Thursday, December 27, 2007

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

Sunday, December 23, 2007

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)

Monday, December 10, 2007

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

Monday, December 3, 2007

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!