Summer-like Week Coming, Good Feel Leaving...

Dew points in the 30s & 40s allowed the morning lows to cool into the 50s on the North shore & 60s south of Lake P.  That is about to change as the frontal boundary is returning northward and you'll notice the different feel tomorrow.  A cluster of T-Storms over Texas & Oklahoma will stay well north of us.

You can see Houston's dew point is already nearing 70 and that will be here tomorrow.  

There is a weak upper system moving across OK/TX, but that will stay well north.  The next upper system off of Washington will be the next weather maker that might bring another outbreak of severe storms Tuesday & Wednesday.  The SPC's 3 day outlook already pinpoints 2 areas of level 3 risks.  Note, we are not in any risk area.

Which gets me to what tomorrow is.  In the life of a weather broadcaster, there usually are 2-3 events that stand out in your career.  Obviously, Hurricane Katrina is #1.  But April 3rd 1974 at the age of 26, I was the Chief Meteorologist at WDTN-TV 2 in Dayton, Ohio.  April 3-4, 1974 is called the "Super Outbreak" of tornadoes, not for the shear number (148), but because there were 30 F4-5s.  Never has happened since.

Looking back at the TV graphics 50 years ago, they seemed so primitive because they were.  No Doppler, no color, no looping.  Yet you can still see the classic hook right near Xenia, Ohio.   My competitor (late Gil Whitney) had the markets only live radar while I had to use what was called "dial in radar" for the National Weather Service out of Cincinnati(Covington, KY). The top 2 radar views are from NWS out of Covington, KY with the bottom courtesy of WHIO-TV in Dayton.  I'm very proud that I was the first station on-air with the tornado warning. Back then we had not changed ownership yet and were call WLW-D TV.  We actually gave the people WATCHING TV 25-30 minutes lead time. Unfortunately, many had little clue what was coming.

But there were no cell phones back then.  No internet or any social media.  TV & radio were the only way to receive warnings along with sirens in each city.   The Xenia tornado was a monster F5 and killed 30-35 in Xenia alone.  From that day forward, tornado warnings took on a different urgency for me.  Fortunately, technology now days has made getting out the warnings to cell phones automatic.  Hopefully this week's severe outbreak will not be as bad as 1974's?

We'll see near record warmth for the next 3 days before a weak front nears late in the week.  This is Holy Week so let's pray for those who might be in harm's way Tuesday & Wednesday.  Stay tuned!