Severe Storms Returning

There have been 30 reports of tornadoes over the last two days... more likely returning soon. I will get to more in that in the forecast, but Friday afternoon and evening looks to be very active here in the Ohio Valley, but I could have told you that a year ago...because it is the same date as Ohio State's Ohio Severe Weather Symposium.My moped rebuilds are coming along. While the bodies and cosmetics are nearly complete, the motor rebuilding is my next step. I cracked open both engine cases yesterday and removed all the seals and bearings so I can put on new ones for the upcoming season. I also need to case match the cylinders with the engine cases. I was surprised that one of the motors with the 65cc Metrakit was not case matched before by the previous owner. Got to love fresh engine cases! I may also need to look into a new piston for that because there is a little smearing on the piston. I have soft seized the cylinder twice, but that is the benefit of the cast iron bore of the Metrakit...you can just sand out any high spots in the cylinder and keep blasting. So I have a little cosmetic work on the Metrakit, but the Polini is brand new and will only need a little cleaning on the ports. I hope to have these bolted back together within a week or so.

Alright, back to the forecast. Today will be pretty nice. Partly cloudy, breezy, and mild with a high near 50. Tomorrow a cold front will be approaching the area, again, but not before we get into the mid 60's after an early Friday warm front. The cold front late Friday will be stronger and will bring a more significant chance for severe weather from the Tennessee Valley up to the Ohio Valley. We will be monitoring the storms for strong winds, hail, and even tornadoes possible. With the deaths from tornadoes earlier this week I want to remind those that do not have one, NOAA Weather Radios are a GREAT idea to have. They cost less than half a tank of gas and have saved many lives, especially during the night time storms. They are readily available at many stores and completely worth the small price. The storms will be ahead of the cold front and the timing of the action looks to be in the afternoon and evening with things quieting down by after midnight-ish Friday night. The timing is once again perfect with the Ohio State's Ohio Severe Weather Symposium. The symposium used to be in April, but they moved it to March so that way all the visitors were not torn between their severe weather duties and the great program and speakers put on by Ohio State's Meteorology Club. It never fails that we get severe weather the same day, so I am not surprised. The weekend will be cooler with highs near 40 and a chance for snow showers later Sunday. The models have shown about an inch of snow, but the ground is way too warm for any snow to stick. If we get a heavy snow shower it may stay shortly, but not enough for any winter fun. Temperatures will bounce back quickly next week with high pressure and sunshine taking over once again. I will be back tomorrow with another update on the forecast, but until then enjoy the great weather today and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael