tested where everyone across the entire metropolitan area will see the same information. This means someone in Islip, New York is seeing the same thing right now as someone in White Plains, New York. Those in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, it's the same deal. For the SD feed of the Local on the 8s, you have your own localized conditions and forecasts (such as within the same county), not the entire metropolitan area.
For me, this is great. Those of you that watch The Weather Channel often and enjoy the Local on the 8s segment's presentation for what it provides, you will like the potential of the HD version. Someone in cyberspace has recorded video clips of it. Note that this person mistakenly said in his or her YouTube video clip information that it debuted yesterday and is not the case. It was Thursday as I mentioned.
Here is a sample of HD WeatherSTAR test as seen by yours truly and other Cablevision customers in the New York City metropolitan area. It's from yesterday. A number of new features are shown and the graphic look much resembles the new graphics we see on the live segments ever since the debut of The Weather Channel HD.
My favorite part, you ask? The separate forecast maps of each part of the metropolitan area showing New York City, the Hudson River Valley, Long Island and central New Jersey. Hopefully it will stay.
Just to let you know, this is just the test so far, not the final product. The official launch of your local HD version of Local on the 8s is coming very soon, sometime during the fourth quarter of 2008.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Weather Channel set to debut new HD studio
For dedicated viewers and even all those weather junkies that watch The Weather Channel, this is an exciting time. If you love to see all the bells and whistles that the latest broadcasting technology brings, you are in for a very big treat tomorrow morning.
June 2nd will be a milestone day in the 26-year history of The Weather Channel, the first-ever cable network on television to broadcast weather news and information 24 hours per day and every single day of the calendar year. When the clock strikes 7:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time, the network will go live for the first time from their brand spanking new high definition studio with Your Weather Today, one of The Weather Channel's most watched programs. It is expected that meteorologists Marshall Seese and Heather Tesch will do the honors as the first on-camera meteorologists to bring the latest weather news from their new digs.
"The Weather Channel revolutionized how weather was presented when we launched in 1982 and we are about to do that again in 2008," Ray Ban, The Weather Channel's executive vice president of programming and meteorology had declared.
The Weather Channel HD on DirecTV as of October 1, 2007
As I had mentioned in a blog entry last fall, The Weather Channel HD made its debut on September 26, 2007 as DirecTV carried the network's national forecast information and two programs shot and aired in high definition with Epic Conditions and WeatherVentures. By January 6th, the smash hit magazine show When Weather Changed History became the third to air in HD.
But now, it won't just be magazine shows you get to enjoy. It is all the live weather forecasts you want to see in crystal clear high definition. In order to made this happen, it took $60 million of funding and 18 months to construct the 5,000 square foot HD studio that was build adjacent to The Weather Channel's main office building in northwest Atlanta. One of the great features of the building addition itself is that it has gone "green" as many ecoactivists like to say. Stephanie Robbins of TV Week reported on August 27, 2007 while the studio was in its middle phase of construction, it was certified by the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) organization. Among the "green" initiatives The Weather Channel has taken include landscape irrigation being provided by an underground storm water retention pond, volatile chemicals used at a low level such as paint and 50% of the disposable items used at the new building addition will be sorted and hauled from the site to recycling centers. Also, The Weather Channel plans to reduce fossil fuel emissions, plant new trees and conserve energy at the site. This week's episode of Forecast Earth (dated May 31st) previews the new HD studio and explained these "green" steps in further detail.
Evening Edition promo (video courtesy: The Weather Channel)
The first two live shows that will be in high definition are Your Weather Today and their prime time and late night program Evening Edition (while the weekday edition will make its HD debut tomorrow, the weekend version will air on June 7th). Over the next several weeks and months, the transition of all of The Weather Channel's live shows to HD format will be completed. The first of the next shows to make the switch will be Weekend View on July 12th as meteorologist Kelly Cass announced during yesterday morning's show. I always found their original ad campaign shown in Flash video format to be interesting surrounding its launch on October 1, 2005. Any live on-location camera shots shown on Abrams & Bettes: Beyond The Forecast (now will be extended to a two-hour show starting tomorrow) will also be in high-definition. On-camera meteorologists Stephanie Abrams and Mike Bettes will still be in their standard definition (SD) studio for now as no date of their switch to full-time HD has been announced.
All new HD programming at The Weather Channel will be in 1080i HD format, the highest quality picture available on television today. When makes this extra special is the new studio features a large set designed ideally to HD screens. In this May 19th press release by PR Web, the camera angles and lightning will immediately catch the viewer's eye. But the eye candy of them all is a massive 37-foot long video projection wall that will show a ton of weather graphic maps and statistical data pages as well as huge radar views of active weather zones across the United States. That screen alone cost a whopping $400,000. Other studio features include computers embedded in the anchor desks, nine HD cameras and a circle-shaped desk console that can rotate nearly 360 degrees. The anchors must figure out directions such as where to stand and which camera to look at. For even these seasoned veteran TV personalities, it is almost as if you're going on television for the first time in your career.
The expense of going HD is high, but John Mansell, a senior analyst with Kagan Research LLC told Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Kristie Swartz it has to be done to keep a high viewership as the future of television continues its transition to high definition.
"Every network recognizes that if they have an HD version of that channel, they are going to have higher ratings for that channel," Mansell said. "Higher ratings translates to higher ad revenue as well as the potential to charge cable and satellite operators a higher fee to carry the station."
Alan Breznick, an analyst at Heavy Reading, a technology and media research firm in the Washington, D.C., area wondered why it has taken The Weather Channel as long as it did to add an HD channel.
"High definition is become more and more the norm. The networks have gone that way, the sports networks have gone that way already, the movie networks have already gone that way," Breznick said. "I am surprised that the Weather Channel hasn't already done that."
The Weather Channel's standard definition channel is in 97% of cable television households in the United States. Just because it is one of the most widely available networks where you can tune in for your weather needs, it doesn't mean it will be immune to ratings drops if it doesn't remain competitive. This certainly includes having an HD feed for an increasing audience with HD televisions.
"If you don't go HD, you're basically left at the starting blocks," Leichtman Research Group president Bruce Leichtman had told Swartz. "There are so many other networks that are already there, if you're not there, you're conspicuously absent."
The Weather Channel had began heavy promotion of their HD channel within the last month with at least five different promos that have aired throughout the month of May. They have also aired Local on the 8s introductions featuring TWC HD. If you go to the official web site of The Weather Channel, you will find a really impressive look at what is in store. But if you want a highly in-depth look at the new HD studio, you can get a full virtual tour of it.
Those OCMs that work on the two HD-ready shows have been rehearsing for several weeks to get completely prepared for tomorrow. In addition to Seese and Tesch, meteorologists Paul Goodloe, Alexandra Steele and Jim Cantore who host the weeknight Evening Edition in prime time have also been doing their practice runs. Joel Topcik of Broadcasting & Cable published an excellent article yesterday to provide a behind-the-scenes look. A video clip of one of those unscripted rehearsals can be found at the Broadcasting & Cable multimedia page.
Cantore simply was in awe with that huge projection wall. This despite knowing it'll take some getting used to working in the new studio.
"That is a monster wall," he said to Topcik in an interview. "There's going to be some times when Cantore's pointing to Alabama and he really means to be pointing to North Carolina."
However, not all of us will get to watch The Weather Channel HD immediately. Besides DirecTV customers, those that have Dish Network, Charter, some Comcast and Time Warner Cable systems can access to the HD debut program tomorrow morning. Other cable companies are soon to follow in the weeks and months ahead to carry The Weather Channel HD. One of those that notably doesn't as we begin June is Cablevision. They haven't added a single HD channel since December 20, 2007 with ESPN 2 HD.
Undoubtedly, Ban is excited with what this addition of The Weather Channel HD will be for the future of the network.
"We are going to raise the bar with a next-generation display which translates to a more dramatic viewing experience. Just as we introduced and grew around-the-clock weather, we now take ownership of a totally new way of presenting weather. Continuing in our path as innovators, we will move viewers forward into the HD era of weather presentation," he explained.
June 2nd will be a milestone day in the 26-year history of The Weather Channel, the first-ever cable network on television to broadcast weather news and information 24 hours per day and every single day of the calendar year. When the clock strikes 7:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time, the network will go live for the first time from their brand spanking new high definition studio with Your Weather Today, one of The Weather Channel's most watched programs. It is expected that meteorologists Marshall Seese and Heather Tesch will do the honors as the first on-camera meteorologists to bring the latest weather news from their new digs.
"The Weather Channel revolutionized how weather was presented when we launched in 1982 and we are about to do that again in 2008," Ray Ban, The Weather Channel's executive vice president of programming and meteorology had declared.
The Weather Channel HD on DirecTV as of October 1, 2007
As I had mentioned in a blog entry last fall, The Weather Channel HD made its debut on September 26, 2007 as DirecTV carried the network's national forecast information and two programs shot and aired in high definition with Epic Conditions and WeatherVentures. By January 6th, the smash hit magazine show When Weather Changed History became the third to air in HD.
But now, it won't just be magazine shows you get to enjoy. It is all the live weather forecasts you want to see in crystal clear high definition. In order to made this happen, it took $60 million of funding and 18 months to construct the 5,000 square foot HD studio that was build adjacent to The Weather Channel's main office building in northwest Atlanta. One of the great features of the building addition itself is that it has gone "green" as many ecoactivists like to say. Stephanie Robbins of TV Week reported on August 27, 2007 while the studio was in its middle phase of construction, it was certified by the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) organization. Among the "green" initiatives The Weather Channel has taken include landscape irrigation being provided by an underground storm water retention pond, volatile chemicals used at a low level such as paint and 50% of the disposable items used at the new building addition will be sorted and hauled from the site to recycling centers. Also, The Weather Channel plans to reduce fossil fuel emissions, plant new trees and conserve energy at the site. This week's episode of Forecast Earth (dated May 31st) previews the new HD studio and explained these "green" steps in further detail.
Evening Edition promo (video courtesy: The Weather Channel)
The first two live shows that will be in high definition are Your Weather Today and their prime time and late night program Evening Edition (while the weekday edition will make its HD debut tomorrow, the weekend version will air on June 7th). Over the next several weeks and months, the transition of all of The Weather Channel's live shows to HD format will be completed. The first of the next shows to make the switch will be Weekend View on July 12th as meteorologist Kelly Cass announced during yesterday morning's show. I always found their original ad campaign shown in Flash video format to be interesting surrounding its launch on October 1, 2005. Any live on-location camera shots shown on Abrams & Bettes: Beyond The Forecast (now will be extended to a two-hour show starting tomorrow) will also be in high-definition. On-camera meteorologists Stephanie Abrams and Mike Bettes will still be in their standard definition (SD) studio for now as no date of their switch to full-time HD has been announced.
All new HD programming at The Weather Channel will be in 1080i HD format, the highest quality picture available on television today. When makes this extra special is the new studio features a large set designed ideally to HD screens. In this May 19th press release by PR Web, the camera angles and lightning will immediately catch the viewer's eye. But the eye candy of them all is a massive 37-foot long video projection wall that will show a ton of weather graphic maps and statistical data pages as well as huge radar views of active weather zones across the United States. That screen alone cost a whopping $400,000. Other studio features include computers embedded in the anchor desks, nine HD cameras and a circle-shaped desk console that can rotate nearly 360 degrees. The anchors must figure out directions such as where to stand and which camera to look at. For even these seasoned veteran TV personalities, it is almost as if you're going on television for the first time in your career.
The expense of going HD is high, but John Mansell, a senior analyst with Kagan Research LLC told Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Kristie Swartz it has to be done to keep a high viewership as the future of television continues its transition to high definition.
"Every network recognizes that if they have an HD version of that channel, they are going to have higher ratings for that channel," Mansell said. "Higher ratings translates to higher ad revenue as well as the potential to charge cable and satellite operators a higher fee to carry the station."
Alan Breznick, an analyst at Heavy Reading, a technology and media research firm in the Washington, D.C., area wondered why it has taken The Weather Channel as long as it did to add an HD channel.
"High definition is become more and more the norm. The networks have gone that way, the sports networks have gone that way already, the movie networks have already gone that way," Breznick said. "I am surprised that the Weather Channel hasn't already done that."
The Weather Channel's standard definition channel is in 97% of cable television households in the United States. Just because it is one of the most widely available networks where you can tune in for your weather needs, it doesn't mean it will be immune to ratings drops if it doesn't remain competitive. This certainly includes having an HD feed for an increasing audience with HD televisions.
"If you don't go HD, you're basically left at the starting blocks," Leichtman Research Group president Bruce Leichtman had told Swartz. "There are so many other networks that are already there, if you're not there, you're conspicuously absent."
The Weather Channel had began heavy promotion of their HD channel within the last month with at least five different promos that have aired throughout the month of May. They have also aired Local on the 8s introductions featuring TWC HD. If you go to the official web site of The Weather Channel, you will find a really impressive look at what is in store. But if you want a highly in-depth look at the new HD studio, you can get a full virtual tour of it.
Those OCMs that work on the two HD-ready shows have been rehearsing for several weeks to get completely prepared for tomorrow. In addition to Seese and Tesch, meteorologists Paul Goodloe, Alexandra Steele and Jim Cantore who host the weeknight Evening Edition in prime time have also been doing their practice runs. Joel Topcik of Broadcasting & Cable published an excellent article yesterday to provide a behind-the-scenes look. A video clip of one of those unscripted rehearsals can be found at the Broadcasting & Cable multimedia page.
Cantore simply was in awe with that huge projection wall. This despite knowing it'll take some getting used to working in the new studio.
"That is a monster wall," he said to Topcik in an interview. "There's going to be some times when Cantore's pointing to Alabama and he really means to be pointing to North Carolina."
However, not all of us will get to watch The Weather Channel HD immediately. Besides DirecTV customers, those that have Dish Network, Charter, some Comcast and Time Warner Cable systems can access to the HD debut program tomorrow morning. Other cable companies are soon to follow in the weeks and months ahead to carry The Weather Channel HD. One of those that notably doesn't as we begin June is Cablevision. They haven't added a single HD channel since December 20, 2007 with ESPN 2 HD.
Undoubtedly, Ban is excited with what this addition of The Weather Channel HD will be for the future of the network.
"We are going to raise the bar with a next-generation display which translates to a more dramatic viewing experience. Just as we introduced and grew around-the-clock weather, we now take ownership of a totally new way of presenting weather. Continuing in our path as innovators, we will move viewers forward into the HD era of weather presentation," he explained.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Local weathercaster John Bolaris returns to Philadelphia
This may have been long time in its development, but one of the most well-known on-camera meteorologists along the Interstate 95 corridor has left his roots for a second time to return to a place he enjoyed living and working for over a decade.
John Bolaris made his on-air debut at WTXF-TV in Philadelphia on Tuesday after spending the last five years working just 90 miles to the northeast up in New York City. Usually those who watch local television newscasts or the weather junkies might keep up with these happenings of OCMs' comings and goings, right? Well, I may qualify as one of them.
Rumors were swirling during the entire autumn season about Bolaris' future. As early as September 12th, Michael Klein of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported where Bolaris might be headed. Klein stated in his article that Bolaris dropped a hint during a radio appearance on the Preston & Steve show on WMMR-FM that day in which he said, "Right now, I can't say I can tell you this: I should be hanging with you guys soon."
But on November 1st, it became official. Klein reported that Bolaris was hired to become their chief meteorologist at Philadelphia's FOX Television station.
WTXF-TV would not post the announcement on their web site until December 19th. Bolaris had even taped a few teaser promos to prepare viewers for his return to the local airwaves as a well-known weathercaster in the City of Brother Love. He evidently expressed his true love for Philadelphia and how he couldn't contain his excitement in moving back and working there again as he did for 12 years at WCAU-TV from 1990 to 2002. Many loyal WCAU-TV viewers expressed their sadness to see Bolaris leave and wished him well on his last day at the station five years ago. Now those that want to see Bolaris regularly again will have to tune to another Philadelphia newscast.
The 50-year-old Bolaris previously worked at WCBS-TV in New York City from December 9, 2002 until last month as his five-year contract was not renewed by the station. WCBS-TV had already started going in another direction with their weather department as they began a partnership with The Weather Channel and hired new OCMs to their staff. Bolaris was the chief meteorologist at WCBS-TV until the station brought in Lonnie Quinn last April to be in that role and Bolaris was relegated to mainly weekend status. Once WCBS-TV had also added former NBC Weather Plus meteorologist Elise Finch and three months earlier done the same in bringing in former KCBS-TV meterologist John Elliott from Los Angeles to do weekday morning and midday duties, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Bolaris that he was no longer going to get his regular airtime at WCBS-TV.
Bolaris' first tour of duty at WCBS-TV was from 1985 to 1990. I certainly remembered him on New York television at the time and after he came back to the Big Apple in 2002. One weather term I always remembered him say was his reference to thunderstorms as "thunderboomers".
For the past four months, Bolaris had looked to leave his hometown for a second time to a place he felt very comfortable going to. His tenure at WCAU-TV (NBC 10) that ended on November 27, 2002 was one that had an impact on his weathercasting career. In an interview that aired on that very day, Bolaris told former colleague and current WCAU-TV news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah that the events of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was a calling for him to pursue his dream to be a weathercaster in New York City. For the next five years, he was able to live it.
As the events of the past several months unfolded and where he wanted to go next became clear, the transition of moving from New York City just down the New Jersey Turnpike back to Philadelphia was in his mind very easy and a no-brainer of a decision.
WCAU-TV has made out just fine for the last 5 years since Bolaris' departure from the station as their chief meteorologist is currently Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz. Now both him and Bolaris will be in the same television market in a friendly competition for viewers in the Lower Delaware River Valley. Schwartz has been at WCAU-TV since 1995.
Many Philadelphians may remember Bolaris' coverage of the January 7, 1996 blizzard while at WCAU-TV in which an all-time record 30.7 inches of snow fell, but his very inaccurate forecast of a similar storm that was expected to paralyze the city on March 5, 2001 had made headlines. The storm never lived up to that prediction, so much so that he actually received death threats from local viewers. In order to turn what his critics say was a low point in his broadcasting career into a positive, he made reference to that "storm of the century" that was never-to-be in one of his FOX 29 promos previewing his arrival.
Bolaris' first appearance at WTXF-TV (FOX 29) was during their 5:00 PM newscast on January 8th. He provided his first weather forecast from the streets of downtown Philadelphia (known as "Center City" to the locals), then was in studio to do a partial forecast segment and later did a full report. Good timing for his first day at WTXF earlier in this week as Bolaris was able to discuss the record high temperatures being set with readings well into the 60s.
With Bolaris now back in Philadelphia, many of his loyal viewers will get to once again see his weather reports on a full-time basis. With this winter only a few weeks old, he has a chance to forecast big snowstorms again. As he lightheartedly said, he has the more advanced technological tools to nail down those predictions. A possible nor'easter might bringing some rain or snow to Philadelphia late on Sunday and into Monday, so he'll surely be busy keeping an eye to the sky.
John Bolaris made his on-air debut at WTXF-TV in Philadelphia on Tuesday after spending the last five years working just 90 miles to the northeast up in New York City. Usually those who watch local television newscasts or the weather junkies might keep up with these happenings of OCMs' comings and goings, right? Well, I may qualify as one of them.
Rumors were swirling during the entire autumn season about Bolaris' future. As early as September 12th, Michael Klein of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported where Bolaris might be headed. Klein stated in his article that Bolaris dropped a hint during a radio appearance on the Preston & Steve show on WMMR-FM that day in which he said, "Right now, I can't say I can tell you this: I should be hanging with you guys soon."
But on November 1st, it became official. Klein reported that Bolaris was hired to become their chief meteorologist at Philadelphia's FOX Television station.
WTXF-TV would not post the announcement on their web site until December 19th. Bolaris had even taped a few teaser promos to prepare viewers for his return to the local airwaves as a well-known weathercaster in the City of Brother Love. He evidently expressed his true love for Philadelphia and how he couldn't contain his excitement in moving back and working there again as he did for 12 years at WCAU-TV from 1990 to 2002. Many loyal WCAU-TV viewers expressed their sadness to see Bolaris leave and wished him well on his last day at the station five years ago. Now those that want to see Bolaris regularly again will have to tune to another Philadelphia newscast.
The 50-year-old Bolaris previously worked at WCBS-TV in New York City from December 9, 2002 until last month as his five-year contract was not renewed by the station. WCBS-TV had already started going in another direction with their weather department as they began a partnership with The Weather Channel and hired new OCMs to their staff. Bolaris was the chief meteorologist at WCBS-TV until the station brought in Lonnie Quinn last April to be in that role and Bolaris was relegated to mainly weekend status. Once WCBS-TV had also added former NBC Weather Plus meteorologist Elise Finch and three months earlier done the same in bringing in former KCBS-TV meterologist John Elliott from Los Angeles to do weekday morning and midday duties, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Bolaris that he was no longer going to get his regular airtime at WCBS-TV.
Bolaris' first tour of duty at WCBS-TV was from 1985 to 1990. I certainly remembered him on New York television at the time and after he came back to the Big Apple in 2002. One weather term I always remembered him say was his reference to thunderstorms as "thunderboomers".
For the past four months, Bolaris had looked to leave his hometown for a second time to a place he felt very comfortable going to. His tenure at WCAU-TV (NBC 10) that ended on November 27, 2002 was one that had an impact on his weathercasting career. In an interview that aired on that very day, Bolaris told former colleague and current WCAU-TV news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah that the events of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was a calling for him to pursue his dream to be a weathercaster in New York City. For the next five years, he was able to live it.
As the events of the past several months unfolded and where he wanted to go next became clear, the transition of moving from New York City just down the New Jersey Turnpike back to Philadelphia was in his mind very easy and a no-brainer of a decision.
WCAU-TV has made out just fine for the last 5 years since Bolaris' departure from the station as their chief meteorologist is currently Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz. Now both him and Bolaris will be in the same television market in a friendly competition for viewers in the Lower Delaware River Valley. Schwartz has been at WCAU-TV since 1995.
Many Philadelphians may remember Bolaris' coverage of the January 7, 1996 blizzard while at WCAU-TV in which an all-time record 30.7 inches of snow fell, but his very inaccurate forecast of a similar storm that was expected to paralyze the city on March 5, 2001 had made headlines. The storm never lived up to that prediction, so much so that he actually received death threats from local viewers. In order to turn what his critics say was a low point in his broadcasting career into a positive, he made reference to that "storm of the century" that was never-to-be in one of his FOX 29 promos previewing his arrival.
Bolaris' first appearance at WTXF-TV (FOX 29) was during their 5:00 PM newscast on January 8th. He provided his first weather forecast from the streets of downtown Philadelphia (known as "Center City" to the locals), then was in studio to do a partial forecast segment and later did a full report. Good timing for his first day at WTXF earlier in this week as Bolaris was able to discuss the record high temperatures being set with readings well into the 60s.
With Bolaris now back in Philadelphia, many of his loyal viewers will get to once again see his weather reports on a full-time basis. With this winter only a few weeks old, he has a chance to forecast big snowstorms again. As he lightheartedly said, he has the more advanced technological tools to nail down those predictions. A possible nor'easter might bringing some rain or snow to Philadelphia late on Sunday and into Monday, so he'll surely be busy keeping an eye to the sky.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Georgia governor declares drought emergency
It appears there is no end in sight for what many consider to be the worst drought the state of Georgia has endured in decades. We've seen numerous aerial views of large lakes that supply water for the 5.5 million Atlanta metropolitan area residents drying up. It is so bad that Lake Lanier (located about 25 miles north of downtown Atlanta) is in record low territory with only about 80 days left of available drinking water.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution journalist Rhonda Cook reported yesterday that governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency for most of the state and is looking for federal aid from President George W. Bush to help in relief efforts. About 85 counties in the southeastern United States has been severely affected by this drought.
Metro Atlanta already has a watering ban in effect and given that the drought continues to worsen with the lack of rainfall, violators are subject to very stiff penalties and even jail time if caught.
About 3.2 billion gallons of water flow out of lakes in northern Georgia every day. Then we see why Governor Perdue expressed an even greater sense of urgency than ever before since the drought began.
As Halloween approaches, there is an apparent dispute between Georgia state officials and United States government agencies over the priority of releasing any remaining water down the Chattahoochee River to the Gulf Coast in northern Florida to maintain endangered wildlife. Georgia officials are asking the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife reduce releases of water from Lake Lanier to that region until at least March 1, 2008. Whether or not a lawsuit filed in federal court in Jacksonville will force the two federal government agencies to honor that request remains to be seen.
At the same time, Alabama officials have complained that Georgia is withholding too much water from Lake Alltoona from its neighboring state to the west. With a dwindling water supply across the entire region of the country, the louder and more intense the squabbling expects to get as desperation to conserve rises.
Perdue began to make his rounds on local and national television networks to put the pressure on President Bush to take action. Earlier today, he took his message to Cable News Network airwaves this morning on CNN Sunday. He hopes that Georgians will take the necessary steps to save as much water as possible. State officials set up the Conserve Water Georgia web site to educate and advise its citizens how to act accordingly.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia (a southern suburb of Atlanta) issued a comprehensive report on how brutal this exceptional drought has been in northern Georgia this year. In their October 16th update, Atlanta is barely above the record lowest annual rainfall. Through October 15, 2007, only 24.68 inches of rain has fallen this calendar year. The all-time record low in the same period was 23.14 in 1931. Since 1971, Atlanta has averaged 50.2 inches per year. Goes to show how really bad this drought really is.
Just a small bit of good news would be that Mother Nature might provide a miniscule of relief during the next two days in Atlanta as rain is in the forecast. Tomorrow (Monday) is more likely to receive steadier rain than Tuesday, but they'll take as much as they can get right now. No doubt about that.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution journalist Rhonda Cook reported yesterday that governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency for most of the state and is looking for federal aid from President George W. Bush to help in relief efforts. About 85 counties in the southeastern United States has been severely affected by this drought.
Metro Atlanta already has a watering ban in effect and given that the drought continues to worsen with the lack of rainfall, violators are subject to very stiff penalties and even jail time if caught.
About 3.2 billion gallons of water flow out of lakes in northern Georgia every day. Then we see why Governor Perdue expressed an even greater sense of urgency than ever before since the drought began.
As Halloween approaches, there is an apparent dispute between Georgia state officials and United States government agencies over the priority of releasing any remaining water down the Chattahoochee River to the Gulf Coast in northern Florida to maintain endangered wildlife. Georgia officials are asking the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife reduce releases of water from Lake Lanier to that region until at least March 1, 2008. Whether or not a lawsuit filed in federal court in Jacksonville will force the two federal government agencies to honor that request remains to be seen.
At the same time, Alabama officials have complained that Georgia is withholding too much water from Lake Alltoona from its neighboring state to the west. With a dwindling water supply across the entire region of the country, the louder and more intense the squabbling expects to get as desperation to conserve rises.
Perdue began to make his rounds on local and national television networks to put the pressure on President Bush to take action. Earlier today, he took his message to Cable News Network airwaves this morning on CNN Sunday. He hopes that Georgians will take the necessary steps to save as much water as possible. State officials set up the Conserve Water Georgia web site to educate and advise its citizens how to act accordingly.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia (a southern suburb of Atlanta) issued a comprehensive report on how brutal this exceptional drought has been in northern Georgia this year. In their October 16th update, Atlanta is barely above the record lowest annual rainfall. Through October 15, 2007, only 24.68 inches of rain has fallen this calendar year. The all-time record low in the same period was 23.14 in 1931. Since 1971, Atlanta has averaged 50.2 inches per year. Goes to show how really bad this drought really is.
Just a small bit of good news would be that Mother Nature might provide a miniscule of relief during the next two days in Atlanta as rain is in the forecast. Tomorrow (Monday) is more likely to receive steadier rain than Tuesday, but they'll take as much as they can get right now. No doubt about that.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Weather Channel tests new "Local on the 8s" design
With the addition of The Weather Channel HD two weeks ago, the network has another change viewers will expect to see in the coming days.
If you are loyal viewer of The Weather Channel, many have seen its local forecast segments evolve over the years with the use of weather data retrieval systems (WeatherSTARs) by local cable company headends (centralized television signal processing and distribution centers that provide the cable channel transmissions to the viewer's cable boxes). This WeatherSTAR data is received, processed and used for current weather conditions and future weather forecast information to be seen by viewers six times per hour. The local forecast segments at the present day are called the Local on the 8s, considering they are shown on the 8s of every hour on The Weather Channel.
The current weather data retrieval system is known as the IntelliSTAR. It is the fifth generation of the WeatherSTAR that has been in use by local cable headends since March 2004. As The Weather Channel continues to make changes to its overall presentation of current weather and forecast information to viewers, one change that is expected to be completed by next summer is a modified visual makeover to its Local on the 8s graphics pages.
Whether or not this is what is in store for a rumored new sixth generation WeatherSTAR unit or just a temporary visual makeover prior to a complete redesign overhaul is not known. But either way, viewers are expected to see this change in the Local on the 8s graphics pages this month.
The Weather Channel ran a beta test of this new IntelliSTAR on October 9th at 3:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time for three cable headends in the United States. Viewers in South Bend, Indiana; Lincoln, Nebraska and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania (an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh) were able to see this test live. For those that missed it, Matt (tpirfan28) at TWC Classics recorded it from his location in the South Bend area and presented it to fans of The Weather Channel just hours later. Reviews have been mixed so far.
Barring some additional last-minute design modifications or a delay in implementation, The Weather Channel is expected to launch these new graphics changes to the Local on the 8s forecast segments on October 16th, as reported by Tyler Tomasino, one of the web site administrators at TWC Classics, a comprehensive fan site dedicated to The Weather Channel's classic years (1982 to 1999).
If you are loyal viewer of The Weather Channel, many have seen its local forecast segments evolve over the years with the use of weather data retrieval systems (WeatherSTARs) by local cable company headends (centralized television signal processing and distribution centers that provide the cable channel transmissions to the viewer's cable boxes). This WeatherSTAR data is received, processed and used for current weather conditions and future weather forecast information to be seen by viewers six times per hour. The local forecast segments at the present day are called the Local on the 8s, considering they are shown on the 8s of every hour on The Weather Channel.
The current weather data retrieval system is known as the IntelliSTAR. It is the fifth generation of the WeatherSTAR that has been in use by local cable headends since March 2004. As The Weather Channel continues to make changes to its overall presentation of current weather and forecast information to viewers, one change that is expected to be completed by next summer is a modified visual makeover to its Local on the 8s graphics pages.
Whether or not this is what is in store for a rumored new sixth generation WeatherSTAR unit or just a temporary visual makeover prior to a complete redesign overhaul is not known. But either way, viewers are expected to see this change in the Local on the 8s graphics pages this month.
The Weather Channel ran a beta test of this new IntelliSTAR on October 9th at 3:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time for three cable headends in the United States. Viewers in South Bend, Indiana; Lincoln, Nebraska and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania (an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh) were able to see this test live. For those that missed it, Matt (tpirfan28) at TWC Classics recorded it from his location in the South Bend area and presented it to fans of The Weather Channel just hours later. Reviews have been mixed so far.
Barring some additional last-minute design modifications or a delay in implementation, The Weather Channel is expected to launch these new graphics changes to the Local on the 8s forecast segments on October 16th, as reported by Tyler Tomasino, one of the web site administrators at TWC Classics, a comprehensive fan site dedicated to The Weather Channel's classic years (1982 to 1999).
October 8th heat dominates the eastern United States
A tale of two seasons couldn't have been more evident so far this month than what we've seen to date. The main jetstream divided two opposite air masses with a trough in the west bringing early autumn snows to parts of eastern Idaho and the high elevations of northern California while heat typical of July conditions baked the eastern half of the nation, most notably the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States. A total of 73 weather reporting sites had records tied or broken on Sunday while 64 also had the same for Monday.
How extraordinary was this warm weather event in the east? I've experienced temperatures in the 70s in my area for a December day, but Monday's high temperature of 90° at Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit was a record for October 8th and was the latest 90° day ever recorded there. Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington recorded back-to-back 90°+ temperatures for Monday and Tuesday. By reaching 89° on Monday, Philadelphia International Airport wiped away an October 8th record that stood 120 years! Simply remarkable.
In Central Pennsylvania, new records were set in Harrisburg and Williamsport on Monday, but were well short of the highest temperature recorded in October for their respective locations as mentioned in their National Weather Service forecast office news release. Both locations reached 89° on Tuesday and were new records for October 9th.
But in Bluefield, West Virginia, a new October record was set for the second straight day with a high temperature of 88° on Monday, eclipsing the old mark of 86° that was reached just the day before.
Here is a select list of high temperatures across the northeastern United States for Monday. First, I have a combined list from the National Weather Service and Weather Underground reporting sites in the New York City metropolitan area as compiled by Kevin K at TWC Classics. The Weather Underground reporting sites do not always provide almanac information that would list the old records (they're in parentheses), so they're left off this list when I show their high temperatures.
Locations in New York City are shown in boldface text.
Locations that either tied or broke records are shown in red text.
Somerset, New Jersey… 92°
East Brunswick, New Jersey… 91°
Edison, New Jersey… 91°
Fair Lawn, New Jersey… 90°
Hawthorne, New York… 90°
New Brunswick, New Jersey… 90°
Kennedy Int'l Airport… 90° (75° in 1990 and 1949)
Newton, New Jersey… 90°
North Arlington, New Jersey… 90°
Somerville, New Jersey… 90° (86° in 1931)
Teterboro, New Jersey… 90° (82° in 2004)
Trenton, New Jersey… 90° (84° in 1894)
Belleville, New Jersey… 89°
Bridgeport, Connecticut… 89° (78° in 1990)
Greenwich, Connecticut… 89°
Harrison, New Jersey… 89°
Hawthorne, New Jersey… 89°
Montgomery, New York… 89°
Newark, New Jersey… 89° (85° in 1931)
Brooklyn, New York… 89°
LaGuardia Airport… 89° (82° in 1990)
Paterson, New Jersey… 89°
West Point, New York… 89° (83° in 1931)
Whippany, New Jersey… 89°
Andover, New Jersey… 88°
Islip, New York… 88° (77° in 1990)
Jersey City, New Jersey… 88°
Long Beach, New York… 88°
Newburgh, New York… 88° (84° in 1990)
New City, New York… 88°
Norwalk, Connecticut… 88°
Ringwood, New Jersey… 88°
Shirley, New York… 88°
Sussex, New Jersey… 88° (86° in 1963)
Union, New Jersey… 88°
Wayne, New Jersey… 88°
Blairstown, New Jersey… 87°
Farmingdale, New York… 87° (84° in 1963)
Central Park… 87° (86° in 1931)
Oakland, New Jersey… 87°
Oceanside, New York… 87°
Parsippany, New Jersey… 87°
Ramsey, New Jersey… 87°
White Plains, New York… 87° (82° in 1963)
Babylon, New York… 86°
Charlottesburg, New Jersey… 86° (tied with 1963)
East Haven, Connecticut… 86°
Hackettstown, New Jersey… 86°
Hempstead, New York… 86°
Port Jervis, New York… 86° (84° in 1943)
Centerport, New York… 85°
Danbury, Connecticut… 85° (84° in 1963)
New Fairfield, Connecticut… 85°
New Haven, Connecticut… 84° (tied with 1990)
Bridgehampton, New York… 83° (80° in 1931)
High Point, New Jersey… 82°
Carmel, New York… 81°
Westhampton Beach, New York… 81° (75° in 1997)
Montauk, New York… 80°
Among those high temperatures listed above, here are those that either tied or set new records for the month of October. The old records are listed in parentheses.
Kennedy Int'l Airport… 90° (88° on October 6, 1997)
Teterboro, New Jersey… 90° (tied with October 5, 2007)
Bridgeport, Connecticut… 89° (86° on October 6, 1997)
LaGuardia Airport… 89° (tied with October 10, 1949)
Islip, New York… 88° (86° on October 7, 1997)
Farmingdale, New York… 87° (86° on October 6, 1997)
White Plains, New York… 87° (tied with October 10, 1949 and October 6, 1959)
Since this heat spell has gripped large part of the country, I'm providing some interesting temperature statistics for the entire northeastern quadrant of the United States (includes Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky). I've also thrown in a few locations from coastal New England and the extreme northern tier to show you the drastic difference between there (much cooler peak readings) and the major metropolitan areas to the south and west. This list only consists of National Weather Service reporting stations.
Charleston, West Virginia… 93° (92° in 1931)
Danville, Virginia… 93° (88° in 1962)
Huntington, West Virginia… 93° (92° in 1939)
Louisville, Kentucky… 93° (91° in 1939)
Bowling Green, Kentucky… 92°
Evansville, Indiana… 92° (90° in 1939)
Parkersburg, West Virginia… 92° (88° in 1939)
Washington (Dulles Int'l Arpt.)… 92° (85° in 1982)
Baltimore-Washington Int'l Airport… 91° (88° in 1931)
Cincinnati Int'l Airport… 91° (tied with 1939)
Indianapolis… 91°
Lexington, Kentucky… 91° (90° in 1939)
Paducah, Kentucky… 91°
Roanoke, Virginia… 91° (86° in 1962)
Washington (Reagan Nat'l Arpt.)… 91° (88° in 1931)
Allentown, Pennsylvania… 90° (81° in 1943)
Alpena, Michigan... 90° (82° in 2003)
Charlottesville, Virginia… 90° (tied with 1916)
Columbus, Ohio… 90° (89° in 1939)
Detroit (Coleman A. Young Int'l Arpt.)… 90° (89° in 1939)
Lynchburg, Virginia… 90° (89° in 1941)
Williamsport, Pennsylvania… 90° (81° in 1949)
Atlantic City, New Jersey... 89° (83° in 1990)
Fort Wayne, Indiana… 89° (tied with 1939)
Jackson, Kentucky... 89° (82° in 1997)
Philadelphia… 89° (84° in 1887)
Poughkeepsie, New York... 89°
Reading, Pennsylvania… 89° (82° in 1990)
Richmond, Virginia… 89°
Toledo, Ohio… 89°
Bluefield, West Virginia… 88° (82° in 1997)
Cleveland… 88° (tied with 1939)
Dayton, Ohio… 88° (87° in 1939)
Flint, Michigan... 88° (84° in 1949)
Grand Rapids, Michigan... 88° (83° in 1949)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania… 88° (85° in 1916)
South Bend, Indiana… 88° (85° in 1949)
Wilmington, Delaware... 88° (tied with 1941)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Int'l Airport… 87° (78° in 1990)
Blacksburg, Virginia… 87° (80° in 1997)
Georgetown, Delaware... 87°
Pittsburgh… 87° (86° in 1916)
Youngstown, Ohio… 87° (84° in 1949)
Beckley, West Virginia… 86° (81° in 1997)
Mansfield, Ohio… 86° (79° in 1997)
North Canton, Ohio (Akron-Canton Regional Airport)… 86°
Salisbury, Maryland… 85°
Erie, Pennsylvania… 84° (81° in 1916)
Norfolk, Virginia… 84°
Windsor Locks, Connecticut… 84°
Elkins, West Virginia… 83°
Marquette, Michigan... 83° (81° in 2003)
Rochester, New York... 83°
Binghamton, New York... 82° (76° in 1993)
Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania… 82° (79° in 1949)
Syracuse, New York... 80° (tied with 1993)
Buffalo… 79°
Albany, New York... 75°
Providence, Rhode Island… 75°
Worcester, Massachusetts… 70°
Watertown, New York... 71°
Glens Falls, New York... 64°
Boston… 59°
Houlton, Maine… 59°
Caribou, Maine… 58°
Concord, New Hampshire… 58°
Burlington, Vermont… 57°
Millinocket, Maine… 57°
Portland, Maine… 53°
Bangor, Maine… 50°
The unseasonably warm temperatures weren't just confined to the United States on Monday. North of the border in southern Canada, Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto had its highest temperature recorded at 89° while in Hamilton it peaked at 86°.
But the true autumn weather is moving into the northeast as we speak. A backdoor cold front that advanced southwest from New England brought temperatures down to the 60s by late afternoon yesterday in New York City while Philadelphia remained in the 80s. The anticipated cold front that moved through from the west this morning has brought in the cooler air moving down from the northwest. In Minneapolis, the heart of the cold Canadian air arrived yesterday with peak readings only in the low 50s thanks to a trough settling into the northern tier of the country. As Mark Mancuso of The Weather Channel explains, the northeastern United States will get a taste of that by Friday and into Saturday as high temperatures may not reach 60°, more typical of November weather.
How extraordinary was this warm weather event in the east? I've experienced temperatures in the 70s in my area for a December day, but Monday's high temperature of 90° at Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit was a record for October 8th and was the latest 90° day ever recorded there. Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington recorded back-to-back 90°+ temperatures for Monday and Tuesday. By reaching 89° on Monday, Philadelphia International Airport wiped away an October 8th record that stood 120 years! Simply remarkable.
In Central Pennsylvania, new records were set in Harrisburg and Williamsport on Monday, but were well short of the highest temperature recorded in October for their respective locations as mentioned in their National Weather Service forecast office news release. Both locations reached 89° on Tuesday and were new records for October 9th.
But in Bluefield, West Virginia, a new October record was set for the second straight day with a high temperature of 88° on Monday, eclipsing the old mark of 86° that was reached just the day before.
Here is a select list of high temperatures across the northeastern United States for Monday. First, I have a combined list from the National Weather Service and Weather Underground reporting sites in the New York City metropolitan area as compiled by Kevin K at TWC Classics. The Weather Underground reporting sites do not always provide almanac information that would list the old records (they're in parentheses), so they're left off this list when I show their high temperatures.
Locations in New York City are shown in boldface text.
Locations that either tied or broke records are shown in red text.
Somerset, New Jersey… 92°
East Brunswick, New Jersey… 91°
Edison, New Jersey… 91°
Fair Lawn, New Jersey… 90°
Hawthorne, New York… 90°
New Brunswick, New Jersey… 90°
Kennedy Int'l Airport… 90° (75° in 1990 and 1949)
Newton, New Jersey… 90°
North Arlington, New Jersey… 90°
Somerville, New Jersey… 90° (86° in 1931)
Teterboro, New Jersey… 90° (82° in 2004)
Trenton, New Jersey… 90° (84° in 1894)
Belleville, New Jersey… 89°
Bridgeport, Connecticut… 89° (78° in 1990)
Greenwich, Connecticut… 89°
Harrison, New Jersey… 89°
Hawthorne, New Jersey… 89°
Montgomery, New York… 89°
Newark, New Jersey… 89° (85° in 1931)
Brooklyn, New York… 89°
LaGuardia Airport… 89° (82° in 1990)
Paterson, New Jersey… 89°
West Point, New York… 89° (83° in 1931)
Whippany, New Jersey… 89°
Andover, New Jersey… 88°
Islip, New York… 88° (77° in 1990)
Jersey City, New Jersey… 88°
Long Beach, New York… 88°
Newburgh, New York… 88° (84° in 1990)
New City, New York… 88°
Norwalk, Connecticut… 88°
Ringwood, New Jersey… 88°
Shirley, New York… 88°
Sussex, New Jersey… 88° (86° in 1963)
Union, New Jersey… 88°
Wayne, New Jersey… 88°
Blairstown, New Jersey… 87°
Farmingdale, New York… 87° (84° in 1963)
Central Park… 87° (86° in 1931)
Oakland, New Jersey… 87°
Oceanside, New York… 87°
Parsippany, New Jersey… 87°
Ramsey, New Jersey… 87°
White Plains, New York… 87° (82° in 1963)
Babylon, New York… 86°
Charlottesburg, New Jersey… 86° (tied with 1963)
East Haven, Connecticut… 86°
Hackettstown, New Jersey… 86°
Hempstead, New York… 86°
Port Jervis, New York… 86° (84° in 1943)
Centerport, New York… 85°
Danbury, Connecticut… 85° (84° in 1963)
New Fairfield, Connecticut… 85°
New Haven, Connecticut… 84° (tied with 1990)
Bridgehampton, New York… 83° (80° in 1931)
High Point, New Jersey… 82°
Carmel, New York… 81°
Westhampton Beach, New York… 81° (75° in 1997)
Montauk, New York… 80°
Among those high temperatures listed above, here are those that either tied or set new records for the month of October. The old records are listed in parentheses.
Kennedy Int'l Airport… 90° (88° on October 6, 1997)
Teterboro, New Jersey… 90° (tied with October 5, 2007)
Bridgeport, Connecticut… 89° (86° on October 6, 1997)
LaGuardia Airport… 89° (tied with October 10, 1949)
Islip, New York… 88° (86° on October 7, 1997)
Farmingdale, New York… 87° (86° on October 6, 1997)
White Plains, New York… 87° (tied with October 10, 1949 and October 6, 1959)
Since this heat spell has gripped large part of the country, I'm providing some interesting temperature statistics for the entire northeastern quadrant of the United States (includes Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky). I've also thrown in a few locations from coastal New England and the extreme northern tier to show you the drastic difference between there (much cooler peak readings) and the major metropolitan areas to the south and west. This list only consists of National Weather Service reporting stations.
Charleston, West Virginia… 93° (92° in 1931)
Danville, Virginia… 93° (88° in 1962)
Huntington, West Virginia… 93° (92° in 1939)
Louisville, Kentucky… 93° (91° in 1939)
Bowling Green, Kentucky… 92°
Evansville, Indiana… 92° (90° in 1939)
Parkersburg, West Virginia… 92° (88° in 1939)
Washington (Dulles Int'l Arpt.)… 92° (85° in 1982)
Baltimore-Washington Int'l Airport… 91° (88° in 1931)
Cincinnati Int'l Airport… 91° (tied with 1939)
Indianapolis… 91°
Lexington, Kentucky… 91° (90° in 1939)
Paducah, Kentucky… 91°
Roanoke, Virginia… 91° (86° in 1962)
Washington (Reagan Nat'l Arpt.)… 91° (88° in 1931)
Allentown, Pennsylvania… 90° (81° in 1943)
Alpena, Michigan... 90° (82° in 2003)
Charlottesville, Virginia… 90° (tied with 1916)
Columbus, Ohio… 90° (89° in 1939)
Detroit (Coleman A. Young Int'l Arpt.)… 90° (89° in 1939)
Lynchburg, Virginia… 90° (89° in 1941)
Williamsport, Pennsylvania… 90° (81° in 1949)
Atlantic City, New Jersey... 89° (83° in 1990)
Fort Wayne, Indiana… 89° (tied with 1939)
Jackson, Kentucky... 89° (82° in 1997)
Philadelphia… 89° (84° in 1887)
Poughkeepsie, New York... 89°
Reading, Pennsylvania… 89° (82° in 1990)
Richmond, Virginia… 89°
Toledo, Ohio… 89°
Bluefield, West Virginia… 88° (82° in 1997)
Cleveland… 88° (tied with 1939)
Dayton, Ohio… 88° (87° in 1939)
Flint, Michigan... 88° (84° in 1949)
Grand Rapids, Michigan... 88° (83° in 1949)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania… 88° (85° in 1916)
South Bend, Indiana… 88° (85° in 1949)
Wilmington, Delaware... 88° (tied with 1941)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Int'l Airport… 87° (78° in 1990)
Blacksburg, Virginia… 87° (80° in 1997)
Georgetown, Delaware... 87°
Pittsburgh… 87° (86° in 1916)
Youngstown, Ohio… 87° (84° in 1949)
Beckley, West Virginia… 86° (81° in 1997)
Mansfield, Ohio… 86° (79° in 1997)
North Canton, Ohio (Akron-Canton Regional Airport)… 86°
Salisbury, Maryland… 85°
Erie, Pennsylvania… 84° (81° in 1916)
Norfolk, Virginia… 84°
Windsor Locks, Connecticut… 84°
Elkins, West Virginia… 83°
Marquette, Michigan... 83° (81° in 2003)
Rochester, New York... 83°
Binghamton, New York... 82° (76° in 1993)
Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania… 82° (79° in 1949)
Syracuse, New York... 80° (tied with 1993)
Buffalo… 79°
Albany, New York... 75°
Providence, Rhode Island… 75°
Worcester, Massachusetts… 70°
Watertown, New York... 71°
Glens Falls, New York... 64°
Boston… 59°
Houlton, Maine… 59°
Caribou, Maine… 58°
Concord, New Hampshire… 58°
Burlington, Vermont… 57°
Millinocket, Maine… 57°
Portland, Maine… 53°
Bangor, Maine… 50°
The unseasonably warm temperatures weren't just confined to the United States on Monday. North of the border in southern Canada, Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto had its highest temperature recorded at 89° while in Hamilton it peaked at 86°.
But the true autumn weather is moving into the northeast as we speak. A backdoor cold front that advanced southwest from New England brought temperatures down to the 60s by late afternoon yesterday in New York City while Philadelphia remained in the 80s. The anticipated cold front that moved through from the west this morning has brought in the cooler air moving down from the northwest. In Minneapolis, the heart of the cold Canadian air arrived yesterday with peak readings only in the low 50s thanks to a trough settling into the northern tier of the country. As Mark Mancuso of The Weather Channel explains, the northeastern United States will get a taste of that by Friday and into Saturday as high temperatures may not reach 60°, more typical of November weather.
Friday, September 28, 2007
The Weather Channel HD makes its debut
The long-awaited debut of The Weather Channel HD arrived on Wednesday as DirecTV customers became the first to see it on the air. This is despite September 2007 being an original target time of its launch as reported by Shirley Brady of Cable360.net dating back to March 7th. My thoughts were it would've coincided with The Weather Channel's second season of Epic Conditions and the debut of WeatherVentures on October 1st (this coming Monday).
Glen Dickson of Broadcasting & Cable reported even earlier this year back on February 19th that DirecTV would be the only carrier to date to provide the new high definition channel at its launch, but other cable and satellite providers will soon follow in adding TWC HD to their channel lineups. DirecTV is in the middle of a major overhaul of offerings of adding 21 new HD channels with not all of them regularly available on cable television, so this was already in their plans to add TWC HD here in very late September.
In the coming months, additional HD programming on The Weather Channel will be added, but not all live programs will be in the new format until their new HD studios now under construction are completed in 2008.
At the start of this summer, Alain Hernandez (TMBtD) at TWC Classics created and posted on YouTube three beautiful concepts he designed for an IntelliSTAR HD he would like to have seen made on The Weather Channel. This takes full advantage of the 16:9 high definition aspect ratio screen.
IntelliSTAR HD day concept
IntelliSTAR HD evening concept
IntelliSTAR HD concept (version #2)
And now, here's the real thing!
As another forum member at TWC Classics, TWCFan gives fans a sneak peak at TWC HD from its debut on Wednesday with four You Tube video clips. You will be amazed by the new graphics makeover and layout. Keep in mind that this is the satellite feed of TWC HD and not of those from any upcoming new STARs covering local areas.
TWC HD debut #1
TWC HD debut #2
TWC HD debut #3
TWC HD debut #4
Glen Dickson of Broadcasting & Cable reported even earlier this year back on February 19th that DirecTV would be the only carrier to date to provide the new high definition channel at its launch, but other cable and satellite providers will soon follow in adding TWC HD to their channel lineups. DirecTV is in the middle of a major overhaul of offerings of adding 21 new HD channels with not all of them regularly available on cable television, so this was already in their plans to add TWC HD here in very late September.
In the coming months, additional HD programming on The Weather Channel will be added, but not all live programs will be in the new format until their new HD studios now under construction are completed in 2008.
At the start of this summer, Alain Hernandez (TMBtD) at TWC Classics created and posted on YouTube three beautiful concepts he designed for an IntelliSTAR HD he would like to have seen made on The Weather Channel. This takes full advantage of the 16:9 high definition aspect ratio screen.
IntelliSTAR HD day concept
IntelliSTAR HD evening concept
IntelliSTAR HD concept (version #2)
And now, here's the real thing!
As another forum member at TWC Classics, TWCFan gives fans a sneak peak at TWC HD from its debut on Wednesday with four You Tube video clips. You will be amazed by the new graphics makeover and layout. Keep in mind that this is the satellite feed of TWC HD and not of those from any upcoming new STARs covering local areas.
TWC HD debut #1
TWC HD debut #2
TWC HD debut #3
TWC HD debut #4
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