Tornado Watch for DC Area

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the Washington, DC area, effective through 4pm. A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes. (A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted.)

Keep your eyes open and if you see a tornado or a warning is issued, seek shelter immediately.

Good Morning: Here's Today's Weather

Today will be 81 degrees and sunny, after a evening low in the 60's. With ample sunshine and a warm breeze off the ocean, it will feel more like 85 degrees, but still well within the comfortable range.

Oh no. Never mind. That's the forecast for Honolulu. My bad.

Today will be actually be nothing special weather-wise. It will be in the mid-30's and cloudy. Sunday, in case you're curious, should be a repeat of Saturday.

If thoughts of Hawaii are filling your mind but you're scratching your head about how to get there, here are two travel sites we like: Lastminute.com and Kayak.

Good Morning: It's a Mitten day

You're not going to be alone if, when you step outside this morning, you go "brrr." After a nighttime low in the lower 20's, it will warm up today only to about 30 degrees.  But with winds of about 25 miles per hour, it's going to feel as if it's in the mid-20's with the wind chill factor.

While it's still to early to predict with certainty, the possibility exists for a major snowstorm in the mid-Atlantic and New England between December 12 - 14. Something's coming weather-wise during that period: Look for either a possible blizzard or just heavy rain.

Tornado Watch for DC Area Through 8 PM

The National Weather Service has just announced a tornado watch for the DC area through 8pm tonight. A watch means that conditions are right for the possible formation of tornadoes.

We may also get strong and possibly severe thunderstorms.  Here is the bulletin from the NWS.


URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 733
1215 PM EDT WED OCT 27 2010

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF...DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1215 PM UNTIL 800 PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 65 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
SOUTH HILL VIRGINIA TO 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF ATLANTIC CITY NEW
JERSEY.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

Good Morning: Lights On

Unless Pepco puts power lines underground, the District of Columbia will remain especially vulnerable to prolonged power outages. During the recent Cleveland Park area power outage, courtesy of tropical storm Nicole, we had a chance to test several power failure lights and one came out a clear winner: The Durofix LED light. It's bright and it lasts 8 hours, unlike many other emergency power lights that either are too dim or go dark after 20 minutes.

But sunset tonight isn't until 6:38pm, so in the absence of a weather-induced power failure (none are on the horizon, phew), you probably won't need a power failure light right away. And speaking of the weather, how does low to mid-70's and no rain through Sunday sound? We're in that magical season --weather twilight-- when we don't need to have the air conditioning or the heat on.

Tornado Watch Canceled: What the Heck Is a Tornado Watch Anyway?

The tornado watch for the District of Columbia has been canceled. But the forecast for heavy rains, flooding, and possible flash floods continues, so keep an eye to the sky.

What is a tornado watch anyway? Or a severe thunderstorm watch, or any "watch?"

A "watch" means that conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes or other severe weather. It means you should be on guard, with your emergency weather radio tuned in or your weather app for your smartphone ready and able to receive alerts, should the watch become a "warning."

A warning means that a tornado, severe thunderstorm, flash flood or other dangerous weather has been spotted. Warning actually means alert, because there's something really bad heading your way. A warning means that a tornado, for example, has been spotted on the ground or on radar. So if you hear "tornado warning," think "tornado alert!" and take appropriate precautions.

Severe thunderstorms, the kind that often down power lines, are thunderstorms that produce hail an inch in diameter and that have winds 58 miles per hour or greater.