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1ST FREEZE OF YEAR

From: zackshields
Description:

Rain is gone and now the Winter-like chill will take over.

The latest cold front has made it in. It produced a tiny line of showers overnight.

Since the rain formed right on top of us the totals were low.

Behind the front it will feel totally different...mostly sunny, much cooler and breezy.

Tonight with the winds relaxing and the clear/dry conditions in place, raditional cooling will be

in high gear allowing temperatures to tumble quite a bit.

Here is what the model is showing for lows tomorrow morning.

Some spots in Hill Country will have a light freeze so freeze advisories have been posted.

Get ready for a taste of Winter.

Freeze warning for Llano and Gillespie Counties. Freeze watch that will turn into warning for San Saba and Mason counties.

Keep jackets handy for the next few days.
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4 days ago
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Cooler Weather Coming!

From: scottprinsen
Description:

A winter chill has developed over the Rockies this weekend, and some of that chill is moving into Texas right now. As of this afternoon, the cold front is in the Texas Panhandle and moving south...

Temperatures behind the front were in the 20s and 30s today, while ahead of the front we saw highs in the 70s. A few showers were seen east of Austin, but as the front gets closer overnight, showers and a few thunderstorms are expected.

Rain totals are not expected to be very high, generally half an inch or less. The highest totals should be east of Austin.

Expect clearing behind the front for Monday morning... with a sunny, breezy and cooler afternoon. Monday's highs will only be in the 60s!

Several chilly nights are ahead... and for Hill Country residents, we could see a light freeze Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning...

Areas around Junction and just to the west of our Texas Hill Country are already under a freeze watch for Monday night.

A warming trend is expected for the second half of the work week... but a few disturbances may bring us a few showers Friday through Sunday of next weekend. Highs next weekend look to be in the 70s.

Enjoy the cooler weather... it's almost here!

Scott Prinsen
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5 days ago
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BIG AUTUMN STORM

From: zackshields
Description:

The sunny and gorgeous weather we enjoyed yesterday will disappear starting today with showers and storms moving in tonight. There is a very potent upper low spinning over the Four Corners.

It will produce feet of snow in the Rockies and then as it collides with the warm and moist air flowing off the Gulf, the storms will erupt in the middle of the U.S.

This upper low is more powerful than the last one. There is more energy rotating around it. The low will pull in the moisture and lift it rapidly leading to a severe weather outbreak.

The severe storms will start in the Texas panhandle into the Plains today.

Chances of damaging hail are shown below followed by damaging wind chances.

Tomorrow we are in the slight risk area for severe weather. Main concerns will be with large hail and strong winds.

This go around the line of storms should be in and out of here so rain totals will be lower than Monday's event.

It won't clear up immediately because another low pressure system will form west of us on Friday. This low will usher in more moisture and energy which will overrun the cool air at the surface. This interaction will cause overcast skies and on and off light rain as we wrap up the week.

We are still forecasting a sunny, dry and mild Halloween weekend!
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3 weeks ago
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Last Titanic survivor dies96

From: CRYSTALCHRIS
Description:

LONDON – Millvina Dean, who as a baby was wrapped in a sack and lowered into a lifeboat in the frigid North Atlantic, died Sunday, having been the last survivor of 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic.

She was 97 years old, and she died where she had lived — in Southampton, England, the city her family had tried to leave behind when it took the ship's ill-fated maiden voyage, bound for America.

She died in her sleep early Sunday, her friend Gunter Babler told the Associated Press. It was the 98th anniversary of the launch of the ship that was billed as "practically unsinkable."

Babler said Dean's longtime companion, Bruno Nordmanis, called him in Switzerland to say staff at Woodlands Ridge Nursing Home in Southampton discovered Dean in her room Sunday morning. He said she had been hospitalized with pneumonia last week but she had recovered and returned to the home.

A staff nurse at the nursing home said late Sunday that no one would comment until administrators came on duty Monday morning.

Dean just over 2 months old when the Titanic hit an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912. The ship sank in less than three hours.

Dean was one of 706 people — mostly women and children — who survived. Her father was among the 1,517 who died.

Babler, who is head of the Switzerland Titanic Society, said Dean was a "very good friend of very many years."

"I met her through the Titanic society but she became a friend and I went to see very every month or so," he said.

The pride of the White Star line, the Titanic had a mahogany-paneled smoking room, a swimming pool and a squash court. But it did not have enough lifeboats for all of its 2,200 passengers and crew.

Dean's family were steerage passengers setting out from the English port of Southampton for a new life in the United States. Her father had sold his pub and hoped to open a tobacconists' shop in Kansas City, Missouri, where his wife had relatives.

Initially scheduled to travel on another ship, the family was transferred to the Titanic because of a coal strike. Four days out of port and about 600 kilometers (380 miles) southeast of Newfoundland, the ship hit an iceberg. The impact buckled the Titanic's hull and sent sea water pouring into six of its supposedly watertight compartments.

Dean said her father's quick actions saved his family. He felt the ship scrape the iceberg and hustled the family out of its third-class quarters and toward the lifeboat that would take them to safety. "That's partly what saved us — because he was so quick. Some people thought the ship was unsinkable," Dean told the British Broadcasting Corp. in 1998.

Wrapped in a sack against the Atlantic chill, Dean was lowered into a lifeboat. Her 2-year-old brother Bertram and her mother Georgette also survived.

"She said goodbye to my father and he said he'd be along later," Dean said in 2002. "I was put into lifeboat 13. It was a bitterly cold night and eventually we were picked up by the Carpathia."

The family was taken to New York, then returned to England with other survivors aboard the rescue ship Adriatic. Dean did not know she had been aboard the Titanic until she was 8 years old, when her mother, about to remarry, told her about her father's death. Her mother, always reticent about the tragedy, died in 1975 at age 95.

Born in London on Feb. 2, 1912, Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean spent most of her life in the English seaside town of Southampton, Titanic's home port. She never married, and worked as a secretary, retiring in 1972 from an engineering firm.

She moved into a nursing home after breaking her hip about three years ago. She had to sell several Titanic mementoes to raise funds, prompting her friends to set up a fund to subsidize her nursing home fees. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, the stars of the film "Titanic," pledged their support to the fund last month.

For most of her life Dean had no contact with Titanic enthusiasts and rarely spoke about the disaster. Dean said she had seen the 1958 film "A Night to Remember" with other survivors, but found it so upsetting that she declined to watch any other attempts to put the disaster on celluloid, including the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic."

She began to take part in Titanic-related activities in the 1980s, after the discovery of the ship's wreck in 1985 sparked renewed interest in the disaster. At a memorial service in England, Dean met a group of American Titanic enthusiasts who invited her to a meeting in the U.S.

She visited Belfast to see where the ship was built, attended Titanic conventions around the world — where she was mobbed by autograph seekers — and participated in radio and television documentaries about the sinking.

Charles Haas, president of the New-Jersey based Titanic International Society, said Dean was happy to talk to children about the Titanic. "She had a soft spot for children," he said. "I remember watching was little tiny children came over clutching pieces of paper for her to sign. She was very good with them, very warm."

In 1997, Dean crossed the Atlantic by boat for the first time, on the QEII luxury liner, and finally visited Kansas City, declaring it "so lovely I could stay here five years." She was active well into her 90s, but missed the commemoration of the 95th anniversary of the disaster in 2007 after breaking her hip.

Dean had no memories of the sinking and said she preferred it that way. "I wouldn't want to remember, really," she told The Associated Press in 1997. She opposed attempts to raise the wreck 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) from the sea bed.

"I don't want them to raise it, I think the other survivors would say exactly the same," she said in 1997. "That would be horrible."

The last survivor with memories of the sinking — and the last American survivor — was Lillian Asplund, who was 5 at the time. She died in May 2006 at the age of 99. The second-last survivor, Barbara Joyce West Dainton of Truro, England, died in October 2007 aged 96.
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5 months ago
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FREEZE POSSIBLE!

From: zackshields
Description:

All the ingredients are coming together for a cold night. The skies will clear again, the air is super dry and the winds will finally relax. This setup will promote a bunch of raditional cooling. This is when all the warm air we get from the sunshine during the day escapes into the space allowing the temperatures to tumble near the surface.

Here are forecast lows for Tuesday morning...

If you live north or west of Austin, I would prepare for a light freeze late tonight. Especially in the Hill Country, the temperatures will be around 30 to 32 degrees for 1 to 3 hours. Here in Austin we will be spared the coldest air and will stay above 32 degrees. If you live in a low spot like around a creek or river I would also prepare for a light freeze even around the Austin Metro and surrounding counties.

This cold snap is unusual for this time of year. The average last freeze for Austin is March 6 and the Hill Country is around March 20.

By the way, the latest freeze ever for Austin happened on April 9th, 1914 when the temperature dropped to 32 degrees.

LOOKING AHEAD FOR EASTER WEEKEND....

Less Sun and Mild with a Few Showers Possible.

A Pacific Storm spinning south of Alaska right now will take the low road.

It will throw some clouds are way and then deliver a shot of rain. The timing of the system and how much rain we will get is still up in the air because it is 6 to 7 days out. We will keep you updated.
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7 months ago
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March Madness is going on around the country and I am not talking about basketball. Plenty of extremes coast to coast...flooding in the Plains, severe storms in the South and record snowfall along the front range of the Rockies. It has been a good month for rain. For the 1st time since August we had a wetter than average month. In Austin, we received a little over 3 inches of rain. The big weather story this month has been the big hail storm. Even though we had some winter-like chill over the weekend the month has been slightly warmer than average.

How about the scene across the Texas panhandle on Friday...a March blizzard. Thanks to the wind there were 10 to 20 foot snowdrifts.

Check out this video...

On the flip side, there has been an increase in severe weather reports in the last couple of weeks. This is normal as we transition from Winter to Spring.

Daily Tabulation - March 2009

Day	Total	Torn	Hail	Wind
03/01/2009	2	0	1	1
03/02/2009	0	0	0	0
03/03/2009	0	0	0	0
03/04/2009	3	0	3	0
03/05/2009	1	0	1	0
03/06/2009	15	0	15	0
03/07/2009	77	7	62	8
03/08/2009	147	25	24	98
03/09/2009	14	0	6	8
03/10/2009	5	0	0	5
03/11/2009	0	0	0	0
03/12/2009	0	0	0	0
03/13/2009	0	0	0	0
03/14/2009	0	0	0	0
03/15/2009	3	1	1	1
03/16/2009	1	0	0	1
03/17/2009	0	0	0	0
03/18/2009	0	0	0	0
03/19/2009	0	0	0	0
03/20/2009	6	0	6	0
03/21/2009	4	0	4	0
03/22/2009	11	0	5	6
03/23/2009	187	17	119	51
03/24/2009	42	1	9	32
03/25/2009	135	16	35	84
03/26/2009	105	6	61	38
03/27/2009	35	5	23	7
TOTAL	793	78	375	340

What to expect for the last hours of March? A front will arrive early on Tuesday producing some rain and cooling us off briefly.

No severe weather this go around because all the energy will be well north of us. Plus most of the rain will stay east of us.

So get ready for some tranquil and pleasant weather going into the first week of April.

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8 months ago
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IFC Crossroads Party an SXSW

From: ATXgossip
Description:

The side effect of social media is that I am constantly distracted and can't complete a task to save my life. Hence the reason this blog is about three days late. I am writing to you by hand(to be transcribed later/now) in a hotel lobby with no access to technology. No email. No texts. No Twitter. Oh, that loveable little beast Twitter. I'm also munching on wasabi peanuts and wondering how I lived without them for so long. De. Lisc.

Back to the subject at hand(I guess I can be distracted no matter what I surround myself with. Duh. Like we didn't already know that). After composing my stellar review of American Idol's Grand Old Opry disaster on Tuesday night, I proceeded to drag my haggard ass down to Pangaea for IFC's Crossroads show with Gomez and The Decemberists. I'm glad I made the effort b/c Gomez jammed that joint. The best part of the experience, though, is that the joint was not jammed...with people, I mean.

The crowd was so chill and unassuming - completely opposite from the type of crowd Pangaea was created to attract. There definitely weren't reserved-table bottle-buying types in attendance. Everybody was cool...by nature. Not by effort or association. This was a true fan show. As exmplified by the fact that there were no celebs or socialites on site. In fact, The Decemberists didn't even try to pimp out their new juice(which dropped that very day).

As the free drinks flowed(thank you, IFC), I got into this awkwardly intense discussion with Henri from the Alamo Drafthouse about the difference between tape and film. I made a remark simply as a joke which led to a 20 minute diatribe about generational gaps and how, as the mediums change, the language/lingo is not. Tape vs. film. Tune in vs. (simply) watch. When you think about it, using the term filming just references the fact that something is being recorded - or so Henri persuaded me to believe. IFC was "filming" the event, btw. So "stay tuned" for that special sometime soon.

To wrap things up(my rambling, I mean), the somewhat intimate showcase was well worth the feeling of death I suffered through the following day. Gomez, The Decemberists and the crowd were all on good form...and so was I, as I got to see the one and only show I hoped to schmooze my way into. THANKS, IFC(said in the tone of those obnoxious TMZ commercials).

I'm a wicked girl. Worst in all the world.
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8 months ago
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Rain Event Has Begun!

From: zackshields

Description:

The warm and dry spell is over!!!! It took 3 weeks but we finally got some significant rain. This first round is just the beginning. More showers are on the way. The bottom line the next few days....rain likely on and off, no severe weather and Winter is back so jackets needed.

According to CPC, 2 to 4 inches are possible through Saturday Morning. Bring it on!

Another piece of energy is rotating around the Upper low out west. This energy will enhance the rain coverage starting this afternoon.

Notice the higher cloud tops in West Texas indicated by the blue color. That is heading our way.

Not only is it wet but much cooler. It was fun watching the temperatures drop this morninig. We started the show at 70 and ended up at 48. Winter doesn't want to give up. The chilly air will last for the rest of the week.

Most of the rain fell from I-35 to the Hill Country. We were tracking an impressive cluster of storms early on Wednesday morning out west but it fizzle before reaching Austin. Areas in the Hill Country received a quick .50 to .75" of rain. Here is a sample of rain totals noon Wednesday from the LCRA rain gauges.

Burnet 6 WSW				0.51
Lake LBJ at 1431 Bridge				0.16
Sonora 14 SE				0.31
Roosevelt 10 WSW				1.08
Telegraph 9 NW				0.86
North Llano River near Roosevelt				0.84
Junction 17 NW				1.31
North Llano River near Junction				0.54
Rocksprings 12 NE				0.68
Telegraph 5 SW				0.77
South Llano River at Telegraph				0.82
Llano River near Junction				0.76
Mountain Home 17 WNW				0.54
Junction 14 SE				0.71
Johnson Fork near Junction				0.68
London 12 SSE				0.98
Junction 18 ENE				0.91
Menard 12 SSE				0.83
Mason 15 W				0.64
Mason 7 WSW				0.80
Harper 6 NW				0.65
Harper 13 NW				0.80
James River near Mason				0.87
Mason 14 SSW				1.06
Mason 3 NNE				1.02
Comanche Creek near Mason				0.72
Llano River near Mason				0.52
Fredericksburg 12 NW				0.74
Harper 8 NE				0.79
Doss 4 N				0.46
Beaver Creek near Mason				0.79
Doss 8 W				0.76
Mason 10 NE				0.62
Willow Creek near Mason				0.74
Mason 17 SE				0.77
Castell 4 SSE				0.55
Mason 15 ENE				0.52
Cherry Spring 3 ENE				0.63
Llano 19 SW				0.48
Hickory Creek near Castell				0.66
Llano 19 WNW				0.43
Llano 14 WNW				0.63
San Fernando Creek near Llano				0.79
Llano 9 NW				0.59
Johnson Creek near Llano				0.35
Cherokee 4 SSE				0.75
Llano River at Llano				0.44
Llano 5 SSW				0.62
Llano 6 SSE				0.58
Llano 7 NNE				0.64
Tow 5 W				0.90
Little Llano River near Llano				0.68
Kingsland 7 WNW				0.61
Honey Creek near Kingsland				0.43
Lake LBJ at 2900 Bridge				0.23
Llano 13 SSW				0.55
Fredericksburg 10 NNE				0.41
Willow City 9 NW				0.38
Sandy Creek near Willow City				0.40
Llano 11 SSE				0.38
Willow City 6 ENE				0.24
Willow City 10 NNE				0.27
Kingsland 9 WSW				0.14
Sandy Creek near Click				0.25
Round Mountain 11 WNW				0.21
Sandy Creek near Kingsland				0.11
Walnut Creek near Kingsland				0.36
Lake LBJ at Sandy Harbor				0.33
Round Mountain 6 WNW				0.8

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8 months ago
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How Much Rain?

From: zackshields
Description:

We are still gearing up for a soggy and cooler stretch of weather for the rest of the week. The well advertised cold front will get here early on Wednesday morning. Here is the forecast map for early Wednesday.

The front may stall on top of us giving us even more rain. Here is the Wednesday afternoon map.

That is just round one of the rain. A slow moving upper low out west will send more moisture and waves of energy over the chilly air in Texas. This is what we call an overrunning pattern. This will promote cloudy skies and on and off rain through Saturday.

So how much rain will we get out of this event? We know it won't be a drought buster but it could erase the deficit for the year.

Being in a horrible drought, this is a beautiful weather map. The rain bulls eye is right here in Texas. Right now it looks like much of the area will get at least 1 to 2 inches. Some places in the Hill Country could get 3 to 4 inches. These rain totals depend on the speed of the front and the upper low. Plus, keep in mind that during a drought computer models overestimated rain totals. It is safe to say we will get some much needed rain across the entire area. The jury is still out on how much exactly. This rain will great for our lawns and upcoming bluebonnet season. Fire danger won't be as high.

The other big weather story this week will deal with the big drop in temperatures. All you warm weather fans out there better enjoy today because starting tomorrow the Winter chill will return. We will go from the 80s today to 40s tomorrow afternoon. The thick cloud cover will save us from a freeze. By the way, the mesquite tree is starting to bud so freezes are over until next Fall. The mesquite tree has never got it wrong.

This is Winter's Last Stand.

It will end up 30 to 40 degrees cooler tomorrow. Make sure the umbrella and jacket are ready to go for the rest of the week.
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8 months ago
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Soggy Week Ahead

From: zackshields
Description:

So far it has been 19 days since we have seen a raindrop in Austin. February 10th was the last time we received over a half inch of rain. So the bottom line.... we are overdue for some soggy weather. This time Mother Nature will deliver.

All the ingredients are coming together for rounds of rain starting on Wednesday. A cold front will arrive by then and an upper low out west will pour moisture and energy over the chilly air to keep rain in the forecast through Saturday. Have the jacket and umbrella on standby.

The front is the spark and the low out west will be the energizer to give us multiple rounds of rain.

Here is the latest 5 day rain total map from the Climate Prediction Center...

2 to 4 inches of rain would be nice. It would put a dent in the drought.

The models have been consistent the last couple of days so the confidence of the forecast is getting higher and higher.

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

I can't remember the last time we had rain in the area for 3 straight days. Bring it on, we are 2 feet behind schedule in the rainfall department. Will we see any severe weather? According to the SPC, the threat will remain to our north and west today and tomorrow.
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8 months ago
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SXSW Wristbands on sale NOW!

From: ATXgossip
Description:

Here's your chance to buy into the SXSW hype(or, if you are like me you can just try to (s)talk your way into the parties and chill at the Four Seasons.

SXSW 2009 Music Fest Wristband Sales Details (from the official site):

The initial round of 4000 wristbands will only be available to Austin residents and will be discounted to the price of $129 (includes tax and service charge) which is $10 less than in 2008. When the $129 wristbands sell out, or after Mar 9, 2009, additional wristbands will go on sale at a higher price to be announced.

The list price for SXSW '09 wristbands is $180 each. An individual can buy two wristbands - one must be in the name of the credit cardholder and the second must be assigned to a named individual at the time of purchase. The $129 discount wristbands will only be sold over the internet, and will require a valid credit card with an Austin area billing address.

There are no refunds or transfers of wristbands. If you buy more than the two wristbands permitted, you will not be able to give or sell them to other people. Before purchasing a second wristband make sure the second person you buy a wristband for has not made other arrangements and is definitely able to attend SXSW. There will be no refunds or name transfers after purchase. There will be no lottery for wristband sales this year. All sales will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

To purchase, click HERE.
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9 months ago
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Clouds & Chill Return

From: zackshields
Description:

I hope you enjoyed the sunshine yesterday because we won't see much the next two days. The clouds will dominate trapping in the chilly air and producing on and off light rain. We will stay in this typical overrunning pattern until this storm system over California moves east of us on Wednesday.

By mid week this low will be targeting the Heartland.

This is not going to be the same setup as last week. This low is weaker and the moisture profile is not as deep. So expect the widespread shower and storm activity just east of us. Here is the Severe WX outlook for late Tuesday and Wednesday.

I know what you are wondering. How much rain will we get? The simple answer...not much. Here is the official future rain totals from the CPC.

Totals this time will stay below .25".

We better get some rain because it looks like we will slide to a drier pattern late this week and will continue into the weekend.

Precipitation outlook from CPC...

That doesn't look good. Expect the drought to persist.
Blog post
9 months ago
Views: 236