Weather... Unplugged!

We take weather very seriously at NEWS7, but thankfully, we don't take ourselves to such an extreme. NEWS7 videographer Steve "Doc" Claris and I headed out to Salem today to shoot the January almanac. While we were there, we shot this "tag" with the intention of putting it on my blog, however, my news director isn't totally against editing it into the actual almanac that airs January 1! Stay tuned to see if I use it, or go with a slightly "safer" ending. Remember, we're in "prediction, not production" so there will be days the forecast is B-O-T-C-H-E-D! Enjoy! --Jay

Last School Visit Of 2007!

Last week (12/20) I made a quick trip up to Rockbridge County to speak with the fourth and fifth graders at Effinger Elementary School about weather. It was a beautiful drive up to Lexington, and then back into Collierstown. While most students would be too excited about the upcoming winter break to pay attention to a guest speaker, Mrs. Wheeler's students were a captive audience. They asked great questions and seemed genuinely interested in weather and broadcasting. Effinger wraps up my school visits for 2007, but there's more to come in '08. I've logged over 900 miles in my travels to local schools since October, and talked with almost 700 students during that time. It's great to get out of the station and talk about weather whenever time allows! Special thanks again to Effinger for a great trip... I'll see you again in late February for Read Across America Day! (Pictured: Jay with Melanie Falls, EES principal)

Great Last Minute WX Gifts!

Each year, I usually end up with a weather gift of some kind. Last year it was a book titled "HURRICANE WATCH - Forecasting The Deadliest Storms On Earth." This year I put in for another book called "Railroads and Weather" published by the American Meteorological Society. Two years ago my sister came up with a creative idea. She had my initials stitched on a neck tie with clouds, rain and lightning bolts flying all around it. Only one problem - on TV the stitching seems like the sewing machine was drinking too much eggnog. Many years ago my parents bought me one of those "Complete Idiot's Guide to Weather" books. It's still in my desk drawer. One year it was a NOAA weather radio. A "must have" for a meteorologist, and something everyone should have. It alerts the public of approaching storms. It tells a sleeping meteorologist at 2:30 in the morning to get to work! Handheld anemometers and a variety of home weather stations are also good gift ideas. Someone in Meteorologist Brent Watts' family gave him a "scoop" of some sort last year that you stick in the snow and it makes perfect snowballs! On the other extreme, Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner tried to order a snow making machine a few years ago. There are many, many "last minute" weather gifts out there if you're still trying to wrap up your gift buying for someone special. Hope the above entry may be of some assistance! --Jay

Bowl Bound

If you're a football fan in Virginia, you have a lot to be proud of this year. Both UVA and Virginia Tech are on their way to Florida for bowl games.

First, the Cavaliers will play in the Gator Bowl New Year's Day. Kickoff is slated for 1:00p.m. in Jacksonville. The Hoos will take on Texas Tech. You can catch that game right here on "Your Hometown Station."

The Hokies are ACC Champions! Virginia Tech and Kansas play in the FedEx Orange Bowl two days later. The January 3rd kickoff will be in Miami at 8:00p.m.

The NEWS7 Sports team (Mike Stevens, Travis Wells, and Grant Kittelson) will keep you updated on stories, highlights and scores from the games. Enjoy!

100% Chance This May Be Right

There are a few jobs I'm glad I don't have. Even though there is a need (I respect you guys!), I couldn't be a roadkill cleaner (see picture). I have no desire to be the guy in the batting cage-turned golf cart thing that collects balls at the driving range (don't know about you, but he's always my target practice). Finally, I'm glad I'm not a seasonal hurricane forecaster. Yup, the guys that announce just before the hurricane season how "quiet" or "bad" it's going to be from June through November in the Atlantic basin. Let's review, shall we...

2005: Hurricane prediction well below what occurred. 28 named storms, so many the Greek alphabet was used. Storms like Katrina, Rita and Wilma hit the U.S.
2006: Following the massive devastation and loss of life from the '05 season, seasonal forecasters predicted "higher-than-average" activity. It didn't happen.
2007: Same thing. 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes predicted. We had 14 named storms, and 6 hurricanes. Humberto was really the only storm to affect the U.S.

PLEASE don't get me wrong. I couldn't be a seasonal hurricane forecaster, that's why I'm in the broadcasting end of meteorology. I just don't think the "science" is there yet to accurately predict what exactly a hurricane season will be like. Is there value in these forecasts? - YES! But, the public is already questioning the last three "botched" years of hurricane forecasts. Blogs on Tuesday were filled with comments like: "These forecasts are a joke!", "...why do we even have weather reports!?", and my favorite, "The winning numbers for Wednesday's Florida Lottery drawing are: 3-14-28-35-41-50." When the public starts to form an opinion as strongly as this, it'll take a few years of near 100% accuracy to change their minds. Even Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami said, "The seasonal hurricane forecasters certainly have a lot of explaining to do."

Again, don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for these folks who dish out these forecasts, but it's like me telling you how much snow we're going to get between now and spring within two-inches. I could guess, but I'd probably be wrong, and you'd probably hold me to my forecast!

Hurricane season ends Friday. Hope your week is going well! --Jay

Happy Thanksgiving To You!

I hope you get to spend lots of time with your family this Thanksgiving. Be careful on the roads! Traffic will be hectic Wednesday, and Thursday promises to be wet on Virginia's interstates (if you're traveling then!) More blogging will follow Thanksgiving; in the meantime, enjoy this passage from STORMFAX on the weather conditions during the winter of 1620-1621. --Jay

The Winter of 1620-'21
Copyright © 1996-2007 STORMFAX, Inc.

The decision of the Pilgrims to land on the shores of Massachusetts was dictated by the weather. At the time the Mayflower was passing the southeastern tip of Cape Cod, the wind and waves prompted the crew to make landfall out of danger rather than proceed to their planned destination at New York Harbor. The small 180-ton ship passed the central headland of Cape Cod near Nauset soon after daybreak on November 19, 1620, but found itself in the dangerous shoals east of Monomoy Point. The Pilgrims turned back northward, taking advantage of the south wind and eventually found safety rounding the northern tip of the Cape into the protected waters of the bay. Clear weather and a favorable wind held on the 20th and 21st, speeding the ship northward. The Mayflower dropped anchor early in the morning of the 21st in Provincetown Harbor after 65 days at sea. (1)

William Bradford, historian and later governor of Plymouth Plantation, described what faced the Pilgrims at Provincetown:

Being thus passed the vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation, they had now no friends to welcome them or inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies; no houses or much less towns to repair to... And for now it was Winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search and unknown coast. (2)

Nearly all historians describe the winter of 1620-'21 as mild, though the season began with harsh weather early in December just at the time the Pilgrims were exploring the unknown land. Bradford described the conditions of December 7th and 8th: for the ground was now all covered with snow and hard frozen. Snow depth was half a foot. Another exploration party set out the 16th in very cold and hard weather to reach the southern shore of Cape Cod Bay. The 17th was windy, the weather was very cold and it froze hard as the spray of the sea lighting on their coats, they were as if they had been glazed. (2)

The afternoon of the 18th brought snow and rain. (These early winter conditions eventually gave way to milder weather when the winds shifted from the northeast to a more southerly flow.) The expedition then moved to the western shore of the Bay where one of the mariners remembered visiting a large harbor on a previous voyage. Samuel de Champlain had visited this harbor in 1605 and published a navigation chart of the area in 1612. The Pilgrims were not the earliest to visit Plymouth harbor with their landing on that stormy night of December 18th-19th, 1620. (1)

More favorable weather followed the storm. After two days of drying out, exploring the small island, and sounding the harbor, the famous landing took place on December 21st, from a small rowboat and not from the larger ship, on a sandy beach and not on a "rock," by only ten men and not with women and children, and without ceremony as the men were afraid of meeting hostile natives on shore. After a reconnaissance showed the area to have some advantages over other places recently surveyed, the small boat returned to Provincetown and the entire company came over on the Mayflower on December 26th. The decision was made to found the colony on the surveyed site at Plymouth, in part by the weather: (1)

Now the heart of winter, and unseasonable weather, was come upon us, so that we could not go upon coasting and discovery, without danger of losing men and boat, especially considering what variable winds and sudden storms do there arise. Also cold and wet lodging has so tainted our people (for scarce any of us were free of vehement coughs) as if they could continue long in that state, it would endanger the lives of many, and breed disease and infection amongst us. (3)

The winter of 1620-'21 was "a calm winter, such as was never seen here since," wrote Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts Bay in 1630. Edward Winslow, one of the original Pilgrims, also wrote about the "remarkable mildness" of that first winter in Good Newes from New England, published in 1624. There was testimony by others to a mild end of December, a moderate January, a brief cold spell with sleet and some snow in early February, followed by definitely mild conditions and an early spring. (1)

Despite the generally warmer than normal conditions, almost half of the original passengers and crew of the Mayflower succumbed to disease during the first winter on the shores of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bay. Many lived on board the Mayflower anchored a mile-and-a-half offshore and went to the land each day, weather permitting, to build adequate shelters. William Bradford described the winter weather as blustery with much rain. (2)

Most early Pilgrim writers dwelt very briefly on the subject of New England weather, bent on sending favorable reports to please their sponsors in England or on trying to persuade other settlers to make the hard decision to come to America.

There is no detailed information as to the nature of subsequent winters during the first decade of settlement at Plymouth, but we know life was hard on that rough shore where the approach of winter led the Pilgrims to establish their settlement. It was a marginal existence with the weather more an adversary than a friend. Each winter was a dreaded season.

(1) David Ludlum. Early American Winters 1604-1820. Boston, American Meteorological Society, 1966. 7-12.
(2) William Bradford. Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647. Samuel E. Morison, ed. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1952. 60-71.
(3) Mourt's Relation or Journal of the Plantation at Plymouth. Henry M. Dexter, ed. Boston, John Kimball Wiggin, 1865. 39.

On The Road Again...

It's always a great pleasure to go out to local schools and talk to students about weather. (I probably get more out of it than they do!) Last Friday Mrs. Jennifer Green's fourth grade class was on the docket, so I packed up my gear and headed to Eureka Elementary School.

Eureka E.S. is just outside the Keysville town limits in Charlotte County - nearly a two hour drive from our Roanoke studios. The drive was worth it - as Mrs. Green's students were well prepared for our weather discussion. They we're very attentive, asked great questions (and some tough ones, too!) and were all around hospitable. It's nice to know we have such a captive audience in Charlotte County, even though they're closer to the Richmond TV market.

Routes 40 and 47 provided many great picture opportunities. From Appomattox, to Charlotte Court House, I snapped many shots. Unfortunately, the only picture that survived the trip (technology gremlins!) is the least picturesque of all them - but it'll have to do!

Thanks again to Mrs. Green and the fourth grade class at Eureka Elementary School for the memories!

Next up, my Alma mater... Narrows High School in Giles County...

Drought Improves

The drought hasn't been busted, but we're looking better than several weeks ago. The Roanoke Regional Airport picked up about three inches of much needed rain from Tuesday, October 23rd through Saturday, October 27th. There were many locations across our viewing area that had considerably more during that period. Amounts around five to eight inches were commonplace, as a tropical feed of moisture worked from south to north across Virginia. Due to the dry summer, there were very few flooding problems - just some standing water, a flooded basement here or there, and a brief River Flood Warning on the Dan River at South Boston. Since that soaking rain, the airport hasn't picked up a drop. Rain chances are very low through at least next weekend. I've attached images from the U.S. Drought Monitor to show you the improvement in our condition.

WDBJ Costume Kids

Parker is not even two years old, and I've only told him not to talk to strangers a few times so far in his young life, but I think he's a quick learner!

He's usually a friendly little fellow, but when Meteorologist Brent Watts tried to talk to him on Halloween on NEWS7 at Five, he would have nothing of it. Parker is a big fan of "Mr. Brent" - but dress him up in a pirate hat and scary
makeup that's six hours old, and Parker got a little confused. I think he was afraid Brent was going to make him walk the plank.

This is the second year the SkyTracker7 Weather Deck has played host to "WDBJ Costume Kids." It's a fun time, as WDBJ employees bring their youngsters to the station for treats and live TV to show off their costumes. There's some raw video on our homepage of pre-newscast happenings.

Hope you had a great, and safe, Halloween!

New Set/Host For "Price"

The 36th season of the hit CBS game show "The Price is Right" premieres Monday, October 15th on WDBJ7. I love this show. Even when I worked for an ABC affiliate a few years ago I would watch "Price" on CBS from 11:00a.m. until noon as I prepared for our noon newscast. "Price" is a great lead into NEWS7 at Noon for WDBJ. And how could it not be, after all, it's tagged "Americas Favorite Game Show!" Here are a few pictures of the new set that will debut with the shows new host, Drew Carey in just over a week. I'm glad the new set will still carry the old flavor of the previous set. I hope Drew Carey will carry the show. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of his, but we'll see. Enjoy the pictures of the Bob Barker studio in Los Angeles, CA.

Parker & The Pumpkin Patch

We took Parker to Ikenberry Orchards in Daleville today to search for a pumpkin. He finally picked one out, but I think he enjoyed the gravel parking lot more than anything. His new favorite word is "rock", so he had to thoroughly inspect every gravel in the parking lot before we could leave. Hope your October is off to a great start!

News Team Assemble!

Going through some old stuff the other day I ran across a pile of pictures from my early days in the biz. For those of you who don't know, I worked at the TV station in Harrisonburg for six years. For most of that time I was the weekday morning and noon weatherman, but when I first arrived I worked the weekend shift. Your weekend news team in Harrisonburg in 2000 consisted of yours truly with weather duties, Brad Ramsey with sports, and scoop reporter/producer/anchor Rachel DePompa. Yep - that's the same Rachel that's currently NEWS 7's New River Valley Bureau Chief! Brad is now the general manager of a TV station in Winchester. Those were happy days! If we would've known in 2000 where we would be in 2007 I think we would've been even more happy. Life has turned out pretty good. We would also like to think we gave Hollywood the idea for "Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy" - but we can't take credit for that. Hope you've enjoyed this walk down Memory Lane.

The Ride Of Your Life

This is video from the USAF Reserve Hurricane Hunters flying into the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Felix a few weeks ago. While the "eye" of a hurricane is calm, the outer "eye wall" is made up of very strong thunderstorms. The ride gets more bumpy as the journey continues. The video starts about 20 miles outside of the eye. There are pictures from within the eye following the video. You can see the moon from the cockpit of the aircraft - it's that clear (and calm) in that part of the storm!

The typical "eye" of a hurricane is about 5-15 miles wide; surrounded by towering cumulonimbus clouds up to 10 miles high! Felix, a strong CAT 5 hurricane, had a tightly wrapped eye, as is usually the case in intense hurricanes.

Enjoy the ride, with a little help from "The Doors"! --Jay

Eye On The Tropics

A great way to get caught up on rainfall is by the transport of tropical moisture into our region. The remnants of a tropical cyclone raining out over Virginia could bring us that "liquid sunshine" so many of us desire. However, beware! Tropical systems like Juan (1985) and Camille (1969) are examples of too much rain here in the Old Dominion.

We're just past what is considered the "peak" of hurricane season. Below is a quote they use in the Caribbean regarding hurricane season. I've found this saying to generally be true in the past. If nothing else, it's fun to say!

June - too soon!
July - stand by!
August - look out you must!
September - remember!
October - all over!

The 2007 Atlantic Season officially ends November 30. I've put a "countdown" clock on my blog so you can check off the days with us in the SkyTracker7 Forecast Center.

Hope your week is going well! --Jay

Geography (such as)

As local students return to class, the SkyTracker7 meteorologists will soon be asked to visit classrooms and talk about weather and our jobs. The question often comes up, "How do you become a meteorologist?" To answer this, we usually tell the students to learn about math and science. I also add that geography is very important.

Recently, Miss Teen USA/South Carolina was asked why 1/5 of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. As she points out - most Americans don't have maps, which leads to the problem... such as. The YouTube video above is your geography lesson of the day.

Parker Pictures!

Here are some new pictures of Parker and family. Thought I would publish these to my blog. Enjoy your week! --Jay

Good Times In The Weather Office!

What a weekend! Congratulations going out to two colleagues and friends. First, Mornin' and Noon meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner and his wife Karen became parents this weekend. Their son, Ayden, was born early Sunday morning. What a happy time when a baby comes along. Leo and Karen will be great parents! Ayden is fortunate to have them. Leo will probably take him snow boarding in just a few months.



More big news from the weekend. SkyTracker 7's Brent Watts became "Meteorologist" Brent Watts! Brent has completed the requirements from Mississippi State University, taking classes in climatology, radar and satellite meteorology, and hydrology - just to name a few. He also enjoyed thermodynamics. There are now four full-time (say that fast) meteorologists on-staff at NEWS7.

Congratulations again to Leo and Brent! Both must feel like they're on "cloud 9" right now. Have a great week friends! --Jay

Back From The Beach

We're back - fresh off a relaxing vacation to the coast of South Carolina! My how times flies at the beach! Enjoy these pictures of our trip. We're already making plans to return!

Parker plops in the Atlantic for the first time. He learned to love swimming pools this summer; now all he wants is the ocean!

Father and son hit the beach just moments after arriving. Water temperatures were in the lower 80s - perfect!

I've got this beach thing down!

Webb family on a merry-go-round.

Me supporting SkyTracker7 weather and the Salem Av's at the beach. Dad and I enjoyed a Thursday night game watching the

Av's play the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Salem won. Great seats (thanks John), great hotdogs, great refreshments ;-)

The proud grandparents.

Beach Bound!

WOW... the weather pattern sure has been active the last week. Severe thunderstorm warnings, rotating storms, gusty winds, vivid lightning, flash flood warnings... I need a vacation!

We're packing up and heading out early Monday morning for the beach... I can't wait! This time last year I skipped our annual family vacation, to train here at NEWS7. My wife and I did break away in the fall for a few days to go to the coast, but an "extended" trip is in order now. We're most excited about bringing our son, Parker, to the beach. He loves sand and water, and I keep telling him the beach offers much more water than his little swimming pool, and much more sand than his sand box. Digital cameras are charging, and video cameras are ready to roll. I'll post some pictures of Parker's first trip to the beach when we return. Have a great week! --Jay

WDBJ7 (Old School!)

I've always thought WDBJ has the most creative folks behind the scenes building our graphics which make up our "on air look". In house folks like Joel Sink, Tim Wright and Mike Morgan work hard to give us a sharp on-air presence. Not only has WDBJ been a news leader for over 50 years, but our technology is top-notch (i.e. TITAN 3-D Radar!). While it may look rough by today's standards, enjoy this vintage clip of "Your Hometown Station" I found on YouTube. The clip is of the "Show Open" - it's the first thing you see as the newscast starts. Again, rough by today's graphics, but ahead of its time in 1996.

New Pics

My wife and I are discovering that our son Parker loves trains! Good thing we live in Roanoke! We recently took him to the Mill Mountain Zoo and rode the ZooChoo. He loved it! I have to admit, I enjoyed it too. I haven't riden on the ZooChoo since I was in kindergarden.



The fields around my parents' house in Narrows were being mowed a few weeks ago when we dropped by for a quick visit. Parker also enjoyed climbing aboard the tractor which was parked in the yard, as the dashboard was loaded with buttons, knobs and lights. Enjoy this picture of three generations of Webbs! From left to right: me, Parker, and dad.

How 'bout this heat!? Temperatures have soared into the 90s since late last week, and athough I personally didn't think the humidity was bad this weekend, Monday certainly was a different story! The weather maps are pointing to a pattern change late in the week as a cold front approaches, but until then, we're in this together!

Hopefully our old pal Robert Palmer can at least add some enjoyment to the current heat wave. I always liked him. Great 80s music, and... he dressed like a weatherman! Some like it hot... some don't! STAY COOL FRIENDS! --Jay

A New Look!

My mom has already emailed, informing me she likes the new "look" of my blog, however, she misses the pictures that used to be on here.

Don't worry mom, and other faithful blog readers, pictures will be coming! Also, this thing will likely be filled with YouTube video soon enough.

Just wanted to send out a quick update. My blog should start coming to life over the next few weeks; but not next week - it's VACATION TIME!

Wrong Number!

You can reach me at: jwebb@wdbj7.com


"SkyTracker7 Weather Department, this is Jay, how may I help you?" This is the normal greeting you'll get from us if you call the weather set. Recently, we've been playing the role of meteorologist and police dispatcher, thanks to a misprint in some of the 2007 Roanoke phone books. First off, the correct Roanoke County non-emergency police line is 562-3265; however, the new phone books have the first three digit local exchange number incorrect. The book lists a very similar number as the non-emergency line - that's actually the weather set line!
This past weekend I must have answered 10 or 12 calls that were meant for the police. I know one thing, I'm glad I'm not a dispatcher. Some of these calls are nuts! For example, the other day the phone rang (at 4:00am) and I answered it with the greeting above. The (very intoxicated) caller said, "Yeah, one of your dogs bit me four years ago and I want to talk to an investigator about it now!" I told him that he'd dialed NEWS7, and not the police department. Mistake. He said, "This is NEWS7? We'll, since I have you on the phone I need you to send a reporter out here now and get this on the news!" I tried to laugh it off, as you could hear what sounded like beer bottles clanking around in the background. I told the caller I was actually in the weather department, at which point he started using profanity; so I just hung up.
On the other hand, some of these callers are sincerely mad, concerned, or even scared. One woman was crying. One caller was a realtor checking on the security of a neighborhood for a client. Most are reporting suspicious activity. I thought drunks ran from police, but apparently a lot actually call them! I imagine we're only getting a very small percentage of the calls police recieve, but this phone book flaw certainly makes you respect the job of dispatchers.
Hope you're having a great week! Summer begins Thursday! --Jay
***NOTE*** After posting this blog, I noticed Chief Meteorologist Robin Reed made a very similar entry. He actually emailed one of his contacts at the Roanoke Times. He's included his email to that reporter for you to read if you'd like. Robin's blog entry titled "Get the number right" from Monday, June 11.