Good Morning All,

Here is today's Severe Weather Outlook from the National Weather Service:
...NO SVR TSTM AREAS FORECAST...
 

News and Comments....

Today is a Safety Standown...

Part One:

It's almost the start of the Spring Season.  For those that live on the
Great Plains of North America it also signals the start of the strongest
severe weather potential of the year.  From now through early summer the
weather can really get interesting.  For example, here is the current
(current at the time I'm working of these Chronicles:  9:15 PM on Wednesday,
March 17th) forecast for Wichita over this coming weekend:

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 64. South Southwest wind between 6 and 13
mph. 
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. South wind between 10
and 13 mph. 
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1PM. Increasing clouds, with a
high near 68. South wind 11 to 17 mph becoming West. Winds could gust as
high as 26 mph.
Friday Night: Rain showers likely before 1AM, then rain and snow showers
likely. Cloudy, with a low around 32. Breezy, with a North Northwest wind
between 18 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation
is 60%.
Saturday: A chance of snow before 10AM, then a chance of rain and snow
between 10AM and 1PM, then a chance of rain after 1PM. Cloudy, with a high
near 40. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday Night: A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around
25. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 49.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. 
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 59.

There you go, beautiful weather then cold and snow and back to beautiful
weather (ah, springtime on the Plains).

So what's all this carefully crafted intro mean?  It's storm season for you
North American Readers (Except in Northwest Louisiana where it always  seems
to be severe weather.  They have an area that has been in continuous Flood
Warning since last October!)

Do you have a means to determine if severe weather is approaching? The
sirens are designed to alert people outside, not in buildings or homes.

Have you figured out where you are going to take shelter?  Putting as much
structure between you and the storm is good, below ground level is even
better.

How are you going to communicate with family, friends and/or the authorities
after things settle back down?  Check in and let people know you're OK
(Thanks David!).

OK, there you go and there will be a written test later. And hopefully no
practical one!

Part Two:

On Tuesday I had an driving experience that I thought I would share with
you.  I was nearing home after running a couple of errands on the way home
from work and was stopped at a stoplight less than a block from the house
waiting to make a left turn.  When the light turned green something said
"Stay Put".  So I delayed moving into the intersection to make my turn.

It was a good thing.  While the traffic in the curb lane came to a stop, a
car traveling in the inside lane didn't even slow down and sped through the
intersection against the light.  The woman drive never slowed or even looked
around.

If I had not delayed I would have been hit in the driver's door by a car
moving approximately 40 mph.

So, what's the story here?  Don't be I hurry to blast out into an
intersection when the lights changes.  Take a second or two look to see if
side traffic is actually slowing to a stop.  That extra second may save your
life or the life of someone that has trusted you to transport them safely.
 

The Light Thought of The Day...

DO YOU THINK ENGLISH IS EASY?....  To help with planting, the farmer taught
his sow to sow.
 

Closing Thoughts...

Pedantry and mastery are opposite attitudes toward rules. To apply a rule to
the letter, rigidly, unquestioningly, in cases where it fits and in cases
where it does not fit, is pedantry... To apply a rule with natural ease,
with judgment, noticing the cases where it fits, and without ever letting
the words of the rule obscure the purpose of the action or the opportunities
of the situation, is mastery. -George Polya, professor of mathematics
(1887-1985)
 

That's it for today, remember tomorrow starts the weekend, and be careful
out there,

Roger

Copyright 2010 by Roger M. Tener, with individual rights reverting back
to contributors after this one time use.  All opinions and versions of
events expressed by contributors are their own.