I have been hearing A LOT of complaining about the weather lately. The last 5 days of rain have sparked serious looks and sarcastic comments everywhere I go. I’ve lost count how many times I have had to act as Mother Nature’s spokesperson and explain this damp and dreary scenario.

This morning was the last straw……

I walked into my 3 year old’s bedroom to wake her up for preschool. I opened up the window blinds and heard a loud gasp of  shock coming from her bed. She said ” Mommy! It’s not raining! Look! It’s not raining!” With the sun glaring through a break in the clouds, I said “I’m sure the rest of the city is as excited as you right now.” As my daughter proceeded the cheer and jump around her room, I rolled my eyes. I thought, “Come on!….It hasn’t been THAT bad!”

So I decided to check the stats…..

May 2009 Rainfall So Far: 1.60″     Normal: 0.75″

2009 Rainfall: 11.95″     Normal: 16.68″ 

Conclusion…..We need the rainfall because we are 4.73″ below average for the year and our reservoirs levels are 4% below normal.

We are expecting a few more days of rain, but don’t worry. You will have reason to jump and cheer by the 2nd half of the weekend. See you at 10pm!

For about a year now, I have been avoiding all Disney movies for my children. Every Disney movie has evil, death, orphans, and/or violence (fire, guns, etc.). These are things that I don’t want my children exposed to yet. I know they will eventually learn about them. But for now, it’s all rainbows and unicorns in our household.

I grew up watching the Peanuts Gang and still love them. No one ever died in any of the Peanuts specials. And I like what my children are watching now: “Go Diego Go” teaches them about animals, without shooting any of them. “Dora The Explorer” depicts evil in the form of a fox who swipes things. The Flyboat on “The Wonder Pets” never sinks or explodes. My little ones are very happy with their tv friends.

My dilema now is that my preschool-aged daughter is hearing about the Disney Princesses from her classmates. I have overheard several conversations where my daughter didn’t know who her friends were talking about. So now I am feeling the “Princess Pressure.” My daughter already has a fascination with mermaids and ocean creatures, so I figure we will start with “The Little Mermaid.” Wish me luck!

Today General Motors and Chrysler have asked the Treasury for  money in addition to the $17.4 billion of government funding they already received. They say that they need an additional $22 billion in out in order to really straighten things out.

Does this sound familiar?

This sounds like that cousin/brother/sister/friend that keeps asking you for money after you have already helped them out. The cousin that asks you for $200 to pay the electric bill after you already gave him $500 to cover his monthly expenses. The brother who needs to “borrow” $600 while you’re still waiting for him to repay the $3000 you already lent him. The sister, carrying the latest designer bag, asking you to help pay for her kid’s braces. The friend who has yet another great idea for a business and is looking for investors…..this time she ’s sure her idea will be a hit.

Usually we have a choice. We can either choose to help the aforementioned “needy”, or we can choose not to.  Those who have shown financial irresponsibility don’t really get much sympathy from me. You can guess what my choice would be.

But now those of us who have played by the rules, worked hard for our money, and have made sacrifices for our families are not allowed to make a choice. The money to bail out these car companies is going to come from our wallets. 

I would rather pay for my nephew’s braces.

Yes, there is such a holiday!

Today is National Weatherperson’s Day. The day we recognize all the wonderful people that provide you with your daily weather forecast.

Okay, the holiday actually commemorates the birth of one of America’s first weather observers, John Jefferies. He was born on February 5, 1745.

John, a physician, began taking daily weather observations in Boston in 1744. He took his first balloon observation over London in 1784.

Here are some interesting factoids:

Normal High: 42°F     Normal Low: 26°F

Warmest Inauguration: 55°F   1981 – Ronald Reagan     Skies were mostly cloudy.

Coldest Inauguration: 7°F  1985 – Ronald Reagan     The swearing-in ceremony had to be held indoors and the parade was cancelled. Wind chills were between -10°F to -20°F!

Snowiest Inauguration: 9.8″ Snow   1909 – William H. Taft

Wettest Inauguration: 1.77″ Rain   1937 – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Like most of us, I was glued to the television last night watching history in the making. I stood in my office in amazement as the announcement was made. I took a moment to absorb the enormity of this great victory. Then I raced home to be with my family who’s future I voted for. After kissing my sleeping children, I watched the acceptance speech of a lifetime.

This morning I walked my daughter to preschool  with an extra bounce in my step. I felt the change in the air and I wasn’t alone. There were smiles on peoples faces and acknowledging glances from fellow Americans. I felt, and still feel, pride in our country and hope for our future. Most of all, I feel the shift in consciousness. This is such an exciting time! Can you feel it?

Today I heard the story behind the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It is a run/walk held every year to bring awareness about breast cancer and raise money for its research. The event was started by Nancy Brinker who promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. I saw an interview with Nancy Brinker today on television. She said that when she started this event in 1983, she was told by many people that it would never work. She believed in her cause and wanted to try just once to pull off such an event. 800 people showed up to participate that year. 26 years later she has built the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. Her organization has raise $1 billion for breast cancer research.

I smiled when I heard about her perserverance. I remembered the high school guidance counselor who told me not to even bother applying to colleges because I would never get in. I remembered the News Director who called me from his cell phone while spending the weekend in Vegas to tell me that I had no future in this business with my New York accent. I remembered the dance teacher who said I was too short to be a Rockette…..wait a minute….she was right. Anyway, like Nancy, I believed in myself and left the negative thinkers in my dust. I love to hear stories about people rising up when others try to break them down. Tommy Lasorda once said, “the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” You might see me at the next Race for the Cure.

Here are the safety precautions I mentioned on tonight’s newscast:

BEFORE THE STORM…

STAY INFORMED BY MONITORING THE LATEST TROPICAL STORM WATCHES AND
WARNINGS. LISTEN TO RADIO AND TELEVISION REPORTS…AS WELL AS NOAA
ALL HAZARDS RADIO TO GET THE LATEST ADVISORY UPDATES.

STORM SURGE IS A DOME OF WATER THAT COMES ACROSS THE COAST AS THE
STORM MAKES LANDFALL. HANNA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A STORM SURGE OF
2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL SEA LEVEL. SUPERIMPOSED ON THIS HIGH STORM
TIDE ARE LARGE WIND DRIVEN WAVES. THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN MINOR
COASTAL FLOODING AROUND THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDE ON SATURDAY AND
SATURDAY NIGHT.

HOME OWNERS ARE URGED TO SECURE ALL LOOSE OUTDOOR ITEMS. GARBAGE
CANS AND LAWN FURNITURE CAN EASILY BECOME PROJECTILES WITH THE ONSET
OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS.

ANOTHER THREAT A TROPICAL STORM CAN POSE IS TO THE BOATING
COMMUNITY. BOAT OWNERS AND MARINA OPERATORS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD
PREPARE QUICKLY FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING SUPPLIES…

OBTAIN A PORTABLE…BATTERY OPERATED RADIO ALONG WITH A FRESH SUPPLY
OF BATTERIES. A RADIO WILL BE ONE OF YOUR MOST USEFUL SOURCES OF
INFORMATION.

OBTAIN SEVERAL FLASHLIGHTS WITH FRESH BATTERIES. USE OF CANDLES FOR
LIGHTING IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR SAFETY REASONS.

HAVE ENOUGH EXTRA BATTERIES FOR A POSSIBLE EXTENDED LOSS OF POWER.
THERE MAY BE NO ELECTRICITY AFTER THE STORM.

HAVE A FULL TANK OF GASOLINE IN YOUR AUTOMOBILE. NEVER LET YOUR
VEHICLE GAS TANK BE LESS THAN HALF FULL DURING A TROPICAL STORM
THREAT. ELECTRICALLY OPERATED GAS PUMPS MAY FAIL DURING THE STORM.

HAVE MATERIALS FOR EMERGENCY REPAIRS. YOUR INSURANCE POLICY MAY
COVER THE COST OF MATERIALS USED IN TEMPORARY REPAIRS…SO KEEP ALL
RECEIPTS. THESE WILL ALSO BE HELPFUL FOR ANY INCOME TAX DEDUCTIONS.

DURING THE TROPICAL STORM…

STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AS THE COMBINATION OF
HEAVY RAIN AND GUTSY WINDS WILL RESULT IN LOOSE SOIL AND THE THREAT
OF DOWNED TREES…LARGE TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES.

THE CENTER OF THE STORM MAY PASS OVER THE TRI STATE AREA. THIS WILL
BE MARKED BY A BRIEF PERIOD OF RELATIVELY LIGHTER WINDS…AND
POSSIBLE PARTIAL CLEARING OF THE SKY. BE AWARE THAT RAPIDLY
DETERIORATING CONDITIONS WILL SOON FOLLOW WITH AN INCREASE IN STRONG
WINDS AND THE RETURN OF RAINFALL. IN GENERAL…ONE SHOULD NOT
VENTURE OUT OF SAFE SHELTER INTO THE EYE OF THE STORM.

MARINERS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL THE TROPICAL STORM
THREAT HAS PASSED.

TROPICAL STORMS CAN ALSO CAUSE SEVERE FLOODING DUE TO HEAVY
RAINFALL. STAY AWAY FROM RIVER BANKS…CREEKS…OR STREAMS. WHEN
DRIVING…DO NOT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY…THE WATER MAY BE TOO DEEP TO SAFELY NAVIGATE.
REMEMBER…LIVE TO DRIVE ANOTHER DAY. TURN AROUND…DONT DROWN.
THOSE WHO LIVE NEAR RIVERS AND STREAMS NEED TO BE PREPARED TO MOVE
TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY…IF LOCAL EVACUATIONS ARE ORDERED.

AFTER THE STORM HAS PASSED…

IF YOU NEED TO USE AN ALTERNATE SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY FOR YOUR
HOME…BE CAREFUL. OBSERVE ALL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID CARBON
MONOXIDE POISONING…ELECTROCUTION…OR A FIRE. PORTABLE GENERATORS
SHOULD ONLY BE OPERATED OUTDOORS IN A DRY AND WELL VENTILATED AREA.
NEVER OPERATE A PORTABLE GENERATOR INDOORS.

LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR ADVICE AND INSTRUCTIONS
FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS REGARDING FOOD…HOUSING…AND
OTHER FORMS OF ASSISTANCE.

USE CAUTION WHEN DRIVING. THE STREETS WILL POSSIBLY BE FILLED WITH
DEBRIS AND DOWNED POWER LINES.

AVOID LOOSE OR DANGLING WIRES AND REPORT THEM TO YOUR LOCAL ELECTRIC
COMPANY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. REPORT ALL BROKEN OR DAMAGED
WATER…SEWER…GAS…AND ELECTRICAL LINES.

DISCUSS PREPAREDNESS WITH YOUR FAMILY. SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH
FRIENDS…NEIGHBORS AND RELATIVES. PREPAREDNESS IS A JOB FOR
EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY.

FOR ADDITIONAL HELP OR ASSISTANCE ON PREPAREDNESS…PLEASE CONTACT
YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY OR YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. IT IS BEST TO FORMULATE YOUR PREPAREDNESS
PLAN WELL IN ADVANCE OF A STORM SYSTEM…DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST
MINUTE.

Tropical Storm Hanna is headed our way and the National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for South Jersey. What does that mean?

A Tropical Storm Watch is issued when Tropical Storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.

A Tropical Storm Warning is issued when sustained winds between 39 to 73 mph are expected within 24 hours or less.

It’s all about timing. Stay tuned…..

Here is the hail size chart I mentioned on tonight’s newscast….. Yes, these are official terms:

0.25″   Pea

0.50″   Marble

0.75″   Penny or Dime

1.00″   Quarter

1.25″   Half Dollar

1.50″   Ping Pong Ball

1.75″   Golf Ball

2.00″   Egg

2.50″   Tennis Ball

2.75″   Baseball

3.00″   Teacup or Apple

4.00″   Grapefruit

4.50″   Softball

FUN HAIL FACTS:

• The largest hailstone on record weighed in at over 1.6 lbs. It fell in Coffeyville, Kansas on September 3, 1970 (Happy Birthday Eric!)
• States experiencing the most frequent hail: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, & Wyoming.
• Hail falls mainly in the summer.