2007 Hurricane Season Ends Quietly

This Friday (Nov 30) marks the end of the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season. And, for the second year in a row, expert predictions for an above normal season turned out to be a bit too high.

A total of 14 named storms, including 6 hurricanes developed in 2007, making this an "average" season for the Atlantic Basin.

Only 1 weak hurricane, and several tropical storms struck the United States. A far cry from the 2005 season that spawned hurricanes like Katrina and Rita.

But this season did bring about some stronger storms, most of which impacted impoverished and vulnerable nations in the Caribbean and Central America.

Hurricanes Dean and Felix ramped up to Category Five status, the highest on the intensity scale. Dean and Felix were also the first two Atlantic hurricanes since records began in 1851 to make landfall in the same season as Category Five storms.

Hurricane Humberto also became the fastest developing storm on record to be so close to land. It strengthened from a 35 mph tropical depression to an 90 mph hurricane in 14 hours while only 15 miles off the coast of Texas.

Why so fewer hurricanes than expected? Former National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield told the Miami Herald, "the past several years have humbled the seasonal hurricane forecasters," and pointed out there's a long way to go in the science of hurricane prediction.

So as the season comes to a close, remember, it's simply a date. While hurricanes have formed after the "end" of the season, it appears unlikely this year.

Count your blessings Dean and Felix stayed away from the United States. However, southwest Virginia will likely feel the effects from the lack of tropical rain this season, well into the start of next year's season.

View the entire hurricane season tracks and facts.

--Brent

Thanksgiving Forecast

In the pre-Thanksgiving rush, we have posted an early weather report from our meteorologists.

Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.

(This one's been around for a while, but I thought it fit in well with the festivities.) Hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving!

Homemade Lightning

This is the coolest thing. We had a story about Tesla coils on the news last night. A Tesla coil is a type of resonant transformer, named after its inventor, Nikola Tesla. He used these coils to perform many electrical experiments.

In fact, you use many of Tesla's "experiments" today. There's fluorescent lighting, alternating current used in your car, and the coil is still used in radio and television sets and other electronic equipment.

This guy in Oklahoma has created a giant Tesla coil and creates a lightning storm in his backyard every night. This guy is insane!



Now, here's a crazy guy who rigged a Tesla coil up to his MIDI keyboard. He obviously has way too much time on his hands.

Comet Holmes UPDATE!

John Goss from the Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society joined us in-studio Wednesday with details on the Comet Holmes. Here's a little background information.

Comet Holmes was discovered in 1892 by Edwin Holmes, in London England, and it was very faint. In fact, about 25,000 times fainter than the faintest star that can normally be seen without any optical aid. In order to view an object this faint, one would need a moderately large telescope. Last month, the comet suddenly brightened nearly 400,000-times in less than 24-hours! Comet Holmes is not as dramatic as some, lacking the characteristic tail.


See an interactive look at comets through time.

--Meteorologist Brent Watts

October Warmest and Wettest for Some

We did it again! Another warmer than normal month. While it wasn't the warmest ever, it was close in some areas. Here's the breakdown from the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg.

Warm Weather Summary
-ROANOKE...DANVILLE...BLACKSBURG AND BLUEFIELD RECORDED THEIR
SECOND WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.

FOR ROANOKE...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER 2007 WAS 63.5
DEGREES. THE RECORD WARMEST OCTOBER WAS IN 1984 AT 64.3 DEGREES.
RECORDS IN ROANOKE DATE BACK TO 1948.

IN DANVILLE...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER 2007 WAS 65.2
DEGREES. THE RECORD WARMEST OCTOBER WAS IN 1984 AT 66.5 DEGREES.
RECORDS IN DANVILLE DATE BACK TO 1948.

IN BLACKSBURG...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER 2007 WAS 59.0
DEGREES. THE RECORD WARMEST OCTOBER WAS IN 1984 AT 60.4 DEGREES.
RECORDS FOR BLACKSBURG DATA BACK TO 1952.

AT BLUEFIELD...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER 2007 WAS 62.4
DEGREES. THE RECORD WARMEST OCTOBER WAS IN 1984 AT 63.9 DEGREES.
RECORDS FOR BLUEFIELD DATE BACK TO 1959.

AT LYNCHBURG...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER 2007 WAS 61.8
DEGREES WHICH IS 7TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THE WARMEST OCTOBER FOR
LYNCHBURG WAS IN 1984 AT 65.5 DEGREES. RECORDS FOR LYNCHBURG DATE
BACK TO 1893.

Despite Drought, Some Areas See Wettest October Ever.

DESPITE BEING IN A DROUGHT DURING OCTOBER...THE HEAVY RAIN THAT
FELL IN THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH ACTUALLY PUT ALL BUT
LYNCHBURG IN THE TOP 10 FOR WETTEST OCTOBERS ON RECORD.

ROANOKE RECORDED 5.33 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...WHICH IS 10TH ALL
TIME FOR OCTOBER.

DANVILLE RECORDED 6.35 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...WHICH IS 7TH ALL TIME FOR OCTOBER.

BLACKSBURG RECORDED 4.91 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...WHICH IS 8TH
ALL TIME FOR OCTOBER.

BLUEFIELD RECORDED 4.73 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...WHICH IS 7TH
ALL TIME FOR OCTOBER.

DESPITE RECORDING 4.97 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FOR OCTOBER
2007...THIS WAS 20TH ALL TIME FOR LYNCHBURG.

***data compiled and released by the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, VA
------------------------
--Meteorologist Brent Watts