The JessePedia

JessePedia

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. These are the things that are important to me. More will be added over time.

• 10:1 Snow Ratio (and why the GFS has it)

• Bachmeier, Scott (my buddy Scott from SSEC)

• Beach, The (my Coastal Obsession)

• CBBT, The (The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel)

• Chris Burt (author of "Extreme Weather")

• Cyberpunk (culture and how/when it related to me)

• El Niño (the weather phenomenon)

• Forecast Models (which and what)

• Grandfather Mountain (personal & met significance)

• Hazzard Area (them good ol' Duke Boys)

• MCC / MCS / MCV (Mesoscale Convective Complexes)

• Model Spread (what and from where)

• Monk-ish (I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive...)

• Mount Washington (meteorological significance)

• Mythbusters (the TV show)

• Need for Speed (the Video Game)

• New Camera, The (the Kodak Z650)

• New Car, The (the Saturn Vue)

• New Dog, The (Maya the Siberian Husky)

• New House, The (the American dream)

• NHC (the government agency)

• NOAA (the government agency)

• NWS (the government agency)

• Quakerism (my religious affiliation)

• RFQ (Right Front Quadrant)

• SSEC (the research institution)

• Second Life (the Virtual World)

• Severe Weather Indices (which and what)

• Sports (why I don't do them)

• Weird Runs (forecast model inaccuracies)

10:1 Snow Ratio (and why the GFS has it): Unlike some Forecast Models, the "GFS" model can't predict snow depth by itself. If you take the "liquid equivalent snow" variable from the GFS and assume a 10 to 1 snow to rain ratio (meaning 10 inches of snow would melt down to 1 inch of rain), you can get an estimated snowfall map, which we have on our AccuWeather.com Professional subscription service. However, a 10:1 ratio only happens at 32 degrees and is the maximum ratio common the the U.S. (ranging from 4:1 to 10:1, according to the NSIDC FAQ).

FOR MORE INFO: Scott's Blog | Scott's Webpage

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Bachmeir, Scott (my buddy Scott from SSEC): Scott Bachmeier, meteorological researcher at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin, is a buddy of mine who has done a great satellite image blog which grew out of his old site, which was really a blog before they were called blogs. I met Scott when he visited one of my meteorological student cohorts at UNCA.

FOR MORE INFO: Scott's Blog | Scott's Webpage

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Beach, The (my Coastal Obsession): Every year of my life I have travelled to Long Beach on Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina. I have an affinity for the coast and coastal music (such as Jimmy Buffett or Reggae). This blog entry explains a lot about where that obsession comes from and why I long for sand and sun.

FOR MORE INFO: Oak Island, NC (Official Site) | Wikipedia Entry | JesseBlog: Coastal Confessions (Includes Photos, Wallpaper)

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

CBBT (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel): One of the "Seven Engineering Wonders of the World," the bridge was constructed to connect DelMarVa with Virginia Beach. The bridge is 17.6 miles long in water up to 100 feet deep and the bridge goes underwater into tunnels twice. Being a scientist this fascinated me and it was visually pleasing as well when I visited it in 2002.

FOR MORE INFO: Wikipedia Entry | More Info & Jesse's Photos From the CBBT in 2002

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Chris Burt (author of "Extreme Weather"): Chris Burt is a WeatherMatrix Member and fellow extreme weather enthusiast who wrote a book called "Extreme Weather" in 2004, featuring WeatherMatrix, and issued a new edition in 2007, featuring my blog. Generally books on weather become quickly antiquated but this one is an exception. His research is thorough and unmatched in the industry.

FOR MORE INFO: New Edition Of "Extreme Weather" Book! | New Edition of Extreme Weather Book!

Cyberpunk (culture and how/when it related to me): During my college years in the early 1990's, cyberpunk culture was the "in" thing for tech-savvy nonconformists like myself. I listened to Cyberpunk Music such as Information Society, Kraftwerk, read magazines such as Wired (I still have the original issue) and 2600, books by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, and watched with fascination Max Headroom. I bought my first (external) 2400-baud modem for $150 and hooked my monochrome laptop (no hard drive, two floppy drives) into the University's network and fancied myself an amateur hacker. As I moved into reality after graduating from college, most of this culture faded from my existence, though I still enjoy reminiscing about those days.

FOR MORE INFO: Wikipedia Entry | JesseBlog: Second Life: Tribute to Snow Crash

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

El Niño (the weather phenomenon): El Niño ("the boy child" in Spanish) is one of many worldwide weather changes which occur from time to time. NOAA says "The term El Niño refers to the large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate phenomenon linked to a periodic warming in sea-surface temperatures across the central and east-central equatorial Pacific." This is a fair definition, but the important part for the general public is that this warming has meteorological repurcussions across the world, especially on the Winter and Tropical Seasons in the United States.

FOR MORE INFO: Wikipedia Entry | NOAA FAQ on El Nino and Other Indices | JesseBlog: NOAA Says El Nino is Back | JesseBlog: The El Nino Winter

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Forecast Models (which and what): Computer forecast models are (generally) run by worldwide government's supercomputers. These algorithms take initial weather conditions and forecast what the atmosphere will look like for (generally) up to 15 days into the future. A list of common models and definitions is available here. I generally look at the preferred short-term (NMM) and long-term (GFS) models. The AccuWeather.com Professional subscription service specializes in model information, showing over 20 models and millions of maps.

FOR MORE INFO: The Secrets Of Forecast Models, Exposed! | A List and Definitions of select Forecast Models | The Secrets of Model Accuracy | SEE ALSO: Severe Weather Indices | Model Spread

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Grandfather Mountain (and its personal and meteorological significance): Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina is one of the highest points east of the Mississippi. They often have exceptional weather there, including heavy snow and wind in the winter (they had a 204 mph wind gust there in 2006). The summit is not manned during the winter but they have two weather stations and a remote webcam there. It is also a place that I visited several times during my youth growing up in North Carolina, and I returned there in 2004.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site | Weather Stations & Webcam | JesseBlog: 200 MPH Wind Gust in NC | JesseBlogs About Grandfather Mountain

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Hazzard Area (them good ol' Duke Boys): *Hazzard Area: This is a term I coined for the mountainous and hilly remote areas of NE GA, NW SC, and SW NC -- where the "Dukes of Hazzard" supposedly took place (based on the fact that it was mountainous, or at least hilly, where it was filmed (it was actually filmed in Southern California and you can even see LA skyscrapers, probably explained as Atlanta skyscrapers, in one shot). Not to be confused with Hazard, GA, a town east of Macon (in the flatlands).

FOR MORE INFO: Google Map of the Hazzard Area | Screenshot of the Hazzard Area Google Map | Dukes of Hazzard Official Site

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

MCC/MCS/MCV (Mesoscale Convective Complexes): An MCC (Mesoscale Convective Complex) is a severe type of MCS (Mesoscale Convective System) which meets certain mathematical criteria. MCC's are large groupings of thunderstorms that intensify overnight, powered by low-level jets forming at sunset and leaving at sunrise, dropping heavy rain and causing high winds over large areas. These systems often show up on Enhanced Infrared Satellite Imagery as round areas of intense (red or purple) activity. An MCV is a Mesoscale Convective Vortex, a circulation contained within an MCS.

FOR MORE INFO: JesseBlogs About MCCs, MCSs or MCVs | AccuWeather.com Professional Benefits

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Model Spread (what and from where): I often show "model spread" graphics on my blog. These graphics track the center of a low-pressure area (storm) on a map, plotting one track for each computer Forecast Model which has a forecast. These graphics are available 4 times a day from Hurricane.AccuWeather.com *if the storm is named* and for all named or unnamed Atlantic & East Pacific tropical systems on the AccuWeather.com Professional subscription service. Typically I will show the orange/yellow "ATCF" model spread which shows tropical systems during Hurricane Season.

FOR MORE INFO: Example of a Model Spread; List of Models in the ATCF | AccuWeather.com Professional Benefits

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Monk-ish (I'm a bit obsessive compulsive): I'm a bit like Monk, the character on the TV show of the same name, where Tony Shaloub plays an obsessive-compulsive detective. If you've never seen it, it's a great show. I need pictures to hang straight, I'm a bit of a germophobe, etc. Although I'm nowhere near as bad as Monk, I tend to get a little more "O.C." during the television season.

FOR MORE INFO: Monk, The Official Site | JesseBlog: Out of Town (Mr. Monk & The Airplane)

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Mount Washington (and its meteorological significance): Mount Washington in New Hampshire, USA, is home to "The World's Worst Weather." The observatory there is a non-profit organization. I find the weather at this location fascinating. They hold the world's wind record, among others. Their weather is so extreme, their observations are usually withheld from weather maps and reports. They have several webcams, but the view is often obstructed by clouds, snow or ice.

FOR MORE INFO: Wikipedia Entry | Official Site | JesseBlogs About Mount Washington | Brian Clark Blogs At Mount Washington

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Mythbusters (the TV show): Mythbusters is a reality show on the Discovery Channel which pits two movie effect engineers against common myths, which they must prove or disprove using science. This, of course, sounds like a show made for geeks like me, but for some reason, my wife and step-daughter also enjoy it a lot. For us, watching it Wednesday evenings in the Summer and Fall is a family event.

FOR MORE INFO: Wikipedia Entry | Official Site | JesseBlog: Tornadoes Put Straw Through Poles | JesseBlog: Mythbusters Take on Hurricanes

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Need for Speed (the video game): I don't have much free time to play video games but one of my vices is to sit down with an Madcatz Steering Wheel & Pedals and take on some Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 or Need For Speed Underground 2 on the Gamecube. I'm not sure where this propensity for car racing games started, but I'm guessing it had something to do with the Atari racing game that was setup in my favorite burger joint at The Beach when I was a kid.

FOR MORE INFO: Wikipedia Entry | Official Site (NFSU2) | Official Site (NFSHP2) | JesseBlog: Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

New Camera, The (the Kodak Z650): I have always been an avid amateur photographer. For my birthday in June 2006, I finally brought myself into the modern world with a Kodak Easyshare Z650 Digital Camera which takes 6.1 MP photos and 640x480 video. A detailed description (including sample photos and video) is available in this blog entry.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site (Kodak) | Amazon.com Page | JesseBlog: Z650 Put Through Paces

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

New Car, The (the Saturn Vue): In late July 2006, my wife's car broke down and we were forced to purchase a new vehicle. I described the event a bit in a blog entry and posted a photo. The 2007 Saturn Vue with XM Radio has served us well thus far.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site (Saturn Vue) | Photo of the Saturn Vue | JesseBlog: Frequently Washing/Detailing New Car Causes Blog Slowdown

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

New Dog, The (Maya the Siberian Husky): In early July 2006, my wife purchased a Siberian Husky which she named Maya. I'm not much of a dog person (have always had cats), but this one's pretty darn cute. You can see photos of her on the AccuWeather.com Photo Gallery.

FOR MORE INFO: Maya's Webpage & The MayaCam| Photos of Maya | JesseBlog: Pigs Flew, Now Huskies Do Too | JesseBlog: Dog Causes Blog Slowdown

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

New House, The (the American dream): In May 2006, after a 5-month search and one failed purchase, I was lucky enough to move with my family into the first house that I have owned. The house is located in a wonderful planned community called The Landings in State College, PA, home of AccuWeather.

FOR MORE INFO: JesseBlog: I Bought A House (List of Blog Entries) | Photo of My House (More Coming Soon)

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

NHC (the government agency): The National Hurricane Center is the government agency responsible for the collection and dissemination of hurricane-related weather data for the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, and for generating official forecasts for those areas. Its parent organization is NOAA. The terms NOAA and NWS, and sometimes NHC and SPC, are often used interchangeably to refer to governmental forecasts.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site | SEE ALSO: NOAA | NWS | SPC

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

NOAA (the government agency): NOAA is the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, a division of the U.S. Government, whose mission is "to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs." NOAA is the parent organization over the NWS, NHC, and SPC, and is also responsible for running computer Forecast Models. The terms NOAA and NWS, and sometimes NHC and SPC, are often used interchangeably to refer to governmental forecasts.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site | WikiPedia Entry | SEE ALSO: NWS | NHC | SPC

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

NWS (the government agency): The National Weather Service is the government agency responsible for the collection and dissemination of U.S. weather data. Its parent organization is NOAA. The terms NOAA and NWS, and sometimes NHC and SPC, are often used interchangeably to refer to governmental forecasts.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site | SEE ALSO: NOAA | NHC | SPC

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Quakerism (my religious affiliation): I do not actively worship religiously, but when I have in the past it has been as a Quaker (the Religious Society of Friends). You can read more official information about Quakerism here but basically the main points of the open, Christian-based religion (that I've experienced) are that there is good in every person and violence/war is wrong. Most Quakers are less about the worship and instead spend that time meditating and discussing current world problems, asking themselves what they can do to improve the world. Unlike the Amish, we don't wear funny hats anymore; in fact there are probably Quakers among you right now (especially if you live in Pennsylvania, whose founder was William Penn, a Quaker).

FOR MORE INFO: JesseBlog: Apologies to my Quaker Faith| Wikipedia Entry | Official Site

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

RFQ (Right Front Quadrant): When observed from the point of view of a person sitting in a hurricane's eye, looking in the direction of the storm's movement, the area to the right and in front is more damaging due to the additive affect of movement + wind speed, and because the wind is from the ocean, not from the land. This was explained in my blog during Hurricane Ophelia in 2005 and revisited after Tropical Storm Beryl in 2006.

FOR MORE INFO: JesseBlog: Right-Front Quadrant of Ophelia More Damaging (9/13/05)| Wikipedia Entry | JesseBlog: Storm Structure and the RFQ (7/24/06) Second Life Blog

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

SPC (the government agency): The Storm Prediction Center is the government agency responsible for the collection and dissemination of severe weather data and forecasts for the U.S. Its parent organization is NOAA. The terms NOAA and NWS, and sometimes NHC and SPC, are often used interchangeably to refer to governmental forecasts.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site | SEE ALSO: NOAA | NWS | NHC

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

SSEC (the research institution): SSEC is a pretty cool research institution where they do a lot of weather satellite research. It's part of the University of Wisconsin and it's where my buddy Scott works. I also interviewed there, fresh out of UNCA in 1995. Of course, the one time I visit Wisconsin it was over 100 degrees. I didn't get the job -- they were looking for more programming experience than I had at the time.

FOR MORE INFO: Official Site | Scott Bachmeier

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Second Life (the Virtual World): Second Life is a virtual 3-D world for Windows Computers in which you can look like anything you want and create anything you want. Although I was involved in 3-D computer technology (for example VRML, Virtual Reality, and 3-D search engines) during my Cyberpunk Era in the 1990's, I do not have a presence in the world of Second Life. It's a little scary, honestly, but I'm fascinated by it. The failure of the 3-D technologies in the 1990's was due to lack of consumer computing power and I'm hopeful that more things like Second Life will come into being.

FOR MORE INFO: Second Life (Official Site)| Wikipedia Entry | JesseBlogs About Second Life | Google Tech Talk Video (1 hr) Second Life Blog

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Severe Weather Indices (which and what): Output from Forecast Models can take the form of specific maps which predict where severe weather is most likely, based on the state of the atmosphere. The importance of one particular index varies from situation to situation. I generally use CAPE and Lifted Index, because that's what I grew up with. A complete list of indices is available here.

FOR MORE INFO: A List and Definitions of Severe Weather Indices

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

Sports (why I don't do them): There's one thing you have to understand about me and that's the fact that I don't do Sports. I don't play them or watch them. I have nothing against them, I just didn't grow up with it (parents were the same). So if you start using sports analogies or small talk, I'm not going to get it. This fact, of course, makes for constant ribbing from the rest of the world which does enjoy sports.

FOR MORE INFO: JesseBlog: XM Radio CONS: Sports

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

UNCA (where I went to school): I attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville from 1991-1995, getting my degree in Atmospheric Sciences (Weather Forecasting track). While there I ran the UNCA-ATMS website. You can see photos of me at UNCA here. Some of my meteorology classmates included Scott Lawrimore and Kristina Abernathy (one year ahead of me) from the Weather Channel, Austin Caviness from WXII-12, Steve Norris from WCPO, Tim Armstrong (2 years behind me) from the NWS and Brian Farr (3 years behind me).My professors included Ed Brotak, Alex Huang, Jim Heimbach and Frank Quinlan.

FOR MORE INFO: UNCA | UNCA-ATMS | Photos of me at UNCA

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. ()See the entire list

Weird Runs (forecast model inaccuracies): Computer forecast models which run overnight and in the afternoon (the "06Z" and "18Z" runs) are often inaccurate due to a lack of initial input. This blog entry explains more about this situation and how it leads to forecast hype.

FOR MORE INFO: Blog Entry: Thanksgiving Hurricane? | SEE ALSO: Forecast Models

The JessePedia describes terms which I frequently use in my blog. More will be added over time. (See the entire list)

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