7:00 AM | Still somewhat unsettled, but mainly rain-free and tomorrow will bring a taste of summer as temperatures climb into the 80's

6-Day Forecast

Today

Low clouds and patchy fog early this morning; otherwise, mostly cloudy skies for today, a bit milder, while much of the time will be rain-free there can be an occasional shower and possibly a thunderstorm; especially, during the afternoon hours, highs in the mid 70’s

Tonight

Cloudy, mild, still a chance for showers and thunderstorms primarily before midnight, lows in the mid-to-upper 50’s

Friday

Partly sunny, breezy, very warm, a few afternoon showers and thunderstorms likely, low-to-mid 80's

Friday Night

Cloudy, mild, showers and thunderstorms likely and some of the rain can be heavy at times, upper 50’s

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, mild, chance for more showers and thunderstorms, mid 70’s

Sunday

Partly sunny, cooler, chance for a shower, upper 60’s

Monday

Mostly sunny, breezy, chilly, low 60’s

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, still cool, mid-to-upper 60’s

Discussion

Milder air will edge its way into the region today and then temperatures will climb into the 80's on Friday for a brief taste of summer. While much of the time will be rain-free today and tomorrow, more showers and possible thunderstorms are likely as the unsettled weather pattern continues thanks to a large and slow-moving upper atmospheric low pressure system. A strong cold front will slide eastward this weekend and it will continue the threat for showers and thunderstorms on Saturday. Once this front sweeps off the east coast late in the weekend, dry, but chilly weather will take over for a couple of days. In fact, low temperatures on Monday and Tuesday mornings in the northern and western suburbs could actually be cold enough for some potential damage to outdoor plants. It'll turn noticeably milder again by the middle of next week.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/TTuaxPuFagc

12:30 PM | It's crunch time again...cicada invasion coming soon!!

Discussion

After 17 years of hiding in the earth, vast clouds of “Brood II” cicadas are about to swarm on the eastern US from Georgia to New York. There are 15 broods in the US that emerge every 13 or 17 years, so that nearly every year, some place around the country is overrun. Last year, it was a small area around the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee that got hit and next year will include two areas in the Midwest and Deep South.

The relatively harmless, but noisy insects (picture on Facebook page) are expected to be everywhere and on everything, buzzing through the air and clinging to sides of buildings. They don’t bite or sting, but there will be hundreds of millions of them and they can cluster in the tens of thousands to over one million on any given acre of land.

The key to their emergence after 17 years of being underground is the soil temperature and 64 degrees is the magical trigger point for their reappearance. Typically, that kind of soil temperature is reached around here in the latter part of May or early part of June. At that point, for the first time since 1996, the cicadas will climb up trees, shed their skin and transform into loud adults looking to procreate. The whole cycle lasts only about 6 weeks and then we won’t see them again until 2030.

A couple other notes…when a female squirts her eggs on twigs and shrubs, they can form thick clusters that strip trees of excess branches. This does little permanent damage to trees and the end result is often the same (positive) result as from pruning. Finally, apparently cicadas don’t taste bad. They are arthropods meaning they’re related to shrimp and lobsters (something to bear in mind if allergic to shellfish). It is best, however, to not let dogs gorge on the bugs as their hard exteriors can present a choking hazard. And for those interested, there is a recipe below for cicada tacos.

CICADA TACOS: INGREDIENTS: TWO TABLESPOONS BUTTER OR PEANUT OIL, ONE AND A HALF POUND OF CICADAS, ONE TEASPOON OF CHILI POWDER, ONE TOMATO, FINELY CHOPPED, ONE ONION, FINELY CHOPPED, ONE AND A HALF TABLE SPOON GROUND PEPPER, ONE AND A HALF TABLE SPOON CUMIN, THREE TABLE SPOON TACO SEASONING MIX, ONE HANDFUL CILANTRO, CHOPPED, TACO SHELLS, SOUR CREAM, SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE, SHREDDED LETTUCE.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: 1. HEAT THE BUTTER OR OIL IN A FRYING PAN AND FRY THE CICADAS FOR 10 MINUTES, OR UNTIL COOKED THROUGH. 2. REMOVE FROM PAN AND ROUGHLY CHOP INTO 1/4-INCH CUBES/ PLACE BACK IN PAN. 3. ADD THE CHOPPED ONIONS, CHILIES AND TOMATO, SEASON WITH SALT, AND FRY FOR ANOTHER 5 MINUTES ON MEDIUM-LOW HEAT. 4. SPRINKLE WITH GROUND PEPPER, CUMIN AND OREGANO TO TASTE. 5. SERVE IN TACO SHELLS AND GARNISH WITH CILANTRO, SOUR CREAM, LETTUCE AND CHEDDAR CHEESE.

7:00 AM | Stays unsettled here as broad area of low pressure drifts slowly to the northeast

6-Day Forecast

Today

Considerable cloudiness with occasional showers, maybe a thunderstorm or two, some of the rain will be heavy at times, cool, highs in the upper 60’s

Tonight

Cloudy, cool, scattered showers possible, maybe a thunderstorm, lows in the low-to-mid 50’s

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, milder, an occasional shower possible, maybe a thunderstorm, mid 70’s

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, cool, slight chance for showers, mid 50’s

Friday

Partly sunny, very mild, chance for a few afternoon showers and thunderstorms, near 80

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, a bit cooler, chance for showers, maybe a thunderstorm, mid 70’s

Sunday

Becoming partly sunny, cool, showers possible early, upper 60’s

Monday

Mostly sunny, breezy, chilly, low-to-mid 60’s

Discussion

A broad area of low pressure over the southeastern states is drifting very slowly to the northeast and it will continue to bring us cool and unsettled conditions today with scattered showers and thunderstorms. By tomorrow, milder air will edge our way and there can still scattered showers and thunderstorms although much of Thursday should be rain-free. Temperatures will then approach the 80 degree mark on Friday and the brief “taste of summer” could include afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Cooler weather returns by late in the weekend and the threat for showers will continue on Saturday ahead of a strong cold front. A very chilly air mass for this time of year will move into the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions early next week and the low temperatures on Monday and Tuesday mornings could be cold enough to do some damage to outdoor plants.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/9l0Y5Pit2Ls

12:55 PM | Weather and the Hindenburg disaster 76 years ago

Discussion

While weather played an important role in the Titanic disaster just over one hundred years ago, it was an even more direct cause of the Hindenburg disaster 76 years ago yesterday – at least that is the prevailing belief. On May 6th, 1937, while the Hindenburg was attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, a flame appeared on the outer cover of the rear of the ship. Within 34 seconds, the entire airship was consumed by fire and the golden age of airship travel was over.

The effect of the weather on this tragedy actually began on the trip across the Atlantic Ocean. On most trips across the ocean, the Hindenburg maintained an altitude of about 650 feet and cruised at nearly 80 mph; however, on this particular trip the airship encountered strong head winds that slowed it down, pushing back the expected arrival time in New Jersey from around 6am to about 4pm on May 6th, 1937. This change in expected arrival time was critical as late afternoon and early evening hours are much more likely to feature thunderstorm activity compared to the early morning hours. Indeed, on that particular afternoon, a thunderstorm was brewing over Lakehurst, NJ and winds were kicking up to nearly 30 mph. As a result, the Hindenburg circled around for quite some time while waiting for the weather conditions to improve. By 6pm, the rain was still falling quite heavily from thunderstorm activity throughout much of New Jersey and lightning storms were clearly recorded in the weather observations for the day. Finally, shortly after 7pm, the decision was made by the commander of the airship to land as “conditions definitely improved”.

Not long after that decision was made, the Hindenburg appeared over Lakehurst, NJ and it began to circle the airfield in preparation for the landing. At 7:21pm, the Hindenburg was still about 1000 feet away from the mooring mast and about 300 feet in the air. At 7:25pm, witnesses reported a blue glow on top of the Hindenburg followed by a small flame from the top of the tail section and within seconds there was an explosion and fire engulfed the tail and spread quickly forward. The mid-section of the ship was completely in flames even before the tail of the Hindenburg hit the ground. It took only 34 seconds for the entire airship to be consumed by flames, 36 people lost their lives and, amazingly, there were 61 survivors.

Many theories have been talked about and investigated over the years regarding the disaster including sabotage, mechanical failure or even the possibility that it was shot from the sky. The most widely accepted theory involves the highly flammable hydrogen on the Hindenburg. Most people believed at the time that something caused the hydrogen to spark, thus causing the explosion and fire. In the beginning of the initial investigation, the idea arose that the drop lines carried static electricity back up to the airship which caused the explosion. However, the chief of the ground crew denied this claim by the fact that the mooring lines were not conductors of static electricity. More credible was the idea that the blue arc seen at the tail of the airship just before it burst into flames was actually lightning and it caused the detonation of the hydrogen. This theory was substantiated by the presence of the lightning storms reported in the area. The hydrogen explosion theory became accepted as the reason for the explosion and led to the end of commercial lighter-than-air flight and the stalling of hydrogen as a reliable fuel.

7:00 AM | Periods of rain today and some of it will be heavy at times; unsettled conditions last right through the weekend

6-Day Forecast

Today

Cloudy, still cool for this time of year, periods of rain and possibly a thunderstorm or two, some of the rain will be heavy at times, highs in the mid 60’s

Tonight

Cloudy, cool, periods of rain, maybe a thunderstorm or two, some of the rain will be heavy at times, lows in the low-to-mid 50’s

Wednesday

Cloudy, cool, occasional showers, maybe a thunderstorm, upper 60’s

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers and thunderstorms, low 50’s

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, milder, slight chance for showers, mid 70’s

Friday

Partly sunny, very mild, chance for a shower and thunderstorm, near 80

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, cooler, chance for showers and thunderstorms, near 70

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers, upper 60's

Discussion

A broad area of low pressure over the southeastern states is drifting very slowly to the northeast and will pass over the region in the next couple of days. Periods of rain will fall today and tonight and some of it will be heavy at times and there can be a couple of thunderstorms mixed in. It'll get milder on Thursday and then Friday will see a summer-like flirt with the 80 degree, but the unsettled conditions will continue on both of those days with scattered showers and thunderstorms still possible. A couple of cold fronts will pass through the region this weekend and that will set the stage for cooler weather along with the threat for showers. A very chilly air mass for this time of year will make its way to the Northeast US by early next week following the passage of the second cold front later in the weekend.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/xttSoBNPrmM

7:00 AM | An unsettled week; a flirt with the 80 degree mark by Thursday and Friday

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers this afternoon, highs in the mid-to-upper 60’s

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, chilly, chance for showers, lows in the low-to-mid 50’s

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers, mid-to-upper 60’s

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, cool, periods of rain, upper 50’s

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, cool, periods of rain, upper 60’s

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, milder, chance for showers, upper 70’s

Friday

Partly sunny, very mild, near 80

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, still mild, chance for showers, mid 70’s

Discussion

High pressure that has been anchored in the Northeast US over the past several days will gradually lose its grip on the region as moisture grudgingly advances into the Mid-Atlantic region from our southwest. This moisture is associated with the same upper level system that caused heavy rain across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys over the weekend, but it has now lost some of its punch. The moisture has been slow to arrive and it will be rather slow to depart with the threat for showers continuing for much of the week.

7:00 AM | High pressure stays in control through the weekend; meteor shower peaks this weekend

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly sunny, cool, highs in the upper 60’s

Tonight

Partly cloudy, chilly, lows in the low 40’s

Saturday

Partly-to-mostly sunny, cool, mid-to-upper 60’s

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, chilly, mid 40’s

Sunday

Mostly sunny, pleasant, near 70

Monday

Partly sunny, still comfortable, chance for showers at night, upper 60’s

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers, upper 60’s

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers, upper 60's

Discussion

High pressure anchored in the Northeast US, both at the surface and in the upper atmosphere, will control our weather right through the weekend. A weak front did slide down the northeast coast in the overnight hours and today will turn out a bit cooler than yesterday with a light flow of air off the ocean in much of the Mid-Atlantic region. Sunshine and pleasant temperatures will return for the weekend, but the high pressure system will gradually lose control early next week as moisture heads this way from our southwest. Clouds will increase on Monday and showers will threaten by Tuesday and Wednesday. Finally, there is another meteor shower that peaks this weekend and nighttime skies should be cooperative.

3:30 PM | More on the impressive snow and cold

Discussion

Quite an impressive shot of cold and snow for early May in a large swath of the heartland! An indication as to the extent of the current cold wave encompassing the mid-section of the country can be summed up as follows: temperatures last hour were near 50 degrees in Dallas, Texas where the normal high is now 80 degrees, and at the same time it was snowing heavily in Minnesota and Wisconsin with more than a foot already on the ground up there. Single-day record May snowfalls have fallen today in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Omaha, NE, Mason City, IA, and Rochester, MN, are but a few of several cities that have been clobbered by their biggest May snowfall on record in parts of the country where records go back to the 1800s. Elsewhere, Hayward, Wisconsin received 15 inches of snow which was the most ever in the entire state during the month of May. Additionally, it’s snowing now in Topeka, Kansas – last time for a May snowfall there was 106 years ago.

On Tuesday, Colorado and Wyoming were slammed with heavy snow with some impressive results: 19 inches at Estes Park, CO, 16 inches in Fort Collins, CO, 12 inches in Boulder, CO, 15 inches in Cheyenne, WY and 12 inches in Lander, WY. The highest snow accumulation amount for Colorado was 28 inches at Buckhorn Mountain. Denver dropped to a record low of 19 degrees this morning (5 inches of snow there) and Laramie had its coldest May temperature ever (7 degrees).

At the two-thirds mark for meteorological spring (Mar-May), 2013 was the second coldest spring on record – slightly warmer than 1975. There is a chance to end up with the coldest spring ever for the US, however, as there is more chill on the way for this spring and May 1975 was actually unusually warm. Stay tuned.

7:00 AM | An ocean flow of air has pushed low clouds into the region from the east for the morning, but clearing skies this afternoon

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy this morning then clearing skies this afternoon, pleasant, highs near 70 degrees

Tonight

Partly cloudy, chilly, lows in the mid 40’s

Friday

Partly sunny, pleasant, upper 60’s

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, chilly, low 40’s

Saturday

Mostly sunny, pleasant, upper 60’s

Sunday

Mostly sunny, pleasant, near 70

Monday

Becoming mostly cloudy, seasonal, chance for showers late, near 70

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, seasonal, chance for showers, low 70’s

Discussion

High pressure anchored in the Northeast US, both at the surface and in the upper atmosphere, will control our weather through the weekend. There is, however, a band of low clouds that has worked its way into the region from the eastern shore region and skies will start off the day quite overcast, but there should be some clearing this afternoon. Pleasant temperatures and partial sunshine will close out the work week on Friday and then sunshine and pleasant temperatures will stick around for the weekend. The high pressure system will then gradually lose control of our weather early next week as moisture tries to head this way from our southwest.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/GRdVRfugE8Q

12:15 PM | Sun is now showing a little life; NASA video captures a coronal mass ejection on the edge of the sun and that active region will face the Earth directly next week

Discussion

For the most part, the sun has been relatively quiet this year despite the expectation that the solar maximum for the current solar cycle (#24) will be reached in 2013. Normally, the strongest type of solar flares which are classified by NASA as ”X-flares” are common around the peak of a solar cycle, yet there has not been a single “X-flare” all year. Perhaps, that may change over the next several days as the sun is now showing some life – at least for the short term.

Several sunspot regions are currently visible on the sun and a couple of these (officially called AR1730, AR1731) have magnetic fields that harbor energy for possible strong eruptions over the next couple of days according to NASA scientists. Perhaps of even more interest is what may be lurking on the eastern edge of the sun. NASA’s twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) probes captured a coronal mass ejection (CME) early today on the far side of the sun which will not affect the Earth as the Earth was not in the "line of fire" (CME image on The SI Weather Facebook page - courtesy NASA/Goddard/SDO). Next week, however, that active region on the sun associated with this particular CME will rotate into a position facing the Earth more directly; consequently, it will need to be monitored for possible additional eruptions. Stay tuned.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/9MQt-UxpFLU