The World Meteorological Organization is specific in its definition by stating that a heat wave is when the daily maximum temperature for more than five consecutive days exceeds the average maximum temperature by 9 degrees Fahrenheit. For Grand Rapids that would be a high of 92° in most of July. Heat waves are caused by […]
Boy how time flies, it seems just like yesterday we were talking about cold and snow and now we are knocking on July’s door. The daily temperature is very stable for most years in July. The month starts out with a average H/L of 83/62. Goes up to 83/62 on the 15th and is 82/62 […]
Today at 5:44 PM EDT is Summer Solstice. While many people call this the first day of summer. Meteorological Summers started on June 1st and this year we already have had several very warm to hot days. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the longest day of the year and the […]
While on this side of the state the 1956 tornado is one that will come to minds of us older folks as the BIG one.. But being originally from the east side of the state the 1953 Flint tornado is the one that comes it mind. June 8, 1953 was a warm but not really […]
The events leading up to the summer of 1816 may have started on April 10, 1815 with the eruption of the volcano Tambora on the island of Sumbawa in what’s now Indonesia. The volcano spewed out enough ash and pumice to cover a square area 100 miles on each side to a depth of almost 12 feet. It […]
No not the Bob Seger song but it is now time to turn the page to June and the start of summer 2020. This will be a different kind of summer for me as this will be the first time since 1966 that I will not be working during the summer months (or it […]
Originally called Decoration Day, from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags, Memorial Day is a day for remembrance of those who have died in service to our country. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John […]
We have had two very cold periods in both April and May. Both seen near record cold maximum. During this time Mookie stated the following on May 9, 2020 8:06 pm “Definitely overhyped and the forecasts were way too cold! We’ve seen plenty of record highs the past year. Way more than record lows.” So, […]
First off, I would like to wish all mothers a Happy Mother’s day. Celebrations of mother’s and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.” Here […]
May is the fifth month of the year and here in the Northern Hemisphere it is the last month of spring. Late May typically marks the start of the summer vacation season in the United States and Canada. No month starts and ends on the same day of the week as May in any year. This month is […]