Saturday, we forecast very large hail and damaging winds over a large part of the central United States. How did that forecast work out? The answer is: B- . Hail Forecast These are the actual reports of hail 1" or larger superimposed on the forecast. Triangles are hailstones 2" or larger. Along the Kansas hail path, there was softball-sized hail from just southwest of Topeka to I-35. Those fell in the red, hatched area -- a very good forecast. There was also very large hail over the Midwest. A red area should have been forecasted to correspond to the geographic density of the hailfall. Wind Forecast Dots are wind speeds of 58 mph (50 knots) or higher. Squares are gusts of 75 mph or more. The red forecast was a little too far north and east. That resulted in areas like Wichita being in the higher risk area without receiving even rain and not adequately covering the wind threat into Oklahoma and Texas. The Midwest derecho should have been covered with a hatched ...

Harry's Uptown in Manhattan is closing Friday. Another victim of COVID-19. I'm sorry, very sorry to hear it. It was one of my favorite restaurants in the world. We toasted graduations and engagements to outstanding food and drink.  If you can make a reservation between now and Friday, do so. I'm sure they will appreciate your support. 

I'm worried about a very significant outbreak of damaging winds and giant hail, especially in the orange area. A tornado or two is not out of the question. I'd recommend keeping up on the weather starting around 4pm, especially in the yellow and orange areas. I'd also recommend putting your car in the garage along with bringing in lawn furniture and other items that can be easily blown about. 

President Obama in Illinois on Memorial Day 2010. "This may not be safe." There were thunderstorms in the area, gusty winds and heavy rains. It wasn't  safe for the spectators. With Tropical Storm Fay in the area, President Trump decided to cancel his speech in Portsmouth, NH tomorrow evening. Here is the AccuWeather forecast for 2pm Central/3pm Eastern. As I understand it, the doors were to open at 6pm. So, lightning, wind gusts to 34 mph, and rain were forecast while people would be lining up for the President's event -- hardly a safe situation. To me, it seems like a cancellation was the responsible thing to do, especially if the storm were to slow down. Amazingly, some of President Trump's frequent critics are criticizing the cancellation. Imagine the fierce denunciations if someone was hurt. The criticism is misplaced.

This makes me ill. This is at least the second time a man has died taking video of a tornado approaching. The 2015 video is below. I am posting the above video so that you will be able to tell your friends you have seen what it is like when a tornado approaches and destroys your home. Your curiosity hopefully sated, you won't feel compelled to take your own video in a similar situation. Instead, take shelter when a tornado warning is issued. In the case of Wednesday's tornado, a number of storm chasers took extreme risks which I want to go on the record as condemning. After a fair amount of consideration, I'm going to post the video below. The scene at the end was taken far too close for safety. You will never see closer, clearer video of a tornado  --   so now that you have seen this, there is no reason for you to photograph a tornado at  close range.  It is not worth sacrificing your life and your family to take a video of a tornado!