<–current radar. Some showers coming through overnight.   Most all of Monday should be dry here (but I can’t totally rule out a quick shower/t-shower), but there will be a chance of showers across northern Michigan.  The next front could bring a shower or even a t-shower Monday night, then windy and cooler for Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday should be dry (good weather for the Whitecaps playoff game Weds. evening).   Here’s the usual links: GRR NWS radar, lightning data, Great Lakes radar, latest surface observations, a surface weather map, GRR NWS discussion, Visible Satellite loop (daytime), Infrared Satellite Loop (night), GRR storm total precipitation, Here’s Milwaukee NWS radar and Chicago radar, the Spyglass Weather Station (Holland Channel) and the Muskegon GLERL weather station. Click for current severe weather watches in the U.S., current meso-discussions, and SPC severe weather. Here’s Storm Total Precipitation.

Jerry Lewis (real name Joseph Levitch – age 84) started doing one-night, up to 4-hour telethons for Muscular Dystrophy in 1952 (that’s right – 1952!) on a TV station in New York City.  Soon they managed to tie in several other stations in New York State.  With other stations interested, the telethon expanded to the current 190 stations and goes for 21 hours over Labor Day Sunday evening and Monday.  This is the 45th national telethon.  Over the years, the telethon has raised over 1.6 BILLION dollars, with the money going for research, MDA camps, medical equipment and health care for Jerry’s kids.  The 2009 national total of $60,481,231 was a drop of 7% from 2008 (probably related to the economy and to a lesser extent, general good weather across the U.S. that meant fewer people were inside watching television.  The local West Michigan total raised was $271,943.  Thanks to Craig’s Cruisers for hosting the live event – to the many, many volunteers who help not only the telethon, but also throughout the year – and to all of you who helped the cause.  I’ll be on the air Monday AM from 8:30 to 12:30 AM.  I hope you’ll tune in and that you’ll consider making a donation.  Hope you’re having a great weekend.

<–Lake Michigan wave late Friday PM – picture by Roy Clark – click to enlarge.   -  at 1 PM Saturday, we still had 7.9 foot waves at the mid-Lake Michigan buoy.    Here’s a live picture from the Holland Beach.  The water temperature there has dropped to 70.5 as the strong winds have mixed in some cooler water from below.  Beach water temperatures are in the upper 60s now and waves are down to 4-6 feet at the beaches.  Breaks in the clouds up to G.R. and it’s pretty much clearing across Wisconsin, so we’ll see the clouds break up from SW to NE late this afternoon and early tonight.  The east Lake Superior buoy had waves as high as 17.4 feet Friday evening!!  The waves there went from 5.6 feet to 17.4 feet in two hours!!  The north Lake Michigan buoy was up to 9 feet and the mid-lake buoy west of Holland showed 8.5 feet.  The Muskegon beach station had a gust to 55 mph, with 52 mph winds on the beach at Grand Haven.  South Haven had 53 mph.  The Spyglass Condos weather station at Holland had a gust to 57 mph.  It’s hasn’t been that windy inland.   There are only getting gusts to 35-40 mph now on Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod from Tropical Storm Earl – it’s a whole lot wilder at Lake Michigan!  Roker and Cantori ought to be on the beach at Muskegon!  It’s still going be windy Saturday, more so at the lake than inland, and winds will diminish slowly after mid-afternoon.  Also, from www.spaceweather.com, check out the parhelic circle over the Dead Sea (lowest place on Earth) and the sunspot bubble.

<–current radar.  The wind advisory has been canceled.  There’s still a few sprinkles north of G.R. and those will end late Saturday PM.  Looks like a nice day on Sunday.      Here’s the usual links: GRR NWS radar, lightning data, Great Lakes radar, latest surface observations, a surface weather map, GRR NWS discussion, Visible Satellite loop (daytime), Infrared Satellite Loop (night), GRR storm total precipitation, Here’s Milwaukee NWS radar and Chicago radar, the Spyglass Weather Station (Holland Channel) and the Muskegon GLERL weather station. Click for current severe weather watches in the U.S., current meso-discussions, and SPC severe weather. Here’s Storm Total Precipitation.

A strong 7.2 earthquake has hit near Christchurch, New Zealand.  Christchurch is the 2nd biggest city in New Zealand, with a population of about 372,000.  It’s the biggest city on the South Island.  Click the map to enlarge.  The quake occurred in the middle of the night, at 4:35 am local time.  Power is out in much of the area.  Significant damage has been reported with some shops demolished.  People ran out of their homes in their pajamas.  Aftershocks are occurring.  Here’s a list of past earthquakes in New Zealand.  The country gets strong earthquakes, but usually low numbers of fatalities or injuries.  Here’s a list of New Zealand disasters by death toll.  Christchurch has a moderate climate with an average high/low of 52/35F in mid-winter and 73/54F in mid-summer.  They see snowfall about twice a year.

Hurricane Earl is a weakening tropical storm.   It did produce wind gusts of 76 mph this morning in Nova Scotia.  They had 4.47″ of rain in Hyannis, MA and 4.3″ on Martha’s Vineyard.  Gusts reached 40-60 mph and there was some flooding from the storm surge.   Earlier,  gusts of 45-85 mph were reported on the Outer Banks of N. Carolina and the buoys offshore.  It passed  by Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Bart’s and the Virgin Is. with 50-60 mph wind gusts and heavy rain.  San Juan had over 3″ of rain.  MA)   Here’s more on Earl.   Fiona if fading.  Gaston is the next storm that is forming.  Still nothing threatening Florida or the Gulf Coast.  Here’s radar from the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.   The hurricane season peaks in mid-September.  Anyone with interests in the Caribbean/Bahamas/Gulf or U.S. East Coast should pay attention to the latest updates later this week and next.

“Hope springs eternal, in the human heart; the September promise of a fresh restart.  Alas, by October hope doth depart, as the Lions repeat the fall-apart.”  I wrote that…well the first three words are from Alexander Pope, who wrote those famous words in 1733, which coincidently was the last year the Detroit Lions were in the playoffs.  I think they played Gaul.   Every year we watch the cartoon, thinking this time Bullwinkle will actually pull a rabbit out of the hat.   At least now we don’t have a Coach or President whose name starts with the letter “M” (Moeller, Marty Mornhinweg, Mariucci, Manuel (Dick Jawron’s middle name), Marinelli, Matt Millen).   OK there’s still Marty Mayhew.  Where do you think the Lions will end the season?  Leave a comment and we’ll see who came closest at the end of the season.   Anyway, I am more optimistic this year.  I think there will be some offense and we’ll win a few games.  I’ll guess 6-10 on the season, maybe 7-9.  If I’m wrong you can Suh me.

<–Lightning over Lake Michigan and tree on trailer near Hamilton.  Thursday’s storms produced spotty wind damage.  Trees were toppled at the Shady Acres Trailer Park near 132nd and 44th St. in Allegan Co.   It was reported that several trees were on trailers and cars with one woman trapped inside a trailer for a time.  See more pictures on the WOOD-TV facebook page.  Tree damage was also reported at Port Sheldon and along Lakewood Blvd in Holland at 168th St. and east of 144th St.  Wind Gust:   65 mph at the Spyglass Condos Weather station on the beach at Holland,  55 mph at Holland St. Park, 52 mph at Tulip City Airport, 49 mph at Big Sable Point near Ludington and at M-45 by Lake Michigan,  40 mph at the Ford Airport in G.R. and 34 mph in downtown Grand Rapids.  There’s trees down on Lakewood Blvd. just north of Holland at 168th and also east of 144th (tree on a house).  Also, gusts to 52 mph 3 S of Holland (BIV), 45 mph in downtown Chicago, 43 mph four miles south of Grand Haven, 42 mph at the Holland Water Plant, 32 mph on the beach at Grand Haven, 31 mph in Hudsonville and 34 mph at Pere Mqt. Park in Muskegon.  There were several places with downed wires in Kent and Barry Counties.      Slight Risk area now brought into the Lakeshore counties.    Here’s storm reports from Wisconsin and Illinois.  Here’s national storm reports from 9/2 from SPC.    Muskegon had 3.41″ of rain.  Here’s a report on damage in the Detroit area.

The first graph is labor strikes of over 1,000 workers (from The Liscio Report) since 1947.    Note that decades ago there were roughly 300 strikes per year. This year we are on track for two. The second graph from Rasmussen shows the pay gap between Federal government workers and the private sector. Since 2000, that gap has increased from less than $13,000 to more than $30,000. While inflation is up 24%, federal government wages are up 55%. While the federal government can print money, state and local governments cannot – which has led to layoffs, furloughs and budget cuts at the state and local level.  State and local governments have to either raise taxes or cut spending to balance their budgets. Raising taxes makes it less profitable for businesses to start in your state, move to your state or remain in your state.  There is a fairly high correlation with high state business (not personal) taxes and unemployment.  With fewer companies providing pensions and 401K contributions, the downturn this decade in the stock market, and the low rate of inflation, it’s become very difficult for most people in the private sector to save anywhere near the money that would be required at today’s rate of inflation to give a retirement income equal to a government pension.  Saving $400,000 (a lot of money!) that spins off 5% gives you $20,000 a year.  The pension for a New York City municipal worker is now over 20K and for a New York firefighter, it’s 70K per year.   Obviously, there is a great canyon of compensation between the few at the top in the private sector and the many below the top.  Look at the bonuses that were paid to Wall St. executives from companies that were going bankrupt.  I tell kids looking at careers to look at total compensation (inc. benefits and pension) when they consider a career choice.   This Labor Day we see the unemployment rate nationally is probably headed above 10% and here in Michigan we unfortunately top the list at 14.6%.  More than ever, this is a time (with winter on the horizon)  when we need to make sure that our family and our neighbors have their basic needs taken care of.  State and local governments have had to cut back…many efficient and worthwhile charities have had to cut back as well.  Look around and be aware of the needs of others and help when you can.

<–Summer Temperatures in the U.S. compared to normal.  Click on the image to enlarge and see in color.  Most all of the Lower 48 states had a warmer than average summer.  The exception being the Pacific NW (Montana to Washington and Oregon) and the immediate coastline of California (Los Angeles – coolest summer since 1948 – they set or tied new daily record low maximum temperatures on 16 days in August!  Coolest summer ever at Santa Barbara…and get this:  At the San Diego Airport, they have had only 10 days warmer than average since March 30th – 10 days out of 156!  The San Diego Airport hasn’t been warmer than the 82° they reached back on March 17th!).  Here’s the summer climate summaries for Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Lansing, and Chicago.   Grand Rapids had the 4th warmest summer ever, Lansing 2nd warmest and Muskegon the warmest!  The main factor was not extremely warm temperatures (the warmest in G.R. was 93 and we had an average number of 90-degree days).  The difference was first of all warm temperatures at night and the lack of any cool temperatures.  Grand Rapids had 20 nights (not including 9/1) when minimum temperatures stayed in the 70s, tying 1921.  Muskegon had 21 days with minimums of 70° or higher, second only to the 22 nights in 1931.  Rainfall of 14.44″ was very close to average (+0.16″).  We had 71% of possible sunshine this summer!    Here’s an excellent summary from Bill Marino and Wayne Hoepner at GRR NWS.