Watching Ike, the Woolly Worms, & the Wabash this Weekend

Here is a view of Ike from the International Space Station courtesy of NASA. This monster storm is still expected to hit the coast of Texas between Corpus Christi and Houston before re-curving up into the Midwest. It is already starting to gain steam once again now that it has moved away from Cuba and I do expect it to be at least a category 3 hurricane when it reaches the Texas coast on Friday night not too far from Corpus Christi. This monster storm will impact us even here in Indiana. Yes, I am expecting a lot of rain here at home starting Friday, although not all day rains Friday and Saturday since it will be associated with a stalled out frontal system. Sunday could be the wettest of the three days based on this latest track you see just in. This would be the day that Ike's actual remnants move over our area.

The concern here is that we will have a strong jet stream and stalled front interacting with Ike. This means we could have at least 2 to 4 inches of rain and maybe more between Friday and early Monday so make sure to stay tuned for the latest. The Wabash River will have to be monitored closely along with the Tippecanoe River and the creeks if this track comes to fruition. I will have more on this on tonight's newscast. My good news of the day is that the rain and wet field should slow down the mighty quick Oregon Ducks on Saturday and that we will not have all day rains on Friday and Saturday. Sunday could be a different story depending on the exact track of Ike. Now today was another strange September day with two seasons in one day. Take a look at this morning's lows.

These are some impressive numbers here at home. But at the Indiana Dunes State Park they were thinking it felt cold enough to snow with an actual low temperature of only 39 degrees. This was the coolest start to September 10th in our viewing area since 1999 and the earliest 40s since 1995. But those thoughts of snow quickly evaporated this afternoon as nature brought us some free heating. We jumped a good 30 to 35 degrees in most areas with highs in the lower to middle 70s. These dry air masses from Canada can heat up in a hurry that is for sure. Now come November the sun angle will be helpless when it comes to heating us up so enjoy these warmer days while you can.

Winter Tidbit: A November snowstorm is still in my forecast and we will not be able to count on a nice rebound like today. Hopefully you enjoyed every bit of it. Now here is your woolly bear update you have been waiting patiently for!

That is right the darker the woolly bear the snowier and colder the winter. As of right now my unscientific poll has the lighter worms winning by a landslide. These worms have done a heck of a job the last two winters. We remember the dark black worms everywhere in the fall of 2006 warning us to get out the big snow shovels. We certainly did on February 13th with our first blizzard since 1999. Last year the count was about even and we had one of the wildest winter's on record with plenty of snow, thunderstorms, flooding, and even icy conditions you could ask for. So the worms were telling us we would have a lot of variety and that we did! This year they are going for a mild winter. I think they make it three for the last three years. I looked at new data last night and my forecast of 19" of snow with above average temperatures stands. Just be ready for the early frost and snow this year.


Where does Chuckie Wheezer of Carroll County stand on all this? Well Chuckie is still recovering from her blown forecast of an early Spring for us. But I told her that this is a very humbling field. Chuckie did tell me she is readying for an early hibernation and that she will be well rested for a much better Spring forecast next year. Time will tell. Keep your head up Chuckie!!