Pete’s Weather

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
317 AM CST TUE FEB 9 2010

ILZ005-006-012>014-091730-
/O.EXT.KLOT.WS.W.0002.000000T0000Z-100210T1500Z/
MCHENRY-LAKE IL-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WOODSTOCK...WAUKEGAN...AURORA...
WHEATON...CHICAGO
317 AM CST TUE FEB 9 2010

...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST WEDNESDAY...

THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST
WEDNESDAY.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING...WITH SNOW LIKELY
  BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING
  HOURS. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE FRESHLY FALLEN
  SNOW IS LIKELY TONIGHT INTO VERY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* ACCUMULATIONS...LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL THIS MORNING INTO THE
  EARLY AFTERNOON WILL RESULT IN HOURLY SNOWFALL RATES OF
  GENERALLY A HALF INCH OR LESS. LOCALIZED LAKE ENHANCEMENT OF THE
  SNOWFALL IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING
  RESULTING IN PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW WITH SNOWFALL RATES REACHING
  AN INCH OR MORE PER HOUR AT TIMES. A STORM TOTAL BY LATE TONIGHT
  OF 8 TO 12 INCHES IS EXPECTED...THOUGH THE LAKE ENHANCEMENT OF
  THE SNOW MAY RESULT IN LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS.

* HAZARDS...IN ADDITION TO THE LONG DURATION ACCUMULATING
  SNOWFALL...NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH
  GUSTS TO 35 MPH TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING RESULTING
  IN CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...PARTICULARLY IN MORE
  OPEN AND OUTLYING AREAS. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR NEAR GROUND
  BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN RURAL AREAS TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY
  MORNING.

* IMPACTS...TRAVEL IS LIKELY TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HAMPERED BY THE
  SNOW STORM...INCLUDING THIS MORNING`S RUSH HOUR AND PARTICULARLY
  THIS EVENING`S RUSH HOUR. SNOW MAY FALL HEAVILY ENOUGH AT TIMES
  THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING THAT EVEN MAJOR ROADS AND
  HIGHWAYS COULD BECOME SNOW COVERED. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW
  TONIGHT WILL RESULT IN NEAR GROUND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN
  OUTLYING AREAS MAKING TRAVEL VERY DANGEROUS. THE SNOW STORM IS
  ALSO SEVERELY AFFECTING AIR TRAVEL WITH HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS
  ALREADY CANCELLED TO AND FROM CHICAGO.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW...
SLEET...ICE...OR STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. THIS
WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. IF YOU MUST
TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR
VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

&&

ALL CURRENT ADVISORIES:Hazardous Weather OutlookWinter Storm Warning

You’ve probably noticed that I occasionally change the website’s background image. I often use photos that I took, but sometimes get to feature great photos of others. The newest image was taken by Steve Spitzer. The view is looking south from the main dune at Montrose Beach Dunes where the native grasses, rushes, and trees turn a rainbow of colors in the fall. Many migratory birds will find respite here during their long and often arduous journey to their wintering grounds in the southern USA and South America. Hard to believe that it’s in our little corner of Chicago.

Many of you have already noticed that Pete’s Weather has gotten some subtle upgrades during the past month. First, I upgraded to a new weather station, the Oregon Scientific WMR200A. I then moved to a faster server, and made a few cosmetic tweaks. Finally, I’ve added support for Twitter, iPhones, and smartphones. Just use the links on the sidebar to get Pete’s Weather through these other media. I hope you enjoy the updates!

The new background photo was taken by me. It shows cone flowers following a rain this past weekend.

Thanks to Mike Naylor for the new background photo from the Montrose Beach Dunes. The flower is a native wetland species called Silverweed that carpets the dunes. While many of us know Montrose Harbor for its beach and soccer fields, the area is also home to mecca of unique plants and animals. After the Chicago Park District stopped mowing a section of beach in the 1990s, native species began to repopulate the area again. There are now approximately 11 acres of dunes. If you check it them out, please remember to tread lightly.

If you’re reading this, get outside!  It’s sunny and in the mid-50s.  How often does that happen in February in Chicago? There is a chance we might hit a record.  The record high out at ORD for today is 59 degrees F and that was set back in 1925. OK, time to go vacuum the car or find some other excuse to be outside.  Enjoy!

You’ll notice in the new current conditions setup that there is now a gauge for Apparent Temperature.

What is “apparent temperature”?  It’s basically the same thing as heat index or wind chill. If it’s summer, think of it as the “heat index”.  If it’s winter, think of it as the “wind chill”. By definition, apparent temperature incorporates actual temperature, humidity, and wind speed. Thus, it’s truly a  measure of “how hot it feels” or “how cold it feels”.

I thought I would post some heat index (wishful thinking this time of year) and wind chill tables to give you an idea of how wind and humidity effect how we feel. It alsp serves as a reminder to the dangers involved when you start taking these into account. I’ve also posted links to more information from the National Weather Service.  Just remember to be careful when things get extreme and to check in on friends and loved ones.

Heat Information from NWS

Winter Information from NWS

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Pete’s Weather was featured again on Uptown Update, one of the top neighborhood blogs in Chicago. Welcome to everyone who found my site from their post, and thanks to UU for the shout out!

If you haven’t noticed, petesweather.com is getting its annual updates. You’ll notice a lot of changes as I struggle with PHP and my server configurations. I’ve moved from plain HTML to using Wordpress. I still have code tweaking, but I’m leaning a lot and should hopefully have it 100% in the next couple of weeks. Please pardon the dust and I hope you enjoy the revisions. Thanks!

Happy Holidays!
-Pete