I have always been facinated with outer space.  When I was a kid, I read countless articles and books on our moon, the planets, and the universe.  At one point, I considered being an astronomer, but my love for weather won out.  I guess I am still looking up to the sky! 

There is one part of astronomy I am always wanting to know more about – deep space.  I think many of us wonder what’s out there, past the solar system and beyond the Milky Way galaxy.  NASA’s Deep Space Network continues to track several missions, ranging from a year to a few decades old.  To me, the most fascinating program is Voyager.  Launched in the late summer of 1977, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 continue to send data back to Earth.  As of April 2012, Voyager 1 is the farthest traveled man-made object, now approximately 11.1 billion miles from Earth.  Yes, billion with a “b.”  Voyager 2, on a completely different path, is roughly 9 billion miles from Earth.  To put these distances in perspective, it takes more than a half day’s time for the sun’s light to reach the spacecrafts.  The primary objective of the Voyager program was to explore Jupiter and Saturn.  Now, NASA is focused on collecting data from outside the solar system.  Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 will head into the “interstellar medium,” a vast expanse at the edge of the sun’s reach.

Courtesy: NASA - An artist's rendition of the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecrafts' locations

Closer to home, NASA’s biggest objective presently is exploring Mars.  Currently, there are two rovers on the planet and three orbiters.  More missions are planned, and there is constant discussion of a manned program to the planet beginning in the 2030s.  Personally, I won’t hold my breath, since travel time to the planet is nine months, and the mission would require an unbelievable amount of money.  Still, it is fun to dream – what’s next?

Again, feel free to learn more about deep space operations by visiting the NASA website.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more from Beyond the Forecast…

Posted under Hometown Weather, Weather, Weblogs

My friend asked me the other day, after looking at a cooler forecast with 70s and 80s, if summer was gone. 

 ”Summer gone?”  I jokingly responded, “not until September 22.” 

September 22nd is the day when summer officially ends and autumn begins.  Of course, I knew what my friend was asking.  He wanted to know if any more hot stretches of weather were in the distant future because his wallet was hurting.  I don’t blame him, because I am in the same boat.  I almost called the electric company to ask if the decimal point was in the wrong place! 

Thankfully, I’m proud to report our chances of prolonged heat are waning.  While a short stretch of 90 degree days cannot be ruled out, we will not witness another long period of hot weather this season comparable to the stretch from June 27 to August 3rd.  First, the heat stretch was impressive by itself.  We completed July 2012 with a mean temperature of 71.6°, good enough for #2 on the list of warmest Julys in Eau Claire since 1950.  Second, based on climate averages, we have passed our warmest point of the year.  Typically, the second and third weeks of July are the warmest with an average high of 83° and an average low of 61°.  With daylight slowly slipping away from us, the odds are not in our favor.

Classic El Niño Pattern

Many are wondering what is around the corner.  In short, when considering the overall trend, we will likely remain near or above average into the winter season.  Meteorologists at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) are watching the central Pacific closely.  There is a chance another El Niño event will develop in the coming months.  During an El Niño event, warmer Pacific waters off of South America can modify the upper air pattern in favor of mild weather for the Midwest.  We could also experience drier conditions.

The El Niño talk does come with a literal word of caution: osscilation, as in ocean oscillation.  Last winter was a La Niña winter, which typically brings cooler weather to the Midwest.  But as you know, last winter was quite mild in the area!  That’s because the North Atlantic Osscilation (NAO) was in a strongly positive phase.  The NAO, combined with other factors, turned the tables on La Niña and our weather pattern in western Wisconsin.  Thus, ocean osscilations must be taken into consideration.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more from Beyond the Forecast…

Posted under Hometown Weather, Weather, Weblogs