Decent weekend weather seems likely, the Weather Service is betting on a hot summer for the Northeast... Volcano sunsets show lavender?

Time to hit the Jersey beaches this weekend.

After a mostly cloudy and sometimes showery Friday, the rest of the weekend looks good. The most rain will fall to our North especially the hills and mountains of NY and New England. The Jersey shore should fair better. Expect warm temperatures, not really hot. Happy 4th of July..

Workweek weather is partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, partly sunny, mostly sunny with a chance of showers or thundershowers.

The weather service sees a hot summer developing. I am skeptical, so far.


VOLCANO SUNSETS

The volcanic eruption in Russia has thrown a cloud of dust and gas high into the atmosphere. As the sunset begins to fade toward night look for white then lavender clouds to the western sky. Should you spot some blue clouds those are noctilucent clouds, not associated with the volcano.


Swine Influenza update on flu reports USA

Table. U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
Web page updated July 2, 2009,
2:30 PM ET (due to the July 3, 2009 Federal Holiday)
(Normally updated each Friday at 11 AM ET)
Data reported to CDC by July 2, 2009, 11:00 AM ET.

States and Territories*	Confirmed and Probable Cases	Deaths
States
Alabama	330 cases	0 deaths
Alaska	60 cases	0 deaths
Arkansas	42 cases	0 deaths
Arizona	761 cases	10 deaths
California	1985 cases	21 deaths
Colorado	136 cases	0 deaths
Connecticut	1247 cases	6 deaths
Delaware	316 cases	0 deaths
Florida	1302 cases	5 death
Georgia	118 cases	0 deaths
Hawaii	616 cases	0 deaths
Idaho	92 cases	0 deaths
Illinois	3166 cases	13 deaths
Indiana	267 cases	0 deaths
Iowa	92 cases	0 deaths
Kansas	117 cases	0 deaths
Kentucky	130 cases	0 deaths
Louisiana	183 cases	0 deaths
Maine	82 cases	0 deaths
Maryland	591 cases	1 death
Massachusetts	1308 cases	3 deaths
Michigan	484 cases	7 deaths
Minnesota	576	1 death
Mississippi	161 cases	0 deaths
Missouri	65 cases	1 death
Montana	67 cases	0 deaths
Nebraska	111 cases	0 deaths
Nevada	301 cases	0 deaths
New Hampshire	224 cases	0 deaths
New Jersey	1159 cases	9 deaths
New Mexico	232 cases	0 deaths
New York	2499 cases	44 deaths
North Carolina	255 cases	2 deaths
North Dakota	57 cases	0 deaths
Ohio	120 cases	1 death
Oklahoma	128 cases	1 death
Oregon	366 cases	4
Pennsylvania	1748 cases	4 deaths
Rhode Island	158 cases	1 death
South Carolina	160 cases	0 deaths
South Dakota	29 cases	0 deaths
Tennessee	174 cases	0 deaths
Texas	3991 cases	17 deaths
Utah	920 cases	10 deaths
Vermont	49 cases	0 deaths
Virginia	191 cases	1 death
Washington	588 cases	4 deaths
Washington, D.C.	33 cases	0 deaths
West Virginia	154 cases	0 deaths
Wisconsin	5861 cases	4 death
Wyoming	81 cases	0 deaths
Territories
Puerto Rico	18 cases	0 deaths
Virgin Islands	1 case	0 deaths
TOTAL (53)*	33,902 cases	170 deaths
*Includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This table will be updated each Friday at 11 AM ET. International Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection See: World Health Organization. NOTE: Because of daily reporting deadlines, the state totals reported by CDC may not always be consistent with those reported by state health departments. If there is a discrepancy between these two counts, data from the state health departments should be used as the most accurate number. For more information about how these case counts are updated, see Questions & Answers About CDC's Online Reporting.

Warmer but still wet.... and moldy.

Our very wet weather has abated somewhat and much warmer weather has arrived. You can mix and match the following to make your own forecast.

partly cloudy, mostly sunny,partly sunny,mostly cloudy,chance of showers,chance of thundershowers,

Everything but sunny and dry.

We have been stuck in a trough most of the time, thus the moldy weather.

Check out the volcanic eruption in Russia.

PHOTO ABOVE is an erupting volcano as photographed by the International Space Station as it flew by over the eruption. Sarychev Peak Volcano (Russia's Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan) June 12, 2009.

COULD THE VOLCANIC CLOUD AFFECT OUR WEATHER? Time will tell, it could cool us off.

Next week , the first tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico?

June has not been very summery,blame it on the Arctic Oscillation. Also, swine flu update follows below.

We all know how wet and cool the weather has been this month and we all wonder why. The jet stream is well south for this time of year. It belongs in Canada yet it lingers down across the Northeast U.S. The Arctic Oscillation seems to be the culprit. It shifted about June 1st and has remained in a negative configuration since then.

The Arctic Oscillation is a semi-permanent low and high pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean. When the low near Iceland is weak and the sub-tropical high pressure to the south of it is also weak , the wind field across the North Atlantic is weak as well. This is the negative configuration and it allows cold air from the north to sink south toward the eastern seaboard. If this were winter it would be a cold and snowy time.

As long as the pattern remains as is, our weather will continue in the same fashion as it has for all of June. When will it Change? No one really knows. It can last for a few weeks to a couple of years. Stay tuned.

Remember this is late June and some kind of sunny warm weather should work its' way in eventually.( Thursday? )

Could this pattern be related to our current low number of sunspots? Could be. Read below.





SWINE FLU UPDATE

The swine flu virus continues to behave in a peculiar fashion. Despite being in the summer season, it continues to spread, now affecting summer camp youngsters. What this virus may or may not do next autumn is anyones' guess. One million cases of swine flu in the US already is what some experts now estimate

Table. U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
Web page updated June 25, 2009,
7:00 PM ET to coincide with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting
(Normally updated each Friday at 11 AM ET)
Data reported to CDC by June 25, 2009, 11:00 AM ET.

States and Territories*	Confirmed and Probable Cases	Deaths
States
Alabama	239 cases	0 deaths
Alaska	46cases	0 deaths
Arkansas	35 cases	0 deaths
Arizona	729 cases	8 deaths
California	1492 cases	16
Colorado	103 cases	0 deaths
Connecticut	877 cases	5
Delaware	267 cases	0 deaths
Florida	941 cases	2 death
Georgia	65 cases	0 deaths
Hawaii	465 cases	0 deaths
Idaho	72 cases	0 deaths
Illinois	2875 cases	12
Indiana	251 cases	0 deaths
Iowa	92 cases	0 deaths
Kansas	117 cases	0 deaths
Kentucky	119 cases	0 deaths
Louisiana	153 cases	0 deaths
Maine	61 cases	0 deaths
Maryland	414 cases	1 death
Massachusetts	1287 cases	1 death
Michigan	468 cases	2 deaths
Minnesota	537	1 death
Mississippi	114 cases	0 deaths
Missouri	55 cases	1 death
Montana	44 cases	0 deaths
Nebraska	111 cases	0 deaths
Nevada	250 cases	0 deaths
New Hampshire	207 cases	0 deaths
New Jersey	899 cases	6 deaths
New Mexico	232 cases	0 deaths
New York	2272 cases	35 deaths
North Carolina	179 cases	1 death
North Dakota	48 cases	0 deaths
Ohio	93 cases	0 deaths
Oklahoma	123 cases	1 death
Oregon	289 cases	3
Pennsylvania	1483 cases	3 deaths
Rhode Island	132 cases	1 death
South Carolina	120 cases	0 deaths
South Dakota	22 cases	0 deaths
Tennessee	148 cases	0 deaths
Texas	2981 cases	10deaths
Utah	874 cases	10deaths
Vermont	46 cases	0 deaths
Virginia	191 cases	1 death
Washington	588 cases	3deaths
Washington, D.C.	33 cases	0 deaths
West Virginia	114 cases	0 deaths
Wisconsin	4273 cases	4 death
Wyoming	72 cases	0 deaths
Territories
Puerto Rico	18 cases	0 deaths
Virgin Islands	1 case	0 deaths
TOTAL (53)*	27,717 cases	127 deaths
*Includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This table will be updated each Friday at 11 AM ET. International Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection See: World Health Organization. NOTE: Because of daily reporting deadlines, the state totals reported by CDC may not always be consistent with those reported by state health departments. If there is a discrepancy between these two counts, data from the state health departments should be used as the most accurate number. For more information about how these case counts are updated, see Questions & Answers About CDC's Online Reporting.

Long Range Outlook: cooler weather ahead?

If we have an old fashioned cold winter next winter we can blame it on the lack of sunspots. 2008 saw the lowest number of sunspots since 1954. This year so far, continues that trend. Many people believe that fewer sunspots bring colder weather. The Little Ice Age occurred around the same time as a sunspot minimum from 1645 to 1715 . The climate was noticeably cooler with glacial advances across parts of the globe. The cool weather caused trees to grow more slowly. The Stradivarius violins were made at this time and perhaps the dense wood gave the violins their famous sound.

We just had our minimum year in the 11 year sunspot cycle and thus far, the sunspot numbers remain low. So a really cold winter may lie ahead. Keep in mind that many experts cast doubt on this theory. Global warming is a far bigger influence than any solar energy reduction from a lack of sunspots.

Weather this week

Mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers through Friday.

Saturday mostly fair weather.Warmer.

There is hope for sunny weather later this week.

Warmer and sunny weather could get here toward the end of this week but it is hard to say exactly when just yet.

Table. U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
Web page updated June 19, 2009,
11:00 AM ET (Updated each Friday)
Data reported to CDC by June 18, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

States and Territories*	Confirmed and Probable Cases	Deaths
States
Alabama	172 cases	0 deaths
Alaska	23cases	0 deaths
Arkansas	18cases	0 deaths
Arizona	645 cases	7 deaths
California	1245 cases	8 deaths
Colorado	103 cases	0 deaths
Connecticut	767 cases	3 death
Delaware	223 cases	0 deaths
Florida	562 cases	1 death
Georgia	51 cases	0 deaths
Hawaii	279 cases	0 deaths
Idaho	47 cases	0 deaths
Illinois	2526 cases	8
Indiana	223 cases	0 deaths
Iowa	92 cases	0 deaths
Kansas	97	0 deaths
Kentucky	108	0 deaths
Louisiana	134 cases	0 deaths
Maine	42	0 deaths
Maryland	263	0 deaths
Massachusetts	1270	1 death
Michigan	442 cases	2 deaths
Minnesota	365	1 death
Mississippi	81 cases	0 deaths
Missouri	46 cases	1 death
Montana	44 cases	0 deaths
Nebraska	81 cases	0 deaths
Nevada	198 cases	0 deaths
New Hampshire	187 cases	0 deaths
New Jersey	603 cases	2 deaths
New Mexico	155 cases	0 deaths
New York	1300	24 deaths
North Carolina	125 cases	0 deaths
North Dakota	41 cases	0 deaths
Ohio	63 cases	0 deaths
Oklahoma	112 cases	1 death
Oregon	219 cases	1 death
Pennsylvania	942 cases	3 deaths
Rhode Island	94 cases	1 death
South Carolina	83	0 deaths
South Dakota	17 cases	0 deaths
Tennessee	121 cases	0 deaths
Texas	2519 cases	10deaths
Utah	755 cases	8deaths
Vermont	43 cases	0 deaths
Virginia	135 cases	1 death
Washington	588 cases	3deaths
Washington, D.C.	33 cases	0 deaths
West Virginia	77 cases	0 deaths
Wisconsin	3008 cases	1 death
Wyoming	63 cases	0 deaths
Territories
Puerto Rico	18 case	0 deaths
Virgin Islands	1 case	0 deaths
TOTAL*(53)	21,449 cases	87 deaths
*Includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This table will be updated each Friday at 11 AM ET. International Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection See: World Health Organization. NOTE: Because of daily reporting deadlines, the state totals reported by CDC may not always be consistent with those reported by state health departments. If there is a discrepancy between these two counts, data from the state health departments should be used as the most accurate number. For more information about how these case counts are updated, see Questions & Answers About CDC's Online Reporting.

Whacky,wet,wild weather keeps on going and going

What else can you say but keep your umbrella handy for at least 5 more days?

A Pandemic Is Declared

On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway.

More than 70 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with novel H1N1 flu. This number has been increasing over the past few weeks, but many of the cases reportedly had links to travel or were localized outbreaks without community spread. The WHO designation of a pandemic alert Phase 6 reflects the fact that there are now ongoing community level outbreaks in multiple parts of world.

WHO’s decision to raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6 is a reflection of the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus.

Learn More >>

No end in sight to Frankenstein weather

So who needs to go to Seattle to find out what their weather is like?

Wednesday brings good weather but we go downhill tonight

Sunny Sunday in New York City followed by more showery weather in the work week.

Monday will see more showers mostly in Northwest sections, mostly cloudy Tuesday and fair Wednesday. It will remain on the cool side for this time of year. For the end of the week, it looks like we will see a return of our Frankenstein weather. So far, there is no big warm up in sight.

Washington Township got hit with a couple of inches of hail this afternoon around 4 pm!


HILARY HAHN,violin, performed at Town Hall in New York City on Sunday .

Miss Hahn gave a wonderful performance at Town Hall on 43rd. Street Sunday June 14. She showed once again, why she is one of the top violinists of our day. Winner of a second Grammy Award, in 2009, for her recording of Schoenberg and Sebelius concertos; she was superbly accompanied by Valentina Lisitsa, a pianist with talents equal to that of Miss Hahn..

Works by Ysaye, Ives , Brahms , and Bartok were performed in another part of the Free for All series at Town Hall. My favorites were the first work by Ysaye, Sonata #4. and the Brahms Hungarian Dances, which blew the doors out. An encore by Paganini was a delight. Both Miss Hahn and Miss Lisitsa were signing CD's at the end of the afternoon. The duo continue their tour next in South America.

Of course the price was right, it was free. There is one more free performance next Sunday, June 21, featuring the Emerson String Quartet. Free tickets are available at the box office at noon with the performance scheduled for 5 pm. By the way, classical music is very popular with younger people when the price is right. Are you listening Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall?

Town Hall has excellent acoustics and you won't be disappointed even in the balcony.



President Obama gave this warning today, America may go the way of GM.

I could not agree more. We have high debts, many commitments, high expenses,declining revenue and an inability to change with the times. If it happened to GM it can happen to the USA.

I cannot escape the feeling that we cannot afford to be the world's policemen. What if we secure the globe but crumble from within? What if we do not address our health care crisis?

Table. U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
Web page updated June 12, 2009,
11:00 AM ET (Updated each Friday)
Data reported to CDC by June 11, 2009, 3:00 PM ET

States and Territories*	Confirmed and Probable Cases	Deaths
States
Alabama	123 cases	0 deaths
Alaska	11cases	0 deaths
Arkansas	13cases	0 deaths
Arizona	597 cases	5 deaths
California	1094 cases	6 deaths
Colorado	75 cases	0 deaths
Connecticut	637 cases	1 death
Delaware	187 cases	0 deaths
Florida	417 cases	0 deaths
Georgia	39 cases	0 deaths
Hawaii	198 cases	0 deaths
Idaho	29 cases	0 deaths
Illinois	1983 cases	5
Indiana	201 cases	0 deaths
Iowa	92 cases	0 deaths
Kansas	97	0 deaths
Kentucky	106	0 deaths
Louisiana	134 cases	0 deaths
Maine	33	0 deaths
Maryland	139	0 deaths
Massachusetts	1078	0 deaths
Michigan	419 cases	1 death
Minnesota	153	0 deaths
Mississippi	59 cases	0 deaths
Missouri	46 cases	1 death
Montana	27 cases	0 deaths
Nebraska	71 cases	0 deaths
Nevada	162 cases	0 deaths
New Hampshire	92 cases	0 deaths
New Jersey	348 cases	0 deaths
New Mexico	155 cases	0 deaths
New York	1160	13 deaths
North Carolina	61 cases	0 deaths
North Dakota	31 cases	0 deaths
Ohio	53 cases	0 deaths
Oklahoma	93 cases	0 deaths
Oregon	189 cases	1 death
Pennsylvania	626 cases	2 deaths
Rhode Island	62 cases	0 deaths
South Carolina	60	0 deaths
South Dakota	14 cases	1 death
Tennessee	110 cases	0 deaths
Texas	2049 cases	3 deaths
Utah	688 cases	2 deaths
Vermont	32 cases	0 deaths
Virginia	90 cases	1 death
Washington	584 cases	2 deaths
Washington, D.C.	33 cases	0 deaths
West Virginia	40 cases	0 deaths
Wisconsin	3008 cases	1 death
Wyoming	50 cases	0 deaths
Territories
Puerto Rico	7 case	0 deaths
TOTAL*(52)	17,855 cases	45 deaths
*includes the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico This table will be updated each Friday at 11 AM ET. International Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection See: World Health Organization. NOTE: Because of daily reporting deadlines, the state totals reported by CDC may not always be consistent with those reported by state health departments. If there is a discrepancy between these two counts, data from the state health departments should be used as the most accurate number. For more information about how these case counts are updated, see Questions & Answers About CDC's Online Reporting.

.