Special guest in the studio

I had a special guest in the studio today.  Paul Hill is from Circleville and a HUGE weather enthusiast.  He wants to get into storm chasing and he keeps daily records of the weather in Circleville.  He came to visit the station today and he really knows his weather.  He also brought along a folder full of his record keeping of recent weather events and DVD of photos he has taken of storms.  Great to meet him and I would keep an eye out for pictures on-air soon from Paul.

On to the weather... Increasing clouds ahead of the rain on the way for Easter Sunday. Rain will mainly be early on Sunday with a slight chance for a rumble of thunder or two. The rain will move out with a little clearing in the afternoon. Monday will be cooler with a slight chance for a flurry or sprinkle. The cooler temps will be short lived through the first part of the week because the warmer temperatures will return later in the week.  It looks like only Monday and Tuesday will have highs in the 40's and then we are right back into the 50's!  There is a chance for rain for the end of the workweek, but the models have been in a bit of disagreement on timing, so stay tuned.  Until then, enjoy Easter and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Increasing clouds ahead of the rain on the way for Easter Sunday. Rain will mainly be early on Sunday with a slight chance for a rumble of thunder or two. The rain will move out with a little clearing in the afternoon. Monday will be cooler with a slight chance for a flurry or sprinkle. The cooler temps will be short lived through the first part of the week because the warmer temperatures will return later in the week.

Read More at: http://www.abc6onyourside.com/weather/#.UVdqf4YkWX8

Increasing clouds ahead of the rain on the way for Easter Sunday. Rain will mainly be early on Sunday with a slight chance for a rumble of thunder or two. The rain will move out with a little clearing in the afternoon. Monday will be cooler with a slight chance for a flurry or sprinkle. The cooler temps will be short lived through the first part of the week because the warmer temperatures will return later in the week.

Read More at: http://www.abc6onyourside.com/weather/#.UVdqf4YkWX8

Increasing clouds ahead of the rain on the way for Easter Sunday. Rain will mainly be early on Sunday with a slight chance for a rumble of thunder or two. The rain will move out with a little clearing in the afternoon. Monday will be cooler with a slight chance for a flurry or sprinkle. The cooler temps will be short lived through the first part of the week because the warmer temperatures will return later in the week.

Read More at: http://www.abc6onyourside.com/weather/#.UVdqf4YkWX8

Good Friday to ya!

My final day this week for filling in for Lisa Colbert.  Lots of silliness behind and on camera.  Carolyn Bruck took this photo while I was doing the 7AM full forecast.  I look very serious. Had a lot of fun last night trying to find somewhere to watch the Ohio State game.  We went to ten different restaurants until we finally found one where we didn't have to wait... since no one was likely getting up until after the game.  What a game!  Go Bucks!

Going to be a fantastic day today.  I plan on getting the moped out for a ride around town.  High pressure building in for the Ohio Valley for the start of the weekend.  Plenty of sunshine for Friday and Saturday as our temperatures finally return closer to normal with highs near 60 each day.  Clouds arrive late Saturday ahead of rain for Easter Sunday morning.  Rain should move in early, but also leave by the afternoon.  Best to plan any Sunday morning activities indoors.  A second cold front will push through Monday with a few wet snowflakes mixing in at times, but not expecting the need for snow shovels.  I will keep an eye on that and update you over the weekend.  For now... Get out there and enjoy the beautiful weather and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

No #OHRoadTrippin, "tulips" instead

Since Lisa Colbert is off this week, I am in the studio with the "tulips," as Dana Turtle called them.  Ashely Yore is in Akron for #OHRoadTrippin with the Goodyear blimp and showing the new airship that they are building.  I wore my scarlet and grey and I THOUGHT we all were, but Carolyn and Terri wore the same bright pink without planning it.  Lot of fun behind the scenes this morning with the "tulips."

Here comes the sun!  Plenty of sunshine to start your Thursday with a few afternoon clouds and temperatures approaching 50 for the high. Our temperatures continue to climb heading into the weekend with more sunshine. By Saturday we will be pushing 60 for the high! 

Easter Sunday rain showers will roll back in, especially for midday for Central Ohio.  Monday, mainly Monday night could get a little interesting.  There will be a quick clipper system swinging down from Canada, but it looks like it may push some snow into Kentucky, but it bares watching.  We could see a little snow with it, but not completely sold on it just yet.  Anyway, enjoy the warmer temps and sunshine on the way and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Fun on the morning show

Filling in on the morning show today.  Lisa Colbert if off the rest of the week.  Always game for a little fun...

Had dinner at my brother's place last night.  It is really nice to have family in town to share dinner with on a regular basis.  We had pot roast and the request for dinner at our place is fajitas.  I make some GOOD fajitas!

We are turning the corner for the workweek and turning the corner for the cold weather!  Temperatures will begin to warm slowly, but not before a few flurries or sprinkles today.  More sunshine starting later today and we stay dry through the end of the week.  We are tracking rain showers on the way for Easter Sunday, so stay tuned to the forecast because you may want to plan the Easter egg hunt inside, or at a different time.  For now, enjoy the sunshine and milder temperatures on the way!  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Curling, Snow recap, Look ahead

Dawn and I went curling last night.  It was her first time throwing and we had a blast.  She had great form, but was a little cautious doing the practice time.

She threw first and she did an amazing job throwing two guards for us.  We ended up winning twice.  Great times.

Alright on to the forecast. If you wanted an accurate measurement of the snow you had to get it at about 4 or 5AM yesterday because the pavement was so warm that it melted a lot of it.  The grassy areas saw it stick around the most.  I made a map of the snowfall totals from the viewers and generally we were right on the money.  The NW area saw the most and generally 3-6" range for Central Ohio.  The dry air worked in early and cut down on some of the super high amounts in Western Ohio.  So how did this compare to previous winters or Marches?

Above is the Top 5 snowiest March's before this year.  With the recent snow it puts Cincinnati still fighting to get into the Top 5, but Dayton is now tied for #3 with 1984 and 1968.  Columbus is now #5 snowiest March with only 0.2" left to get to #4.  I think the flurries and light snow showers today and tonight may help with the cause to bump up a little.  We will need to get it within the next 24 hours because no snow for the rest of the month.  Here are the totals for March and winter so far:

Columbus
     March 12.1
     Season 41.1
Dayton
     March 13.8
     Season 35.5
Cincinnati
     March 8.5
     Season 24.9

So what does the long term look like?  A few flurries through today, tonight, and early Wednesday.  Then we dry out and warm up.  By Sunday, rain returns and maybe a few flurries early next week behind the rain.  The models agree on the next seven days pretty well... but after that it looks like typical spring models for 8-14 days out... HUGE disagreements.  The CMC has us warming up A LOT, but the GFS keeps us cold, and Euro keeps us cold until the end of next week... so 11 days out.  Be sure to check back in, but for now, enjoy the milder temperatures later this week and the snow melting.  Gotta love melting snow in March!  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Snow storms still on track

Round one has moved through for the most part.  It is the lighter of the two rounds.  The second round is moving through Indiana and Illinois currently.  that will move into Western Ohio for the early evening and then late evening for Central Ohio.  The heaviest snow will be between 10PM and 2AM.  I would not be surprised if we happen to get a little thunder.  Best chances for a thundersnow will be during the heaviest snow and mainly south of I-70.

Far south will be seeing a little less snow due to their warmer temperatures and not as much across the far northern part of the state because heaviest bands look to be near or just north of I-70.  Still expecting generally 3-6" here in Columbus metro area, but if we stay all snow (no wintry mix), it will be closer to the upper end of that range.  Western Ohio will see the heaviest snow. The key to snowfall totals will be the temperatures.  Any wintry mix will cause the snowfall totals to be on the lower end of the range.  Travel safe and have a good one!  (Pulling an all night double shift)

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Sunday's Snow Storm

Confidence is very high with the winter storm on the way.  The GFS did throw out a southerly track this morning, but that was the only odd ball, so you can pretty much write it off.  There is one caveat with this and it is the chance for a wintry mix, including rain.  Above you can see the accumulated rainfall and the Southern and Eastern parts of Ohio will see a little rain... and thus cutting down their snowfall totals.  That is the high-res Canadian model.

Now we take a look at the snowfall totals that the models are kicking out.  Above is the high-res snowfall totals through 2PM Monday.  The measurements are in water equivalent readings in millimeters.  The general rule of thumb is that 10mm of liquid precip is roughly equal to about 4 inches of snow.  The rest of the maps will be in inches of snow...

Above is the NAM model on the right and the GFS on the left.  GFS is still going with the most southerly track, but it normally pulls north with the model runs just before the storm hits... not too concerned with that.  NAM seems to be super excited for the snow, so tone that down a bit too.

Euro has remained pretty steady with its forecast all the way through the week.  It shows the lower amounts of snow for southeast Ohio and West Central Ohio/Southwestern Ohio with the most.

Which brings us to my thoughts.  I have a pretty high confidence with this forecast... again, with that one caveat.  There will be pockets of colder air and warmer air that may throw these numbers off, but generally speaking this forecast has been dialed in VERY closely by both Bill Kelly and myself.  We will be doing double duty tomorrow night in the weather center.  I think the Dayton area and Miami Valley could see 6-8" and then as you track further south and east towards Columbus then 3-6"  The far south and east will be seeing slightly less because of the wintry mix and rain and going with 2-4".

Timing of the snow:  The leading edge will likely start off as a wintry mix on Sunday then transition over to snow as temperatures cool through the lower atmosphere.  It will start near Cincinnati near daybreak and arrive to Dayton mid morning and then Columbus by noon or shortly after.  The key thing to watch (especially across the south) is when it switches back to snow.  If it stays as rain most of the day and overnight into Monday then you may be looking at even less than the 2-4".  The snow will continue fairly steady overnight and come down heavy at times, especially across Western Ohio.  By Monday morning most of the snow will have already fallen, but we will still see lighter snow showers throughout the day.  Most of the snow will push out by Monday evening with only a few flurries left around Tuesday.  The good news is that temperatures will be warming toward the end of the week, but not warm enough for a quick melt.  Stay safe, spread the word of the coming snow (or share the link to this blog), and as always, have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

P.S. I will be using #OHSpringSnow on Twitter, Instagram, and Vine... so be sure to use it!

Winter Storm Watch

Just issued by the NWS. Winter Storm Watch issued for Western Ohio for Sunday-Monday. The NWS is called for 5-10 inches of snow for the Watch counties. Stay tuned to forecast changes because it is not set in stone.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Models stay with wintry mix

Models are still showing rain mixing with the snow for much of Southern Ohio. That means the higher snowfall totals for Sunday and Monday will be across Northern Ohio. Still evolving.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Still watching Sunday

The American models have shifted slightly north. This also means a little warmer and a chance for rain across Southern Ohio. Not surprised with this since they normally warm up a couple days beforehand. For now I would sit tight. The areas that will see the snow (and only snow) will likely see a little more than my last blog. I will keep ya posted. About time for the symposium to get started. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Lots of snow for Sunday!?!

I mentioned it in my blog two days ago... and it is looking more and more likely.  Spring Snow Storm!  I think parts of West Central Ohio could see upwards of 6" of snow.  The above images compare the GFS and NAM forecast models.  They are still keeping most of the snow to the south, like Cincinnati, but I am agreeing more with the slightly northerly track of the Euro... pictured below on the right.

Again, you can click on the images to enlarge them to see them in their full glory.  I think in the Dayton area they could see between 4-8".  For the Northern part of Ohio, Southern part of Ohio, and then a little further to the east of Dayton like Columbus and the rest of Central Ohio: an easy 3-6" are possible. Then lesser amounts for Eastern Ohio.  So how about the timing?

The models are all agreeing on the timing fairly well. (Euro is pushing it in a little later... just a little)  With the colder air punching in this should stay mostly snow for Ohio.  Maybe a little rain to the south.  The snow should Sunday morning for the Western Ohio and then start midday Sunday for Central Ohio and then let up overnight Sunday night as the dry slot arrives.  Then Monday we are looking at another light round of snow to add an inch or so to the top of it all.  Stay tuned to the forecast and I will be tweaking the forecast as needed over the coming days.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Sunday's Snow

I have Road Trippin in Lancaster tomorrow... I will make sure to grab some photos while I am there.

There has been a lot of buzz and questions about a snow storm for Sunday.  Here are the my latest thoughts on the forecast... Few flurries overnight and early tomorrow as clouds stick around.  Single digit windchills Thursday AM.  The clouds begin to break later Thursday and we slowly see temps becoming milder for week's end and weekend.

Then the models are still in a bit of difference of agreement for Sunday:

GFS
    -Earliest precip, early Sunday morning
    -Warmest and furthest north with the 540 line.  Starts as snow Sunday AM then over to rain midday then back to snow in the evening.
CMC
    -Middle ground for timing and precip
    -Has wintry mix starting midday Sunday changing to snow by the evening.
ECMWF
    -Coldest and latest for timing and precip.
    -Has wintry mix to the south and snow for the rest of Ohio starting late afternoon Sunday.

All models agreeing with light snow showers for Monday and a few flurries Tuesday.  Right now we could see a couple of inches(mainly west and north), but timing will affect exactly how much.  At the top you can compare the Euro model on the left to the GFS on the right.  I still think that both are overdoing the snow because we will see some melting, so take it with a grain of salt... just like any model.  It is just raw data... BUT at least they both are agreeing on a snowy Sunday PM and Monday.  More in the days to come.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

17th Annual Severe Weather Symposium

It is that time of year again... Time for the 17th Annual Severe Weather Symposium put on by The Ohio State University Meteorology Club.  The event is going on this coming Friday, March 22nd in Mount Hall at Ohio State.  This year the Club raised the bar with some GREAT speakers.  Here is the rundown(I will break down each shortly):

Welcome - 9:00 - 9:15

Dr. Jay Hobgood - 9:15 - 9:45

(Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at The Ohio State University):
Hurricane Sandy: Challenges posed by a transitioning storm

Seth Binau - 9:50 - 10:35

(Meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, Ohio):
June 2012 Derecho

Morning Break - 10:35 - 10:50

Andy Hatzos - 10:55 - 11:40

(Meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, Ohio):
March 2nd tornado analysis from the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport radar (TCVG)

Dr. Joshua Wurman - 11:45 - 12:15

(Meteorologist for the Center for Severe Weather Research and creator of the Doppler on Wheels):
Recent Research in Tornadoes and Hurricanes with the Doppler on Wheels

Lunch Break - 12:20 - 1:50

Scott Sabol - 2:00 - 2:30

(Meteorologist at WJW-TV-Fox 8 in Cleveland, Ohio):
Drought of 2012

Flood of 1913 100th anniversary presentation 2:35 - 4:30

               Steve Ferryman and Chris Thoms

(State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Ohio EMA)
(Floodplain Management Program Manager, ODNR)

               Sarah Jamison

(Service Hydrologists at the National Weather Service office in Cleveland, Ohio)

               Jim Noel

(Service Coordination Hydrologist, NWS, OHRFC, Wilmington, OH)

               Julie Dian-Reed

(Service Hydrologist, NWS Wilmington, OH)

Closing - 4:30 - 4:40

As I mentioned... GREAT speakers this year and here is why.  First there is Professor Hobgood.  He was one of my professors when I went to Ohio State and he IS Mr. Hurricane man.  I have even called to consult him after Hurricane Sandy with a question or two and I look forward to his breakdown of the event we experienced last year.  Next up we have Seth Binau from the Wilmington, Ohio NWS office.  We all remember the derecho that rocked Ohio last June that left many, including myself, without power for days.  After a quick break then we really heat up the severe weather topics.  Andy Hatzos, also from ILN NWS, will breakdown the tornadoes from March 2nd, 2012 that rocked Southern Indiana and Ohio.  I remember covering the storms on-air in Dayton and look forward to what we were able to learn from the event.  Josh Wurman will finish the morning half of the symposium.  If you ever watched the Discovery Channel's TV series Storm Chasers then you WILL know Josh.  He is in charge of DOW... Doppler on Wheels.  So when the National Weather Service is issuing tornadoes in the Plains then Josh is in charge of mobilizing the radars to better understand and predict tornadoes.  I look forward to his breakdown of the research from Vortex.

Then we all run to get a bite to eat.

The afternoon gets kicked off with someone that I see as a social media role model.  Scott Sabol is a social media hound and if you follow is Facebook, Twitter, blog, or any other social media he will develop, you will learn that he is GREAT at engaging viewers and always does his research.  Over the last year he would breakdown the drought and how it compared to past years.  Look forward to that.  Then the remainder of the symposium will be a great history lesson for, I would assume, everyone at the symposium... the Flood of 1913.  As many of you know, I started the moped club in Dayton called the DAM Riders, Dayton Area Moped Riders, and we thought it was appropriate because of all the dams around town.  WELL... the dams were built after the flood of 1913.  I will be interested in seeing how today's standards would hold up if the same scenario would happen again.

So a JAM PACKED day on Friday and the best part is that it is completely free to attend.  If you would like to RSVP, them click on the link, HERE.  I do believe that the Club will be selling t-shirts to help raise some money for the symposium and club.  I know I will be there, so be sure to come up and say hello.  On a sidenote... the Club moved the date from April to March a couple years ago for one reason... There always was severe weather the same day as the symposium.  To my recollection, even when moved to March there has been severe weather.  BUT this week it looks like Friday will be pretty quiet and mild.

Speaking of the forecast... Rain is pushing in from the south.  Parts of far Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky have received about 1-2" of snow, but the temperatures are warming and we will see the rain move into Columbus a little after midnight tonight.  The heaviest rain will be before noon Monday and Southeastern Ohio will see the heaviest rain and best chances for a few rumbles of thunder.  Most of the rain will pull off to the east by the evening commute.  I would not be surprised if the Northern Ohio does not see much, if any rain, since most of this is staying to the south.  At least once the rain lifts north on Monday we will briefly see mild temperatures.  A few lingering flurries Tuesday and Wednesday as our temperatures fall to near 40 for the highs for much of the rest of the week.  There is a chance for a weak system moving through later next weekend, but the jet stream will be diverting much of the moisture to the south after Monday.  Well, time for the news.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

By the way... here is the flyer for this year's symposium:

Snow for Sunday

Not everyone in Ohio will be seeing the snow Sunday.  I think the above image of the NAM model best handles the snow.  I think the far, far Southern portions of Ohio could see a couple inches of snow, but central and Northern Ohio will see nothing.  The snow will start a little before noon and then as the warm air pushes in in the later part of the day we will see the switch from snow to rain and then the rain will overspread all of Ohio for Monday.  Monday we could also see a few thunderstorms in the mild, March conditions.

We stay cool the rest of the week and a few flurries possible Tuesday and Wednesday.  The jet stream then takes a sharp south dive which will keep us dry through the end of the week and allow us to see a slow warming trend.  Getting ready for the news... just wanted to drop a quick line about the snow on the way.  Not feeling well tonight.  I think I caught something.  Going home and getting as much sleep as possible tonight before my parents come to visit tomorrow.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade

We all were sporting fake green mustaches for the parade today... I worked up a good sweat and then the mustache didn't want to say on very well, but the ABC 6 team had a blast.  Here is a short clip of some of us:

I will have more on the forecast later tonight(Because PARTS of Ohio will see a few inches of snow Sunday, not everyone), but just thought I would share the morning's happenings!

Best,

Andrew Buck Michael

Goodbye to the snow storm?

Latest Euro model has us warmer (still not as warm as GFS and CMC). Looks like only a little snow after some Monday rain at this point. Gotta be careful when one model comes out so one sided. Biting the hook will leave ya reeled in to that one forecast, but look at how much changed in 24 hours. I will still keep an eye on it. Heading to this mornings LIVE shots via satellite for Ohio Road Trippin. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Update on the POTENTIAL snow storm next week

Just got back to the hotel.  White water rafting has left me sore in parts of my body that I forgot could get sore.  I looked at the latest model information.  Above you can see that the American models are still showing rain later in the day Monday and it is also showing a warm surge of air Monday.  

Below you can see the latest Euro model and it has cut the snow back down in half.  It is only showing about six inches for the middle part of Ohio and then even less for the south and north parts.   This is obviously an evolving situation, but right now it is REALLY hard to show favoritism.   The GFS AND CMC are showing temperatures significantly warmer.  BUT the Euro has done a better job with the temperatures this winter than the GFS.  The Euro has the snow starting early Monday morning and then out of here Monday evening. GFS and CMC has the system later in the day Monday.  Still a lot of variables, so stay tuned.

More to come, but now we have to grab a bite to eat and edit our video from earlier.  Check back in and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Fun in West Virginia

Just got back from white water rafting some class 4 rapids. (Niagara Falls are class 6) Also hit a few white outs driving on the way over. You will have to tune in tomorrow to catch the highlights. Don't forget that we stream the FOX28 newscast online so you can watch from anywhere in the world. I am off to take a hot shower then edit the GoPro video. Check back in later!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Big snow storm Sunday-Monday?

This is nearly a week out, but the Euro is getting aggressive. The American GFS has us staying too warm but it has been that way all winter. I would take the image with a grain of salt, but I am on the road heading to West Virginia for work and have no other option but give you a screen capture of the model. I will keep a close eye on it, so stay tuned. I am sure the situation is not set in stone. I will have more posts from the road later. Have a good one.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Getting serious about timing

 

Setting a moped's timing could mean the difference between blasting your max to running sloppy or burning a hole in your piston.  For anyone who doesn't understand, you need to set when your spark fires as the piston is moving forward and nearly reaches the top.  You want the spark to fire JUST before it reaches top dead center when the compression is becoming the greatest.  I normally set my Polini at 1.25mm and then set my Parlini kit at 1.35mm.  I bought a Buzzetti timing tool from Treats, and it worked decent.  There was still a little play in the tolerance of the threading and I knew it wasn't perfect... So I went to Harbor Freight and, using some coupons, I walked out with the Pittsburgh digital dial indicator for less than $25.  It has US measurements and metric.  I ONLY do metric when it comes to mopeds and it was accurate down to 0.01mm.  So one hundredth of a millimeter.  Or if you prefer inches, 0.00039 inch.  Pretty darn accurate.  

So let's begin:

I did like the threading on the Buzzetti and how it gave a great feel for TDC, Top Dead Center of the piston.  So I wanted to outfit the new digital (pictured at the top) with threading.  Luckily I do not throw away my spark plugs.  I had a handful to play around to experiment.  The first one I tried getting the ceramic out was a nightmare.  I spent half an hour pounding with a hammer.  Then I got wise and asked for help on Facebook.  One of my friends said to grind off the top lip.  So if you look at the ceramic shaft you can see bevel between that and the hex head.  That bevel is what is holding the ceramic in the housing.  Grind or cut that bevel off then pour some cold water... or beer, on it.  You will likely go from cherry red during the grinding to room temperature, which will make the ceramic contract.  Flip it over to the side where the electrode is in the motor and hit the electrode with a hammer (or use an old bolt as a punch tool to get in there)

It should only take about two hits for the ceramic inside to fall out of the metal shell.  BOOM!  So much less headache.

The inside of the plugs I had laying around had an 8.55 mm ID.

The shaft on the dial caliper had a 9.45 mm OD, so you have a couple options to open that up 0.45mm each way.  You can either use a Dremel and open it up, but that gets sloppy and I am too much of a perfectionist to do that.  Plus it would take a while. 

So grab your 3/8" (9.525mm) drill bit and drill press (to keep that puppy nice and straight) and go to town!  Make sure to use your cutting oil and it shouldn't take too long at all.

This is the point where I stopped last night.  I was pretty happy with the threading on there and thought I was done.  Nope.  The fins on any air cooled head would get in the way, so we have to go deeper.  It turns out the threading of the spark plug fits fairly well inside the housing of another plug (Based on measurements)  So bore out another plug.  The longer the threading the better because you an always shorten up the non-threaded part of the plug... just grind or cut it off.

 

Insert the plug into the other and then connect them.  I wish I had a welder, but instead I rely on JB Weld when applicable and can pass for my perfectionism.  It did the trick nicely.  Maybe I should invest in a welder or at least keep an eye open for one on Craigslist. Anyway, you want to make sure that it is a very straight fit, so find something that is 3/8" to slide them on... in my case, an old junk 3/8 drill bit.  Let it dry up and remove the jig or old drill bit.

Now you have about 12 mm of room to compress and that is WAY more than you should have your bike timed.  The plugs should be a fairly snug fit on the shaft.  Some people permanently attach the spark plugs to the dial caliper, but, I and not a huge fan of that.

 

Leaving the dial indicator and plugs as two separate parts you can screw the plugs into the head and then insert the dial indicator.  If you are still leery, then wait... See how there is a gap between the two plugs?  That is the perfect place to loop a rubber band through itself and it will sit securely in the gap.  Now take the loose end of the rubber band and stretch it up onto the dial indicator. BOOM!  You now saved yourself over $75 bucks on a metric dial indicator... and you had fun making one!

On to the weather.... Spent Monday doing a story on a proposed Bill to prohibit traffic violation cameras in Ohio.  Scattered showers most of the day, but was able to catch a double rainbow heading home from work.  The second rainbow is fairly faint in the photo, but it is so hard to capture the vibrancy of rainbows on camera.  Ever noticed that?

Still looking at a weak disturbance tonight into tomorrow with a light accumulation of snow possible for much of Ohio.  Should be less than an inch for most of us.  Wednesday we dry out and another weak system Thursday that could bring a rain/snow mix.  Friday a little rain is possible with yet another weak system.  Our temperatures warm up a little heading into the end of the week and the next system after that will roll in sometime late Sunday into early Monday... which, again, looks pretty weak with light rain.  You could take all of the precip from the upcoming systems and it wouldn't amount to the rain we say Monday.  I would just keep the umbrella handy.  I will be heading to West Virginia in the morning for work the next few days.  I will probably be blogging from the road, so be sure to check back in for all the fun.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Warm March day... rain on the way

Not a record breaker today... but pretty close.  We hit a high of 70 today in Columbus and the record is 76.  Kinda wish I had the day off to enjoy the outdoors, but spring is getting closer.  The last time Columbus was this warm was November 10th, so over months ago. 

Rain is pushing in from the west and Ohio will have the rain showers on and off for the daytime hours Monday.  We will cool of for the remainder of the week.  Highs will be near 40 for most of the week and overnight lows below freezing.  There are a couple of weak, light disturbances late Tuesday into Wednesday, late Friday, and Sunday that could bring a few flurries/sprinkles, but each look pretty light at this point.  I will keep an eye on it, but I just hope you took advantage of today.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Beautiful today... will it stay?

Started off the morning at the BMV getting my mopeds registered so I am legal.  I spent last night at the garage finishing up my projects and I am 100% on both bikes now.  Super stoked for spring.  Anyway, I am legal and ready to ride!  I also had a relaxing morning having waffles and firing up the crock pot with some pulled pork.  The maple syrup was amazing.  I got it from my LIVE shots at the Maple Syrup Festival on Friday.

Today was the perfect day for the crock pot.  Beautiful, sunny, and warm.  Stay out of the kitchen and enjoy it!  But... it is Ohio...

Rain returns tomorrow, but looks to be widely scattered and MOST of us should stay dry the majority of the day.  We will be rather warm, low 60's for the highs.  Monday looks wetter with rain for the majority of the day.  We then cool off a bit for next week and there could be a few flurries Tuesday, Wednesday and then a wintry mix on Friday.  Monday is the only decent chance for any precip next week because the other systems look significantly lighter.  So keep the coat handy because we are not officially to spring, just yet.  Move those clocks ahead an hour and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael