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(ABOVE: I now look to people half my age to know what's cool.)
Weatherman Feeling Old! Watching the Jonas Bros concert
I should do this as a Weekend Weather Trivia question--which one of these is louder:
-The roar you hear in the cabin from those turboprop engine, 40 seat commuter airplanes.
-That 17 year old guy in the neighbor who likes cruising Memorial Drive in a Honda Civic, seemingly propelled by the car's coffee can-like mufflers
-the Jonas Brothers concert at the BOk center!
My wife and I attended and survived the Jonas Bros concert last this week, and without a doubt, the screaming of the mostly pre-teen girls was the loudest noise I've ever heard-- certainly much louder than any rock concert, Texas A&M football game, construction accident, me dropping steel cooking trays into a steel sink (I worked in fast-food when I was in high school-- I have some great stories which I can't print here) or anything I've ever heard before.
(BELOW: Our view from the 300 section. We could almost see the Jonas Brothers from our seats.)
While the sound of 10,000+ screaming young ladies inside the crowded arena persisted for two hours, the ringing in my ears persisted for two days after the concert was over! I'm not exaggerating about the ladies excitement-- I think that decible measuring machine broke or something.
My wife and I probably looked out of place watching the Jonas Brothers as we didn't bring any kids with us (we left our collection of Westie dogs at home...) My wife wanted to attend the concert as her friend is a back up performer with the band. (Krista Black, she was the tall one playing the red guitar and violin.)
Despite the volume of the crowd, my wife and me enjoyed the concert. I was impressed too as the Jonas Brothers weren't just a typical "boy band." They played multiple instruments and emphasized singing instead of organized dance moves. The musicans were clean cut and wore normal-looking clothes that parents probably wouldn't mind their own children wearing. Heck, I would want our future children to be Jonas fans too! Their music is certainly more family friendly than some of the stuff I heard back in the days.
My friends made me fun of me for attending, but I'm glad we went! My wife and I are quiet fans of the Jonas Brothers!
(BELOW: Molly, Tatum and Megan from Cleveland, OK made me feel famous when they wanted their concert picture to include the Weatherman!)
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(ABOVE: Photo courtesy: Tom Dafforn, May 30 2009. Pro cyclers racing around downtown in the Tulsa Tough criterium. My much less competitive ride occurred during that morning.)
Several months ago I built big expectations for myself as I looked ahead to this year's (May 30, 2009) Tulsa Tough 100k ride. About 300 riders participated in the 100k with other cyclists choosing the 100 mile or the 50k. The ride isn't a fierce competition, but most folks don't want to do badly either.
A couple of things were in my favor this year:
- I owned a new (used) carbon bicycle, a Trek 5200 which is faster, lighter and smoother than my old Cannondale.
- The course was more familiar to me as it covered nearly the same path as last year.
- I knew more about pace lines and drafting, so I should be able to ride faster.
For the first half of the ride, I was indeed stronger! I pedaled faster, zooming along at a personal best pace. My ankle timer clocked my average at 21.7mph for the first 50k (about 30 miles.)
Here's the problem though-- the weather and the weatherman got hotter as the Summer sunshine roasted the riders! We melted! My overall time slowed nearly 30 minutes as I cramped and wanted to crawl toward the finish line.
I had a few other things that didn't help me:
-I pedaled less than 100 miles during the last month due to rainy weather and my work schedule.
-I didn't ride much in the early Spring either as some stupid hamstring issue bugged me.
-I crashed on my bike two weeks ago, and I only rode once briefly afterward as I mended.
-I lost 5 pounds in those two weeks before the Tough. I could only eat noodles and small foods due to swelling in my mouth.
-My right hand still hurt badly (more on this later) from my wreck, and I had to alter my usual grip on the handlebars.
-A family issue-- my Mother was in a car wreck six days before! My wife and I spent time in my hometown of Orange, TX helping Mom. (Yes, Mom is doing fine now!)
-We made the 500 mile drive back from Orange to Tulsa on that Friday Night.
-And due to the late return to Tulsa, I had all of four hours sleep before the 100k that Saturday morning!
I think a lot of the above events caught up with me on the second half of the 100k ride-- I averaged a career worst 9.6mph during the last 50k. The hot weather forecast by the weatherman didn't help either!
Severe cramping and poor conditioning briefly reduced me from cycling with a smile to walking in pain. But I didn't think about dropping out-- a '"DNF" wasn't an option. I didn't give up! Excuses aren't acceptable!
Despite walking my bike up the last hill climb I'm proud to say that I finished. Here's my story of this year's Tulsa Tough:
(BELOW: I snapped these pictures of Tour de France champion Floyd Landis on the Sunday crits along Riverside.)
(ABOVE: Channel 2's Julie Chin rode the Tulsa Townie on Sunday with Floyd.)
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The 2009 Tulsa Tough Saturday 100k ride:
Saturday morning began warmer than expected with temperatures hovering at 72° just after sunrise. Early afternoon temperatures would reach over 90° under full sunshine-- no clouds or rain to cool us down this year!
After my 7:45am TV duties with Channel 2's Krista Flasch, I lined up alongside a few cycling friends waiting for the start.
(ABOVE: Channel 2's Krista Flasch and I on the news. I didn't shave for two weeks due to stitches in my face. Should I shave? My wife said I looked like a hottie!)
The ride began as scheduled at 8am. We're off! We pedaled through the streets of downtown Tulsa. Our course ride would take us from the 50 story skyscrapers downtown then northwestward into the beauty of the lush Osage Hills.
(BELOW: Men and Women of varying fitness levels begin the ride through downtown Tulsa.)
I easily went up the first hill. Just like last year the large group of cyclers thinned out after this first steep climb. On the downhill near Sperry my speedometer showed me accelerating toward 40mph. Wheeee!
The terrain flattened out near Skiatook and I caught up to and joined a small pace-line of guys. Our fast-moving group averaged an incredible 25mph for about 15 miles! We zoomed past many folks. This pace; however, was quicker than my comfort zone. I probably would have fared better later if I slowed down, but I was having way too much fun riding fast! More cyclists were absorbed within our group as we hammered along the country roads.
(BELOW: I joined this group near Skiatook. The group grew to a dozen of us. We rode fast!)
I skipped the first two rest areas choosing instead to stay with the fast group-- this might have been a mistake.
After passing a zillion riders I couldn't keep up with the pace-line any longer. I dropped off and rode solo for a while. I ended up catching David Gardner near the 50k mark. I rode with David and his friend Lonnie Iannazzo last year, but Lonnie had stopped off somewhere to assist another rider who flatted. David and I rode together for several miles.
Our mid-ride turn was located 30 miles northwest of Tulsa in the small town of Avant. I took my first rest stop here and loaded up on Gatorade. I was on record pace at nearly a 22mph average!
But I couldn't hold it. My average suffered during the last half of the course.
After a quick rest stop David and I clicked back in our pedals and headed south of Avant. The hardest challenge loomed next: the tallest hill, a 400 foot climb greeted us.
(ABOVE: The rest stops were well stocked with stuff to keep us cool and hydrated.)
David and I mashed the pedals trying to maintain momentum. The 6-8% or so grade reduced me to near 8mph. I couldn't use my right hand much to help me "rock" the bike for easier climbing.
Problems started by the top of the hill as I felt my quadriceps tightening. The muscles above my knee were locking up. Cramps! As I had 25 miles until the finish line my goal changed from setting my record time to simply completing the course.
David passed me ( He beat me by about 20 minutes!) Other cyclists passed me too. I couldn't manage much more than about 12mph on flat terrain.
I took an unscheduled break at the next rest stop, downing as much water and Gatorade as I could stand.
Back on the course my pace kept slowing down. My legs burned with each stroke. And did I mention the sun felt really hot-- who said it would be this hot weather anyway?!
The last downhill portion was greatly welcomed. The warm wind felt nice on my face. I hunkered down on my bike, coasting to near 40mph on the downgrade.
Somewhere near Skiatook we had an annoying side show. Some jack-hole driving a late model cherry-red Ford F-150 decided that he didn't like bicyclers. Instead of simply passing us he pulled his truck into the biker's area and honked at me and every other person on a bike. He then drove behind each one of us. He pulled his truck directly behind each bike and honked, trying to get a reaction. No one was amused. He caused more issues than any bicycle ever could as traffic actually backed up behind him-- no cars wanted to pass him as he swerved around.
If his goal was to annoy every bicycler, spectator, volunteer, motorist and resident for miles then I guess he succeeded. I was hoping our police escort would see him, but I don't what became of him. Anyway, forgot about him...back to finishing the Tough.
10 miles to go...I began massaging my legs while I pedaled. I discovered I could unclip one leg and massage it while I pedaled with the other foot. This somewhat worked. Another cluster of folks passed me up. My alternating one leg thing certainly wouldn't keep up with their group. My average speed wasn't helped by one-legged pedaling.
(ABOVE: An overpass offers a break from the heat near the finish. The skyline appears as a welcome landmark.)
5 miles to go...My left leg occasionally locked in place as I slowly pedaled back into Tulsa. On the last hill near North 36th and Cincinnati, I had to dismount my bicycle as my quads felt completely locked up. The weatherman walked his bike up the hill.
The last miles of the Tough were slow and painful, but I never thought of quitting! Who cares about my time?! Let's just finish!
I jumped back on my bike and my powerless legs felt a little better. I managed about 10mph for the rest of the ride. More cyclists pedaled passed the weatherman.
At the end of the 100k I steered back into downtown as the finish was located near the Brady District. I felt refreshed as my wife and friends were there cheering me on.
(ABOVE: I finished! Our friends and their 2 year old Liam welcomed me. Liam is in training for the 2029 Tulsa Tough.)
The red numbers on the electronic clock at the finish line showed my total time at 3:42 (3 hours, 42 minutes) which kind of stinks compared to the 3:13 last year.
The final rankings later listed my time as ranking #100 for the Saturday 100k. I was #38 at the half way mark thanks to my personal record pace during the first 50k before I dropped to #100. My average speed: 21.7mph for the first 50k and 9.6mph for the last 50k. By comparision, I averaged 19.3 mph for the entire 100k last year.
At first I was disappointed with my overall ranking as I finished #61 last year. But I'm ok with it as I realize that my time really doesn't matter. Despite the heat and cramps, I thoroughly enjoyed the basic pleasure and freedom of exploring our beautiful countryside on a bicycle!
(ABOVE: I have to wear this stupid thing now. I messed up something a few weeks ago.)
I'm now typing all this blog out about a week after the event. I'm typing slowly because of my right hand injury from my bike a few weeks ago. After the Tough I had my right hand X-rayed revealing a partially torn tendon, cartilage or whatever the doctor said. I wasn't listening to him. I was thinking ahead to my next ride!
Thanks for reading. George
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Thanks to Julie Chin for filling in for me last week during Weekend Weather Trivia, as I was broken from my bike wreck! I'll be on this Sunday.
What's the record for the most consecutive days of rain in Tulsa?
A. 9
B. 16
C. 22
D. 29
The correct answer is "C". The record was set recently as at least a trace of rain was measured for 22 straight days from April 25 until May 16, 2009.
On Sunday, May 24, 2009 we're giving away our last Weather Alert radio for the Spring!
Send us an email during Sunday's 9-10am newscast on Channel 2 to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and correct guess as we'll give away the Weather Alert radio. And we might read your name on TV too if you send us a guess.
Have a great Memorial Weekend! George |
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(ABOVE: That blue helmet kept me from being seriously injured.)
Thank you Julie Chin! On Sunday morning May 17th, Julie filled in for me on short notice. I wasn't on TV last Sunday morning as I had an unscheduled day off.
Hours earlier I laid in a hospital bed trama room at St. Francis hospital. Doctors gave my head its first ever CAT scan while later my face received over a dozen stitches. I spent the morning hours at St. Francis because I crash landed in an awful bicycle accident. Hopefully it's the first and only bad wreck I'll ever experience. Here's what happened:
I was riding my bicycle in an empty parking lot in Broken Arrow on the evening of Saturday, May 16, 2009. I like to ride there because it's isolated-- I'm afraid of cars and unleashed barking things with sharp teeth. I choose my riding locations carefully, and I thought I was safe. I began my ride around 7pm and was pedaling my last lap near 8:30pm.
Near dusk I circled the parking lot maintaining speeds near 20mph. I consider myself "in training" for the Tulsa Tough in two weeks. I hope to improve my results over last year.
(BELOW: I "t-boned" this curb that I didn't see near sunset.)
On my last lap I changed my course slightly and rode into an unfamiliar area. It was getting dark, and I couldn't see as well. I normally change into my clear/yellow sunglasses, but I forgot them. A handicap parking area with a long concrete curb jutting outward ended my ride. No one witnessed what happened next.
(ABOVE: My tire blew a hole in the sidewall. I have to replace the damaged rim too.)
The evening shadows shielded that concrete curb extension-- I found it. I slammed into the 6 inch high concrete slab at high speed. A loud "pow" echoed off buildings as my tire exploded, the air tube forced its way through the side of the front tire. I ungracefully flew over the handbars, splatting face-first into the parking lot. It wasn't my first choice, but my chin slowed me to a stop. The front of my helmet slammed into the ground, cracking it on the pavement. I tried to catch myself with my right arm too, and it's now a colorful mess as well.
(ABOVE: My swollen finger points to where my helmet cracked. Deep scratches cover the front of the helmet.)
I then donated a quart of blood to the parking lot as blood dripped from my face. My mouth filled with blood. My gums were cut. I checked my teeth, and they all seemed to be in place though my lip was split open. Blood also oozed from somewhere above my lip and from the tip of my nose. I created ugly art work in the parking lot, dripping red dots to the white concrete. No bones felt broken, but my face felt like it resembled a scary Halloween movie.
(BELOW: My now scratched sunglasses protected my brow from cuts and scars. If I wore my "clear" glasses, I probably wouldn't have wrecked.)
I stumbled to my bike, found my emergency kit and cell phoned my wife. Blood dripped on my phone as my fingers had small cuts. I could barely speak due to my hurt mouth and broken lips.
I spoke in short sentences, "Shyla. I need you. Had bike wreck. Come get me."
I didn't tell her I was hurt because I didn't want her to know I was injured-- she might kill herself driving 100mph to come rescue me!
(ABOVE: I'm not sure how I accomplished this, but the back of my jersey ripped. Those are blood spots along the shoulder area.)
After I hung up, I took a self portrait with my cell phone camera so that I could see what I looked like. The image has lots of color-- I won't post that picture here or anywhere on-line.
My wife arrived a few minutes later. She first saw me in her headlights. My face was red and dripping.
She drove me to our house (though she wanted to take me to the hospital) as I told her that I wanted to shower first. (I'm a guy-- I don't get sick, take medicine or go to hospitals!)
In the bathroom I looked at myself in the mirror. My chin had a hole in it! Skin dangled. Blood covered everything. I told her to take me to hospital-- she was already packing stuff in the car for the trip.
The next part was the scariest as I started shaking violently as I couldn't get warm. I guess this was shock?! I don't know-- I've never been badly hurt before. My wife's friend Shayna who was at our house at the time held my hand in the car while my wife locked the house and put up the dogs. I shook for 10 minutes before I warmed under blankets. I held a towel under my chin to catch the dripping blood.
Shyla drove me to St. Francis hospital by 9:30pm, about 45 minutes after my wipeout. The emergency room was busy as I slumped down on the floor holding my towel. My bleeding slowed, but my face hurt badly. After a 45 minute wait, they took me into a trama room.
The near hour wait to be seen by a physician wasn't ideal, but the doctors and nurses were great. I was fine and will be ok.
Though I was "just" bloody, they took precautionary x-rays and CAT scans. Nothing was broken, no permanent injuries.
I received internal and external stitches around my mouth and chin. Just a bloody mess and stiches, nothing more.
As I write this 48 hours later, I'm typing with my left hand as my right hand is swollen. I'm unintentionally dieting too as I can't do much more than slurping noodles due to the swelling in my mouth!
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The frustrating part of this bike wreck was that it shouldn't have happened. I was riding in an area away from traffic and hazards that I deemed safe. I still got hurt. This is the worst injury and scariest thing that's ever happened to me.
If I wasn't wearing a helmet my injuries would have been so much worse! Due to the helmet, my only head injuries were some minor scratches on my forehead from the padding where the helmet broke and flexed.
(Today I reordered the exact same helmet: Louis Garneau Oz-zy Helmet-- it performed perfectly!)
(ABOVE: My bracelet from the hospital. My wife might disagree sometimes, but I'm not a big risk taker!)
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Please, please, please, if you read this, make sure you wear a helmet! It terrifies me to see children in my neighborhood without them-- I wrecked when I thought I was perfectly safe.
Today my face looks awful, it's still a bloody mess. But I'm able to return to work soon as I was wearing a helmet-- I'll be back on TV this Saturday morning.
And I hope to ride again soon, especially as the Tulsa Tough is the end of this month!
After I return this weekend I'll then be off on Saturday May 29 for the 100km Tulsa Tough ride.
Please, always wear a helmet and be safe... and don't ride into dark areas after dark. Thanks for reading!
(BELOW: Though now offered in different colors, I ordered the exact same model of helmet (Louis Garneau Oz-zy model size "L") as I know it works. More expensive helmets like these come in different sizes for a perfect, safer fit.)
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WWT for May 10, 2009: Derechos
I chose today's question due to the recent "derecho" which moved across SE Kansas and Missouri causing widespread wind damage this past Friday morning.
If a derecho is heading toward your home, what should you do? Pick TWO answers:
A. turn up the heater
B. prepare for dust
C. avoid west windows
D. avoid east windows
E. watch Dan Threlkeld, Julie Chin, George Flickinger and George Waldenberger for severe storm updates!
A derecho is a large cluster of storms which contains a small, but tight low pressure circulation within the storm cluster, and a huge area of severe wind is pushed out from the storms. The derecho differs from typical gust fronts as the winds are more intense and may last 10-30 minutes.
In our local area, derechos usually approach from the west or northwest, though a derecho moving up from the southwest is also possible.
The two correct answers today are: C and E-- hopefully you would want to guess E anyway!
Send us an email during Sunday's 9-10am newscast on Channel 2 to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and correct guess as we're giving away Weather Alert radios until the end of May. We'll pull out one winner per newscast from the those of you who enter the contest and guess correctly!
Thanks for watching! George
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WWT for May 3, 2009: Big Tornados in Tulsa County
On the 10th anniversary of the biggest recorded tornado outbreak in Oklahoma, here's a local tornado question with an answer that might surprise you:
In the last 50 years, how many F2 or larger tornados have hit Tulsa county?
A. 3
B. 9
C. 17
D. 24
The correct answer is D. 24 which is surely a number that many Tulsans might be surprised to learn. The most active day was June 8, 1974 as five significant tornados were recorded within the county. The most recent occurrence of a large tornado was the East Tulsa/Catoosa tornado of April 24, 1993 which achieved an F4 rating and killed 7 people-- we're on a 15 year quiet streak and hope to stay that way!
Send us an email during Sunday's 9-10am newscast on Channel 2 to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and correct guess as we're giving away Weather Alert radios until the end of May. We'll pull out one winner per newscast from the those of you who enter the contest and guess correctly!
Good luck! George Flickinger
(BELOW: We're giving away one Weather Alert radio each Sunday 9-10am through May. You can also get them for $30 at Food Pyramid and Radio Shack, and we'll help you program them too if needed!)
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WWT for April 26, 2009: Tornado Behavior
If a tornado is approaching your home, the tornado usually moves in from which direction?
A. S
B. SW
C. W
D. NW
Today's question is rather unpleasant to imagine. If a tornado was approaching your home, it would most likely approach from the SW. Most tornadoes in Oklahoma move from the SW to NE as this follows the flow of the jet stream winds. For example, nearly every tornado in the infamous May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak tracked as such.
However, tornados have been noted to move in nearly every direction. Last year's Picher, OK tornado moves from W to E with even a slight NW to SE nudge.
But since most tornados approach from the SW, the correct answer to today's Weekend Weather Trivia question is "B. SW"
Send us an email to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and correct guess as we're giving away Weather Alert radios until the end of May. We'll pull out one winner per newscast from the those of you who enter the contest.
Good luck and stay safe! George Flickinger
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(ABOVE: I took this picture of reporter Rick Tillery on a storm chase/training mission.)
I'm planning on taking StormChaser 2 on a long storm chase on Saturday (April 25). Whatever video we get whether it's tornados, great cloud structure or huge hail, we'll show it on our Sunday morning 9-10am news.
The best storm chasing conditions (flat terrain, gridded county roads, low population, higher cloud heights) are out toward Western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle and western Kansas, and that's where we're headed.
We're chasing a region that meteorologists nicknamed the "Triple Point" which is where the dryline, front, and Low pressure area meet. Only a few storms are expected so we might not see anything; however, if storms form we have a fair chance of seeing a tornado.
We will go out west on Saturday. We'll show the results Sunday morning...stay tuned! (If you are interested in learning about storm chasing, visit www.stormtrack.org)
(BELOW: StormChaser 2 gets a workout during the Spring.)
(BELOW: Computer model forecast of moisture. I put an "X" on the map for our chase target. Tulsa = "T".)
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(ABOVE: In western Oklahoma, downtown Alva received 2 feet of snow during the recent winter storm.)
WWT for March 29, 2009: Record Snowfall in Oklahoma
The Winter Storm of March 27-28, 2009 dropped over 20" of snow in northwest Oklahoma! Snowfall totals closer to home in Green Country were also impressive with 3-8" totals common in Tulsa county, with 10" totals observed in Creek county. Many snowfall records in Oklahoma are set during the late Winter and early Spring partly due to the huge contrast in cold air to our north and the warmer, humid air bulging in from the south.
(9-10" snow totals noted in Creek county. Picture from Debbie Kaltwasser in Mannford, 3/28/09)
Also here in Tulsa, a lot of our snowfall records have occurred in March. There's even snowfall records during early April toward western Oklahoma and west Texas.
Today's WWT question deals with record snowfall in Oklahoma:
What's the Oklahoma state record for the highest 24 hour observed snowfall total?
A. 19"
B. 25"
C. 31"
D. 36"
The correct answer is D. 36" when three feet of snow buried Buffalo, OK in the northwestern part of the state. The snow fell February 21-22, 1971.
Interesting local note about snow during the late Winter/early Spring: Bartlesville received nearly 2 feet of snow on March 16, 1970!
Weekend Weather Trivia: During today' 9-10am newscast, send us an email to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and correct guess (which will be D. 36") as we're giving away a Weather Alert radio and a Family Safety Kit from the American Red Cross-- this is the last giveaway for a while!
Deana will pull out two winning names at the end of the newscast-- good luck and thanks for watching! George
(BELOW: We've enjoyed seeing and showing your snow pictures on TV! Here's Jake, "Titan" Dog and Snowdog! Picture from John Burnett 3/28/09)
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(I took this picture of a small tornado near the Oklahoma/Lincoln county line in 2004. This F1 rated tornado ripped up trees and was the third tornado of the day)
WWT for March 22, 2009: Tornadoes in Oklahoma
Between 1950 and 2006, which county in Oklahoma had the most tornadoes?
Here's a county list for Oklahoma ranked from most to fewest number of tornadoes:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/tornadodata/ok/totalsbycounty.php
The top 5:
1. Caddo
2. Oklahoma
3. Kay
4. Canadian
5. Lincoln
Caddo County in the southwest/central part of the state gets the dubious honor as having the most reported tornadoes. You'll notice that Oklahoma (Oklahoma City metro) and Tulsa county both rank quite high on the list. This is partly due to the denser population-- more eyes mean that fewer "undetected" small tornadoes have slipped through. Lesser populated counties have slightly underinflated numbers as smaller tornadoes are sometimes missed by storm spotters, especially in the the years closer to 1950 as opposed to now. Today's spotters and chasers rarely miss anything.
During today' 9-10am newscast, send us an email to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and correct guess (which will be B. Caddo County) as we're giving away a Weather Alert radio and a Family Safety Kit from the American Red Cross this month. Deana will pull out two winning names at the end of the newscast-- good luck and thanks for watching! GF
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(ABOVE: From a few Winters ago...Thatcher Flickinger enjoying snow!)
Weekend Weather Trivia for March 15, 2009: Spring Snow
You might have seen snowflakes blowing past your nose during this past week!
Snow in March isn't rare, in fact it's our fourth snowiest month here in Green Country. In recent history, I well remember the half-foot of snow which fell on March 2 of 2002. The all-time 24 hour snowfall record for Tulsa also occurred during March when 13 inches fell during March 8-9 of 1994.
Interesting note-- my family lived in Abilene, Texas before making Tulsa our home. The all-time 24 hour snowfall total for Abilene surprisingly occurred during April! The Easter Snow of April 3, 1994 produced 10-15 inches of snow throughout West Texas.
Back here in Tulsa, the latest date in the Spring with a trace of snow is April 18, 1953. This will be the answer to Sunday's March 15, 2009 Weekend Weather Trivia question.
During Sunday's 9-10am newscast, send us an email to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and correct guess as we're giving away a Weather Alert radio and a Family Safety Kit from the American Red Cross this month. Deana will pull out two winning names at the end of the newscast-- good luck and thanks for watching!
(Below: Shyla Flickinger with two of our children in the backyard!)
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(ABOVE: Is it pretty, or pretty scary? I'm about 1 mile away from this tornado. It formed in the Palo Duro Canyon then climbed the canyon walls to reach the flat lands.)
WWT for March 8, 2009: Tornado Safety
Of these five locations, which TWO should you AVOID during a tornado?
A. Small closet
B. Basement
C. Garage
D. Ditch
E. Under a Bridge
I chose this particular question for today because I was recently asked about two of these locations during a recent school visit. A 4th grader wondered if the garage was a safe place to shelter from a tornado. The answer is no way! The garage door may be the first thing destroyed on a well-built home, and they can be pierced by airborne debris.
The infamous 1991 Kansas Turnpike tornado video (You Tube link where someone posted it) of a TV crew "taking shelter" under a bridge also provides a false perception that bridges are safe places to take cover. (The tornado in the video is actually a "weak" tornado, but even small ones can injur and can be quite scary.)
When tornado experts first saw the video they said more people would probably end up getting hurt or killed by tornadoes because the video inaccurately portrayed that bridges offered protection. The opposite is true. Bridges are especially dangerous as winds increase as air funnels between the bridge and embankment.
During the May 3, 1999 tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area, some people tried "hiding" under overpasses. Gruesome injuries and fatalities resulted. Folks parking their cars along the highway causes obvious other problems too.
Here's a great presentation on bridges vs tornadoes:
During Sunday's 9-10am newscast, send us an email to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and guess as we're giving away stuff this month. Thanks for reading! GF
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(ABOVE: Free Stuff! We're giving these away during WWT this month)
Channel 2 is teaming up with the American Red Cross! We'll be giving away free stuff during our popular Weekend Weather Trivia (WWT) on Sunday mornings from 9-10am. During March we'll give away a Weather Alert radio and a family First Aid Kit thanks to the Red Cross. March is Red Cross Awareness Month.
Rules:
Weekend Weather Trivia is easy to play! I'll show a WWT question, and you simply need to email us the correct answer to weekendamshow@kjrh.com with your name, city and the correct answer. At end of the newscast, Deana will randomly pull out two winning names from the emails. The first name gets the Weather Alert radio, and the second winner receives the First Aid kit. One winner per household please. Or you can just watch from home and try to win bragging rights if you get it right!
I will also post the question ahead of time on my blog if you want to do a little homework, and I'll post the correct answer after the show.
This Sunday's Weekend Weather Trivia topic: Tornado Safety
(BELOW: The lovely and talented Deana Silk will draw two winning names during WWT, or you can just play for fun and guess out loud with your family!)
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(ABOVE: I took this picture of Dan on a storm chase a few years back. Let's just say that Dan has a fan club at the Shadybrook Retirement Center!)
One of the fun duties of my job is getting "out of the office" for a few hours to speak to schools, churches and civic groups. Earlier this week I entertained the Shadybrook Retirement Center with storm chasing stories and weather safety, and I was also entertained by what I saw one of the ladies do...
Here's what happened: I passed around my storm chasing pictures for the group to look over while I chatted. One of the pictures shows Dan standing in front of a tornado. Dan is one my best friends and storm chase partner.
You see, Dan has always attracted the eyes from ladies of all ages. For example when I went to the mall with him, a teenage girl thought he was a hottie, and she snapped a picture of him on her cell phone as we walked by.
Now....back to Shadybrook...One of the ladies saw the picture of Dan and tornado and was impressed with his looks. She pretended to blush as she fanned herself and showed the picture to other ladies who nodded and smiled as they liked what they saw. Then, unknowing that I was watching, she *ahem* pretended to tuck the picture under her blouse as she stuffed the picture under her clothing.
I didn't say anything to embarass her. (Of course now I'm writing about it for the world to read about it...)
Sorry ladies, Storm Chaser Dan got married last year. He's normally behind the scenes and you probably won't see him on TV as he's helped me to get pictures, video and storm info back to Channel 2 and our viewers. But he'll always have his fans!
(Below: From last year. Here's Dan with a tornado in Central Oklahoma. Read more about this chase here:
http://community.kjrh.com/blogs/georges_blog/archive/2008/05/27/3046659.aspx)
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(ABOVE: From a few years ago...Foster dog Taffy liked to clean the inside of my glasses. She later was adopted by my wife's aunt.)
Shyla (my wife) and I use our home to foster abused, abandoned, or surrendered West Highland White Terriers as we assist Oklahoma Westie Rescue. This isn't an easy thing to do because some of the dogs need lots of love and proper socializing before they are ready for new homes. And the dogs are kind of cute too, and they become part of our family!
Now...meet Zoey! She was a 10 years old girl who was given up by a family because she bit a child and didn't like men-- turns out she was actually the most loving dog ever-- let's just say that Zoey became my little girl!
We had our own Daddy and daughter time as I took her on walks, played with her and took her to the vet. She quickly became attached to me too! I learned her noises, mannerisms, and I always knew what she needed. She wouldn't leave me, and she kept close watch on anyone who was near me.
What made her even more special was her Zoey smile. She was always happy, always smiling!
(ABOVE: Here's Zoey and her smile! I took this picture with my camera phone in the Channel 2 Weather Center when I brought her to work with me one day.)
Zoey has a new home now.
A lady named Karen who owns a yoga studio in Dallas needed Zoey's love! Zoey and Karen keep each other in good company, and Zoey greets Karen's clients with that famous smile.
I wanted to speak with Karen when she drove up to Tulsa to adopt Zoey, but I left early instead because my eyes were tearing up when Daddy realized he was losing his girl.
But I smiled when I read this email our rescue group recently received:
From Zoey:
"Hi Foster Mommy Shyla and Auntie Meredith,
Zoe here just sending a note to say “hi” and to let you know that I am very happy in my new home in Texas.
Every morning we go for a big walk. Sometimes my friend Rocky, the cairn terrier comes with us with Auntie Rebecca.
In the afternoon we go to the doggie park where I can play with my new friends Andy the bichon and Finley the westie.
I’ve lost 2 lbs and am feeling great. We have a big back yard and I love to roll in the grass. Jack, the maltese, who lives next door comes and rolls in the grass with me. It’s more fun with two!
Yesterday mommy took me to see Dr Nub, my new vet. He’s real nice and I gave him kisses, which made him laugh!
Next month we are going to outdoor obedience and agility classes. Last week we went and watched the current class. It’s going to be lots of fun and you even get good treats, too.
I am very happy here in Denton. Thank you for taking care of me and finding me a forever home with mommy. She gives me lots of love and tummy rubs.
If you get a chance, can you please sent mommy the report from my last vet visit with I was in OK?
Here’s a picture of me on my back porch. You can see what a good girl I am.
Love and wet kisses,
Zoe Grace"
Bottomline: As long as Zoey is smiling, then her Father will always be smiling too. Thanks for reading! George Flickinger
(BELOW: Zoey checking out her new back porch in Texas.)
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