Are You Ready For 5,200" of SNOW?
September 22nd, 2011 | Bill KirkDon't panic...that 5,200" is the total amount of snowfall expected across the ENTIRE United States (260 major U.S. markets) this season. The good news? That's actually the least in 5 years...the bad news...we'll still have plenty of cold and snow and ICE to contend with. But now that we got your attention, let's take a look at what we expect this season.
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Leaves Better Learn to Fly!
August 23rd, 2011 | Bill KirkThe leaves better get some flight training from Pink Floyd as Major Hurricane Irene is about to blow in! We'll look beyond the impacts of the hurricane season to predict just how vibrant this fall foliage season is likely to be...and of course end with a Floyd classic! ;)
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Really Honey...The Weather Made Me Buy It!
August 4th, 2011 | Bill KirkFor almost 10 years now we've been working with some of America's most successful and admired companies in retail, seasonal category manufacturers, agriculture and Wall Street to help them better plan their businesses around NEXT YEAR'S weather forecast. But in reality it's all about all of us who buy these products and believe it or not, the weather plays a big role in what we buy and when we buy it. After reading this blog I'll give both spouses an excuse to say, "Really Honey, the weather made me buy all that beer," or, "It's so hot out Honey, the weather made me buy all those strappy sandals"! :)
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Dog Days of Summer...Get Sirius!
July 13th, 2011 | Bill KirkThe dog days of summer are officially here, so to figure it all out we need to know a little history, math, weather, stocks, astronomy, and cynology! And you thought all we were going to talk about was dogs! Get Sirius! :)
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April Showers Bring May Flowers then June Lightning Bugs
June 17th, 2011 | Bill KirkIt looked like the battle of Normandy tonight here in Eastern Pennsylvania as an invasion of lightning bugs, or fireflies, took flight shortly after sunset. As a kid growing up in Hawaii, I was deprived of this childhood experience to see bugs pretending to be a lightning storm as the only bugs that flew in Hawaii were pterodactyl like cockroaches and termites that could swarm so thick it looked like fog. We'll do a little digging here on these meteorologist-wannabe bugs.
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wt360 Best & Worst Weather This Summer
May 17th, 2011 | Bill KirkOnly 36 days until the official start of Summer, so we thought we'd take a peak at who will have the best and worst weather this Summer month-by-month. Last year we had an epic heat-wave in Russia - more likely to be cool/wet this year; Hawaii had a drought - not this go around; the Eastern U.S. had the hottest/driest Summer in decades - rethink that beach house this year!
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Baseball Season Opens with a SNOWY Curve Ball!
April 1st, 2011 | Bill KirkWe all get excited with the first snowfall of the season but snow in April - enough already! Baseball season opened up early this week to the sounds of "Play Ball" or should that be "Snow Ball"? Temperatures across much of the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S. were the coldest in over 20 years and that's no April fools joke! Normally at the game you hear "beer guy here...get your ice cold beer"...this year he's saying "hot coffee guy here...get your hot coffee."
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Weather & Syrup - Tricky and Sticky
March 25th, 2011 | Bill KirkIt's syrup season in the Northeast U.S. and Canada and we're off to a good start thanks to the weather. So goes the weather so goes the flow of sticky, sappy syrup out of Sugar Maple trees in New England. Vermont is the biggest producer of Maple Syrup in the U.S. and last year's very hot start to Spring across the Northern U.S. cut U.S. production by 19%. We'll look at how weather influences this sweet stuff and why gas prices look so cheap at $4 a gallon.
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Japan - a Lesson in Human Nature
March 17th, 2011 | Bill KirkThe devastation in Japan as a result of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami is absolutely heart wrenching and our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Japanese people. The manner in which they are handling this crisis is a model for the world - no looting, no mass hysteria and little media sensationalism. I observed this first-hand living in Iwakuni (south of Hiroshima), Japan many years ago - very much a country where loyalty, honor and respect for others are ingrained into their way of life. Not the case here in the U.S. and other parts of the world where the media LOVES A CRISIS and hysteria, panic, exaggeration - anything goes when it comes to getting our attention.
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18 Uses for Those GINORMOUS Potholes
March 11th, 2011 | Bill KirkIt's that time of year - POTHOLE season has officially arrived! If you've ever hit one of these beasts you know it's no laughing matter as some can certainly be man-eating ginormous monsters. But they're kind of like death and taxes, you can't avoid 'em. Here are 18 creative ways to make use of potholes.
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Blizzard Alley Meet Tornado Alley
March 4th, 2011 | Bill KirkIt's that time of year when cold air meets warm air for big Spring snow storms and the start of the severe thunderstorm/tornado season in the U.S. This coming week we'll get a chance to see both Blizzard Alley active and at the same time Tornado Alley should come to life. Now would be a good time to set up some severe weather alerts in wt360.com!
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Space Shuttle a Wimp in Weather!
February 23rd, 2011 | Bill KirkOn Thursday, 24 February 2011 at 4:50pm EST Discovery space shuttle mission STS-133 will be the last mission for Discovery with only 2 more shuttle launches. The Atlantis mission in June will officially bring t an end 30 years of Space Shuttle missions. While the space shuttle is unmatched in space, traveling at more than 17,500 mph (Mach 23), 9 times faster than a speeding bullet, 26 times the speed of sound, and lift-off thrust exceeding 37 million horsepower, but put it down here on Earth and it's actually a big WIMP when it comes to the weather!
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Food Inflation Hysteria - Relax - Have a BEER :)
February 15th, 2011 | Bill KirkIf you think you're paying a lot more at the grocery store for everyday items these days - you are - and in part we can blame Mother Nature for that but don't even utter the words "It's Global Warming!" As the global economy improves so does the demand for consumable categories like food, beverages, clothes, auto products, health and beauty aids, toys and BEER. But what if the supply goes down with a curve ball from the weather? The weather certainly has in part sent prices higher for coconut oil, cotton products, rubber, wheat, coffee and yikes barley = BEER, say it ain't so!!! You'll spend a little less for hot cocoa, rice and olive oil...but what's that about my BEER???
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Frosty meet Sneezy!
February 11th, 2011 | Bill KirkWhile most of us suffered through mountains of the white stuff this Winter, South Texas had a blizzard of a different kind - Mountain Cedar tree pollen. With tree pollen levels the most in over a decade in parts of the Texas hill country it's not surprising that allergy sufferers are already seeking help from itchy/watery eyes and endless sneezing. This early onslaught of pollen is likely to be a common theme for folks in the South this year while we fare a littler better in the North.
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Groundhog Day's 1,000 year tradition started in Europe.
February 2nd, 2011 | Bill KirkWhile many imposter groundhog weather prognosticators have emerged in recent years like Staten Island Chuck, Long Island Malverne Mel, Connecticut Chuckles, Georgia's General Beauregard Lee and Canada's Wiarton Willie, Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam and Alberta's Balzac Billy...there's only one REAL weather forecasting ground hog and that's Pennsylvania's own Punxsutawney Phil! This morning at 7:25am it's official Spring is on the way! Don't be on it...
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Snow + Cold = Low on Blood
February 1st, 2011 | Bill KirkThe American Red Cross reports 10s of thousands of blood donors haven't been able to donate due to the extreme cold and snow across much of the country this Winter. Reports show blood supplies for this time of year are the lowest in 10 years and in this case blaming the weather is certainly a valid reason.
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WT360's Weather Super Hero Sighting?
January 7th, 2011 | Bill KirkHello Earthlings, I'm your new WT360 super weather hero to save you from boring weather forecasts and other earthly calamities! My objective is simple to spread awareness about future YEAR-AHEAD weather. My motive is a little bit more complex: to get people to believe that weather matters.
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Witches thought to be meteorologists? UH OH!
December 20th, 2010 | Bill KirkThis doesn't happen very often - a lunar eclipse on the first day of Winter. According to the US Naval Observatory it's only happened once in the past 2,000 years on 21 December 1638 and won't happen again until 21 December 2094. The rare lunar event is not the only unusual happening in space as the Sun is up to some very unusual antics as well that will have an impact on planet Earth's weather for decades to come. If you don't like the cold, you won't like the answer!
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Ocean Dump + Big Waves = Plastic Soup?
December 9th, 2010 | Bill KirkYou will not find this soup on the menu this holiday season and if you did, your bowl would be bigger than the state of Texas! We all know that everything in Texas is BIG so this is really big. The soup we're talking about is a huge swirling mass of "plastic soup" or "Pacific Garbage Patch" that is stuck in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California and another one near Japan. When the waves pick up (you can now monitor waves for day 1-8 in wt360.com) and come from a certain direction Hawaii's pristine beaches can go from paradise to a nightmare.
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wt360 Prediction - Global Cooling for 15 Years!
December 6th, 2010 | Bill KirkThe media and Cancun revelers at the Climate Summit would love to see the headline, "2010 the Warmest Ever", but it's not going to happen! While a moderately strong El Nino (warm sub-tropical Pacific Ocean) early in the year did send global temperatures up to +0.97C above average, they've since plummeted some 0.55C (1F) as the Pacific cooled rapidly and now enters a moderately strong La Nina phase (cold sub-tropical Pacific Ocean). But, there is a much bigger and broader global weather pattern at play here and something worth reading up on - Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) cycle. So goes PDO so goes the world climate! We'll explain here so you can dazzle your friends and colleagues at the next holiday party as we know all casual conversations start with "how about this weather"!
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Harry Potter & Black Friday Weather - Magical
November 15th, 2010 | Bill KirkQUESTION: So what does opening night of Harry Potter and Black Friday have in common? ANSWER: Millions of Americans will be standing in long lines in the wee hours of the morning - whether it is Friday's (19 Nov) midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 or a week later standing in more long lines for those Black Friday sales (26 Nov). Both days will be mainly dry across the U.S. but one dramatically colder than the other...either way you might need Harry's spell "Expelliarmus"? Or maybe "Incendio"?
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Time to Talk Turkey & Travel
November 11th, 2010 | Bill KirkChristmas is just 44 days away! YIKES! So even though we just took down the Halloween decorations, it's time to start thinking about the Thanksgiving turkey and all the gifts we’ll need to buy. As usual, retailers are way ahead of us with holiday displays up back in October. When it comes to the holiday shopping season, one of the most critical factors for gifts flying off retail shelves or flying on-time to Grandma’s house is the WEATHER. Will there be early snow that prevents us from getting to the stores or will it wait to arrive the day that we’re flying? That is the million dollar question of the moment for everyone who partakes in the traditional holiday activities of shopping and visiting friends and family and for everybody else who hopes to avoid the hoopla by hopping on a plane to find a secluded beach.
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Election Day Weather - NO EXCUSES!
November 1st, 2010 | Bill KirkNo matter which side of the political fence you're on for this year's Midterm U.S. elections (2 November 2010), I'm sure we all agree that November 3rd can't come soon enough! WE THE PEOPLE will end the mud-slinging, name calling, backstabbing and 24-7 blow-by-blow analysis when we cast our votes tomorrow. Even Mother Nature can't wait for it to all be over as she's ordered up nearly perfect weather for most of the country. In this blog we'll examine the weather, unemployment and other myths about which party benefits under certain weather conditions.
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High-Tech Leaf "Peeping" with a GPS?
October 25th, 2010 | Bill KirkFor those of us who live in the middle latitudes across the Northern Hemisphere between about 40N and 30N this is a great time for enjoying the Fall foliage season when leaves show off their bright colors of orange, yellow and red which traditionally peak in October. If you're looking for a high-tech twist for you "leaf peeping" day trips try "Geocaching". It's kind of like hide and seek, treasure hunting and a message in a bottle all rolled up into a fun day outdoors.
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The Flu, Weather and Guinea Pigs?
October 21st, 2010 | Bill KirkThe Northern Hemisphere is entering the dreaded Winter Flu season just as our neighbors down under are coming out of their Flu season. Scientists have debated for decades whether or not cold Winter weather has anything to with the Flu but it's a very hard thing to study in a laboratory. Intuitively the answer is yes since the Flu peaks, everywhere in the world, during the cold Winter season. So let's look at Australia, Winter weather and Guinea Pigs to find out why!
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2010 Raise a Glass for Northeast Wines
October 4th, 2010 | Bill KirkKnow the world's weather and know what wine to buy now and later. It should come as no surprise that weather and wine go hand in hand. Typically a hot year with some rain (not too much, not too little) will yield an excellent year for grapes with a higher sugar content, and as such, better wines are produced. For example, 2003 in Rhone, Southern France was one of the hottest on record and yields were excellent with award winning wine from the region. While it was great to be a grape in France that year, the excessive heat took lives of nearly 15,000 people. This national tragedy marks 2003 as the death year in France.
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Meteorologists Make for Fun Neighbors
September 30th, 2010 | Bill KirkThe first time I scared the heck out of my neighbors here in Eastern PA (U.S.A.) was on the 7th of September 1995. It was an abnormally hot day with a sweltering temperature of 91F and a heat index in the mid to upper 90s - hazy, hot and humid was an understatement. On this day my neighbors thought I was 1) crazy or 2) maybe I knew something really big weather wise was about to happen...
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Never say Never...
September 28th, 2010 | Bill KirkWith the launch of weathertrends360.com we'll soon be adding long-range weather forecasting to this list of things that would never happen but ultimately did! In 2008 on national TV an academic meteorology professor said that "every now and then a blind squirrel finds a nut"when asked by ABC 20/20 Sam Champion whether long range forecasting was even possible. Feel the sarcasm? Obviously the professor was a skeptic but the irony is he actually teaches a course on long range weather forecasting! The rest of the story behind the inspiration of weathertrends360...
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Welcome to the WT360 Blog
September 20th, 2010 | Bill KirkImagine saying to someone that, "you no longer have to leave the weather to chance...there is a place where you can discover your ideal future weather for any day, everywhere in the world 360 days ahead!" While that seems like an impossible statement, it's true...welcome to weathertrends360, bringing the world free, year ahead weather forecasts.
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Winter Outlook 2010-2011 (Northern Hemisphere)
September 19th, 2010 | Bill KirkLast year the Winter in the U.S. was the snowiest in 14 years (25% above average) with the 3rd straight season with very snowy conditions across the U.S. Our neighbors to the North in Canada had a reprieve with much below average snowfall (-30%) and we all remember the helicopters airlifting in snow to the Olympics.
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Woolly Worm Weather Folklore - Fact or Fiction?
September 18th, 2010 | Bill KirkI just saw my first "woolly worm" of the season (also known as the woolly bear for our friends to the North) here in Eastern Pennsylvania (USA) and it was all brown! Folklore suggest this will bring a mild Winter. Legend has it that the a reddish brown color on the fuzzy creature means mild Winter periods while the black areas suggest severe Winter weather. Fact or Fiction?
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