tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30056318404549394152008-08-24T09:36:55.770-04:00Topper Shutt is the Chief Meteorologist for W*USA 9. Watch Topper during 9NEWS NOW at 5pm, 6pm, 7pm & 11pm newscasts. He joined W*USA 9 in September 1988.9NEWS NOW Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055782430844089430noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-30092132370668048252008-05-22T19:27:00.001-04:002008-05-22T19:29:00.885-04:00

NOAA released its hurricane prediction today for 2008. Everyone is pretty much in agreement that we are going to have an active year. We are coming off a La Nina winter and are not expected to flip to an El Nino anytime soon. El Nino summers retard the development of hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin. Here’s their forecast, its very close to Dr. Gray’s forecast that was issued earlier in the year.

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-24119667093870820982008-05-22T00:25:00.000-04:002008-05-22T00:26:02.490-04:00

It always amuses me every Memorial Day weekend how many flock to the shore to swim. Now if I suggested you go to the beach and swim on the Thanksgiving holiday you’d think I had lost it. Well, the ocean is actually warmer on Thanksgiving Day than it is on Memorial Day. Sure the air temperature is usually warmer but the statistic always takes everyone by surprise. The water temperature on

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-16888616914419504762008-05-21T23:11:00.000-04:002008-05-21T23:12:14.003-04:00

A Cold Swim It always amuses me every Memorial Day weekend how many flock to the shore to swim. Now if I suggested you go to the beach and swim on the Thanksgiving holiday you’d think I had lost it. Well, the ocean is actually warmer on Thanksgiving Day than it is on Memorial Day. Sure the air temperature is usually warmer but the statistic always takes everyone by surprise. The water

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-87389357348102748862008-05-19T22:35:00.000-04:002008-05-19T22:37:10.289-04:00

We are closing in on some impressive rainfall amounts for the month of May. We are fifth all time even no more rain falls the rest of the month. After Tuesday’s rain we will have recorded measurable rainfall on ten of the first twenty days this month. Here are some numbers for you. Wettest Mays on Record National/Downtown Dulles 1) 10.69” (1889 & 1953)

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-8374501095918137472008-05-12T12:30:00.004-04:002008-05-12T18:08:09.112-04:00

If a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his bottom every time he jumped and if this were January or February 13th we would be digging out from a monster blizzard. On Sunday National set their daily rainfall record with 2.63" of rain. Dulles set a record as well with 3.73". If we conservatively convert that to snowfall, not even including today's rainfall, we would have had two to three feet! The

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-50756118727520795132008-05-09T13:47:00.002-04:002008-05-09T13:51:17.305-04:00

That was a powerful line, almost group of thunderstorms that pummeled the Metro Area Thursday night. (There was a confirmed tornado in Stafford County.) Heavy rain resulted in major flash flooding and the frequent lightning knocked out power. We are in the midst of our severe weather season here in the Metro Area. I need to remind folks that if you approach a flooded street in your car please do

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-58047727533079111052008-05-05T22:04:00.002-04:002008-05-05T22:05:01.123-04:00

I took my sister and her husband to the Nats game last Sunday. Wow! The ball park is spectacular. The Metro is the only way to get there; it was a piece of cake. The weather was perfect (sunny and seventy five) and Nats beat the Pirates five to two. A perfect day at the old ballpark and I haven’t even mentioned food yet. My sister and her husband had Ben’s Chili Bowl and I had Texas all the way

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-92157379313433261652008-05-02T22:53:00.001-04:002008-05-02T22:53:46.755-04:00

We have had some beautiful days this spring but with those days come very high pollen counts. Tree pollen is what affects most people and is the main culprit early in the pollen season. Oak trees are responsible for over eighty percent of tree pollen. When it rains we get a break as the pollen is washed out of the air, if only temporarily. The oak trees should be completely out in the next week

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-86579892333574146772008-05-01T23:37:00.001-04:002008-05-01T23:37:24.628-04:00

The first weekend of May is quite possibly the busiest spring weekend in our area. If you can’t find something to do you do not have a pulse. The weather should cooperate for the most part. The weather map this weekend will look similar to last weekend’s map. The cold front has slowed so Saturday should be a nice, warm day in the Metro Area. The best chance for showers and thunderstorms will be

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-12569106787166347102008-04-29T19:08:00.000-04:002008-04-29T19:09:01.532-04:00

I will never forget Sunday, April 28, 2002. On Friday we started mentioning the possibility of severe weather Sunday. On Saturday Tony echoed our concerns. By early Sunday afternoon we were all monitoring a strong cold front and tracking a line of showers and thunderstorms with our live Doppler 9000 radar. Around 3 PM Howard was on his way with a camera crew to track a very strong thunderstorm

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-54461400503902140882008-04-23T16:51:00.002-04:002008-04-23T16:56:22.697-04:00

The Metro Area was struck by two confirmed tornadoes last Sunday. The best news is that there we no serious injuries. The tornado that hit Saint Charles, in Charles County, was an EF0. Saint Charles is located just north of La Plata and ironically we are fast approaching the six year anniversary of the La Plata tornado. The twister touched down shortly after 2PM on Sunday afternoon. The National

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-6836941692698197142008-04-21T17:43:00.000-04:002008-04-21T17:44:25.788-04:00

My Dad taught me a strong work ethic by simply working. I watched how hard he worked. He never took a sick day. I think he actually thought the world might stop revolving if he stayed home sick. I went into a store the other day to buy a certain product. My wife and I ordered four products. After we returned home I checked the prices for the exact same products on line. The prices on line were

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-21057294773448331372008-04-18T18:04:00.000-04:002008-04-18T18:05:54.771-04:00

It will be cooler with rain and showers but you might still want to check out the Mall on Sunday for an Earth Day celebration. It is free. There will be elected officials, speakers, live music (Government Mule and more) and educational displays and even a chance to register to vote. The celebration will remind everyone the importance of global warming. We should not, however lose sight of other

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-67958252014664609192008-04-14T17:30:00.001-04:002008-04-14T17:30:32.327-04:00

I had the chance to walk around the Newseum last Friday with about five hundred of my closest friends. The Newseum now resides at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, next to the Canadian Embassy and just down the street from the National Archives. This building will make your jaw drop. The Newseum is a magnificent tribute to our first amendment and to journalists all over the world. The experience is very

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-16816892957040099272008-04-08T22:17:00.001-04:002008-04-08T22:21:27.391-04:00

As the Maryland legislature and other states, cities and towns grapple with reducing CO2 levels I cannot help but feel a bit frustrated. (The State Assembly of Maryland could not agree on a CO2 reduction plan this session.) Let’s for the sake of argument assume that the proposed bill in Annapolis would reduce the global temperature by .5 degrees Fahrenheit in fifty years. (This is a ludicrous

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-2074023863482907732008-04-03T21:58:00.001-04:002008-04-03T21:59:00.326-04:00

On this date in 1974 (April 3rd – April 4th) a total of 148 tornadoes struck thirteen states killing 315, injuring 5300 and causing 600 million in damage all in a span of just sixteen hours. Cold air from the north was moving south as warm, moist air moved north from the Gulf of Mexico. The jet stream was also playing a role with speeds over 140 mph. The clash of the warm and cold air coupled

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-45620146704448465802008-04-02T17:40:00.000-04:002008-04-02T17:41:18.087-04:00

I’ll keep it short and sweet tonight. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of ‘Cool It’ by Bjorn Lomborg. I read three books while on vacation but this is the one that made a lasting impression on me.

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-48867302267243147332008-03-22T01:12:00.001-04:002008-03-22T01:12:53.482-04:00

How Easter is Determined Do you ever wonder why Easter can be in March or even late April ? Easter is determined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. We know that the vernal equinox can vary up to a day or so but when you factor in the moon cycle the date of Easter can really change. For example if the full moon is the day before the vernal equinox then Easter

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-39413171658119392722008-03-19T17:00:00.000-04:002008-03-19T17:01:02.847-04:00

Spring is Here The Vernal Equinox occurs tonight at 1:48 in the morning. This marks the beginning of astronomical spring. The sun is directly over the equator making it equal day and night for each hemisphere. We go into spring while the southern hemisphere heads into fall. You might ask why the sunrise and sunset times are not exactly twelve hours apart on the first day of spring. The earth’s

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-12831229219783658342008-03-18T18:01:00.001-04:002008-03-18T18:01:38.218-04:00

We showed some video on our air last Friday of some cherry blossoms in bloom. Yes, this is early but the peak bloom should still arrive late this month according to the National Park Service. They are predicting peak bloom between March 27th and April 3rd. My haunch is this might have to moved up just a bit. Peak bloom has arrived as early March 15th in 1990 and as late as April 18th in 1958. The

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-89039949966649146562008-03-13T16:30:00.001-04:002008-03-13T17:03:46.834-04:00

On March fifth, 1993 I walked into my boss’s office and told him a week from Saturday would be the end of the world as he knew it. My old boss was a weather geek like me and knew exactly what I meant. On March ninth my second daughter was born and the Blizzard ’93 was another four days away. The Super Storm of ’93 was on the computer models for ten days straight. The position and strength wavered

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-78790162105866327352008-03-07T18:44:00.002-05:002008-03-07T23:05:17.826-05:00

The idea of Daylight Saving Time is credited to Benjamin Franklin back in 1784. When he was a delegate to France he wrote of his idea in an essay entitled ‘An Economical Project’. A London builder, William Willett tried to popularize the idea in a 1907 pamphlet entitled ‘A Waste of Daylight’. We adopted Daylight Saving Time in 1918 and then repealed in 1919. A few states and cities continued to

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-20195615106378519622008-03-05T16:58:00.001-05:002008-03-05T16:58:41.691-05:00

In 1962 a tremendous winter storm begins to hammers the Atlantic Coast. The storm caused more than 200 million in damage from Florida to Southern New England. Waves crested to 40' with winds of 70 mph off our coast. This storm was dubbed the 'Ash Wednesday Storm'. The storm affected the east coast from the fifth to the ninth. It was centered off of Wallops Island for forty eight hours. The storm

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-73454796492207727602008-03-03T11:53:00.000-05:002008-03-03T11:54:50.100-05:00

Let’s wrap up the meteorological winter stats. All of us in the 9 News Now Weather Center predicted a milder than average winter with less than average snowfall. In my mind, unfortunately we were all right. I would much rather have been wrong but with a strong La Nina winter the odds were stacked against us having a cold and/or snowy winter. We made into the seventies in January and February.

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005631840454939415.post-65789253283365553692008-02-29T18:03:00.001-05:002008-02-29T18:03:53.747-05:00

Meteorological spring arrives Saturday, March the first. The months of March, April and May comprise meteorological spring. As we all know all too well March can contain almost every season. Winter and spring battle which often leads to some big storms and wild temperature swings. Our average high at the beginning of the month is in the low fifties but rises to the low sixties by the end of March

Topper Shutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841197858945207265noreply@blogger.com