I'm a loyal 8 watcher. I just don't understand why 8 always lags behind in improvements. 8 was a leader in using a helicopter for news, but even that is gone for quite awhile. No copter, no Desiree, no HD, maybe I'll check out the competition.

Laker, me too!

I just want to bring up one thing: the '38 hurricane. A storm that had no warning and ended up being a direct hit, killing hundreds of people and causing over $300 million worth of damage in the region. Granted, Earl would probably have been nothing like that. But my point is, I would rather have the warnings issued and then the storm miss as opposed to the other way around.

Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It's very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.

I just had a conversation with a friend about the sequence of events before, during, and now after Earl came our way. This person is not one who is very educated about the weather, and the family depends on what's on tv and how they interpret what is said on tv.
They said they thought that the day 'was a bust' because they got ready for a huge thing and then it seemed 'nothing' happened where they live.
I explained the key word 'potential' and how it's better to prepare for the full potential and then be able to say that it was a 'bust'. I asked if Earl had fulfilled it's potential and remained strong and gave us a direct hit as a cat 4 would they have then considered the day worth it. haha They said no, and it is a good thing that all that happened to them were a few drops of rain and an eerie quiet.
We ended up agreeing that the worst problems in the state were Gov. Rell, and the school situation. Gov Rell seemed to panic which had more influence on our people than the meteorologists did. And the school situation is this - when I was a kid I had a stay-at-home, homemaker mom, as did most in my neighborhood, and there was an agreement that if any kid in the neighborhood had to leave school early that either that mom or a designated neighbor mom would receive the kid, within even 20 minutes notice. Nowadays it's a rare home that is not empty during the day and to get a kid home is a major project. For a school to close early they have to make sure that every kid has a place to go, or they have to arrange for them. Thus the decision was made a day early so parents could arrange day care ahead of time and then that was locked in, so cat 4 or nothing the kids were home and the economics was that babysitters got paid or a parent lost a day's pay, or whatever.
The community needs to figure out a better emergency plan for kids - one that is more flexible at the last minute. How about if the school itself turned into the day care center for the kids whose parents wouldn't be home? Many schools do qualify as being shelters, and it would save the kids from having to go to some other day care place, cuz they wouldn't be going home anyway.
And Gov. Rell,, chill!! hahaha

Earl is gone and now is going to pay the Canadian Maritimes a visit. Good job by storm team 8 with Earl keeping us informed but never scaring us.

Si,

We sure did dodge a bullet, didn't we? We got some heavy rain & a few wind gusts, but nothing earth shattering where I live.

You're right, beautiful weather weekend ahead! Enjoy!

Have a nice holiday weekend.

It looks like Earl passed even more east than forecast (and much more east than I thought it would). So the East Coast did very well. In fact, the strongest gusts I could find over the last 12 hours at NWS stations was only 46 - mph at Nantucket. So it appears that the west side of the tropical cyclone was very weak.

I had a chance to drive from Westerly, RI east toward Pt. Judith. Sea conditions were very bad however. The waves in Point Judith were truly amazing - 20 foot waves crashed into each other 1/2 mile off shore. From around 5:00 to 7:00 PM...when Earl was the closest to us...you could feel a deep increase in the humidty. It was pouring rain, but it was so warm andhumid it was like being in the shower - lol. We seemed to get one good squall from one of the sprial bands of Earl on Pt. Judith, the rain came down very heavy, and the wind got gusty, but nowhere near tropical storm force.

It was amazing to see the spiritual side of the storm: There were hundreds of people sitting on the beach and walking down the coastal highway in Westerly and Narragansett, the surfers were just siting there with that look of being in a trance. It was amazing to see the power of the waves. All in all I think the National Hurricane Center did a good job with the forecast...although they should revist the concept of how weak the west side of tropical cyclones are along the Mid Atlatic coast. As of this morning, there was not a single report of "sustined" tropical storm force winds from Ocean City, MD to Cape Cod, MA. It looks like the strongest 1 min wind was only 33-mph on Nantucket.

So now a great weekend weather-wise shapes up, sunshine and temps 75 to 80 F. Folks heading to the coast should just watch out for rip currents untill seas subside.

Thanks to the Storm Team... alway on top of what "might" be coming our way!If you live in CT you know that the weather here is most unpredictable... and knowing that, it is better to be informed of what MAY happen, rather than be uninformed. You only realize this once you've been seriously affected by a weather event. As Dr. Mel said, "it is so easy to forget how fickle these storms can be...". For those who panic at the possibility of a forecast maybe you should move to a place where there are more settled weather patterns... good luck. I am not a fan of the 8-day forecast (too far in advance), but I for one am very grateful for the diligence of "The Boys", Dr. Mel, Geoff, Gil & Matt. Without them... well, good luck!!!
Thanks BOYS!!!!

The air has such a different feel this morning! I can breathe! The birds are singing, the leaves have a little motion to them. Now let's hope we are beginning our normal temperate zone transition to early Autumn! We had our visit from the tropics,, just for Matt. You guys want any more then go back to Florida.

IF THESE WEATHER MEN GOT PAID TO BE RIGHT, THEY WOULD BE STARVING AND POOR. "the most powerful storm on the face of the earth" at least you guys are ALWAYS good for a laugh. Thank you for ALWAYS creating a sphere of terror, for no reason. We have enough to worry about. Find a new job

Pitiful weather forecast boys. You did more harm than good it was so bad. Also Matt dont be hating on Bristol Palin because shes known across the country and your not even known in Ct. You must be jealous because her mom has significantly more power to influence elections than Obama does LOL

do you wheather men even know what you are doing? Please resign and allow others that can forcast a weather to do so accurately.

Actually, a lot of people don't understand the terminology used and get confused. There is confusion between the potential that has to be in a warning or watch, even when that potential is not reached. The potential was in the advisories, and, at the same time, the expectation from the beginning was that it would veer to the east when it got north of the 35th degree north latitude, North Carolina, and that it would weaken in the cooler waters and pushed east by the westerlies, which it did.
Another confusion is the stereotypical understanding of what a hurricane is and what it means to get hit or affected by one. They are not all the same, but are all pretty unique,, and somewhat unpredictable. People who 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best', or play it 'better safe than sorry' usually fare pretty well, even in very strong hurricanes, while the foolhardy people that do not adequately prepare suffer the consequences of more damage even in weaker storms.

Meteorologists seem to feel obligated to precisely predict the future as if they control the weather, and if the weather changes in a surprising way then some of you want their heads chopped off. Weather tendencies can be forecast but you have to know that they are subject to change.

How about switching weather teams? There is a group of monkeys looking for a job and they work for bananas. With them you won't have have to pay Geoff's high salary and black shoe polish for his hair!

What storm? Another miss by the Channel Weather department. A branch fell in my yard. OMG! You may want to change the hurricane symbol to a tropical storm symbol when referring to a TS Earl!

Different types of heavy equipments are used for different applications and purposes. After 3 passes are done, go up to where you began, angle the brush towards you slightly, and pull it across the same areas until excess sealer is pulled down and footprints are removed.

DNI also owns Conclux, a manufacturer of coin changers. They are made from steel with welded edges and seams.

Keep 'em coming. I enjoyed reading this.

Sid Starks happens to be a great meteorologist! One of the best on WTNH! he is not the clueless one! But he isn't in the petty rivalry stuff some are in either.

And, Shoreliner,, that supposed to be an intimidating insult? hahaha but it's you I hear oinking! It's you that is constantly into all that negativity. And the 'dirt' is your negativity that you wallow in. so, yeah, just continue to ignore me. I knew Matt/jim and you couldn't boycott the blog... haha

You all sass again, now that Earl has gone past, eh?