Messages

61

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: TWC HD coming to Cablevision

« on: September 05, 2008, 08:40:55 PM »

Because I was asked not to discuss anything about it.

I don't know what to tell you, but as I stated, the other poster didn't know.

Now that the subject was brought up, it is only a test run, not the final product.

62

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: TWC HD coming to Cablevision

« on: September 05, 2008, 08:21:35 PM »

I kind of wish you didn't make this public, but perhaps you didn't know. We weren't supposed to say anything about this.

Now that you said something, the only thing I will clarify is that it is just a test run, not the final product.
The BETA test started yesterday, not today.

As Tyler mentioned in another thread, there is no set launch date of the HD STAR. It is supposed to be during the fourth quarter of this year, but that's all that we know at this point.

63

Your Local Weather / Re: Philadelphia weather

« on: September 05, 2008, 03:05:20 PM »

After tying a 1973 record high temperature of 93° yesterday at Philadelphia International Airport, it is expected to be another unseasonably very warm day in Philadelphia and the rest of the lower Delaware River Valley.
Peak temperatures are expected to approach 90° this afternoon and then the weather will begin to deteriorate.

Rain will begin to move in from the south and west late tonight as the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna move up the eastern seaboard from the southeastern part of the country.  Hanna is expected to make landfall along the North Carolina coast within hours and then spread plentiful moisture north and eastward. Tomorrow is forecast to be a rain soaked day and windy at times, but nothing like what coastal North Carolinians will deal with.

After the passage of what is left of Hanna, conditions will improve for a nice ending to the weekend a solid start to next week under fair skies and slightly cooler temperatures. See the National Weather Services statements for
more details on tomorrow's weather.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS by the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey
on September 5, 2008

A FLOOD WATCH is in effect from Saturday afternoon through late Saturday night.

The Flood Watch continues for portions of Delaware, northeast Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania including the following areas...

DELAWARE:
Delaware beaches
inland Sussex County
Kent County
New Castle County

NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND:
Caroline County
Cecil County
Kent County
Queen Annes County
Talbot County

NEW JERSEY:
coastal Atlantic County
northwestern Burlington County
southeastern Burlington County
Cape May County
Camden County
Cumberland County
Gloucester County
Hunterdon County
Mercer County
Middlesex County
Monmouth County
Morris County
Ocean County
Salem County
Somerset County
Sussex County
Warren County

PENNSYLVANIA:
Berks County
Bucks County
Carbon County
Chester County
Delaware County
Lehigh County
Monroe County
Montgomery County
Northampton County
Philadelphia County

At 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Tropical Storm Hanna was located about 110 miles east of Daytona Beach, Florida. It was moving northwest at about 20 miles per hour and this motion should continue today with a gradual turn to the north tonight. The storm will move along the middle Atlantic coast Saturday and Saturday night. It is expected to bring 3 to 7 inches of rain to the watch area from late Friday night into Saturday night. These rainfall totals have the potential to produce flooding across the area. The highest amounts are expected in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In the Flood Watch area, roads and poor drainage areas may become flooded.
Also, small creeks and streams may run high or go out of their banks with this event.

You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings.
Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to move to higher ground should flooding develop.
Anyone driving who encounters a flooded roadway should not try to drive across it. Find an alternate route.

A TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING is in effect until 11:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday night.

This Tropical Storm Wind Warning is for areas well inland and was issued around midday Friday.

Areas affected...

This statement recommends actions to be taken by persons in New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Watches/warnings...

In addition to the Tropical Storm Warning, there is also a Flood Watch in effect.
Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the internet for more information about these additional hazards.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

Rainfall amounts of 4 to 7 inches are expected across the region as Hanna moves up the coast.
Locally higher amounts are possible. Rain is expected to begin Friday evening, then become heavier on Saturday.
Flash flooding of small streams, creeks and urbanized areas can be expected on Saturday as a result
of this heavy rain. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible.

Be prepared to move to higher ground if flooding begins to occur.
Do not drive through flood waters. If you encounter any flooding while driving, turn around.

Winds...

Frequent tropical storm force wind gusts of around 45 MPH are possible beginning Saturday morning and lasting
into Saturday evening.

Probability of hurricane/tropical storm conditions...

There is a 30% chance of sustained tropical storm force winds of 39 MPH or greater on Saturday.
Wind gusts to tropical storm force are more likely.

Inland flooding...

On the main stem of the Delaware River, rises of up to ¾ bankfull are possible.
On the lower Schuylkill River near Philadelphia, rises up to near bankfull are possible.

Graphics pages will be posted as soon as possible.


PHILADELPHIA
Weather conditions from Philadelphia International Airport as of 1:55 PM Eastern Time

86°

mostly cloudy

Heat Index: 86°
Visibility: 10 miles
Humidity: 44%
Dew Point: 62°
Wind: SSE at 6 MPH
Barometric Pressure: 30.05 inches (falling)
Ceiling: 25,000 feet
Today's air quality forecast: Moderate



METROPOLITAN AREA MAP OBSERVATIONS...

Trenton, NJ
87° fair
Wind: SSE at 8 MPH
Heat Index: 87°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 90°.


Mount Holly, NJ
88° mostly cloudy
Wind: SSE at 8 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 90°.


Wrightstown, NJ
88° fair
Wind: S at 14 MPH, gusting to 20 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 89°.


West Chester, PA
85° partly cloudy
Wind: Variable at 1 MPH, gusting to 10 MPH
Heat Index: 87°
Today's forecast:  Partly cloudy. High near 88°.


Phoenixville, PA
90° partly cloudy
Wind: Variable at 13 MPH, gusting to 22 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Today's forecast:  Partly cloudy. High near 88°.


Willow Grove, PA
88° mostly cloudy
Wind: S at 10 MPH
Heat Index: 87°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 90°.


Wilmington, DE
86° sunny
Wind: SSE at 17 MPH
Heat Index: 88°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 90°.


Voorhees, NJ
87° mostly cloudy
Wind: E at 4 MPH
Heat Index: 85°
Today's forecast:  Partly cloudy. High near 88°.



OTHER REGIONAL OBSERVATIONS...

Northeast Philadelphia
89° fair
Wind: S at 8 MPH
Heat Index: 89°


Blue Bell, PA (Philadelphia Wings Airport)
82° partly cloudy
Wind: SSE at 8 MPH
Heat Index: 86°


Chadds Ford, PA
87° sunny
Wind: WSW at 2 MPH
Heat Index: 87°


Cherry Hill, NJ
91° mostly cloudy
Wind: S at 8 MPH
Heat Index: 93°


Chester, PA
87° scattered clouds
Wind: WSW at 10 MPH, gusting to 14 MPH
Heat Index: 88°


Coatesville, PA
80° sunny
Wind: Calm
Heat Index: 81°


Doylestown, PA
86° fair
Wind: SSW at 8 MPH
Heat Index: 85°


Glassboro, NJ
86° mostly cloudy
Wind: E at 3 MPH, gusting to 6 MPH
Heat Index: 83°


Malvern, PA
90° partly cloudy
Wind: Calm
Heat Index: 93°


Mount Laurel, NJ
89° mostly cloudy
Wind: Calm
Heat Index: 90°


Palmyra, PA
87° partly cloudy
Wind: S at 1 MPH
Heat Index: 87°


Villanova, PA
91° scattered clouds
Wind: S at 6 MPH, gusting to 11 MPH
Heat Index: 92°


Willingboro, NJ
88° mostly cloudy
Wind: SE at 1 MPH
Heat Index: 88°


Allentown, PA
88° sunny
Wind: S at 13 MPH, gusting to 20 MPH
Heat Index: 87°


Atlantic City, NJ
82° mostly cloudy
Wind: SSE at 14 MPH, gusting to 18 MPH
Heat Index: 84°


Dover, DE
84° sunny
Wind: ESE at 17 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH
Heat Index: 88°


Lancaster, PA
86° sunny
Wind: SE at 15 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH
Heat Index: 88°


Millville, NJ
84° partly cloudy
Wind: Variable at 7 MPH
Heat Index: 87°


Pottstown, PA
86° fair
Wind: Variable at 5 MPH
Heat Index: 86°


Reading, PA
90° sunny
Wind: SSE at 13 MPH
Heat Index: 89°



ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES...

New York City  (Central Park)
84° sunny
Wind: SSE at 8 MPH
Heat Index: 88°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 86°.


Washington  (Ronald Reagan National Airport)
89° mostly cloudy
Wind: SSE at 13 MPH
Heat Index: 91°
Today's forecast:  Increasing clouds. High near 89°.


Boston
88° fair
Wind: S at 15 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Today's forecast:  Sunny. High near 87°.


Hartford
86° sunny
Wind: S at 10 MPH, gusting to 20 MPH
Heat Index: 86°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 89°.


Pittsburgh
85° mostly cloudy
Wind: S at 14 MPH, gusting to 18 MPH
Heat Index: 85°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 84°.


State College, PA
84° sunny
Wind: SW at 10 MPH
Heat Index: 82°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 87°.


Binghamton, NY
85° sunny
Wind: SSW at 14 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH
Heat Index: 83°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 85°.


Jamestown, NY
80° partly cloudy
Wind: S at 17 MPH, gusting to 25 MPH
Heat Index: 80°
Today's forecast:  Partly cloudy. High near 80°.


Elkins, WV
88° sunny
Wind: SSE at 13 MPH, gusting to 18 MPH
Heat Index: 85°
Today's forecast:  Mostly sunny. High near 86°.



36-HOUR FORECAST FOR PHILADELPHIA (through Saturday night)...
(courtesy of the National Weather Service)

REST OF TODAY
Mostly sunny. High near 90°. South wind around 10 mph.

TONIGHT
Overcast with a 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 10:00 PM.
Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 70°. South wind between 9 to 13 MPH.
New rainfall amounts between ¼ inch and ½ inch possible.

SATURDAY
Periods of rain and windy with possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 78°.
East wind 15 to 18 MPH increasing to between 26 to 29 MPH. Winds could gust as high as 44 MPH.
Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 2 to 3 inches possible.

SATURDAY NIGHT
Overcast and windy with a 60% chance of rain, mainly before 2:00 AM. Low around 65°.
North wind 23 to 26 MPH decreasing to between 13 to 16 MPH. New rainfall amounts between 1 to 2 inches possible.

64

General Discussion / Re: Happy Birthday Gary and TV Shows Fan!

« on: September 04, 2008, 04:10:09 PM »

Gary and TV Shows Fan, have a great birthday, guys. 

65

Your Local Weather / Re: New York City weather

« on: September 04, 2008, 04:07:55 PM »

It is an unusually very warm to hot day in the northeastern part of the country today as temperatures are
8° to 10° above normal for the first week of September. It did reach 90° during the previous hour and
some locations are above that temperature right now.

While it may be bone dry right now, plenty of rain is on the way for the first half of this upcoming weekend.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to make its way up the eastern seaboard and give
New York City a good dose of rain.

But for now, we turn the clock back at least a few weeks in terms of what we'd typically see here.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT by the National Weather Service in Upton, New York on September 4, 2008
AN AIR QUALITY ALERT is in effect until 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory
for the following counties...

Bronx County
Kings County (Brooklyn)
Nassau County
New York County (Manhattan)
Queens County
Richmond County (Staten Island)
Rockland County
Suffolk County
Westchester County

Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an Air Quality Index value of 100 for the pollutant
of ozone. The Air Quality Index (or AQI) was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants
to one scale. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern.

When pollution levels are elevated, the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals
consider limiting strenuous outdoor activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects. People who may be
especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young and those with
pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease. Those with symptoms should consider
consulting their physician.

A toll free air quality hotline has been established so New York State residents can stay informed on
the air quality situation. The toll free number is 1-800-535-1345.

66

Your Local Weather / Re: Minneapolis-St. Paul weather

« on: September 01, 2008, 06:06:02 PM »

The weather in the Upper Midwest region of the country is unseasonably warm today and temperatures pushing near 90° and in some spots it is breezy. But, this warmth won't last.  In the Dakotas, it is raining and at least 25° cooler, but the air will modify before reaching the Twin Cities.  It is expected to be in the 70s for the rest of this week.

Graphics pages will be posted as soon as possible.


MINNEAPOLIS
Weather conditions from the University of Minnesota as of 4:00 PM Central Time

88°

sunny

Heat Index: 89°
Visibility: 10 miles
Humidity: 45%
Dew Point: 64°
Wind: S at 18 MPH, gusting to 29 MPH
Barometric Pressure: 29.90 inches
Ceiling: Unlimited
Tuesday's air quality forecast: Good



METROPOLITAN AREA MAP OBSERVATIONS...

St. Paul
89° sunny
Wind: S at 18 MPH, gusting to 26 MPH
Heat Index: 91°
Tonight's forecast:


Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
88° partly cloudy
Wind: S at 18 MPH, gusting to 30 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Visibility: 9 miles


Eden Prairie, MN
89° sunny
Wind: S at 15 MPH, gusting to 25 MPH
Heat Index: 90°
Tonight's forecast:


Blaine, MN
87° fair and windy
Wind: S at 23 MPH, gusting to 30 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Tonight's forecast:


White Bear Lake, MN
85° scattered clouds
Wind: SSW at 13 MPH
Heat Index: 88°
Tonight's forecast:
Partly cloudy and windy with a 50% chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 68°.


Crystal, MN
88° sunny and windy
Wind: S at 21 MPH, gusting to 26 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Tonight's forecast:


Minnetonka, MN
87° sunny
Wind: WSW at 2 MPH
Heat Index: 92°
Tonight's forecast:
Partly cloudy and windy with a 50% chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 68°.


Woodbury, MN
88° sunny
Wind: S at 13 MPH, gusting to 16 MPH
Heat Index: 86°
Tonight's forecast:
Partly cloudy and windy with a 50% chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 68°.



OTHER REGIONAL OBSERVATIONS...

Apple Valley, MN
86° scattered clouds
Wind: E at 11 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH
Heat Index: 89°


Bloomington, MN
86° scattered clouds
Wind: S at 6 MPH, gusting to 10 MPH
Heat Index: 87°
Visibility: 9 miles


Brooklyn Park, MN
88° partly cloudy
Wind: SE at 5 MPH, gusting to 19 MPH
Heat Index: 91°


Coon Rapids, MN
86° partly cloudy
Wind: N at 4 MPH, gusting to 9 MPH
Heat Index: 86°


Cottage Grove, MN
86° sunny
Wind: SSE at 7 MPH, gusting to 11 MPH
Heat Index: 90°


Eagan, MN
87° scattered clouds
Wind: SSE at 3 MPH, gusting to 13 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Visibility: 9 miles


Lakeville, MN
87° partly cloudy
Wind: S at 13 MPH
Heat Index: 90°
Visibility: 7 miles


Lino Lakes, MN
86° partly cloudy
Wind: S at 2 MPH, gusting to 4 MPH
Heat Index: 87°


Plymouth, MN
89° sunny
Wind: SSW at 1 MPH
Heat Index: 91°


Stillwater, MN
88° scattered clouds
Wind: SSE at 18 MPH
Heat Index: 92°



ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA...

Aberdeen, SD
75° thunderstorm
Wind: WSW at 15 MPH, gusting to 31 MPH
Visibility: 6 miles
Tonight's forecast:


Bismarck, ND
59° overcast
Wind: WSW at 9 MPH
Tonight's forecast:


Duluth, MN
83° fair
Wind: S at 17 MPH
Heat Index: 85°
Visibility: 9 miles
Tonight's forecast:


Fargo, ND
91° partly cloudy and windy
Wind: S at 25 MPH, gusting to 38 MPH
Heat Index: 95°
Tonight's forecast:


Grand Forks, ND
89° mostly cloudy and windy
Wind: S at 25 MPH, gusting to 35 MPH
Heat Index: 95°
Tonight's forecast:


Green Bay, WI
87° sunny
Wind: S at 14 MPH, gusting to 22 MPH
Heat Index: 85°
Tonight's forecast:


International Falls, MN
86° sunny
Wind: S at 12 MPH, gusting to 32 MPH
Heat Index: 88°
Tonight's forecast:


Marquette, MI
87° sunny
Wind: S at 13 MPH, gusting to 25 MPH
Heat Index: 84°
Tonight's forecast:


Minot, ND
53° light rain
Wind: NW at 12 MPH
Visibility: 4 miles
Tonight's forecast:


Rapid City, SD
64° partly cloudy
Wind: N at 18 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH
Tonight's forecast:


Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
83° fair
Wind: SW at 17 MPH
Heat Index: 86°
Visibility: 20 miles
Tonight's forecast:  Clear to increasing cloudiness overnight. Low around 64°.


Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
57° light rain
Wind: NW at 14 MPH, gusting to 20 MPH
Visibility: 6 miles
Tonight's forecast:  30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low around 54°.



36-HOUR FORECAST FOR MINNEAPOLIS (through Wednesday)...
(courtesy of the National Weather Service)

TONIGHT
Partly cloudy and windy with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1:00 AM.
Low around 69°. South wind between 15 to 21 MPH with gusts as high as 29 MPH.

TUESDAY
Mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 78°.
South wind 11 to 15 MPH becoming west. New rainfall amounts between ¼ inch to ½ inch possible.

TUESDAY NIGHT
Mostly cloudy. Low around 53°. Northwest wind between 10 to 13 MPH.

WEDNESDAY
Sunny, with a high near 71°. North-northwest wind around 10 MPH.

67

Your Local Weather / Re: New Orleans weather

« on: September 01, 2008, 01:05:00 PM »

I'm noticing that nearly all of the major reporting sites are not giving weather updates, including Louis Armstrong International Airport. So I won't be providing a report for this hour. I won't be available for the next few hours, so if anyone sees the major reporting sites around the region submitting weather data, please post them. They include:

New Orleans, Louisiana (Lakefront Airport)
Kenner, Louisiana (Louis Armstrong International Airport)
Belle Chasse, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Slidell, Louisiana
Mandeville, Louisiana
Hammond, Louisiana
Houma, Louisiana
Boothville, Louisiana
Gulfport, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
McComb, Mississippi

At this point, I wouldn't bother with any of the local reporting sites using Weather Underground.

68

Your Local Weather / Re: New Orleans weather

« on: September 01, 2008, 04:00:40 AM »

Surprisingly enough, it is right now the calm before the storm in the Crescent City early on in this overnight period.

As Hurricane Gustav approaches the Louisiana coastline, winds will increase and moderate to heavy rain will move
into the region as we head toward dawn. It may be clear at the moment, but it is oh so temporary.

Just miles away from New Orleans, showers can be found in places like Slidell, Belle Chasse and Hammond.
Winds are also light, but that will obviously change as the day progresses.

Gustav is expected to make landfall within hours and its project track takes the center of the storm southwest
of New Orleans and into the south central portion of the state. How the repaired levee system around the city
holds up undoubtedly will be tested by storm surge and tropical storm to near hurricane strength winds.

This report I put together is from two hours ago.
I saved an image file of the radar view covering the hour since the data was retrieved.
I will attempt to resave it and try to get it onto the post later today or tonight.

I have not added the transparent byline on the photo yet, but to give the appropriate copyright credit,
the current conditions graphic page background is by Matt Valletta at Flickr.


























Southeastern Louisiana regional radar as of 1:53 AM CDT (courtesy of HamWeather)...

69

OCMs & Personalities / Re: Jim Cantore leaving?

« on: August 31, 2008, 09:15:06 PM »

I'm not even going to respond to this one.

Me neither... BUT I will say that I'd be outraged if Jim Cantore left The Weather Channel, period.

70

Programming and Graphics / Re: Official Gustav Storm Alert Prediction Thread

« on: August 31, 2008, 09:09:23 PM »

If this is Storm Alert mode now (which it now is) and there's no music for it... THEN THIS SUCKS!

Talk about anti-climatic... nothing to emphasize the sense of urgency that we've got a hurricane on our hands here. Sure, I know. It's only music. But it sets the tone on what is to come.

I don't want to jump the gun, but maybe we'll see them step it up come the West Coast edition. The lead-in and lead-out music beds are okay though.

71

Programming and Graphics / Re: Official Gustav Storm Alert Prediction Thread

« on: August 31, 2008, 07:16:26 PM »

I expect that Gustav will make landfall around 1:00 PM tomorrow.

If there's a Storm Alert mode at all, perhaps during Evening Edition West Coast.

72

Your Local Weather / Re: New Orleans weather

« on: August 31, 2008, 07:02:05 PM »

Hey guys, just to let everyone know, I plan to post a weather report for New Orleans during the late night/overnight hours tonight. Hopefully Hurricane Gustav does not cause anywhere near the kind of damage Katrina left. At the same time, I'm crossing my fingers the levees around the city hold up this time.

73

Your Local Weather / Re: Northwest Florida Weather

« on: August 31, 2008, 06:59:23 PM »

I know Gustav is not expected to make a direct hit on Pensacola, but stay safe, Stephen.

Any updates you provide is a big bonus for us. I'll be paying close attention to where the hurricane is headed.

74

General Discussion / Re: Special "Ace of Cakes" episode on Food Network

« on: August 28, 2008, 10:57:19 PM »

Not a problem. Again, I appreciate you offering to help me out. I may now have another source in which to get a video clip (probably highlights) from the show.

By the way, it repeats at 1AM (about 2 hours from the time I write this post) and then some other re-airings between now and mid-October.

75

General Discussion / Re: Special "Ace of Cakes" episode on Food Network

« on: August 28, 2008, 03:38:40 PM »

The show is just 30 minutes. The whole thing just in case, but I'm mainly looking for a recording covering all of what Food Network shows on the Capitals fans' Stanley Cup cake. I assume it's for the whole show, I'll need to go with that option for now.

Thanks for any help.