Have you ever wondered why someone who studies weather is called a “meteorologist” rather than a “weather-ologist?” If a Cardiologist studies the heart and a Paleontologist studies fossils, then WHY doesn’t a Meteorologist study meteors? When you add the suffix -ologist to the end of a word, it refers to a person who studies a […]
ASK AMY #1 – What Does CHANCE OF RAIN Really Mean?
Have you ever wondered what the rain percentages on the 7 Day Forecast really mean? Have you ever heard me say, “There’s a 20% chance of rain today,” and wonder what in the world that really means? Does a 20% chance for rain mean you’re LESS likely to get rained on than if there was […]
My Accidental Diet
“How do you stay so thin?” is a question I get asked almost as often as, “Do you buy your own clothes?” and “Do you do your own forecasting?” The answer to the second two is an easy, “Yes.” The answer to the first question isn’t quite so simple. As a television meteorologist watched critically […]
Atlantic Hurricane Season Peak
September 10. That’s the official peak of hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin. It’s all downhill from here to the end of the season, November 30. But it’s a slow decline. Not a steep one. So far, it’s been a relatively quiet year with just four named storms. Three have reached hurricane status and NONE […]
Hurricane Frances – 10 Years Later
September 5, 2004: the day Hurricane Frances made landfall through Central Florida. Our hurricane-seasoned eyes were wide open after Hurricane Charley beelined its way straight through Central Florida just a few weeks earlier, hitting Daytona Beach ON ITS EXIT with 106 mph winds. Now Frances was headed our way. And it was daunting. We were […]
Remembering Hurricane Charley
Can you believe it was 9 years ago today that Hurricane Charley roared across Central Florida? August, 13, 2004…. that was Friday the 13th, by the way. Charley was the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Andrew in 1992. Its swath of destruction started in Punta Gorda near Port Charlotte, where […]
Rainy Season Begins… Right On Cue
Beginning today, there is a chance for rain every single afternoon on the 7-day forecast.This doesn’t always mean the rainy season is underway, but in this case, I think it just might be… On average, the Central Florida wet season begins in Orlando on May 27 and in Daytona Beach on May 29. However, it […]
Memorial Day Weekend
It’s Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our American freedoms. A friend reminded me this week that we really shouldn’t wish anyone a “Happy Memorial Day” since it is indeed not about celebration, but rather remembrance, honor and gratitude. I do think the weekend can be celebratory, […]