Tim Simpson's Blog

Fourth of July Follow Up

I've just posted some of my Fourth of July memories from years gone by.  Now I have some new memories.  With five children, it was bound to happen some day and today was the day!  During my dinner break this evening, I taught my 16 year old son how to drive a stick shift!  Let me re-phrase that:  I started the PROCESS of teaching him how to drive a five speed. 

It all happens to the best of us.  We try so hard to master new skills.  With me, it's learning how to fly a helicopter after flying fixed wing airplanes for 32 years.  It's not a pretty sight!  Tonight, I could use a combination of Pepto Bismol and maybe a visit to the Chiropractor. 

I was jerked, lurched and even launched during dinner this evening.  Whoever came up with the idea of seat belts, I'd like to personally thank them.  T.J. is 16 years old and has his driver's permit.  He's been doing a great job driving the family mini van.  But he has some work to do before he makes his highway debut in that Honda Accord. 

As we got to the end of our lesson, he was starting to get the hang of it.  After an hour of that type of driving, I just felt like the clutch needed a rest.  I knew I sure did!  T.J. is a fast learner and before you know it, he'll be shifting with the best of them. 

The Eve of the Fourth of July

I have very fond memories of Independence Day celebrations throughout my life.  My father is one of the most patriotic people I've ever known so he made sure we knew WHY we were celebrating.  As a child, no Fourth of July event would be complete without Dad opening up the television section of the newspaper to check the movie listings. 

As one who loves old movies, Dad thought the movie, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, pretty much summed up the reason for our celebration.  I'm sure I've seen that movie over 20 or 30 times in my life.  But it's always meant so much to my father that I'd gladly sit down anytime he'd like and watch it again today. 

My father was a country boy who graduated from Middleton High School in 1944.  He was the first in his immediate family to have a shot at going to college.  His college career at UT Martin lasted all of six weeks due to a telegram he received one day from Uncle Sam. 

Almost a year later he wound up in the Phillipines as part of what was to be the American invading force of Japan.  On his 19th birthday, August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first of two atomic bombs on Japan, eventually ending the war.  Though there was great loss of life, Dad said many more lives would have been lost had the U.S. been forced to invade.  Instead of invasion, he became part of the American occupying force in Japan following World War II. 

My father and others like him, who have served their country, no doubt have an even great appreciation for the freedom we enjoy.  Let's never take it for granted. 

Odds & Ends

I'll be the first to admit that I don't blog as often as I should.  I blog whenever time allows.  These days seemed to be packed with work and activities, so it's tough to sit down and blog.  Since my last entry, much has happened.

In a two day period, we lost television personalities Ed McMahon, then actress Farrah Fawcett.  Memphis Mayor W.W. Herenton called a news conference to announce his retirement.  While all the buzz in Memphis centered on Mayor Herenton's decision to step down, news started flashing across the world that singer Michael Jackson had been rushed to a California hospital.  Within an hour, Jackson's death was confirmed. 

Aside from all of the breaking news, temperatures last week were soaring!  Fortunately we've settled into a weather pattern this week that will deliver some slightly drier air to the Mid South.  While temperatures will remain in the 90s, heat index values won't be quite as bad.  Lower dew points will make it feel much more tolerable.  So my advice, enjoy it while it lasts.  The humidity will be back before you know it.

On a sad note, the heat has taken its toll locally.  As of this writing, the Memphis Shelby Health Department confirms two more heat related deaths in Shelby county.  That brings the number of heat related deaths in the past week to six people.  This is why it is so important to know how to deal with the heat.

If you're outside, take frequent breaks.  Drink lots of water and wear light weight, light colored clothing.  If your skin feels clammy, if you have a headache, experience dizziness or nausea, get medical attention immediately.   By all means, check on the elderly, especially if there is no air conditioning or a fan available.  Also, don't forget the pets.  Make sure that they have a cool place to stay and have plenty of water. 

Stay cool.

"Hurricane Elvis", The Sequel

I remember well the morning of July 22, 2003.  I was in my car on Interstate 40 heading toward Memphis International Airport.  I was scheduled to catch a flight to Greenville, SC, to speak at a friend's funeral.  I was at the Appling Road exit when the winds hit.  I looked furiously for a funnel cloud, but didn't see one.  Debris littered the highway and it was obvious that a major storm had just blown over--very quickly.

Memphis International shut down that morning due to power outages.  I drove on to the WREG studios where power was also out and we were operating with a backup generator.  The peak wind gust reported that morning from the National Weather Service was 102 mph.  That gust was recorded by our weather equipment at Auto Zone Park.

Fast forward to June 12, 2009, last Friday.  I was scheduled to do a weather live shot from the FEDEX St. June Golf Classic during our evening newscasts.  As I got ready that morning I decided to check the radar since there was a risk of severe weather.  Good move!  Not only did I see a large area of thunderstorms in northwest Arkansas, heading toward the Mid South, but the Storm Prediction had raised the risk level to moderate.

Just as Todd Demers had been warning on News Channel 3 Daybreak that morning, when I arrived at work, I told my bosses that I thought we were in for something BIG!  The radar images were very impressive as the storm moved through Little Rock, and then eventually into our viewing area.

The storm was a classic Derecho, which are more common across the upper Midwest.  These storms are long lived wind events which can produce hurricane force winds and isolated tornadoes, just like we saw Bartlett and Olive Branch. 

While the 2003 storm was stronger, the June 12th storm packed a whallop!  Over 130,000 homes lost power and tree damage was littered over a large part of our viewing area.  Tornado damage was also evident in several locations, including Bartlett.  Tornados are usually quick spin ups when associated with Derechos.  Straight line wind damage is often more widespread versus the more compact destruction of a tornado.  Thus, it's accurate to say that a significant Derecho can produce hurricane type damage over a large area.

Most every person I interviewed Saturday in the aftermath of the storm was not aware of the approaching storm.  This is why I feel Weather Call is so important.  When you sign up for Weather Call we'll call you when severe storms are threatening.  You'll have the advance knowlege you need in order to stay safe.  You can sign up at our website, www.wreg.com.  Or simply call 1-800-260-6695.  It's only $6 per year!  Register up to 3 different phone numbers or e-mail addresses. 

Thursday Ramblings

I certainly can't proclaim June, July or August as my favorite months--primarily because of the heat and humidity.  It's getting to be that time of year again, when you simply walk out the door and get hit with that stifiling heat and humidity.  It's easy to see why so many people flock to places like California where, for the most part, the climate tends to be much drier. 

I don't know about you, but my phone rang during the middle of the night.  Guess who was calling?  Me!  It was the Weather Call phone system doing what its designed to do, warn of dangerous storms.  In this case, it was a severe thunderstorm warning for my neighborhood in Shelby county.  I didn't have to sit through a long barrage of sirens screaming for other counties.  Weather Call is programmed for my neighborhood and it gave me the warning I needed.

These are certainly trying times for our country.  And while the government printing presses are busy printing new money, I ran across an idea for stimulus spending that was rather creative.  These ideas were supposedly printed in the Letter to the Editor section of a Florida newspaper. 

"For a total cost of $40 Billion you could solve our financial problems.  There's about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.  Pay them $1 million apiece severance with the following stipulations:  1. They leave their job.  Forty million job openings--Unemployment fixed.  2. They buy NEW American cars--Forty million cars ordered--Auto Industry fixed.  3. They either buy a house or pay off their mortgage--Housing Crisis fixed." 

Very innovative idea.  The only catch:  This idea would cost $40 TRILLION!  Do the math.

Back From Vacation

It's June 1st and I just returned from a little vacation.  There seems to be much going on these days.

GM filed for bankruptcy this morning, the official 2009 hurricane season also began today.  The Shelby county Health Department is keeping an eye on that low level ozone and most Tiger fans are also watching the NCAA investigation into the University of Memphis basketball program. 

Did I mention that I'm glad to see the month of May in the rear view mirror?  We received almost eight inches of rain last month.  That's good for many homeowners because our water bills were lower.  But it wasn't good news for area farmers or organizers of Memphis In May.  The music fest turned into a mud fest and left Tom Lee Park in total disarray.  I have to hand it to organizers, they got the park in good enough shape to host the world championship bar-b-que festival.  I guess they could've used the parking lot at the Pyramid since there's nothing happening there these days.

My father had some health problems while I was on vacation but I was able to take my boys camping and canoeing during my off time.  We traveled to Hardy, AR and camped out along the Spring river.  My son T.J. is a Boy Scout, but the little boys, Josh and Jo Jo, had never been camping so it was a new experience for them.  They liked the "tube steak" that I cooked up on Friday night.  And what better way to start out early Saturday morning than some good ole fresh Pop Tarts, right out of the box! 

Before we could say canoe, we were on the river.  Granted the Spring river was fairly sedate, but it was perfect for the young boys.  They're ready to go again! 

As I mentioned above, the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season starts today and runs through November 30th.  Fortunate for us, by the time hurricanes come as far inland as Memphis, they're greatly reduced in intensity.  We may pick up gusty winds and heavy rain, but we don't have to worry about sustaining the sort of damage seen in New Orleans due to Katrina. 

Memphis In May BBQ

If you can imagine the greatest collection of fun loving people in the Mid South, then you should visit Tom Lee Park, the site of this year's World Championship Bar-B-Que Festival.  I was down for a visit on Tuesday, watching contestants put the finishing touches on their decorative booths.

The almost six inches of rain we've received since May 1st has greatly hampered Memphis In May organizers.  I've heard that this is absolutely the worst condition Tom Lee Park has seen for ANY MIM event.  The BBQ participants have had to slosh through a mud filled park in order to park or construct their booths.  But from what I observed yesterday during my visit, it's turning out quite well.

The Riverside Drive side of Tom Lee Park is slightly higher, thus it is drier.  The middle of the park sloping toward the Mississippi River is still very muddy.  Event organizers have been busy putting out the sand and trying salvage the valuable booth space.  Now that the booths are in place, BBQ participants should be able to weather the storms fine.  There are rain chances for the next few days, but hopefully no "gully washers".

I had the opportunity to visit with one BBQ team yesterday made up of members from Blue Cross Blue Shield employees.  The chief cook, Henry Smith, has been a contestant for over 20 years.  I picked up some good tips from Henry and hopefully my ribs will take a turn for the better.  I guess I'll have to give it more than 45 minutes for good ribs! 

If I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be the folks from Big Bob Gibsons Bar-B-Que in Decatur, AL.  When I worked for WHNT-TV in Huntsville from 1987-1994, I lived close to Decatur and was a regular customer of Big Bob's.  The "que" was great, but I enjoyed the home made pies almost as much!  Little did I know at the time that I'd see my favorite BBQ store in Memphis years later, but they've competed now for about the past 10 years.  They've won several awards at MIM including the Grand Championship.

Chris Lilly, the Championship Pit Master for Big Bob Gibsons, was featured on the TODAY SHOW yesterday morning.  He has a new book out designed for people like me, featuring all types of BBQ tips.  I plan to pick up a copy and start firing up my grill once again.  I'm defiinitely NOT a pitmaster of any type, but I do give it my best shot, even though some of my "que" tastes like lighter fluid!  After all, it's the thought that counts, right?

Overnight Storms

Showers and thunderstorms pounded the Mid South last night with numerous reports of wind damage and heavy rainfall.  Several tornado warnings were issued by the National Weather Service and at this writing it looks like two tornados have been confirmed.  One tornado touched down in Phillips county Arkansas near Marvell while another tornado touched down in Coahoma county Mississippi near Lyon, just north of Clarksdale.  While there was damage reported with these tornadoes, fortunately there were no fatalities.

There were numerous reports of trees and powerlines down.  We've had so much rain in recent days that the ground is completetly saturated.  That makes it easier for trees to be pushed over in strong winds.  That was definitely the case last night with southeastern Arkansas and north Mississippi taking the brunt of the storms. 

On a totally unrelated note, I received a call from my 8 year old son, Josh, on the way to work.  He left a voice mail message to let me know that the family cat had been overtaken by a fox in our backyard.  We live in the country and I've seen more than a few foxes this year for some reason.  In reality, there was a fox, but Josh just made up the part about the cat.  He figured that I would be quick to call him back about that.  In reality, the cat was outside when our kids spotted the fox.  They went racing outside to scare it away knowing that their beloved cat was also outside. 

Don't fool with our cat Wiskers or you'll incur the wrath of the Simpson kids!

Getting Out & About

One requirement of my job is to get out and about, meeting our viewers.  Let's face it, we're all in sales!  The reason we attend so many functions, visit numerous schools, eat chicken at Rotary or Civic clubs, is to get to know our viewers.  I feel that we have a great news, weather and sports product at News Channel 3 and I'm not shy about sharing my opinion.

A large part of my job is weather education and I've visited countless numbers of schools through the years.  Yesterday I visited Incarnation Catholic School in Collierville and got a wonderful reception from a large group of second graders.  I taught them some weather basics, severe weather dos and don'ts, and shared a few of my favorite stories.  They listened very well and asked great questions.

Today I served as master of ceremonies for our teacher of the week appreciation luncheon.  Throughout the year we've recognized teachers who regularly go above and beyond the call of duty.  They're nominated by their peers and in some cases, their students.  Teaching has to be one of the toughest jobs I can imagine and it's good to see these special teachers recognized.

It's Heating Up

Temperatures have found some traction!  The 80 degree mark has been broken and it looks like we'll be camping out there for the next few days. 

The weather pattern heading into the weekend will be very comparable to a summer time type pattern.  High pressure over the Gulf of Mexico will keep us dry and quite warm through the weekend.  While these aren't record highs, we're pretty close.  We're expecting 84 degrees for a high on Saturday.  If the mercury reaches 87, it will tie a record high originally set back in 1915. 

Rainfall has been plentiful during April with almost three and a half inches recorded.  For the year to date we're about three inches behind normal.  Our next best chance of rain will be Monday night into Tuesday. 

I made a visit to the Southaven Springfest yesterday.  They're going to have some incredible weather for the big event this weekend.  It's a great event for families with plenty of rides and even a major bar-b-que contest. 

My wife Leah tested the Magic Jack internet phone system for Kris Anderson's DOES IT WORK segment yesterday.  You can watch the report by clicking on this link:  http://www.wreg.com/news/onyourside/doesitwork/