News

ACCUWEATHER GLOBAL WEATHER CENTER – AccuWeather reports the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are in for a bit of everything this summer as the weather transitions between hot, humid and stormy.

Meanwhile, the southern United States will endure persistent storms and the threat for an early tropical impact.

In the Southwest and California, building heat and dryness will pose a high risk for wildfires.

Summer to bring heat, humidity and severe weather to Northeast, mid-Atlantic

From heat to humidity and severe weather, the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are set to experience a bit of everything this summer.

A few hot periods will take hold throughout the summer, though it won't be persistent.

"I think there's going to be surge later in June when we really start to feel some heat here in the Northeast. But will it stick around the whole summer? I don't think that's going to happen," AccuWeather Expert Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

I-95 cities, including New York City, Boston and Philadelphia, are predicted to average close to normal with respect to the number of 90-degree days.

"Humidity-wise they'll have to watch out for August. That may be up a little bit," he said.

Severe weather could strike the northern mid-Atlantic states and eastern Ohio in June.

In July, that risk will shift farther northward.

Showers and thunderstorms to target the Southeast, Tennessee Valley, Gulf Coast

A barrage of showers and thunderstorms will target the Southeast, with Florida set to bounce back from severe drought conditions.

"They're going to see some more action across the peninsula throughout the summer, which is good for them. I don't see any dry conditions developing like we saw a couple of years ago," Pastelok said.

Heavier storms will pose a risk for flooding with the Tennessee Valley and central Gulf coast facing the greatest threat.

Meanwhile, the entire region will be at risk for an early tropical impact.

"The last several years we've seen early tropical hits. I don't see anything against that this year. Whereabouts? That's a tough call. Anywhere is possible along the Gulf coast this year," Pastelok said.

If a tropical system does impact the region, it's more likely to be a tropical storm which would pose a greater risk for flooding rainfall, he said.

Severe weather to threaten the western Ohio Valley, Midwest, central/northern Plains

Short-term periods of high heat will blast the region in June, though temperatures will bounce up and down throughout the summer.

Severe weather will also target the first month of the season.

"June, I think, will be the month for the severe weather in the northern Plains," Pastelok said. "It could linger a bit into July, but it will take a break before coming back in August."

Stifling heat, drought to grip the southern Plains

Severe drought is predicted to continue across the southwestern Plains as intense heat dominates the summer.

June could end up being one of the top-five hottest on record for the region.

"Places like Dallas, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, those places are going to record above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation this summer," Pastelok said.

The forecast could spell bad news for cattle farmers and consumers alike.

"The Plains drought could have an effect on agriculture and grazing for cattle," Pastelok said. "The grass is not going to grow as much, so farmers are going to end up spending more on feed."

High fire threat for the Southwest, California as heat and dryness build

Heat and drought will also stretch into the Southwest and California.

The fire threat in both of places will arrive early then remain high for a good part of the summer before rainfall increases into July and August.

Flash flooding is possible as precipitation increases for the interior Southwest and the central Rockies around the midpoint or latter half of the season.

Typical summer to transpire in Northwest, Rockies

Following a typical pattern for the Northwest and Rockies, late spring and early summer will remain mostly wet and cool.

The transition to warmer and drier summer weather won't arrive until later in the season.

As the warmth increases in mid-July and August, drought conditions may develop east of the Cascades.

This could result in the threat for fires from late summer and into the fall season.

When NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently flew over the poles of Jupiter, researchers were astonished, as if they had never seen a giant planet before.

And in a sense they hadn’t.

The pictures were unlike anything in the history of planetary exploration.

Juno entered orbit on July 4, 2016, and later found Jupiter's poles covered in nearly continent-sized storms that are densely clustered and rubbing together in a mind-blowing swirl.

“It’s like a whole new Jupiter,” said Scott Bolton, Juno’s principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute. “The clouds were amazing.”

What’s striking about Jupiter’s polar storms is that there are actually multiple cyclones at each pole. So instead of having one polar vortex like Earth, Jupiter was observed to have as many as eight giant swirls moving simultaneously on its north pole and as many as five on its south pole.

Even more amazing things are lurking below. Researchers have long wondered about the giant planet’s hidden interior. How far down do Jupiter’s continent-sized storms descend? And what is the exotic material near the planet’s core?

Deep inside Jupiter, high temperatures and crushing pressures transform Jupiter’s copious supplies of gaseous molecular hydrogen into an exotic form of matter known as liquid metallic hydrogen. Think of it as a mashup of atomic nuclei in a sea of electrons freely moving about.

Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field almost certainly springs from dynamo action in Jupiter’s interior, the process by which the motion of this electrically-conducting fluid is converted into magnetic energy. The exact location within the interior is a mystery that researchers are still working to solve.

A planet’s magnetic field gets weaker as you get farther from its core. Jupiter’s magnetic field is 10,000 time stronger than that of Earth! However when measured at the cloudtops, Jupiter’s magnetic field is only 20 times greater than what we measure on Earth’s surface. This is due to Jupiter being so much larger than Earth.

Astronomers have long known that Jupiter has the most intense planetary magnetic field in the solar system. But according to Jack Connerney, Juno deputy principal investigator at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, “Juno’s magnetometers indicate that Jupiter’s magnetic field is even stronger than we thought.”

“Moreover, the magnetic field looks lumpy,” he says. “It is stronger in some places and weaker in others. This uneven distribution suggests that the field might be generated by dynamo action closer to the surface, above the layer of metallic hydrogen.”

Jupiter’s magnetic field is home to the biggest and most powerful auroras in the solar system. Unlike Earth, which lights up in response to solar activity, Jupiter makes its own auroras. It does this by tapping into power generated by its own spinning magnetic field. Induced electric fields accelerate particles toward Jupiter’s poles where the aurora action takes place.

Another source of insight is Juno’s Microwave Radiometer which measures thermal microwaves radiating from the deep recesses of the planet, revealing structure hundreds of kilometers beneath Jupiter’s thick clouds.

Recent results from Juno’s Gravity experiment show that Jupiter’s iconic belts and zones rotate as a series of cylinders down to depths of about 3000-5000 km. Beneath this depth, it appears that Jupiter may be rotating as a rigid body.

New discoveries about Jupiter continue to be made. Bolton says, “Every 53 days, Juno goes soaring by Jupiter and gets doused by a fire hose of data. There is always something new.”

For more discoveries from Jupiter and the other planets of our solar system, stay tuned to http://science.nasa.gov .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The annual Lake County Safety Officers Memorial Ceremony to honor fallen officers who died in 2017 while on duty was held at Museum Park Friday night.

Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Rumfelt, whose end of watch was August 22, 2017, was honored along with fallen heroes Sheriff George Kemp, Deputy William Hoyt and Sgt. Richard Helbush, and firefighters Michael Mattioda and Matthew Black.

Rumfelt, born in 1966, was a deputy for three years and an officer for nine years with Lakeport Police Department.

He suffered a fatal heart attack after a violent confrontation with a domestic violence suspect.

The service was put on by the Lake County Sheriff’s Chaplains: Terry Cara, a retired Army Reserve chaplain; Steve Nesheim, pastor of the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church; and Mike Suski, senior pastor of Lakeport Christian Center.

Sheriff Brian Martin, wearing a band of black over his badge in a show of respect, spoke of Rumfelt, who was his friend.

Martin brought a bit of laughter to the solemn group of around 90 people, when he said, “Rob was a great deputy, officer, husband, father, son, brother, grandpa, cousin, uncle, coach … I’m grateful for the times we worked together and especially grateful for the times that Rob didn’t get too close to me at costume parties. Those who are laughing know what I’m talking about.”

Sheriff Martin is going to Washington, DC in May for National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Week where fallen officers who lost their lives in 2017 will be honored, including Rumfelt.

Also present was Congressman Mike Thompson, who thanked everyone “who took time from your day to be here to take part in this very important ceremony.”

The congressman spoke of how Rumfelt took a leave of absence from the Lakeport Police Department from 2006 to 2009 to serve in Iraq as a police advisor to Iraqi law enforcement agencies.

While there, “he bravely rescued a soldier at great personal risk, giving the soldier the precious time he needed to get to a doctor and that saved his life,” Thompson said.

Each chaplain read off names of fallen officers, whilst the firefighters’ bell rung in their honor. The sound echoed in the trees of Museum Park where wood sculptures of first responders stand. The sculptures by Mark Colp, Wooden Creations, were restored to their original beauty by Colp for the memorial.

The door of Rumfelt’s SUV patrol vehicle was at the memorial with messages written on it from his fellow officers. It will be displayed in the Lake County Museum.

A memorial bronze plaque was also unveiled with Deputy Rumfelt’s name on the memorial monument in Museum Park.

Rumfelt's family attended the memorial and afterward his father Robert Rumfelt said, “It was a beautiful service and we’re very honored by it.”

Chaplain Nesheim spoke these final words, after June Jackson of Praises of Zion Baptist Church in Clearlake sang “Amazing Grace.”

”Tonight we are gathered here to remember those who have given their lives in the line of duty,” Nesheim said. “As we light candles, let us not forget our fallen heroes and let us make a commitment to never forget their names.”

Lucy Llewellyn Byard is a correspondent for Lake County News. She lives in Lucerne.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Wednesday the three candidates in the race for Lake County Superior Court judge participated in a forum in Clearlake.

Don Anderson, Shanda Harry and Andre Ross spent an hour and a half answering questions from the community during the forum at the Clearlake Senior Community Center.

The three are in the race to succeed Judge Stephen Hedstrom, who did not seek reelection this year.

A full video of the event can be seen above.

Two more candidates’ forums are scheduled this primary season:

– District 3 supervisorial candidates EJ Crandell and Denise Loustalot will be featured in a forum on Wednesday, May 9, in the Board of Supervisors chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport; and
– District attorney candidates Steven Brown and Susan Krones will take part in a forum on Monday, May 14, also in the Board of Supervisors chambers.

This year’s forums are sponsored by the Lake County Bar Association, Lake County Economic Development Corp. and Lake County News.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Friday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that local judges selected Taylor Paulich from Kelseyville High School as the Lake County finalist in the 2018 Congressional Art Competition for her piece, “In the Zone.”

“Congratulations to Taylor Paulich, Lake County’s 2018 Art Competition finalist,” said Thompson. “Each year, I look forward to seeing the incredible talent of artists across our region and I am always deeply impressed by their vision and artistic abilities. Thank you to all the students who participated and the dedicated teachers who supported their work.”

Finalists from each county in the Fifth Congressional District will now be judged and a grand prize winner will be selected.

That student and a guest will be flown to Washington, D.C. for an awards ceremony with winners from across the nation.

Their artwork will also be displayed in the halls of the U.S. Capitol for one year.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On April 26, in conjunction with more than 3.5 million of both public and private sector employers across the nation, the city of Clearlake participated in “Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day.”

Employees from all divisions, including the Clearlake Police Department, Public Works, Code Enforcement and administration, brought their children to work to show them the value of their education and help them discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life.

The children spent a half day with the Public Works Department, learning proper equipment
techniques and how roads are built.

They were then given tours of City Hall, with a meeting with Vice Mayor Phil Harris, who taught them about the history of Clearlake and how the voting process works.

The children ended the day with a tour of the police department given by Sgt. Martin Snyder. They were able to see the police vehicles up close, and run the lights and sirens under close supervision by interim Chief Tim Celli and members of his staff.

"This was a great way to teach our next generation the importance of staying in school and the value of public service," said City Manager Greg Folsom.