Hello and happy Tuesday everyone and happy Ground Hog Day! If you haven’t heard – Punxsutawney Phil ‘texted’ his verdict to the inner circle this year… way to go Phil! AHEM! And yes, he did predict another 6 weeks of winter (with hisses and boos coming from the crowd). There is, perhaps, some good news – according to NOAA’s NCDC, Phil is only 39% correct. However, Ground Hog Day advocates boast that his prognostications are nearly 100%… Fight on Phil! Fight on.

This is Cool

Take a look at this link from npr.org – the story is about “Storms in Space Disrupting Travel on Earth” – make sure to play the video in that link.  Here’s a little extract from the article: “Last year, there were more than 7,000 polar flights, compared with just a dozen a decade earlier.” Interesting, huh? So, what is the problem with flying near the Poles? Here’s another extract: “Radio interference is just one problem caused by space weather. A burst of energy from a solar flare can knock out GPS navigation systems, Murtagh says. A radiation storm could expose people on a polar flight to the equivalent of a dozen chest X-rays.” Space is a crazy place!

Speaking of space, here’s a satellite (US military’s DMSP-18 weather satellite) image of the last nights Northern Lights display over northern Europe – note the yellow band at the top of the picture – that’s it! Cool, huh?

Next Big Storm to Impact the Nation

The image below shows the next storm to impact the nation. Heavy rain is likely starting tomorrow through Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley, which could turn to heavy snow in the Northeast over the weekend!

Torrential Texas Rain

Latest computer runs are printing out nearly 5″ of rain for the Coastal Bend of Texas – could be a regular gully washer:

Storm Moves East

Copious amounts of Gulf of Mexico moisture are expected to head eastward – could make for an interesting start to the weekend. Snowy! Rainy! Icy? Still developing… Here’s a quick look at the forecast for Friday night if you have any fun festivities planned for the late hours of Friday.

Ok, well. That’s it for now. February is just buzzin’ right along. Chat with you tomorrow, don’t forget to stop by.

Meteorologist Todd Nelson – WeatherNation LLC