Talk About the Weather

The title to this post has at least 3 levels of meaning for me. If I was a radio talk show host (don't tempt me) I would probably initiate a call-in like contest and see if you could guess what they are. But since I'm not, I'll just stick with the topic.

Somehow, seriously, somehow... I've gotten to be known as the weather guy. (Erik, it's OK, u can still txt me.)

I think I have been with people, outside, and they've turned to me and asked, "What's the weather supposed to be like today?" "Look up?" I've thought, too polite to actually say out loud.

No, really, I don't mind all that much. I'm not sure when it all started. I'm sitting here wondering if it came as part of package Airforce brat deal. I'm not too sure.

I can tell you I can remember weather as far back as I can recall.I remember living in "the green house" (an early childhood home that was painted green on its outside) and hunkering down in the middle of it while a tornado ripped down the street just one block away. It killed a young boy in a dugout at the ball field. Maybe that's why I was never interested in playing sports.Growing up in Myrtle Beach, SC I got used to riding out big hurricanes.

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep... The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for the following counties: Georgetown, Horry, ..."

I can still hear it to this day, probably because I heard it so many times. The storms would almost always make the same tracks. My mom would get those paper grid maps and we'd plot the storm by the coordinates on the radio, maybe a TV. These were the days before we knew cable or The Weather Channel. The Internet was still a fanciful idea in some little-known future politician's mind.

I have the NWS site up now, at work and at home. I almost always do. Gina's last car had it factory built-in with the radio. My most recent handheld GPS also had it. I'm still amazed to find people that think it was invented yesterday. Ok, now no forecast is perfect. But these guys are pretty good. One other thing I have to say about their site: no ads or pop-ups. I think our culture has been so inundated and accustomed to them they don't even notice them on the weather sites. I can't stand them! What clutter! And what's up with this new one with the girl showing off her little pink patch? You know, it's dangerous really. What if I'm tracking to track a tornado and get distracted? Down right deadly.

What really prompted me to start this rambling is, I have found a new tool [heavenly music crescendos in background]. I turned my wife, Gina Baker, onto it this morning. Yeah, she's already hooked. I can tell. I saw the corners of her smile and her eyes widen in the glow of the laptop screen.OK, but I'm not going to give it away for free. This is for REAL weather enthusiasts only.

Have you... hiked in a hailstorm or during a flashflood warning? Have you been on the water and seen multiple funnel clouds? Have you lived through multiple hurricanes and even surfed the waves of one? Do you get excited when you hear a tornado siren but in a good way? Do you stand at the front door when transformers are blowing out like popcorn? Have you seen the green? Have you stepped out into it? Have you... had $2,000 of damage to your vehicle due to wind alone? Have you ever opened all the doors, put in neutral and let it sail the wind? Have you sailed a boat in a thunderstorm or had to bail a canoe while laughing in a downpour? Have you woken in the middle of the night to see your camp floating away? Have you kayaked in the face of blowing sleet? Have you camped out without a tent to zero F? Have you gotten in your car and chased a storm with a camera, a GPS and a cell phone? With your spouse?

Have you ever traded a Fall Break to run a chainsaw for a week in Florida? Have you ever given up a Labor Day to cook for the suddenly homeless in Mississippi? Have you ever climbed onto a roof with a chainsaw around power lines or gotten under a dangerous limb for a neighbor, or two or more? Have you ever run out in a rain storm around power lines to make sure that the 100-year old tree didn't crush the widow's house or block her doors? Have you ever helped a stranded hiker across a flooded river? Have you ever driven 3 hours to give a tornado victim a bottle of water?

My point is, don't think of these tools as toys or entertainment. Use these tools to increase your awareness and that of those around you. Use the information to offer peace and safety. Don't make fun of the weather man. Don't take praying about the weather lightly, "I wish" this and "I wish" that.

Use it for information. "I can get to my car now without getting soaked." "Is my home storm ready?" "It's OK, honey. It's just heavy rain." "Better not plan on working in the garden this weekend."OK, you've paid the price, to get this far. I'll let you have it. And if you scanned or skipped all the way down to here then shame on you. (OK, not really.)

It's Weather Underground. Now wait, don't say you already know. Hold on. Here's the link.

http://www.wunderground.com/

And yes, I know there are ads. It's OK. This one may be worth it.Now keep in mind. This is for almost-live highly detailed radar, for storm tracking. It won't cook supper for you. You've got to understand how to use it. It's not just some pretty kaleidoscope.

Like usual, enter your zip code, city, whatever or cheat and go ahead and click on the icon center left that says WunderMap or View WunderMap. (Don't you like all these compound uppercase words?) Yes, I know. Ooh, pretty. Snap out of it.

Scroll down a little and select Storm Tracks. Now you should hear that celestial singing I referred to earlier (if you're a believer). Now , if you're doing this and there's no severe weather around you're not going to get much. Maybe you should practice on TN. They seem to always have a storm going on. Mine often comes up, by default, with stations. I don't use them so much. I usually unclick them (lower left). If you're not impressed then leave. If you like what you see, start digging around and learn the stuff. "It's so awesome!" [Think hamster voice from the movie Bolt.]

That's all I've got to say. Maybe next time we'll come back to the other 2 meanings behind this post's title. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you must have skipped to the bottom.

This is where I usually say,

- Wade Baker