* 93 is the hottest temperature so far this month in Birmingham. The average so far has been 89.7 and six days had highs in the 80s.
* 0 is how many days we saw 100 degrees so far this year. We have an excellent chance of finishing 2009 with no 100-degree heat! However, not sealed in stone because in past history we have had big time heat waves in September. Don’t forget that official high of 112 at Centreville on September 5, 1925, hottest of all time in Alabama and in the days when home air conditioning was almost non-existent!
* 0.04 (hardly enough to wet the pavement) is the total rain so far this month in San Antonio as Central and South Texas goes through a historic drought.
* 0.97 ia all they have had all summer and only 8 inches all year which is a shortfall of over one foot!
* 13,083 is the number of wildfires in Texas so far this year.
* 660,000 is how many acres burbned over this year in Texas.
* 545 homes and barns have been destroyed by wildfires.
* 38.96 is the rain total so far this year at Birmingham Airport. A year ago today, the total was was 36.58. As of today, our surplus for the year stands at 2.86 inches.
* 78 percent of Alabama has adequate top soil moisture as compared to 82 percent a week ago. Reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alabama Field Office, Montgomery.
* 60 percent of the corn crop was in good condition, 28 percent fair and only 1% very poor. 72% of the cotton crop was in good condition.
* 55.04 inches is the reported rain amount so far this year at the Geneva Agricultural Station. That is a surplus of 15.82 inches.
* 190 mph was the estimated sustained wind in powerful Hurricane Camille at 3 pm on August 18, 1969, 40 years ago today. The center was about 120 miles SE of New Orleans. It was part of a very scary and riveting Hurricane Advisory from the Hurricane Center in New Orleans. The advisory also mentioned that it was headed toward the Mississippi Coast. If I remember correctly, a later recon measured sustained or gusts around 220 mph! The rest is history.
MORE ABOUT CAMILLE
We were on vacation visiting my wife’s folks near Ogden, Utah. Even though I was on the staff of the NWS/Birmingham, I had to miss working that event. However, I knew that WWL in New Orleans would be doing their usual superior wall to wall coverage. I had picked up their 50,000 watt signal on 870 kc as the sun was setting as we were passing through Evanston, Wyo. the previous afternoon. Amazing! So after dark, the night of landfall, I drove up to a slightly elevated area on the west slope of the Wasatch Mountains and got clear reception from WWL for hours. Awesome Strangely enough, James Spann, about 14 years old, was listening to the same broadcast at the same time at his home, using a small transistor radio under his pillow. He was already interested in weather at that age.
Bill Murray, our official weather historian, anchored a recreation of that event, including many of the actual advisories on the current Weather Brains! I recommend it!
