December 31, 2008 Early Evening

Caught this shot of the moon and Venus over the WAVE-TV tower. My photo skills are only average and was unable to show Jupiter and Mercury about to set in the lower right of the shot.
Allen

December 31, 2008 Mid Morning

Light snow flurries danced in around 8am. With the cloudy skies it's making for a cold and bleak morning. I'm thinking a warm fireplace will be a great way to ring in the new year.
Allen

December 30, 2008 Late Evening

The house is rumbling with some pretty strong westerly winds up to 26 mph so far and likely to increase. There are wind advisories north and west of us.
Allen

December 30, 2008 Mid Evening

If you were in Louisville today you might have noticed that the streets have been pre-treated with brine. Don't be alarmed. We aren't really expecting anything. The scuttlebutt seems to be that the threat of light snow late Thursday prompted Metro Louisville to pre-treat now instead of on a holiday. Probably a cost saving idea since holiday pay could kick in over New Years. Just a guess.

Nice, sunny, warm day here -- for December.
Allen

December 29, 2008 Late Evening

The clear skies have been wonderful for gazing at the heavens. Just before sunset we saw the moon escorted to it's lower right by Jupiter and Mercury. I don't think I've ever seen Mercury and knew that was what I was seeing.

Everyone was raving about last night's spectacular sunset. My capture is above.
Allen

December 29, 2008 Early Morning

A faint glow of dawn, brilliant stars and fairly heavy frost. A beautiful morning.
Allen

December 28, 2008 Late Morning

A windy night as the cold front pushed through. It's a bright, sunny, cold day. Bit of a shock after yesterday's record warmth.

Except for the dangerous ice a few days ago, we've been pretty lucky so far. Especially when you look at the rough weather in other regions. Makes me wonder what January and February have in store for us.
Allen

December 26, 2008 Early Afternoon

With the rising air temp over a cold ground surface, fog is forming.

Christmas Eve Sunset

Christmas Eve 2008

With spring-like winds it feels more like Easter than Christmas. The rain stopped around 2:30 or so this afternoon and our temp has started to drop. Merry Christmas everyone!
Allen

December 23, 2008 Late Afternoon Update

US 42 has been salted but there are slick spots.
Allen

December 23, 2008 Early Afternoon

The salt-like grains you see on our deck is the only precip we've had so far today. Temp continues to rise.

December 22, 2008 Mid Afternoon

The pond is ready for miniature ice skaters. The coldest temps officially reported overnight were 3 degrees in Etown and Lexington. We beat them with 2.4 degrees at 7:13am. We had a windchill of 17 below at 3:50am.

My brother sent a great quote from Mark Twain-

"Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer,we'd all have frozen to death."

December 21, 2008 Early Evening

Even the sunset looks cold. The solstice is here and it's officially winter. The weather is certainly right on cue. Bitterly cold with dangerous windchill. A low of 4 degrees is predicted for Oldham County but I wouldn't be surprised to see it go lower.

Radar is showing a few flurries floating through. The wind is really whipping up now with gusts around 30 mph.
Allen

December 21, 2008 Late Morning

Brrrrr! 18 degrees and wind chill of 12. It's 7 in Indy and those temps will be in here tonight.

There are a few snowflakes falling. It's mostly sunny but a couple of isolated cells are floating around the county dropping some flakes.
Allen

December 20, 2008 Early Afternoon

Changes on the web site are mostly finished. The page is loading faster although I'll continue to seek improvement there. I'm very happy with the new front page stats. I think it's interesting to watch the data update in near real-time.

For the sake of faster loading I dropped many of the little widgets and gizmos on the front page and will try to stick to the basics. I've retained links to this blog and, more importantly, John Belski's blog.

I hope you approve and enjoy the changes. Feel free to send feedback on either the guest book or email. Links are on the front page.

Happy Holidays! Think spring!
Allen

December 19, 2008 Mid Afternoon

Believe it or not, the sun came out a little before 11am and we've had quite a few hours of it so far. Thought I'd better take a picture of it because I don't think we'll see much more after this.

Work is continuing on the new web site. It will feature real-time condition updates instead of each minute. Plus, it should be offer much faster load time.
Allen

December 16, 2008 Mid Afternoon

The driveway is slick, subdivision streets have a few slick spots. Oldham County highways are wet just like Louisville. Wondering how driving conditions might change after sundown. So far, this storm hasn't packed much punch in our immediate area.
Allen

December 14, 2008 Late Evening

We have a winter storm watch and John Belski is predicting it will be a full-scale warning by tomorrow morning. (See lower right column.) I just drove highways 53, 42 and our subdivision. There's no evidence of pre-treatment. I know salt is in short supply, but in my opinion, brine should have been applied. Perhaps they'll do it overnight.
Allen

December 12, 2008 Late Afternoon

The temp has been falling this afternoon. A few flurries, too. Fuzzy little bird on the back deck has his head under his wing. Very wintry.
Allen

December 11, 2008 Early Evening

After a gray, cold day we got one flash of real beauty. Tonight's sunset in Oldham County was spectacular. My cell phone camera doesn't come close to doing it justice.
Allen

December 11, 2008 Early Morning

Looks like the precip never worked it's way this far north. So, we were spared a freezing rain and sleet event.

December 10, 2008 Late Evening

There's a chance of freezing rain for tomorrow morning. Our temp should remain stable in the low 30's, but we will likely drop below freezing. I'm not about to make a prediction, but we'll be getting up early to determine if it's going to be a slow, slow commute to Louisville. No need to to worry until you hear the ice hitting the windows at 5 or 6 AM, I guess. This is the kind of weather that closes schools in Oldham County. Take it from someone who's lived here for 33 years.

Here's what the NWS issued at 10:25 PM Eastern - This is posted under "Warnings and Advisories" in our right column.

...FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT...

AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING OUT OF THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL
TRACK NORTHEAST INTO EASTERN TENNESSEE BY THURSDAY EVENING.
MOISTURE WILL STREAM NORTH AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM...ENTERING
KENTUCKY DURING THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AT PRECIPITATION
ONSET...LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE IS EXPECTED.

HOWEVER AS TEMPERATURES DROP TO NEAR THE FREEZING MARK VERY LATE
TONIGHT...THE DRIZZLE AND RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING
DRIZZLE AND FREEZING RAIN. THIS WILL CAUSE SOME ISOLATED SLICK SPOTS ON
AREA ROADWAYS...PARTICULARLY BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES.

AS COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION THURSDAY...ALL OF THE
PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW BEFORE ENDING. STAY
TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO...YOUR LOCAL MEDIA...OR
WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS
DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
--------------
If possible, I'll post here what conditions we find tomorrow morning. Keep in mind that we have a link on our top menu to the TV stations with school and work closing info. Just click on "Closings."
Allen

December 8, 2008 Late Evening

Wind: 11 mph from the S
Gust: 15 mph
Today's High Wind: 20 mph (10:25pm)

We're getting some strong southerly winds tonight. Almost like spring. Easy to believe that we might get a thunderstorm tomorrow as NWS has predicted as a possibility.

December 6, 2008 Mid Afternoon UPDATE

3:37 pm US42 has been salted and is in pretty good shape. Slick spots.

December 6, 2008 Early Afternoon - Driving Is Dangerous

The snow really picked up over the past hour or so. NWS has issued a winter weather advisory.

We left for a trip to Prospect but turned back when we realized how really, really slick US 42 was. Instead of lamb tonight, we'll be having soup and sandwiches. Streets in the neighborhood are snow covered since the pavement was so cold when the snowfall began. I'm predicting a rash of accidents because it's the first really slick condition we've had this season and we saw some idiots speeding down 42.
Allen

December 6, 2008 Mid Morning

This was the second night of temps dropping into the mid-teens. It's been low enough to freeze our little pond and turn the grass even more brown.

We drove home from Prospect around 7:30 last night. It was 26 degrees in Prospect. 20 minutes later, as we entered Sycamore Run, it was 17 degrees. It's another indicator of how different our weather can be from Louisville conditions and forecasts. We are higher in elevation by hundreds of feet and much farther north. I've found that if you want to know what the weather's going to do in the Westport area, you're better off listening to what's being forecast for southern Indiana. Often, when Louisville gets a "dusting" of snow, southern Indiana gets a lot more. And so do we! Oldham county residents who work in Louisville have had to explain to skeptical bosses for years that "we really DID get more snow!"
Allen

November 26, 2008 Early Morning

My daughter had a late flight in from Seattle so I had a chance to observe the many, many flights in the air on this clear night. What with the UPS load and this being the busiest period for air travel, the sky was filled.

November 23, 2008 Early Evening

No fall color left. Everything has tuned brown. It was a mostly sunny weekend. Our last trip to Bray's Orchard for the year. Great weekend. Ready for Thanksgiving.

November 20, 2008 Late Afternoon

Wow! Where did this come from? Fairly heavy snow showers as temps have dropped throughout the afternoon. Felt downright "Christmasy" outside today.

November 20, 2008 Late Morning

Rather dull weather, and that's good! Sunny cold/cool days and cold nights seem to be the pattern until the weekend when our shower chances go up. We have a chance of a few snow showers late tonight. But, don't get out the sleds yet.

November 19, 2008 Late Afternoon

Cold here last night, but not as cold as some surrounding areas that went into the teens. Our low was 21.6 degrees at 1:57am. This morning saw the first ice of the year on our little pond waterfall. And, the Crepe Myrtle tree, always the last to leaf in the spring and the last to drop leaves in the fall, looks like it's been blow torched.

Novvember 18, 2008 Dawn

Just a picture of our chilly dawn.

November 18, 2008 Early Morning

Pre-dawn saw a star-filled, cloudless sky. A slight crunch to the grass underfoot, but no frost on the car windshields--yet. We hit 25 degrees at 7:00AM. It could drop another degree or so before sunrise.

November 17, 2008 Late Afternoon

Mostly clouds today although we had a few bright moments. It was cold with a few light flurries. Looks like a hard freeze tonight with lows predicted in the mid 20's.

November 16, 2008 Mid Afternoon

I've been having problems with the live stream from the camera for a few months now. It's an IP address issue. I'm at the point where I think it isn't worth the hassle. I might drop that link unless I can come up with a more reliable feed. The still picture is fine and usually up-to-date. The problem is only with the streaming feed.

November 15, 2008 Midday

Window blinds rattled and awoke us a little after 6am. A pretty big gust of 22 mph was registered at 6:09. The big temp drop followed.

November 14, 2008 Early Evening

It's been a long time since I posted here on the weather site. I hope to post more regularly from here on out. (Famous last words from many bloggers.)

June 19. 2008 Late Evening

Almost midnight and we're getting some light showers. Other parts of the county got some pretty hefty storms earlier this evening.

June 13, 2008 Early Afternoon

I'm hoping we'll get clipped by one of these storm cells that seem to be meandering north of us and heading up-river. If these miss us, there's another line that may come through later this afternoon. We need the rain.

June 9, 2008 Mid Evening

If we could only get a little of that Indiana moisture down here. It's dry!

June 7, 2008 Mid Evening

Warm but gentle summer evening. Every living creature we've seen - birds, bees and butterflies have joined up in mating pairs. June weddings abound.

LIGHTNING DETECTOR REPAIRED

Tuesday Afternoon 2:40PM - The cable on the lightning detector has been repaired and it's working properly.

LIGHTNING DETECTOR DOWN

We have a damaged cable on our lightning detector. Hope to repair soon. Until then, lightning displays will be erroneous.

June 3, 2008 Mid Morning

Early morning thunderstorms, while noisy enough to awaken the skiddish Cocker Spaniel, only brought us .02 inch of rain here in NE Oldham County. The heavier rains were in the SE parts of the county and into Shelby county. The storms pretty much moved down I-64 and hit the Lexington area. As I write this there are thunderstorms in Louisville and they seem to be moving this way.

June 2, 2008 Late Evening

To my neighbors - Be sure to complain to Insight Communications if you are having internet or TV problems. Only multiple complaints activate action on their part. Insight customer service is 357-4400. Don't assume other neighbors have called. Tell them you're aware that service techs have been on site since Sunday in Sycamore Run (be specific about the location) but the problem persists. They'll try to schedule an individual appointment with you, but you should refuse unless you know you have a specific problem at your home (unlikely). Tell them to check with the tech department to see the status of the repairs to Sycamore Run subdivision.

June 2, 2008 Late Evening

Internet connectivity continues to be spotty. Our broadband provider has a truck near our neighborhood with a tech thumbing through a manual and scratching his head. To my neighbors - continue to complain to Insight. Multiple complaints are part of their mechanism for sending repair crews. Don't assume others have complained. It takes many complaints to get on their radar. Insight customer service number is 357-4400.

June 1, 2008 Early Evening

I spoke too soon. Cable broadband still stuttering. Insight is working on it.

June 1, 2008 Late Afternoon

Insight Cable has a truck at the entrance to our subdivision. There's the answer to the old riddle "What's white and sleeps four?" An Insight repair truck! Har Har.
I apologize for ribbing them. They seem to have actually repaired the broadband connection. And on a Sunday afternoon, no less! (Keep your fingers crossed.)

June 1, 2008 Mid Afternoon

Our internet connection via Insight Cable has been on-and-off throughout the day. Now, it's mostly off. They say they are working on it. With Insight, that could mean as little as "they're scheduling a repair next week." Hard to say. I'm able to blog to the site through my handheld. But, all weather data here will be outdated until we get our connection back.

May 28, 2008 Late Morning

You may now choose various radar modes. On our main local radar page, in addition to the default, you may choose the 1 hour, 3 hour or Storm Total precip modes. Doin't forget that the radar may be animated by pushing "play.". Be patient on loading, the images are high quality png's.
Allen Brown
Voice Talent & Creative Audio Services
Phone 502-905-1288
www.voiceover1.com

Site up - Early Morning May 28, 2008

Our internet connection was restored overnight but we didn't get back up until a reset this morning. Everything seems fine. We received .26 inch of rain yesterday.

Site Down - Mid Evening May 27, 2008

Our internet connection was severed tonight (May 27th) around 8:45pm. Once the cable is back up the site should start updating automatically. We were getting some pretty brisk wind when the cable failed.

May 27, 2008 Early Evening

We had a couple of claps of thunder and some breeze but, so far, the rain has passed northeast of us. More could develop as we have some to our northwest and southwest.

May 25, 2008 Late Evening

Our location in Sycamore Run is now more accurately displayed on our radar.

May 25, 2008 Early Evening

Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird took up residence in our Purple Martin house a few weeks ago. They now have a clutch of babies! They peep like crazy when Mom or Dad Bluebird fly in to feed them. Bluebirds used to be SO rare. They've really made a comeback. We're glad they're here. Sweet weather today allowed us to plant begonias and marigolds in the front. We planted two rose bushes in the backyard.

Faces are warm and glowing from a day in the sun.

May 24, 2008 Late Evening

Three spacecraft spotted tonight, one of them bright enough to be the International Space Station.* Spectacular viewing despite the broken cloud cover.

*For the record - spotted by Brigid. SW to NW.

May 24, 2008 Early Morning

We've joined the Spotter Network. Click for more info. It's a beautiful morning and a gorgeous weekend is in the making. Looks like we'll finally get our warm-up.

May 22, 2008 Early Morning

Our low was 44 overnight. Sure will be nice to see a warm-up.

I hope I've solved the "bird poop in the rain collector" problem. I've made the collector a less bird-friendly perch by using some wire spikes. After installing the contraption, I noticed a large Mockingbird easily defeating it. So, I had to lengthen the spikes. It's a harmless thing. It just discourages the birds from perching. I've seen it used on the ledges of downtown buildings to keep pigeons away.

I hope I didn't inadvertently create a lightning rod.

May 21, 2008 Early Morning

More unseasonably warm temperatures. Plant growth seems to have come to a stop, or at least, to a crawl. The weekend looks warmer.

May 16, 2008 Early Morning

We received 1.34 inches of rain yesterday. That puts us about 1/2 inch ahead of the normal rain for May. We're still a couple of inches under the norm for the year. Interesting to note that our last significant spring rain, prior to last year's drought, came around the middle of May. We didn't see substantial rainfall again until late October.

May 14, 2008 Midday

We had some power problems with the station starting around 8PM last night. Things are back up now.

May 14, 2008 Early Morning

A few pre-dawn sprinkles. Looks like some heavier precip as the day goes on. Maybe I won't have to get the hose out for the newly sprouted zinnias afterall.

May 12, 2008 Late Evening

I sneezed at least 50 times today. Itchy eyes, the whole thing. I never had allergies as a kid, but over the past 3 or 4 years, it's become obvious, I have them now. Today's count = 9.1. Medium-high. Mostly grass.

May 9, 2008 Late Evening

Too wet to mow the grass and it's growing like crazy. Not very interesting weather around here, as you can tell when the media meteorologists have few, if any, local comments. It may not be "interesting" like a tornado, but it sure is nice to have beneficial, gentle moisture. I tired long ago of weather folks casting judgement on the weather. We've had farmers and gardeners begging or praying for moisture and the media guys say "Rain coming in to dampen your weekend and maybe ruin your cookout...sorry about the 'bad' weather, folks!"

May 8, 2008 Late Evening

A calm evening. No wind. The rain today was the gentle kind that allows seeds to germinate without being washed from the soil. Plants are growing with a lush heave. Many tent caterpillars this year. More than ever, as far as I can recall, crawling on all surfaces. The cat is obsessed with them. I'm keeping him away as I fear they are toxic, as they've proven to be to horses.

May 7, 2008 Late Evening

We've had some trouble with our infrared satellite animation. Hope to have that cleared up soon. Plenty of rain since early evening and more on the way. May your gardens prosper!

May 6, 2008 Late Evening

It was good weather for just about anything. But there's no good weather for digging the grave for the family's 15 year old Cocker Spaniel. Goodbye, Belle. We'll miss you so much.

May 5, 2008 Late Evening

I've learned that it's unrealistic to expect the data on our site to be completely automated. I'm regularly reminded that it needs supervision to keep radar images and other information current. Yes, it's a hobby. I do, however, want it to be as correct as possible. I apologize for any incorrect data.

May 4, 2008 Late Afternoon

A beautiful, sunny, May day. Perfect for planting zinnias, herbs and a few tomato plants.

May 2, 2008 Midday

While cleaning the rain collector the gusty winds tipped the bucket switch a few times resulting in a false registration of rain in the amount of .27 inch. So, we'll be off by that amount. Looks like the real thing will be tipping the bucket in an hour or so as storms are approaching from the west.

May 1, 2008 Late Evening

Local radar is now integrated into the image montage in the center of the screen. To enlarge the picture and animate it, just click on the slide or the image name.

May 1, 2008 Mid Morning

Welcome to May! Chilly this morning but warming very fast. Our high could make it to near 80. Hold on to the wheel. It's gonna' be windy.

April 30, 2008 Mid Evening

I finally got the live stream working again. It always requires fiddling with the IP settings. Even when the live stream doesn't work, the cam picture on the front page is always the latest, provided you reload the page from time-to-time.

April 30, 2008 Early Morning

At sunrise, I saw some patchy frost on the grass. Let's hope it doesn't damage any plants. Maybe it will kill some of the early lawn weeds. Derby Day is the traditional day for tomato planting around here. It's usually frost free after the first Saturday in May. But, frosts and even freezes are not unheard of after Derby.

April 27, 2008 Mid evening

Totally silent outside. No wind. No dogs barking. Took the garbage out and heard only the sounds of my breath. I thought of "Dave" in his spacesuit in "2001."

April 26, 2008 Mid Evening

It's that time of year when the birds just love perching on our rain collector. Their droppings clog up the small hole in the bottom. I'll have to check it more often. If you ever notice that a heavy shower hasn't registered on the gauge, look for a Red Winged Blackbird doing his "business."

April 26, 2008 Late Morning

We got a little over a quarter of an inch of rain when the front came through last night. Rain and wind, little if any thunder. Skies are clearing now. When the sun comes out, one should be able to HEAR the grass grow!

April 25, 2008 10PM

Storms to our west are predicted to weaken. They're not showing that trend at this point. We're planning on some thunder tonight and that means a crazy cocker spaniel. Storms are still far way, but maybe they'll die down We do need the rain.

April 25, 2008 Midday

Checking the soil moisture it's at 66. We're getting a little dry. There's a chance of showers. We could use some.

The bluebirds are numerous this year. Remember when they were very rare? What a comeback!

April 24, 2008 Early Morning

The day is dawning clear with a bit of a breeze out of the east. A breeze strong enough to whistle around one of our windows that's not tightly shut. The term "Morning Zephyr" comes to mind. We have a chance of showers later. May this breeze carry all the hope that a new day promises.

April 22, 2008 Mid Evening

Everything loves this weather. Especially the grass. It grows so fast this time of year! Note to self: Mow more often.

April 22, 2008 Early Morning

Good morning. Clear skies, but hazy this morning. There's a smell of sulphur in the air. With such light winds all night, I suspect we're in the path of the pollution plume from the power plant up river and it's settled in. Makes my throat feel irritated. This must be what it's like in Beijing.

April 21, 2008 Mid Evening

Pleasantly cool this evening with unusually calm wind.

April 21, 2008 Late Morning

As of 10:30am, the fog has lifted and skies are brighter.

More rumbles reported. I was up this morning when the earthquake aftershock happened. I felt nothing. Our cocker spaniel is acting odd. Like he does when there's a thunderstorm.

April 21, 2008 Monday Morning Fog

Dense fog this morning. Visibility 200 feet or less. Or, maybe I just need a cup of coffee.

April 21, 2008 Early Morning

Fog was in the forecast, and as I get ready to retire, I see it forming. Good night!

April 20, 2008 Very Late Evening

This is my first post to the weather blog using my handheld. I hope to be able to make more frequent posts to the site using this technology.

April 20, 2008 Late Evening

Our local doppler radar is now animated! Click on the radar image on the front page and you'll be taken to the animation page. Once there, just click "play" to start the animation. We've also added a slide show that includes our web cam image, links to animated satellite images and national contour maps. Each image is clickable to expand to a live feed or larger image.

It was a cloudy, dreary weekend here. So, it was perfect for spending hours on the computer making these changes on the site. Animating the radar has been a goal for a long time, and it was very gratifying to finally get it done.