A hot, humid weekend. Little more than a few isolated inland afternoon storms Sat. By Sun., an upper level low will move west across Fl. Forecast models have trended a little north recently but moisture seems still seems to be lacking. Nonetheless, we could see a few more showers & storms late Sun., Sun. evening but still scattered. Moisture should gradually increase during the upcoming work week leading to increasing afternoon convection.
There is a fairly active tropical wave approaching the Eastern Caribbean. Shear is still formidable over the Caribbean, but it is awfully early in the season to see a vigorous tropical wave traverse the Atlantic. While not an issue in the short term, the wave will be something to watch as it turns northwest toward & into the Gulf of Mexico.
NOAA has issued its summary of the past spring. The big news was widespread wet weather & cooler than avg. temps. Jax, however, was drier than avg. but did end up slightly cooler than avg.
NOAA: U.S. Has 36th Coolest Spring on Record
The March-May spring season was the 36th coolest on record for the contiguous United States, according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
Separately, last month ended as the 34th coolest May for the contiguous United States, based on records dating back to 1895.
The average spring temperature of 51.4 degrees F was 0.5 degree F below the 20th century average. The average May temperature of 60.3 degrees F was 0.7 degree F below the 20th century mean, based on preliminary data.
U.S. Temperature Highlights
* The March-May temperatures were cooler than average from the Northwest and extending throughout the central Plains and upper Mississippi Valley. In all, 19 states had a cooler-than-average spring.
* Twenty-five states were cooler than average for May. Pennsylvania was much cooler than average and ranked eighth coolest.
* The unusually cool temperatures kept the nation’s overall temperature-related residential energy demand for May above average. Based on NOAA’s Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index, contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand was approximately 3.5 percent above average in May, but near average for the spring season.
* Florida, Texas, and Washington were warmer than average for May.
U.S. Precipitation Highlights
· For the spring, Missouri had its fourth wettest, Arkansas its sixth wettest, Indiana and Iowa their eighth wettest and Illinois its 10th wettest. For May, Arizona, Maryland, and Nebraska were much wetter than average, with Nebraska ranking fourth wettest and Maryland fifth wettest on record.
· California had its driest spring on record, while Nevada and Utah had their 10th and 11th driest on record. For May, two states were much drier than average -- New Hampshire had its ninth driest May on record and Florida its 10th driest.
· Rainfall improved drought conditions across parts of the northern Rockies, but moderate-to-extreme drought continued throughout the Great Plains, Southeast, and Southwest. About 18 percent of the U.S. was classified in moderate-to-extreme drought at the end of May compared to 23 percent a month ago, based on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
· Several strong weather systems dumped
heavy rains across parts of the central Plains, Ohio Valley, and mid-Atlantic states. In some areas, this pattern has continued for the last six months, with Missouri and Illinois having the wettest December-May on record. By the end of May, 24 percent of the contiguous U.S. was classified in moderate-to-extreme “wet spell”
conditions compared to 16 percent six months ago, based on the Palmer Index.
Earth Gauge: Cool It!
It's cooling season! The Alliance to Save Energy estimates that the average U.S. home will spend more than 2200 dollars on energy bills this year, and up to half of that money will go towards heating and cooling. As the outdoor temperature rises, keep it cool inside with simple,no- or low-cost home improvements. You'll reduce your home energy use and see savings on your next energy bill.
Window Coverings
No Cost: Close curtains, blinds, and shutters during the day - especially those on the sunny side of your home.
Low Cost: When replacing window shades, consider venetian blinds. Light-colored, reflective blinds can reduce heat build-up in your home by up to 50 percent!
Cooling Indoor Air
No Cost: Try "convective cooling" - at night, crack windows (one or two inches) on the lower level of your home. This will draw cooler nighttime air inside. (Wide-open windows let air in, but don't create a strong draft. Opening windows just a crack will create a breeze.)
Low Cost: Invest in a window fan or portable fan to increase the convective cooling effect. Place fans facing-out in upstairs windows to pull rising warm air out of your home.
Increasing A/C Efficiency
No Cost: Use the "recirculate" function on your AC system on hot days. This will recirculate cool air in your home, rather than pulling-in and cooling warm air from outside.
Low Cost: Install a programmable thermostat. Program a higher temperature setting for times when you are not home or on vacation.
(Sources: The Alliance to Save Energy. "Energy Fact Sheet." and "No and Low Cost Tips to Save Energy and Money." ; The National Geographic Green Guide. "Three Simple Steps: Cooling Your Home." Summer 2008 Edition.
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Climate Fact: Diatoms and Dinoflagellates
During the warm seasons (spring through fall), the water in the Baltic Sea is stable and stratified. This means that the warmest and least dense water is on the surface, and as you dive deeper and deeper, layers of progressively colder, saltier, and denser water are encountered. During the decades of the 1970’s and 1980’s, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) was in a negative phase, and winters in the Baltic Sea were generally cold and dry. As a result, during the winter, the water on the surface would cool to the point where it was colder than the water below it, and mixing between the layers would occur until a new stable state (one where the cold water is on the surface) was reached. This annual mixing was important for the survival of the sea’s diatoms, which depended on the mixing that would take place during the spring as the sea reverted from the winter to summer water column formation. Diatoms are photosynthetic, single-celled organisms, which form a large part of the marine food pyramid’s base. A positive state of the NAO since the late 1980’s has corresponded to milder winters, and the deep mixing that would occur as the seasons changed no longer occurs. As a result, the diatoms that depend on the mixing have been largely replaced by another type of single-celled organism known as dinoflagellates, which may be best known for their whip-like tails that propel them through the water. This change has also corresponded to other changes in the sea’s species’ composition.
(Sources: Alheit, J. et al. “Synchronous ecological regime shifts in the central Baltic and the North Sea in the late 1980’s.” ICES Journal of Marine Science 62 (2005): 1205-1215 and Hinrichsen, HH et al. “Correlation analyses of Baltic Sea winter water mass formation and its impact on secondary and tertiary production.” Oceanologia 49 (2007): 381-395.)
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Climate in the News – "Brown Argus Butterfly Sees Positive Effects of Climate Change." – Science Daily, 2 June 2008 -
Over the last 30 years, there has been a northward range expansion of Britain's Brown Argus butterfly. This move has helped the species escape its traditional parasites.
Fri., June 6 -- D-Day. From President Franklin D. Roosevelt's national radio address in 1944:
My Fellow Americans:
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - June 6, 1944
Listen to the entire speech on YouTube.
Have a great & safe weekend!
