First June Since 2004 With No Named Storm Bodes Well for 4th Forecast!

Hi, it has been a few days since I checked in. I have plenty of pictures to post and stories to tell. First things first....we will NOT have a named storm in the month of June in the Atlantic basin for the first time since 2004 and this is great news when it comes to our 4th of July Weekend! We have tons of friends from Indiana on the way to Florida this weekend and without a tropical system to worry about this makes my forecast much easier and brighter. Usually this time of year if the tropics get busy it can ruin your trip to the Sunshine State but NOT this year. We also have to be weary of old frontal boundaries that die out over Florida this time of year but it looks like the front washing out over Florida today will have lost most of its punch by time we head into Friday and the holiday weekend. So for now I will give the all clear to all my Indiana friends. I also just talked to my sister Shelli and Wisconsin and oh how jealous I am of her having the windows open with a fresh breeze in OshKosh. I do think the 90 degree weather will be history for much of the Midwest including Lafayette for at least a couple weeks, but it should still be warm enough to take a nice swim at Tropicanoe Cove. I will have more details on this. For now though it is family first. We are heading to the pool. I will be working with Megan on laps and Lauren on her swimming. Abbey will hopefully get some of her energy out....LOL

Have a great day!!!

Back to the Basics! A Day That We Will All Remember

Today was a rough day as two American icons Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson moved on. I prayed to God for giving me such a wonderful family and so many blessings. You just never know and today was an "awakening" for many including me. Time does fly and life is too short. This picture is from Lauren's 3rd birthday. Soon she will be turning five years old.

It will be a day I will never forget. It started off nicely. I picked Megan up from swim practice and the girls and I all had a nice big breakfast with my special recipe egg omelettes. Then I got word about Farrah Fawcett passing away at the young age of 62. I will always remember her as of course the Charlie's Angel who wasn't just a pretty face but an actress that played parts in different movies to help bring many sensitive issues such as spousal abuse to the forefront. This way certain taboo subjects could finally be addressed in a way where they could be discussed and dealt with properly. Then there was her courageous "public" fight against cancer that inspired so many that her spirit will always live on not only from above but here on earth. We all knew this day was coming soon for Farrah but it was still tough to deal with. This was Farrah Fawcett, the girl all my friends and I would talk about in elementary and middle school. I had a heavy heart for sure so I tried to lighten the mood by doing some extra cleaning around the house. I even cleaned out the dog bowl. I guess this has always been a good way for me to clear my mind and the marathon runner mentality I have of just keep moving no matter what really kicked in to high gear. I proceeded to cook up a huge lunch that included two pizzas, spicy noodles, and rice. Yes, the Prangley's love carbohydrates. I should just all my girls the Carb girls. My cooking must be getting better since I have become the parent that "feeds" the neighborhood friends. That is fine by me. I certainly liked the extra company and it helped me feel better about Farrah.



I quickly did the dishes and wiped the counters clean. We had a nice invite to be treated to the Night at the Museum 2 Courtesy of my Dad. We actually made it to the movies on time! My generous Dad got us our tickets, big buckets of popcorn, candy, and drinks. Suprisingly, I really liked this sequel better than the first one and if you have kids it is a must see. I loved all the historical figures in the movie even if was at times hard to believe. Just remember to keep your active imagination turned on if you are a parent which I did. The movie had a couple of deep lines for being more of a science fiction comedy which was fitting on a day like today. I will just say I AGREE THAT THE KEY TO HAPPINESS IS DOING WHAT YOU LOVE WITH THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE.

We thanked my Dad for a fun time and got home. Then I had to run to the library to returns some books and movies. I checked out a religious book, "If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out of the Boat." It is actually a book about being more connected to God and living in the transcendent with a touch of humor. Well on the way home my boat of life was rocked when I was listening to a sports program when the guy starts talking about Michael Jackson dying. I thought it was just one of those many unfair rumors about the poor guy we have heard over the years. Only this time it was all too real. I just did not want to believe it. I quicky called my wife and broke the news to her. She was worried about something like this because we of course lost America's side-kick Ed McMahon earlier in the week, then Farrah and she was wondering who the third would be since in her words it always happens in threes. That is one prediction my wife was hoping did not come true. I am not sure why but I sat in front of the television for more than four hours scanning all the cable coverage. I have not done this since 9/11. It will just be one of those days you will know what you were doing when you found out. I just have to say that Michael Jackson was certainly one of a kind and of course is the King of Pop. He was the 80s version of Elvis and the good news is that in one of the hundreds of interviews they replayed on television tonight he did say that TRUTH ALWAYS PREVAILS AND HE BELIEVES IN GOD. I will never forget one of my college roomates playing Michael Jackson music for at least two hours every day. Luckily I loved his music and I studied for many weather exams with Billie Jean in the backround. It kept me fired up.This was huge for me. To this day I still play Michael Jackson songs and through his music he will certainly live on forever.

I feel God does speak to all of us through others and I know that this week he is speaking loud and clear to me. Even if I am not sure of exactly how and why there are no limits on possibilities with God. We are not supposed to understand everything, but God is at work on us and others which will be revealed later on. This evening I will now get back to basics and watch the Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy with my kids. This after all is what it is all about. This is where I should be and I will make sure to enjoy every second of it. God bless!

Big News: Heat Wave Ends With Refreshing Sea Breezes

Lauren and Dad enjoying the beach. Last week you had to be in the water to actually cool down. Today the sea-breeze kicked in and it made a world of difference!

Wow! It was a great day. I am still in a transition between jobs and the biggest news in my life is what a wonderful time I am having with my girls this summer. You make choices in life and your choices make you. This slogan was what I saw on my way to a couple of important job interviews that went really well this morning. Now today at my interviews I met tons of folks that flew into Jacksonville from all over the country including the Midwest. It was great getting first-hand accounts of the hotter weather that has moved into Wisconsin after such a long and cold Winter and Spring. I understand it has also been sizzling in Indiana. Here in North Florida it was actually cooler than Lafayette today where it hit 94! I told you I would send some love from Florida! We only had a high temperature of 89 which broke a string of 14 consecutive days at 90 or above. There was a refreshing breeze off the ocean that made all the difference in the world and the dewpoints actually fell to 67 which mean the heat index was only in the lower 90s. This means it felt almost 20 degrees cooler compared to the weekend when it felt like 110 degrees. I am ready to go do a sunset run and I may do it in record time. I never thought the upper 80s could feel refreshing but they really do. The comfortable dewpoints will stick around at least for one more day before the heat and humidity combine once again to make it feel like close to 100 once again this weekend. I still see the long-term forecast that includes temperatures closer to normal instead of running about 10 degrees above normal during the day like we were during our first heat wave of the summer. Enjoy! I better go get that run in! :)

Cool Front Pushing Through Area With More Afternoon & Evening Storms

If you have been outside it is still very hot with the latest heat index temperature up near 100 to 104 across the area. You can see why above as the main cold front has really not cleared the area. I am just calling it a cool front because temperatures behind it will still be plenty hot but will indeed be cooler and we will not have to worry about dangerous heat index values of 105 to 110 we have seen over the past several days. The good news is the much heralded cool front will clear the area by late tonight and we will finally have some noticeable relief by tomorrow as highs remain in the 80s at the beach to only near 90 in inland locations. First things first! We do have more storms on the way as some drier, cooler air meets our sultry air mass. It is lightning safety awareness week. Make sure to click the link below for more details.

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/index.htm

One of my favorite sayings is if you hear it, clear it when it comes to thunder. This means you are in danger of being struck by lightning. On the First Coast we average about 90 thunderstorm days a year and a lot of times folks let their guard down because these pop up storms happen so often. This is not smart! I will be back with more lightning safety rules and a cooler 10 day forecast. Have a great day.

A Great Family Weekend Beats the Heat!

I had a wonderful family weekend and it was a very special Father's Day. There were many ways folks were trying to stay cool over the weekend. I stayed cool in the pool with my three daughters above. The pool temperature at my Mom and Dad's house was 86 degrees. The outdoor temperature hit 100 in Mandarin but it did not keep us from being outside a good part of the afternoon. Folks here in Florida just take the heat in stride and the Prangley family has learned to adapt to it in a hurry. We played fun pool games like Monkey in the Middle and my version of Sharks and Minnows. The big news is our family's minnow Lauren has now learned to go below the water and hold her breath. Yes, I will take credit for that and I can just tell you how much it meant to me for her to trust in me and to actually be there when she did it for the first time. It was a Father's Day to remember and I want to thank my lovely wife Julie for making it all happen. You can see us below at my Mom's birthday bash earlier in the weekend.

Julie always treats me special no matter what day it is but made sure to really make sure I had a great day on Father's Day. I love the new bathing suit she got for me but as I told her I really did not need any presents. Her and the girls spoil me rotten. What more can I ask for? Speaking of lucky here is my Mom who has always been there for me. You see my Mom enjoying her birthday below and yes Lauren is helping her blow out her candles. I was happy to be with her instead of a thousand miles away for once. It made a huge difference for me and her too as you see below.

I also got to spend time with my Dad on Father's Day probably for the first time in about 15 years since I have been working all across the country as a meteorologist all these years. It was good to be home with Dad and yes he is looking forward to doing a lot of good golfing with me!

My Dad tracks weather with me all the time as well and were were talking about an increase in storms due to a backdoor front by late today and tonight. Yes! Father knows best! Now there officially is a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 10 p.m. for our Georgia Counties and keep in mind these could be extended into our Florida counties this evening as well. The main threats will be heavy downpours, small hail and brief wind gusts to near 50 mph. This is all coming in with our strongest front in weeks! More details coming here on the blog. Have a great day and night! Stay safe!

Brunswick Hits 100 at 3:35 p.m. Records Are Breaking & The Heat Advisory Continues

Yes, records are falling once again today in south Georgia and Florida. The latest temperature in Tallahassee as of 4 p.m. was 101 degrees and Brunswick, Georgia just checked in with 100 degrees. I have 99 degrees here in St.Johns, 100 degrees in downtown Jacksonville, and 96 degrees at the Jacksonville airport. Now while official records may not be broken at the airport in Jacksonville you better believe the rest of these numbers I gave you or at least tying or breaking record highs. In fact, I just got a 100 degree temperature in on the west side at Cecil Field. Here is the latest from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.

...HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT TO 8 PMSUNDAY...A LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILLBUILD EASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION AND PROVIDE FOR NEAR RECORDTEMPERATURES. THE COMBINATION OF A HUMID AIRMASS AND THESE VERYHOT TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WILLRESULT IN A PERIOD OF HEAT INDICES THAT WILL REACH OR EXCEED 110DEGREES. IN ADDITION...MINIMUM TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL REMAIN INTHE MID TO UPPER 70S ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. AS A RESULT...THEHEAT ADVISORY HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES ISEXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITYWILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES AREPOSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS...STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONEDROOM...STAY OUT OF THE SUN...AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES ANDNEIGHBORS. IF POSSIBLE...CONDUCT ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES EARLY INTHE MORNING OR LATE IN THE EVENING WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE COOLER.

Latest model data in at 4 p.m. is showing highs once again on Sunday in the upper 90s to near 100 with more records falling! But one change on the way....thunderstorms will erupt and cool us down late in the day and tomorrow night! Stay tuned. Highs only in the 80s by Wednesday.....stay cool and safe! I am glad that all my Indiana friends are safe. Teri sent me some incredible pictures of the storm clouds that whipped up tornadoes in Illinois and 65 mph wind gusts across the Lafayette area. I will share a few....but finally I can say it will really feel like summer in Lafayette for the entire week! Enjoy and do what I do here in Florida to stay cool! Hit the pool! I am off to my Mom's dinner! God bless!

Our Weather is Hot, But Latest Tropics Forecast is Not!

Yes, hot! hot! hot! We all know it is hot with our first 100 degree temperature possible in Jacksonville this weekend since 2000. But let me dig deeper to help take your mind off this heat. The even bigger story is the UKMET office has dropped its forecast number of tropical storms this year to only six! This is huge news! If it verifies, it would be the lowest number of named storms since 1992! You can read all about how this number was derived. It is a rehash really of some of the factors I have gone over with you here on the weather blog. Check out this link. Our weather may be hot but this year the tropics are not, which is great news!

http://tinyurl.com/mzzm8z

Records to watch this weekend are 100 for a record high on Saturday and 99 on Sunday which were both set back in 1990! I think we have a shot of at least tying or breaking both numbers. I will have a record update for you this weekend! I am getting back to my big family weekend which includes celebrating my Mom's birthday! I love you Mom!