Tim Simpson's Blog

Break from the Heat

I wish I could be a more frequent blogger.  These days life is extremely busy and some days I feel like I'm hanging on for dear life!  I have been posting at www.facebook.com/timsimpsontv3.  So if you're a fan of Facebook, please take a moment to post. 

The current weather pattern is a hot one even though we're not seeing heat records fall by the wayside.  As you can imagine, that's fine with me.  By all indications, it looked like the Summer of 2011 was going to be a hot one.  By the time we reached June 6th, Memphis had already recorded three days of 99 degree heat!  We haven't hit 99 degrees since that time.  Afternoon thunderstorms have done a good job of knocking down the Summer heat. 

On Tuesday, July 5th, Memphis International Airport hit 91 degrees.  About an hour later the mercury had dropped to 75 degrees due to a thunderstorm forming near the airport and dumping about a third of an inch of rain.  Just down the road in Southaven, MS, our WeatherNet site at SBEC registered 1.25" of rain. 

In this type of weather pattern, not everyone will see a shower or storm.  But if you do, it'll provide some quick and incredible relief from the Mid South Summer heat. 

Odd Appearance

We received quiet a few calls on this halo that appeared around the sun earlier today.  No, it doesn't signal the end of the world, but occurs as light is refracted or bent as it passes through high altitude cirrus clouds. 

Summer: It's Here!

The calendar says June 10th but the temperatures say that Summer has officially arrived.  This is day 14 of 90 degree heat.  We've set several record high temperatures along the way and while May featured storms, rain and flooding--we've seen no rain so far during the month of June. 

The FEDEX St. Jude Classic has experienced the typical hot Memphis weather.  So far the event has been spared of those rapidly developing thunderstorms.  You know, the ones that typically send golfers and the gallery scrambling for cover.  We'll see how the weekend weather holds up.  I'd opt for a sweat towel before I'd pack an umbrella at this point. 

Our Beat the Heat campaign kicks off on Monday, June 13th and just in time.  These temperatures and heat index values will only get worse as we get closer to July.  If I could just skip July and August each year, I'd be a happy camper. 

 

Memorial Day

 
Joseph and Joshua Simpson stand beside the grave of their grandfather, F.L. Simpson, Jr. 

This being Memorial Day, I thought I would post a picture of my father's grave.  Dad wasn't killed in action, but was the most patriotic man I've ever known.  Serving two stints in the U.S. Army, Dad was part of the occupying force in Japan following World War II.  He always wore an American flag on his coat lapel. 

Dad loved the song, GOD BLESS AMERICA and his favorite movie was YANKEE DOODLE DANDY.  As children, we were taught early in life to always honor the flag of the United States of America

Dad was buried one week ago today with full military honors.  My sister Holly was presented the flag that draped his casket.  My wife Leah brought a handful of American flags to the graveside service, but I wasn't sure what she was going to do with them.  As you can see from the above picture, she added those flags to the flowers at his grave.  Dad would have been so happy to see this. 

There are so many people like my father who served and were able to come home and lead productive lives following their service to our country.  But many others never made it home, giving their lives in defense of our freedom.  On this Memorial Day, let's not forget that freedom comes at a very high price.  Remember those paid the ultimate price for freedom!

Let's Go Trail Riding!

One of the fond memories I have from my childhood is trail riding.  I never thought my Dad would let us have horses, but he did.  My sister and I started with ponies then traded up to horses. Looking back on it, we learned a lot about responsibility from owning those horses.  One thing I learned for sure:  When feeding at night, be sure to bring along a flash light before you put your hand in the feed barrel.  That possum scared me to death!

I enjoyed riding bare back around the pasture, but I always looked forward to trail rides with my friends.  We'd start early in the morning and head out with our packed lunches.  We rode those horses all around the Middleton, TN area.  We explored wooded areas where I had never gone before.  We never saw a liquor still but we did observe plenty of deer stands along the way.  Those were just fun, innocent times. 

For those who enjoy horses, take note of an upcoming trail ride opportunity.  The Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance is hosting a Benefit Trail Ride on Saturday, May 21st at the Blackwater Ranch in Holly Springs, MS.  This ride will feature 1200 acres of rolling hills, manicured pastures, woods and secluded lakes.  Registration is from 8-10 am with the ride beginning at 10:00 am.  The price is $35 per rider.

For more information, check out www.sfeaonline.org. 

Catching A Breather

I've teased with some of my friends by telling them that I will have to change careers if we get another outbreak of severe weather!  These last few weeks have been absolutely incredible with severe storms, heavy rainfall and historic flooding.  In the midst of all that, throw in the Memphis In May celebration! 

Even though the flood waters have started to receed, the damage has been done to so many homes, farms and businesses in close proximity to the Mississippi river.  The year 2011 will go down in the record books.  The flooding will be an event that we'll talk about for years to come. 

I'm not the napping kind of person but after coming home from church yesterday I did a very "un-Tim-like" thing.  I put on my pj's and climbed in bed.  I thought I'd probably sleep for an hour, but it was more like 3 hours!  These past few weeks have been very demanding and I've tried to answer the call each time but yesterday was about chilling out. 

Since flying has become a rather expensive hobby thanks to the rising price of fuel, I try to spend more time with my second favorite hobby--video editing. This morning I was at the computer editing some of the flooding video I've shot over the past few weeks.  It really is incredible to see how much damage flood waters can produce.   

Rising Rivers

The Mighty Mississippi is rising to levels not seen in years.  By May 10th or 11th, the river stage in Memphis is expected to be 48 feet.  If the river does continue to rise, it will be within striking distance of the all time record of 48.7 feet which was set back in 1937. 

Back in those days there was a man by the name of C.H. Goodell who was a marine engineer and used to make many trips up and down the Mississippi river.  He knew the river like the back of his hand and had a great respect for the mighty Mississippi.  I have first hand knowledge of this because his grandson, Timothy Goodell Simpson, is writing this blog!  While my love is aviation and flying, his was boating and anything to do with the Mississippi river. 

Speaking of the Mississippi River.  I'm posting a picture of the swollen river that I shot yesterday from a helicopter. 

 

One of the areas of Shelby county hardest hit by flood waters is Brunswick, located near the Loosahatchie river.  Last year the Loosahatchie flooded the Brunwick General Store and started backing up to some office buildings on Chaffee road near the post office.  Owner Ed Morgan is taking no chances of the river flooding into the dentist office operated by his friend, Dr. Billy Ferguson.  After first hand inspection, I can tell you that Brunswick Station Dental Center will be high and dry!

 

Ok, I've heard of "winterizing" your home, but may I coin a new term?  Flooderizing?  As I drove behind the Brunswick Post Office this morning, I noticed that one home owner had taken matters into his own hands.  He's protecting his home and castle with sand and plastic draping around his entire house. 

 

 

 

Incredible Storms

 I've been through some tremendous tornado events through the years, but the storms of this past week were some of the longest duration events I've ever seen.  We were very fortunate to miss the Tuscaloosa type destruction that could have very easily occurred here instead of Alabama. 

I've almost lost count of the days and the number of hours that we were on the air with wall to wall weather coverage.  A big tip of the hat to Todd Demers, Jim Jaggers and Austen Onek for their incredible effort while we were in the midst of mulitple tornado warnings.  Our news room was fully staffed with people dedicated to making sure we were first and accurate in our reporting of the incredible weather event. 

Now that the threat of killer tornadoes is over, our focus is on potentially historic flooding.  The next few weeks will be very difficult for residents along the Mississippi river or any of the other local rivers, streams and tributaries. 

I'm posting some pictures from the past few days. 

 
 
 

One REALLY smart dog riding out the storm in a closet.
 

Jim & Tim are TIRED!
 

Panoramic view of Mississippi River flooding courtesy of Dave Peeler
 
Aerial shot of Brunswick area flooding courtesy of Allen Burnette.

Weather Visit

A large part of my job is traveling throughout the Mid South and meeting our viewers.  I try to accept as many speaking opportunities as my schedule allows.  This morning I spoke to a group of home schoolers at the Collierville Connection. 

We talked about meteorology in general and then discussed severe weather in particular.  One of the greatest tools available to stay safe in severe weather is advance warning.  Actually realizing that you're in the path of severe weather and knowing what to do can save your life. 

 

Severe Weather Threat Tonight

This has been a very active severe weather season in 2011.  Tonight will provide yet another chance for severe storms.

I'm posting a map from the National Weather Service in Memphis.  Before each major severe weather outbreak, the NWS conducts a conference call for area EMA managers, media and other interested parties.  As you can see from this map, there is a SLIGHT to MODERATE risk for severe weather starting this evening and continuing through Wednesday. 

While there is a risk for tornadoes at the outset, the main concern at this writing is for strong and damaging winds, large hail and the potential for heavy rainfall. 

We'll have all the updates on WREG-TV and WREG.com.  You can also follow us on Twitter too!  If you observe damage or anything related to severe weather, we'd like to have your photos. Simply use the UPLOAD tool at WREG.com.  Also, don't forget to sign up for Weather Call at 1-800-260-6695.