First, here at home, we’re seeing a massive amount of rain drenching the East Coast.

Meanwhile, scientists may have discovered a planet that could support life.  Really.

Let’s begin with the rain in the East.  The moisture is from what was Tropical Storm Nicole.   The storm didn’t last long and died out over the Florida Straits Wednesday.  Already, one person in Jamaica has been reported dead following 8 inches of rain.  States of Emergency will likely be issued all along the East Coast.   In North Carolina, more than 10 inches of rain is expected.

Some models show New York being washed-out with more than 8 inches of rain.   That’s what Tropical moisture can do.   If only some of that moisture could reach the Ohio River Valley where Evansville, Indiana is 12 inches behind on rainfall for the year!

Now, let’s go to space!

Image Courtesy Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation, via AP

You can find this fascinating story in USA Today.  http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2010-09-30-planet30_ST_N.htm

The article mentions scientists looking 120 trillion miles away from Earth and finding Gliese 581g.   The name sounds like a new model of car, but it is intriguing.  Imagine if scientists have found the place for life to exist other than Earth.

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone. The high amplitude weather pattern continues on this “Talker Tuesday” (copyright Paul Allen of KFAN radio). It’s hot and dry in the west and cool and uneasy in the east. The weather pattern shows another interesting feature in the Atlantic Basin. Take a look at the small X just east of Florida. The model is picking up on, what is now Tropical Depression #16, which may become NICOLE:

Tropical Depression #16 Track

The image below shows TD 16 tracking along the southeast coast of Florida Wednesday. The quick track to the north may inhibit the storm from growing into hurricane strength, but Tropical Storm strength is currently being forecast at this time, thus the Tropical Storm Warnings in effect for the counties shaded in red.

TD #16 may not grow into hurricane strength, but heavy rain is looking probably for many locations in the eastern third of the nation. Look at the projected rainfall amount over the next 5 days, through early Saturday. The heaviest rainfall amounts look to be right along the eastern Seaboard, but there may be a shift slightly west in that track over the next couple of days… This is something to watch. Potential Flooding issues will be possible in several spots in the eastern third of the nation regardless with this next surge of tropical moisture lifting northward. Keep an eye on this one!

Extreme Heat in Downtown LA on Monday

At 12:15pm Monday, the mercury soared to 113F setting the all-time record high temperature since records began in 1877. Interesting, the thermometer broke, so it may have actually been hotter. I guess we’ll never know… Read the full article from Los Angeles Times here:

Smoking hot in the Desert Southwest. The high temperatures again today are likely to reach the triple digits… Not quite as hot as yesterday, but still quite steamy!

Meteorologist Todd Nelson – WeatherNation LLC

Hello and happy Monday everyone. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

A high amplitude weather pattern has set up across the nation, allowing for some steamy sun to pour into the Great Basin and significantly cooler and unsettled weather to hang around the eastern seaboard for the next few days. Take a look at the weather map below:

National Temperatures

Here’s a look at the national high temperatures today. Note the extreme heat in the Desert SW and the cool weather over the Great Lakes. Get this, the temperature yesterday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, FL reached 93 degrees with a heat index of 105… It was the hottest game in franchise history in Jacksonville.

Soggy NE

The image above shows an umbrella kind of a day in New York city, where rainfall amounts over the next couple of days could be upwards of 2″. Here’s a look at the predicted rainfall for places along the eastern seaboard through early Wednesday morning:

Severe Weather Threat

Heavy rains may be accompanied by some strong to severe storms. Locations shaded in orange have a slightly higher chance of seeing some strong gusty winds and or an isolated tornado or two.

This high amplitude weather should keep weather conditions in your neck of the woods similar from day to day, meaning that what you see today, is nearly similar to what you’ll have tomorrow and the day after with only some minor variations in that weather over the next few days. Hope the weather where you live is as bright and sunny as it is in my hometown… sending you many rays of sunshine.

Meteorologist Todd Nelson – WeatherNation LLC

Frost crept south overnight, dropping into the suburbs of the Twin Cities, and below freezing temperatures stretched from northern Minnesota over to the U.P. of Michigan. 30s were even felt down into Iowa last night, with Mason City bottoming out at 39. When you check out the map below, we’re actually right on schedule across the Northern Plains. I’m sure allergy sufferers are cheering on that first hard freeze, hoping to kill off the allergens which seem to be unusually high this year.

It’s hard to believe we’re talking such chilly temperatures after a slew of record highs across the Ohio & Tennessee Valleys last week. The heat across the east has disappeared, replaced by seasonal and below seasonal readings. If you’re looking for heat this week, highs across the western third of the nation are expected to soar. Triple digit heat is in the forecast for Los Angeles for the next couple of days, with near 90 degree readings in San Diego. The intense heat and dry conditions will increase the fire danger in southern California, especially below passes and canyons in the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, where gusty winds and low humidity levels have prompted the issuance of Red Flag Warnings.

Here’s a quick fall foliage update for those of you looking to take in some colors in the trees. We’re nearing the peak for the northeast corner of North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, over into the Arrowhead of Minnesota, far northern Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan, and in the mountains of Colorado, Utah, Washington and Oregon. Patchy areas of color have been spotted all across the Northern Plains and into New England, as well as northern Idaho and northwest Montana. I’ve included a map of the fall color update in Minnesota, but you can get more information by checking in with the U.S. Forest Service website: http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/

Have a wonderful week!

Meteorologist Bryan Karrick, WeatherNation LLC

Hard to believe we’re into fall with the number of record high temperatures experienced across the eastern half of the nation yesterday. Our nation’s capitol shattered their old record  of 94 set back in 1970 with a high of 99. It was the hottest D.C. has ever been this late in the season! Louisville, Kentucky broke the old record 95 set back in 2007 by hitting a high of 96. Columbus, Ohio topped out at 92, tying their old record of 92 also set in 2007. Cooler air is invading this morning behind a cold front sitting along the eastern seaboard. Morning lows across northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the U.P. of Michigan dipped into the upper 20s and lower 30s. Highs across the northern plains(MN, WI, IA)may not even reach 60 for a high this afternoon. Temperatures today across the Ohio Valley are expected to drop 10 to 20-degrees over yesterday’s highs behind a cold front.

Tropical storm Matthew is a minimal storm, but packing quite a bit of rain. 6 to 10-inches may fall in parts of Central America, causing massive flash flooding and potential mudslides in parts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas. As Matthew continues to push west-northwestward over land, he is forecast to dissipate over the next couple of days. Lisa briefly became a hurricane overnight, but quickly lost steam as she rolls north into cooler Atlantic waters. The rest of the tropics have finally quieted down, but those of you with interests or vacations planned in hurricane prone areas don’t let your guard down. Hurricane season has just passed over the peak, with a couple months to go.

We’re now a week into the World’s largest festival, Oktoberfest, held in Munich, Germany. Each year, I get into a discussion with someone about why Oktoberfest is held in September. The historical explanation comes from the official Oktoberfest website: By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over “die Wiesen” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times. This year, Oktoberfest is celebrating 200 years, and you can watch the fun unfold on one of their various webcams: http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/webcam/live/ Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast for Munich tonight, then again on Tuesday and Wednesday with highs generally in the 50s.If you’re lucky enough to attend the festivities, have fun and be safe!

Meteorologist Bryan Karrick, WeatherNation LLC