Good evening everyone. I spent much of Thursday working on getting an old computer working so that my mother could use it. So, I didn’t get a chance to post into the blog or update the site at all until now. I just spent some time e-mailing some interesting articles out to those on my mailing list since they all dealt with not only different aspects discussed at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando this week, but they all are very critical topics in the world of hurricane tracking and storm preparedness. I’ll have more on that shortly in another blog posting.

However, what I wanted to speak with you all about this evening is the rainy weather that we have had the past 24 to 36 hours. Since Thursday afternoon, clouds crept into the Central Jersey area, and eventually led to some rain that fell during the night, and into the early morning hours on Friday. Looking at the latest data from the Greg’s Weather Center almanac page for the month of April, rainfall amounts have totaled 0.35 inches, which mostly fell during the day on Friday. Winds have been steady, and there is more to come. These rains are a harbinger of a massive storm that has brought plenty of severe weather, particularly in the Southeast, and the Missouri Valley where portions of Central Arkansas saw deadly tornadoes. Over the first three plus months of 2008, the Razorback State has seen another deadly tornado, a foot of snow in some places, a foot of rain, and major flooding.

Kentucky and Tennessee have not been left out either. In Kentucky, some parts have received between three to five inches, which has swelled the Ohio River flowing through the major city of Louisville. The states of Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama are not immune either. Tornado watches were in effect in many portions of those three states, which were hit not too long ago by severe weather. As a matter of fact, that last incident of severe weather in that region produced the deadly and damaging twister that rolled through downtown Atlanta, and interrupted the Quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, which was taking place at the Georgia Dome.

Looking at the CNN weather report and radar this morning, you could see clouds stretching throughout much of the eastern third of the country with strong to severe thunderstorms developing in the Southeast. During the day on Friday, those thunderstorms ripped through Southern Mississippi, and pummeled towns such as Jackson, which saw severe damage in a portion of the city while a possible tornado impacted the town of Vicksburg. Keep in mind that many, if not all of these areas, are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina some two and a half years ago. Bad weather affected states from Maine to Missouri, which is still recovering from flooding in the latter portion of March. How will all of this have an impact on the Northeast, and in particular, the Central Jersey region.

According to the Weather Channel forecast maps, the 36 hour prognostication indicates that up to a half an inch of rainfall is expected in Central Jersey starting from the area covering Middlesex County. Most of it will be of the light and showery variety while heavier amounts are projected for Southern Jersey and the Delmarva Penninsula. The brunt of the storm, however, appears to be moving more to the south, where rainfall amounts are expected to be as high as three inches in areas of Virginia by the time the storm exits into the Atlantic on Sunday.

The National Weather Service forecast is calling for a 70 percent chance of rain this evening and during the overnight with the most significant rain coming after midnight. On Saturday, rain is likely in the morning with another 70 percent chance of rainfall before tapering off to showers on Saturday night. Temperatures during the day on Friday rose into the low 50s after reaching a bottom of a tad more than 39 degrees early this morning. On Thursday, there was much more a diurnal range of temperatures with the maximum of 51 degrees reached during the lunch hour after a low of 25 at about sunrise. Temperatures on Saturday are anticipated to climb into the upper 50s before dropping back into the lower 50s upon the storm’s departure on Sunday.

Well all know that April showers bring May flowers, and that the fourth month of the year is always a wet one. However, this year as so far gotten off to a wetter start with measurable precipitation every day so far this month, and a total rainfall amount of 0.7 inches. So far in 2008 here in South Plainfield, there has been a total of 10.23 inches of rain.