Overnight rainfall amounts a bit higher than expected due to strong low level jet and high dew points. Last night’s rain shouldn’t raise flood waters any substantial amount, but instead will slow their fall back to normal levels a bit. Here are the latest numbers from observers around the area:

                                               RAIN
  LOCATION (COUNTY):                           FALL (IN)

  POPLAR GROVE 5NNE (BOONE)....................2.49
  ROSCOE 2ESE (WINNEBAGO)......................1.97
  ROSCOE 2SE (WINNEBAGO).......................1.97
  MACHESNEY PARK 3ENE (WINNEBAGO)..............1.75
  POPLAR GROVE 3SW (BOONE).....................1.55
  ROCKTON 1ESE (WINNEBAGO).....................1.17
  ROCKFORD 3NE (WINNEBAGO).....................1.07
  ROCKFORD 4NW (WINNEBAGO).....................0.91
  ROCKFORD 1NW (WINNEBAGO).....................0.74
  BYRON 3N (OGLE)..............................0.30
  ROCKFORD (WINNEBAGO).........................0.29
  DE KALB 1W (DE KALB).........................0.20
  ROCHELLE (OGLE)..............................0.15
  DIXON 3NNW (LEE).............................0.04
  LA SALLE (LA SALLE)..........................0.03

Posted under rain

I was able to fly with Rob Holland in his Window World MX2 airplane today. We were able to get video of my experience as I handled 5G’s through some parts of the flight. During these extreme maneuvers, I felt my weight shoot up to 825 lbs. For more information, visit http://www.ultimateairshows.com/

Some stats about Rob’s MX2..

Weight: about 1,500 lbs (about half that of a small car)
Power: 385HP 6 cylinder engine
Maximum Rotation: 420 degrees per second (remember, a complete loop is 360!)
Maximum G’s: 5G (my flight)  10G’s (what he feels during the airshow) 16G’s (what this aircraft can handle)

…at 10G’s, a 180lb man would weigh an astonishing 1,800lbs…more than the  weight of the aircraft!

RAW FLIGHT VIDEO

Posted under aviation

As I mentioned in 13 News at 6, subtle pressure falls to the west have helped a few showers initiate and move into the Stateline. These showers will be spotty in nature and should not amount to much as far as rainfall totals go. Look for scattered rain chances to continue through the early portions of Saturday. After this area of low pressure passes, high pressure will build in from the north and provide clear skies and light winds for Rockford AirFest this weekend!

Posted under weather

The National Hurricane Center is not impressed with one of the spots in the Caribbean, but the other one could be interesting to watch in the next couple of days.

The first tropical wave is over an area in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. The wave is a patch of disorganized showers and storms and is moving west around 15-20 mph. It is unlikely that this will become anything severe because the atmospheric conditions that the wave is heading into are not favorable.

The second area of showers and thunderstorms is located over the eastern Atlantic Ocean about 700 miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. These storms are being watched because there is another tropical wave moving off the coast of Africa that is more organized. The NHC thinks that these two systems could interact in the next couple of days. The atmospheric conditions are not that impressive but if they form into one wave, it could be worth watching.

Posted under weather

Although thunderstorms are a good possibility Friday, the likelihood of the storms becoming severe is low. A warm front will pass to the southwest of Rockford and keep our airmass a bit cooler and more stable. We tend to talk about the triple point (Cold front, Low, and Warm front) intersection as a prime location for severe weather and all of these features will pass south of us. Other than a couple of lingering showers early on Saturday, conditions will be sunny and comfortable this weekend.

-AB

Posted under severe weather

Aside from a bit of rain early Saturday morning, this weekend looks to be spectacular for Rockford AirFest. High pressure will move in and keep skies mostly sunny and temperatures into the lower 80′s! For more information on this weekend’s attractions, visit http://www.flyrfd.com/airfest.html

Posted under weather

Imagine a ball of ice falling from the sky that is about the size of a small cantaloupe. That happened on the evening of July 23, 2010 as severe storms rolled through northeastern South Dakota. In the town of Vivian, a severe storm unleashed hailstones that were large enough to create holes the size of coffee cans in the ground.
A ranch hand at a local farm watched in awe as the storm moved through. After the it passed, he went out to look at the damage and that is when the hailstone caught his eye. The chunk of ice weighed almost 2 pounds, was 8 inches in diameter and 18 ½ inches in circumference.
The current record setting hailstone is 7 inches and about 18.75 in circumference, that fell on June 22, 2003 in Aurora, Nebraska. It is more than likely that the South Dakota hailstone will break the Nebraska record. However, we’ll have to wait for an official answer from NOAA’s National Climate Extremes Committee.

Posted under severe weather

This video came into the Weather Center this evening, six days after record flash flooding affected the Milwaukee Metro area. Before you view it, be warned there is explicit language in the video which is not suitable for some viewers. Click on the map above to view the video in YouTube. In addition, these “kids” are breaking all of the rules when it comes to flood safety. Whenever there is flooding, assume there is debris, fecal matter, and chemicals in the water that can make you very sick. In addition, being in a flash flood like this can cause you to lose your footing causing injury or death.

A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student was killed when his car was swept off the road during the flooding.

Posted under flooding

This story from CBS News took A LOT of planning. Great piece about how we’re just a bunch of complainers when it comes to the weather. -ES

p.s. This is the first blog post that warrants the tags “winter storm” AND “heat wave.”

Posted under heat wave, winter storm

A flood warning continues for the Pecatonica River near Shirland. As of this morning, the level was at 15.79 feet and steady. That is almost 4 feet above flood stage. Peak levels will continue to fluctuate and will slowly start to go down by Thursday morning. The river will continue to fall and reach below flood level by Saturday evening.

A flood warning continues for the Rock River at Rockton. Levels this morning were around 12.97 feet and rising. That is about 3 feet above flood stage. The forecasted peak level is to be around 13.2 feet, which is a foot below major flood stage (14 ft). The river will continue to rise until Friday morning when it starts to slowly lower but will not fall below flood stage until Saturday afternoon.

A flood warning continues for the Rock River at Machesney Park. As of now, the levels are at 12.3 and slowly becoming steady. Flood stage is at 10 feet and forecasted peak levels has been reached. The river will start to fall below flood stage by Saturday morning.

Posted under flooding