Wednesday Morning Update

I've been out of the office for the past two days.  A special thanks to Nick Bender for handling the morning and noon broadcast duties. 

The weather pattern appears nice and spring like for the next few days as temperatures move into the 70s today and the lower 80s Thursday.

 The fire danger issues will be of concern, especially Thursday, as gusty south winds may increase from 20 to near 35 mph.  Low level humidity values should be in the 35% range Thursday afternoon, compared to the mid teens last Thursday.  This slightly higher humidity may help to off set the extreme fire danger.

 A front will enter the area Friday afternoon and stall to our south Friday night.  Then the boundary will lift northward Saturday as the next upper level system to the west draws near.  This same pattern took place last week. This will result in a few showers or storms Saturday along the warm frontal boundary, but nothing severe or significant is expected. 

 The next system will move across the area Tuesday bringing chance of storms.  The upper air pattern is currently from the west to east (zonal) but will be changing to the southwest.  This southwest flow aloft is a very active pattern for the southern plains and is typical for spring. 

Next:

If you are like me, you are still in shock of the monumental disaster that is unfolding in Japan.  I can't imagine the horror and pain that people are experiencing trying to find out if their family members are dead or alive.

   A CBS evening report indicated that people are actually helping one another by serving in the disaster shelters across the eastern coast region.  The young are serving the old and only the extremely young and the extremely old have no duties in the shelters. 

 I am being reminded that I am not the center of the universe.

 Next time I'm ready to complain about standing in a long line, or waiting on my food to be prepared by someone else, or griping about a pot hole in the street, I hope to remember this picture of unselfishness that is being lived out by thousands of people in Japan, while simultaneously suffering an unthinkable tragedy.