Tornado Videos

Here are a few videos I found online of Tornadoes that struck in the south.
I hope everyone has a pleasant Friday evening..

The first one, I advise to scroll in about one minute to where the driver drives down to road to get a better look

The second video is a preview for a DVD you can purchase online.

NWS Modernization

 National Weather Service, has been going through significant upgrades at the cost of $4.5 billion dollars.
Thankfully this was a result of a study from the years 1989 to 2000, by the National Research Council.
As an example they had found that the highest recorded ocean temperature was in 1997, which was well above normal levels.

The renovation of weather forecast tools will greatly improve and provide early warning and information for weather research and education.

These are upgraded technologies;

• The Automated Surface Observing System
• Next Generation Radar (Dual Polarization)
• New Weather Satellites
• Powerful New Computers systems
• The Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System

This to me great news, we will be entering a new technological age, in modern 21st. Century Weather Science and Forecasting.
With the depletion of the Arctic Ice, holes in the ozone and with very high ocean temperature,s we know this has impacted weather events at a global level.

We need new tools to record and predict strong weather events.

I want to credit the National Academy of Science for providing this important story online
The detailed story is here. http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=13216

as a final note a signature image of the day, vista from Pennypack Park area;

goodbye warm weather

A coastal storm is moving up and will affect us mainly by tomorrow afternoon.

Here are a couple shots to help us remember that great weather we had over the weekend.
These were taken at the end of the day on my hike in Audubon. 
A tribute in a "Digital Painting" that I bring to you..

Further Fall Colors

I recently visited the "John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove", this is a historic wildlife nature preserve in Audubon, PA.  The objective of the hike was to take shots of the present fall color change.  Some trees are still green, others mixed and some in a more advanced stage.  The advantage of that day was a higher than normal temperature, which made for  a great day for a hike! I will post shots from yesterday and I may go on another trip by the end of the month for more landscape photography.  Enjoy the nice weather, don't sit around at home!

Do you need new tires?

The time has come where we need to think about the seasonal change.

We drive to and from work, and where ever else we normally would during our normal routine.  During Spring and Summer, the only thing we worry about is to wash the car and replace the tires when they appear to be worn.  During Fall we run into wet leaves, then in winter we run into a different scenario.  We need to  inspect our tires to make sure they have sufficent tread and to make sure that we have the right type of tire that will safely get you around during the upcoming winter months. 

I had a nasty accident years ago, where a young driver hydroplaned around a curve, lost control and slammed their car head on into mine.  I was pretty young at the time myself, but this served to be a wise lesson for me to understand the importance of auto safety.  If you are not sure how to check you tires, ask someone!  You could be saving someones life, including your own.  There are many types of tires to choose from depending on the type of vehicle you have or the season you are getting ready for.  Most common is the all season radial tire, this is found on almost every type of regular car or minivan.  Sport cars may not have this type of tire, they commonly come with a summer or performance tire which is not suitable for winter driving. 

Here are a couple quick facts;

• Did you know tires have a date code?   Is the tire shop selling you an old dried out tire from a five years ago?

• Winter tires are not like the ones your parents used in the '70s.  There are modern tires now and they are quite effective in deeper snow and some types may allow driving on icy surfaces.

• Did you know that you lose one PSI (Pound per square inch) every month on average? This means to check your tire pressure every time you have your oil changeg or other routine auto service.

For most drivers, a good all-season tire will be sufficient to get you through the winter.  However if you have noticed that we have been experiencing snowy winters for the last couple years.  In 2009, I remember only getting a few inches snow.  2010 however was different, below are some photos I took, to remind us of last year.

Now you remember? Well, please read this article from tirerack.com, they have endless information regarding the proper tire selection for foul weather and for the type of car you drive.
Remember the date code is found on the sidewall, it is the last four digits of the tire id. number, like 5107 would then be 51st week of the year 2007. 

So go out there and buy fresh tires.
Reading tire date code :  http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?s_kwcid=TC|21263|tire%20date%20code||S|b|6698650813&techid=11&index.jsp=&

Testing on Ice: Winter / Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires, click below;
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=116 
 
You really should go here and read up before you go out and buy tires, use this website as a reference.
http://www.tirerack.com/index_w.jsp