Next Week's Heat Coincides With the Start of the "Dog Days" of Summer

The weekend forecast looks great. It will be mostly sunny, warm, and less humid with daytime high temperatures in the lower 80s. This will be the sixth straight weekend without measured precipitation across southwestern Connecticut. However, the heat and humidity will build early next week, and the mercury may flirt with 90 degrees by Tuesday. It will feel more like the "Dog Days of Summer."

Did you know that the "dog days" are actually a 40-day period which lasts from early July through mid-August? The dog days of Summer officially begin next Thursday, July 3, and run through August 11 in the Northern Hemisphere. It all has to do with the star Sirius, known as "the dog star." Sirius is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere other than the Sun, and it is found in the constellation Canis Major, thus the name "dog star."

In the Summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. During late July, Sirius is in "conjunction" with the Sun. The ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the Sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, the "dog days," in honor of the dog star.

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by "connecting the dots" of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture.
The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.

They saw images of bears (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins (Gemini), a bull (Taurus), and others, including dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor). The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius. The star can be seen prominently in the Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, adjacent to Orion the Hunter.

The conjunction of Sirius with the Sun varies somewhat with latitude. Also, the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. The Summer heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. The hot weather is a direct result of the earth's 23.5 degree tilt on its axis, meaning the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun during the Summer.

Make sure you get outside and enjoy this weekend. It will be beautiful. Summer vacations are now in full swing, and, so, too, will be the "dog days" by the end of next week. Have a great weekend.

Paul

Recalling the 2010 Bridgeport Tornado

It was four years ago yesterday that a tornado tore through Bridgeport, forcing more than 50 residents out of their homes for weeks. Parts of the city are still recovering as people remembered the afternoon of the storm. City officials say the tornado caused more than $3.5 million in damage.

The National Weather Service says winds reached up to 100 mph. One of the areas hardest hit was near the corner of Nichols and East Main streets. The Barnum Museum was almost completely wiped out. Four years later, museum officials say it is almost back to its regular operating hours after cutting back for reconstruction.

Other businesses in the city have completely rebuilt. Even though many businesses and homes were lost, officials say the damage was not enough to qualify for federal aid from FEMA.

Bridgeport Tornado by PaulWXman

Paul

Tornado Ripped Through Bridgeport Four Years Ago Today

It only took a matter of minutes, but a violent thunderstorm spawned a tornado which ripped through the Greater Bridgeport area four years ago today, resulting in much damage, destruction, and a loss of electricity for thousands. A powerful cold front collided with a hot and humid air mass to set the stage for a Tornado Warning and a strong thunderstorm cell between 2 and 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon, June 24, 2010.
                    

The temperature soared to 90 degrees for the second day in a row at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford that day, but the dew point --- or moisture content in the atmosphere --- was extremely high. As the front approached, the sky darkened, the heavens opened up, and vivid lightning along with hurricane-force wind gusts ripped through the Park City. Here is a photo of Washington Park in Bridgeport taken by one of our viewers, Melissa, following the storm.

There was dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning and a wind gust of 78 miles-an-hour in Bridgeport. The average wind speed during the height of the storm was 43 miles-an-hour. Nearly a half-inch of rain fell in a short period of time, resulting in some minor flooding of low-lying areas. But, it was the wind damage which caused a state of emergency to be declared in Bridgeport. Take a look at this picture of a fallen tree in the Park City taken by Takina.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and former Governor Jodi Rell arrived on the scene to survey the damage from the storm. "It looks like Godzilla went through and ripped roofs off and threw cars around and tore wires down," Finch said as he spoke with reporters and residents who had gathered in the streets. "I mean, it's really amazing," he added. Shelley sent two photos of the damage on East Main Street.

Bethany sent the following photo of downtown Bridgeport.

Personally, my family and I ran to the basement that afternoon once we heard a Tornado Warning was issued and the skies darkened. In a matter of minutes, the wind began to howl and heavy rain fell. My sons were worried that a tornado would rip apart our home. Not unexpectedly, the power went out, but the storm exited shortly thereafter. We didn't get our electricity back until just before midnight. Here's one more photo taken by Amanda of minor flooding on James Street in Bridgeport.

Paul

Lightning Safety Awareness Week

This is Lightning Safety Awareness Week. People are often surprised to hear that I'm afraid of lightning and thunderstorms. Whenever thunderstorms are in the forecast, I tell our viewers that I'll be hiding under the bed when they arrive. "You're a weatherman, so you should know all about lightning," is the refrain I frequently hear. That's exactly why I'm afraid of it. I know that lightning can kill. This photo of a lightning strike was taken at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk.

Lightning is one of nature's most awe inspiring and dangerous phenomenon. The average lightning flash could light a 100-watt light bulb for more than 3 months. The temperature of a lightning bolt may reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's even hotter than the surface of the Sun.

Lightning kills about 73 people nationwide each year. In fact, lightning remains one of the most deadly weather phenomena in the United States, and it can occur almost anywhere throughout the entire year. According to the National Weather Service Web site, lightning occurring during snowstorms has even killed people. However, a few simple precautions can reduce many of the dangers posed by lightning.

First, when you first hear thunder, it is time to act to prevent being struck by lightning. Generally speaking, when you can see lightning or hear thunder, you're already at risk for lightning injury or death. If the time delay between seeing the flash of lightning and hearing the bang of thunder is less than 30 seconds, immediately seek a safer location.

If you're outside, you should avoid high places and open fields, isolated trees, gazebos, open sided picnic shelters, baseball dugouts, communication towers, flagpoles, light poles, metal or wood bleachers, metal fences, convertibles, golf carts, and water, whether a lake, pool, or river.

Inside, stay away from the telephone or computer, taking a shower, washing your hands, doing dishes, or any contact with conductive surfaces with exposure to the outside. These include metal door or window frames, electrical wiring, telephone wiring, cable TV wiring, or plumbing. People should stay away from playing computer games, too.

Many years ago my aunt was nearly struck by lightning while walking in an upstairs hallway during a severe thunderstorm. The windows at each end of the hallway were open, and a vivid bolt of lightning traveled through the hallway just as she entered a side room. The experience was frightening, to say the least.

Paul

Weekend Winning Streak Continues

Today is the last full day of Spring. Summer officially arrives tomorrow at 6:51 a.m. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. That's when the Sun's rays are directly over the Tropic of Cancer. The weather will cooperate, too. In fact, high pressure will deliver another dry weekend to southwestern Connecticut with afternoon high temperatures close to 80 degrees tomorrow and Sunday.

This will be the fifth straight weekend without measured precipitation across the region. The last weekend day which featured rain was Saturday, May 17. Since then, we've enjoyed 11 straight weekend days without measured rain. This follows a streak of four straight weekends with rain beginning in late April. In fact, the weekend of May 10 and 11 had rain each day.

How long will the current weekend winning streak last? Let's not worry about that right now. Instead, enjoy the nice weather the next two days. Here's my latest weather forecast. Happy Summer!
                    

Paul

International Space Station to Pass Overhead Tonight

By Joe Rao
News 12 Westchester Meteorologist

The International Space Station will pass directly overhead tonight. With the prospects of a generally clear sky continuing to improve this Thursday evening, we should have ringside seats to watch a spectacular pass of the International Space Station over the Tri-State NY Area.

The ISS will first appear above the northwest horizon at 9:45 p.m. The Space Station will appear to move almost straight up and ultimately will pass overhead at around 9:48 p.m. Then, the ISS will drop straight down toward the southeast horizon and just after 9:50 p.m. it will quickly pull a fade-out as it passes into the Earth's shadow.

The total time of visibility will be 5 minutes and 34 seconds. The ISS will resemble a bright, non-twinkling "moving star," shining with a yellowish-white hue. As the Space Station climbs higher, it will also brighten noticeably. As it passes overhead it might become as bright as the planet Venus, so it should easily be visible to the eye, even from brightly lit cities.

Spread the word! Take the kids out and show them the largest man-made object now in orbit, 240 miles above the Earth.