When I was a graduate student, more than 40 years ago, I set up a model of a tornado. It consisted of a chimney-like structure which would provide for a circular inflow of air while an exhaust fan would keep the motion going. The exhaust would allow the air to exit the top while the curvature of the pipe would help deliver a circulation. I have been working on these in many different forms since then. But it worked!

Storm cloud in North Haven on June 3, 2010.

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It has been a long time since I was at the blog board. A lot has been happening personal and otherwise. Much of my time has been at the Smilow Cancer Center, I was rear-ended on my way to work during early May. The last time something like that happened, a can of worms was opened and out came bone marrow cancer, multiple myeloma(14 years ago). But enough of that!

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We love it when you folks out there are able to send us photos of severe weather, whether they show crazy blizzards, sizzling temperatures or intense flooding. But I found it even more fascinating when four people send us pictures of what to me look like the same threatening cloud formation.

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I guess it could be. The highest wind ever measured on the face of the earth is an April creation on Mount Washington. We have had April snows, and back in 1976 we were in the midst of a blistering heat wave which brought 100-degree readings to the region. So, I guess anything goes, although this April has been extra special. We have had rain on only 3 days, we are going at a record warm pace for the month. Of course, pollen has been something else...the warmth has brought out the blossoms, at the same time. So we are receiving an extra dose of spring, tree pollens. And the dryness combined with some gusty winds has raised the brush fire potential. But if you like your weather peaceful and quiet, this month has been for you. Can it go on?

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Amazingly, we have gone from flood warnings to fire warnings in the space of a week. A Red Flag warning has been posted for this afternoon, and it is issued when winds reach around 25 mph, and the relative humidity is close to 20%

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March is famous for its huge storms, and this month has certainly delivered. The March 13th storm combined with our most recent soaker to make this month of March one of the wettest on record. Temperatures have been warmer than normal by about 5 to 7 degrees, and the warmth has been important in delivering the energy for these storms.

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After Dr. Mel wrote about his comparison between the storm this past weekend in Connecticut and Hurricane Gloria nearly 25 years ago, I went into the 'Action News 8' archives to pull this clip from a special program produced by WTNH following the storm. This is just the opening couple of minutes. Enjoy.

Many people are commenting that the weekend storm brought memories of Hurricane Gloria, the last full-blown hurricane to make a landfall in Connecticut. That was in 1985. Gloria delivered the single greatest power outage in the history of the state. Nearly half of the power grid was knocked out, and a week would pass before electricity would come back on line to most residents. Over 700,000 residents lost power, compared to nearly 100,000 power outages with the past weekend storm. The storm made a landfall at Milford around midday. Flooding was minimal because Gloria came during low tide. But 8 fatalities were associated with the storm, and losses came to nearly 2 billion 2010 dollars.

The storm was one of the most powerful to come so far north in recent decades, but it fell appart when crossing LI Sound. At one point, its winds hit 145 mph, but Gloria was barely hurricane intensity when reaching Connecticut.

I called it the "lunch hour storm." Maybe our last weekend storm was no match, but it was big enough!