Golden Snow Shovel Contest Has Begun Despite 70s Back in the Forecast

I wanted to thank Mad Mushroom Pizza for once again providing the pizza and being our big sponsor. It was a lot of fun last year and you all know that I already have my snow shovel ready for this year! Our first inch of snow usually does not arrive until late November and early December, but this year could be different. That is the only hint I will give you. Remember the one inch of snow has to accumulate here at WLFI. I am looking at the measuring stick right now with a big smile on my face. So if you are spooked by snow here is your chance to get back at the weatherman. In addition to getting a free large pizza every week of the year with two toppings, I will also shovel your driveway for you. For those that do not know, I absolutely love shoveling snow. This is because of a childhood that included several dozen snowstorms that always seemed to miss Bowie, Maryland by about 40 to 60 miles. It was heartbreaking. At least I cannot make up for some lost time here in my new adopted home in Indiana. Let the contest begin!

We certainly do not have to worry about snow this week with temperatures roaring toward 70 today and tomorrow! What a month it has been for warm weather. We very well may go from summer straight into winter. I will have more on this tonight and of course your Halloween forecast. Right now we still have a chance of spooky showers and a howling wind. Sunset will be at 6:46 p.m. with temperatures falling into the middle to upper 50s by 8 p.m. which is unusually mild for this time of year. I do not see much rain with most areas receiving less than .05" of an inch. I think spooky sprinkles would better describe the trick or treat forecast which still looks more like a treat. My daughters are going as Hannah Montana, Dorothy (from the Wizard of Oz), and maybe a 50s girl. So it is a good thing the weather is cooperating. I do not want to be the grinch for Halloween that is for sure. I could go as partly cloudy with a chance of showers like I did last year. We will have to wait and see.

But just when you thought there was nothing too scary in the forecast, you may want to beware of a fuzzy eerie-looking light in the northeastern sky the next few nights. A special thanks to Purdue professor Van Neie for straightening this out for all of us.

I left you a phone message earlier this evening. In the north sky, below and slightly to the east of the constellation Cassiopeia in the constellation Perseus, is the comet 17P/Holmes. It has recently "exploded" and is visible to the naked eye. However, through binoculars it is a big fuzzy ball, easily seen against the pinpoint stars. More information and pictures can be had at
http://spaceweather.com
Van Neie
Emeritus Prof of Physics Education
Purdue

Since we will be clear once again this evening make sure to take a look at this beautiful sight in the sky. The picture above is what it looked like in Easton, Pennsylvania a few nights ago. It has literally exploded and is a millionfold brighter than it once was and you can see it without a telescope. Scientists are scrambling to find out exactly what happened and have never witnessed this before to this magnitude.The interesting part in this picture is the comet looks like it has eyes. But those eyes are really stars in the background that are being partially covered by the comet's fiery snowball. A special thanks to Van Neie for bringing this beautiful sight in the sky to our attention.

It does look like a Happy Halloween, but it could propel us into the record-books by making it one of the warmest Octobers on record. Where will we stack up and does this usually mean we will have a mild winter or a cold and snowy winter? I will have more answers here on the weather blog tomorrow and tell you more about what went on at the National Weather Service Winter Workshop today. Thanks for reading and see you soon!