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With August in the books, meteorological summer is officially over. Defined as June, July and August, those three months are used for climatological data for summer.
The average high for Macon's 2010 meteorological summer was 93.7°, which is 2.5° above the long term average of 91.2°. This information is based on data dating back to 1930. Additionally, Macon's 2010 meteorological summer will go down as the 9th warmest in Macon's history and the warmest since 1998. 
Sunday marks the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in southeast Louisiana. Chief Meteorologist Jeff Cox looks back at the unforgettable storm. This week marks the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the costliest hurricane in U.S. history with damage costs topping an estimated 81 billion dollars. Impacts from Katrina led to at least 1800 deaths. It ranks as the sixth strongest storm in U.S. history.Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23rd, 2005 before crossing Florida as a category one hurricane on August 25th, causing some deaths and flooding. After making the Florida landfall, Katrina quickly strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico, going from a category three storm to a category five storm in just nine hours. Katrina made a second landfall on Monday, August 29th, in southeast Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds topped out at 175 mph. Following the second landfall in New Orleans, Katrina quickly weakened after moving inland before fading into a rainmaker for the eastern half of the United States. A major storm surge left behind devastation in New Orleans thanks to 53 different levee breaches, submerging 80% of the city under water. Parts of Louisiana received an average of 8 to 10 inches of rain with some isolated amounts up to 15 inches. The Gulf Coast of Mississippi suffered major damage at the hands of Katrina. 8 to 10 inches of rain fell along the Mississippi coast. The southeast U.S. also felt impacts from Katrina, including north and central Georgia. At least 18 tornadoes formed in Georgia on August 29th, including one in the town of Helen, GA, that badly damaged an area hotel. In response to the devastation, central Georgia played a huge role in the recovery efforts, including opening shelters for those escaping the Gulf Coast. Area schools organized donation drives and sent much needed items to the hardest hit areas. Mid-Georgia ambulance sent crews to aid in the recovery and cleanup efforts as well. The World Meteorological Organization officially retired the name "Katrina" on April 6, 2006 at the request of the U.S. Government. 
Actor Ron Lester was in town Thursday for the premier of The Fat Boy Chronicles. He stopped by the NewsCentral studios to discuss the new flick, but to also help Chief Meteorologist Jeff Cox deliver the forecast to NewsCentral viewers.
Ron is best known for his role as Billy Bob in the 1999 film Varsity Blues. Ron has also played characters in shows such as Freaks and Geeks, CSI: New York, Popular and the movie "Not Another Teen Movie".
Tybee Island beach goers beware: lifeguards have treated a record number of jellyfish stings this season.
Lt. Hunter Robinson of Tybee Island Ocean Rescue says more than 10,000 stings have been treated so far this season. That's compared to about 7,500 last year and just under 2,000 the year before. The Savannah Morning News reports that there have been more tourists than usual, which may contribute to the increased number of stings. Dick Lee, a professor emeritus at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, says there's also evidence that jellyfish populations are increasing worldwide. Jellyfish can live where other species struggle, like in warm, polluted area with low oxygen levels. 
The forecast for this July day is to reach the upper 90s in the shade with plenty of sunshine, a perfect day for this experiment.
So first off we've let the A/C run for a little while to help cool down the cabin. Right now we are in between 66 and 70 degrees. Next, we're going to shut off the engine and the A/C and see how long it takes for the cabin to heat up. Well it's been 10 minutes so far and the thermometer is reading 110 degrees in the parking lot and 132 in the cabin right now. That's about a 62 degree increase since we started this about 10 minutes ago. So we have the temperature sensor sitting in the sunlight inside the car and we've hit a plateau with our temperature in the cabin just a bit. We're at 138 degrees right now, that's about an 8 degree increase since our last check and the parking lot is still holding about 110 degrees. I continued to monitor the rise in heat until an hour had passed. Around the 40 minute mark the temperature hit a max around 150 degrees and held steady. To put this in perspective, this is above the hottest outdoor air temperature every recorded on earth of 136 degrees fahrenheit and 5 degrees above the temperature needed to pasteurize milk. This extreme heat can prove deadly especially for children and infants. "You lost a tremendous amount of fluid because you're trying to sweat to reduce your body temperature plus your core temperature rises and that's sort of a double hit" says pediatrician Dr. Kallay. In non fatal cases, long term damage could still occur. "You can have permanent kidney damage permanent brain damage. You can have a stroke which is essentially a lack of circulation to a part of the brain and it dies" says Kallay. The heat is even more lethal for pets which are unable to sweat. The best thing to do if faced with this situation is leave your pets at home or bring your children with you. Even with the windows cracked while parked in the shade, vehicles can still experience a dangerously rapid heat up. 
Following analysis of radar data and an on-site survey with StormTrack Central Meteorologist Tyler Southard, the National Weather Service is blaming damage from May 3rd storms on a tornado. Read more »
StormTrack Central's Chief Meteorologist Jeff Cox was able to capture some amazing lightning during Friday's storms.
In the three frames of video you will see, the first frame shows the initial strike of lightning, just outside of the NewsCentral studio. The second frame shows how much light was released from the bolt of lightning. The third frame is the final strike, which was followed by instant thunder. The impact of the lightning bolt was so strong that it actually set the fire alarms off at Luigi's restaurant in downtown Macon.
The climate phenomenon known as La Nina appears to be developing, threatening to bring more bad news in the efforts to clean up the Gulf oil spill.
When a La Nina occurs, there tend to be more hurricanes than average in the Atlantic and Caribbean regions, which include the Gulf of Mexico. The federal Climate Prediction Center says La Nina conditions are likely to develop in July and August. La Nina is marked by an unusual cooling of the sea surface in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Water temperatures in that area can affect air pressure and winds, resulting in changes in the weather in many parts of the world. The climate center's current hurricane forecast for this season is for 14 to 23 named storms of which 8 to 14 are expected to be hurricanes and 3 to 7 major hurricanes. The last La Nina occurred from the fall of 2007 to the spring of 2008. The opposite mode, El Nino, with warm Pacific conditions, has been in place since the spring of 2009. 
The day began early on Lake Juliette in Monroe County where crews were preparing for a coordinated operation that would result in the capture of wild geese.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources along with the help of some friends and family will be tagging the geese as they try to reach their yearly quota across the state of up to 1,500 of these water fowl. After a long wait, our first stakeout location was proving to be unsuccessful. “We picked one point already and got our nets set up. The geese didn’t cooperate very well” says Waterfowl Expert Greg Balkcom. We moved along to a second location where spotter boats have gathered, and begun herding geese across the lake. “We’ll they’re flightless this time of year so we have to use boats to move them in the water” says Wildlife Tech Randy Wood. The boats slowly corral the geese like cattle in a field toward the funnel net we have set up along the shore which the geese are unable to detect. As the geese draw near, the cavalry sit and hide in the brush. “If they see anybody on the bank they are going to be real hesitant to come in so we’ll wait here until they get pretty close to the net. We’ll fan out and kind of form a human wall” says Wildlife Biologist Charlie Killmaster. While today’s catch of around a dozen was less than the over 200 gathered the day before it was a success none the less. The geese are then fitted with a numbered band around their leg that is matched up with the time and place of the capture. The sex of the geese is also recorded at this time. “With birds, they don’t have any external sexual organs so we have to make them external by palpitating them out. I’m basically going to bend the tail back here and squeeze” says Killmaster as he checks out one of the geese. “After the geese are tagged, the numbers are tracked by hunters and birdwatchers that report in the information. This data is used to report such things as population and migration patterns.” Because of the warm climate of Georgia, about 275 thousand geese stay here year round to nest, breed, and feed. “The geese that we have in Georgia are all considered resident Canada geese. They breed here, they spend the summers here, they spend the winters here, and they don’t migrate anymore” says Balkcom. With these numbers they are able to calculate the survival and harvest rates of the geese to determine if any changes in hunting regulations are needed. 
It’s a hot summer day and this colony of bees are providing southern air conditioning to their hive. These bees are making honey, and for beekeeper John Pluta of Milledgeville, it’s a cash crop.
“I basically have the sweetest job in Georgia" says Pluta as he samples honey straight from the hive. John doesn’t wear the traditional astronaut like suit when working but instead relies on smoking out the colonies which masks pheromones that are released when dangers is around, and it’s time to sting. “I tell them every morning not to sting me" says Pluta. Bees are a somewhat feared and misunderstood creature but serve a very important role in nature as a means for cross pollination of flowers, trees, and crops with a very delicious result. A beehive can contain up to thirty thousand bees which are moved around to different crops throughout the year producing up to three to four different varieties of honey throughout the year. This industrious insect also produces propolis resin from sap and other botanical sources that they use to seal off the hive. This resin is also used by humans for medicinal purposes. Beeswax, the framing structure of the honey comb, also has a number of uses from cosmetics to candles. Pollen that becomes wet and damaged in the hive can no longer be used for honey but instead serves as a protein rich food sources for baby bees and is also popular among athletes and vegetarians. After about 4 weeks of work, the honey combs are full. “All this honey right here is still really clear and is making what we call light honey and this darker honey is what we classify as wildflower" says Pluta as he describes the coloration of a honey comb frame. At this time, John fires up a special machine which uses centripetal force to extract the raw honey. “We bee making honey" exclaims Pluta as he pours a fresh jar of sweet honey. 
With the steamy, hot weather expected for at least the next week, here are some tips to you can use to beat the heat.
Heat stroke can occur when your body temperature reaches 104 degrees. Registered Nurse Denise Goings with the Coliseum Medical Center tells NewsCentral that if you're going to be outside, drink plenty of fluids, especially sports drinks because it replenishes any electrolytes lost through sweating. Also consider wearing light colored clothing because it reflects more sunlight, keeping you cooler. Dress in little clothing to allow your body to cool off after sweating. And, if possible try to soak yourself with water. “Because your body loses its ability to evaporate sweat and when we get dehydrated we don't sweat, so that it causes our body temperature to rise even more. It can lead to nausea, vomiting, confusion even as severe as a seizure or a coma." – Denise Goings, R.N., Coliseum Medical Center According to Goings, the most important tip is to drink plenty of water. 
Wednesday was the last day for Sesame Street Live's, 'Elmo's Green Thumb' show at the Macon Centreplex.
Two of NewsCentral's very own were there to kick off the Wednesday morning show. Chief Meteorologist Jeff Cox and Meteorologist Michelle Apon were there to congratulate the winners that participated in NewsCentral's 'letter of the day' contest back in May. After running into the Count backstage, he asked them to get the audience pumped up by counting down the last five seconds before show time. If you enjoy good music, especially country music, and can deal with heat, humidity and the routine afternoon shower and storm, then the annual BamaJam Music Festival in Enterprise, Alabama is perfect for you! It has taken place in early June for the last three years. This year's event drew around 109,000 music lovers with an aggregate gate count of 300,000 over the 3 days. This year's headliner was country music superstar Kenny Chesney. In addition to Chesney, music enthusiasts were welcomed by Hank Williams, Jr, Georgia's own Zac Brown Band, Gregg Allman, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Train, Travis Tritt, Citizen Cope, Gretchen Wilson, Danny Gokey of FOX's American Idol, Rodney Atkins, Chris Young, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Matt Kennon, Jake Owen and more! The kind folks with BamaJam were gracious enough to invite me down for the weekend of music and fun. In addition to hearing great music and seeing great acts, it was also a pleasure to meet Danny Gokey, Chris Young and Randy Houser. Over the course of the three days, I saw 14 concerts!. It's hard to pick a favorite. From hearing the songs you know by heart to seeing the energy of each performer, each show was amazing! They are already selling tickets for next year's BamaJam. Here's a few pictures I was able to snap. It's just a sampling of the 400+ pictures I returned with. I hope you enjoy! For more information on BamaJam, visit their website at www.bamajammusicfestival.com/.
Meteorological Spring runs from March through May. Looking back on Spring 2010, we weren't too far from average. Here's the recap for Spring 2010:
The average high temperature for Spring 2010 was 76.8°, which matches exactly the long term average of 76.8°. The average high temperature for Spring 2010 makes it the warmest Spring since 2008. The average low temperature for Spring 2010 was 51.2°, which is 1.0° below the long term average of 52.2°. The average low temperature for Spring 2010 makes it the coolest Spring since 2008. The coldest temperature recorded for Spring 2010 was 25°. The warmest low temperature was 70°. The hottest temperature recorded for Spring 2010 was 91°. The coldest high temperature was 49°. The rainfall total for Spring 2010 reached 9.16". That is 2.41" below average. Spring 2010 is the 26th driest Spring on record in Macon, dating back to 1930. 
May's edition of Ask the Chief focused on the upcoming 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Topics discussed include a forecast for above average activity, why the forecast is for an above average season and why central Georgia needs to be prepared for a hurricane. Read more »
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