Slow Tornados

So far, it's been a slow tornado season. No, that doesn't mean the tornados are spinning slowly. It means we haven't had many twisters in the US so far in 2010.

The total number of tornados this year through April 20 is 96. That may sound like a lot, but the average US total for this time of year is 443! We're around 22% of normal!

So, what does that mean for the rest of the tornado season? Not much. Looking through historical records, the number of tornados through April doesn't really indicate how many we'll see in May or beyond.

For more information, go look at this graph from the Storm Prediction Center.

We Need Rain

We are behind on rainfall for 2010 by 4.25" so far. That's about 28% less than the average by this time in the year. January was the driest month, with 3.09" of rain in Shreveport. We need 4.60" on a normal January. But, April is on pace to be even drier. So far, we've only gotten 1.04" in Shreveport and we're halfway through the month.

Now, there is some good news. The soils started off the year kind of soggy thanks to the flooding last October and November. And, the second half of the month is looking like it's going to be a lot wetter for us.

Pollen Problems

So, in case you hadn't noticed, the pollen is becoming a problem. Specifically, tree pollen. According to Dr. Peter Boggs, the tree pollen count today was 4,298. Just for some perspective, in tree pollen, a count of 0-14 is considered low, 15-89 is considered moderate, 90 - 1,499 is high, and anything over 1,500 is very high. We're almost 3 times that number today.

Good news is coming on Wednesday. We'll see some showers and thunderstorms that could drop our pollen count somewhat.

Chilly Record

We set a new record this winter in Shreveport for the most consecutive days below 80 degrees. We did hit 80 in Shreveport today, March 31, 2010. The last time we were above 80 was on October 15, 2009, when we hit 85. That's 166 days in a row, beating the old record of 165 days in a row set back in 1924.

Easter Storms

We don't have a good record with Easter weather here in the ArkLaTex. Take last year, for example. Just two days before Easter, a cluster of storms tracked across the region, spinning up 12 tornados. 10 People were injured. It was the worst tornado outbreak in the ArkLaTex since... Easter 2000!

On April 23, 2000, 28 tornados were confirmed by the National Weather Service. 25 people were injured. And just one year earlier, another Easter outbreak spawned three tornados. One of those was rated as a violent F-4. In those three tornados, 7 people died, and 113 were injured.

Oh, yeah, by the way, we're expecting some strong storms to track into the AkLaTex this weekend. So, be prepared.

Tornado Confirmed

The National Weather Service has confirmed there was a tornado on Wednesday. It was an EF-0 in Hempstead County. The survey found several downed trees and some downed power lines. The twister had maximum winds of 70 mph. It was on the ground for 2.4 miles and was 50 yards wide.

Here's more from the NWS.

Problems Replacing Weather Satellites

It seems there is some trouble replacing the aging weather satellites that we use every day. The currently satellites may start to fail within the next decade. But, their replacements are running into budget problems. Congress is now looking at the plan on how to solve the issue, but this is not a good time to ask the government for more money.

USA Today has more on the problem.