Old Farmers' Almanac predicts "numbing cold" this winter

Another juror just voted for a cold snowy winter this year. The Old Farmers' Almanac expects a bitter winter for the mid section of the USA.

Swine Flu Update

Right now both Alaska and Maine have widespread flu outbreaks and New Jersey shows sporadic activity. But the government expects an early and rapid spread of the flu not long after schools reopen. An unprecedented flu vaccination campaign is planned that will attempt to vaccinate at least half the US population as quickly as possible.

A word of advice, if you or your child gets flu symptoms, stay home!!!

Hurricane Bill will cause dangerous surf this weekend on the East coast.

Even though Bill will miss New Jersey by 200 miles or more it will cause dangerous surf conditions to develop as early as Friday evening. Long Island and Cape Cod will see damage done to beach areas. Keep tuned to advice on precautions on or near the ocean. Friday will be critical in finding out which track Bill will follow.

In 1821 the New York City area was not so lucky, a major hurricane hit New York directly. The tide rose 13 feet in one hour and everything below Canal Street was flooded by the waters of the Hudson and East rivers.. Few people lived in the area at the time.

A direct hit by a major hurricane could cause a storm surge at The Battery of 24 feet. 3 million people would be forced to evacuate , most through New Jersey. Hoboken could see a storm surge of 20 to 30 feet. Someday, who knows when, this could all actually happen.

The last major hurricane in the Northeast was the 1938 hurricane which brought a 30 foot storm surge into Providence, RI. In 1960, hurricane Donna brought an 11 foot storm surge into the New York area.

As David Ludlum, famed weather historian said, " the weather will always surprise you! ".

Siberia update

Thursday evening, chance of snow , low 28 degrees. Daylight will be 15 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Tropical storm Claudette suddenly forms in Gulf near Florida

There are now 4, yes, 4 tropical systems to watch. Claudette will head toward Fla and Ala. Anna struggles and Bill strengthens.

Claudette will move onto land tonight in the Florida panhandle with strong winds and rain, but below hurricane status.

Bill may nearly miss the east coast in about a week. Anna may fall apart over the islands.

Distant Atlantic storm will be watched closely in about 10 days.

A developing tropical system near Africa, could affect the USA in about 10 days. So far, the GFS computer model has it near the eastern seaboard about then. For N.J., it would be about the 25th of August.

A computer run Friday morning shows the storm in the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans. And so it will go and we will have to wait quite awhile before the track becomes more certain.

Flu update New Jersey Dept. of Health

In spring 2009, a Novel H1N1 influenza (previously referred to as "swine flu") circulated through the United States and the rest of the world.

In New Jersey, most people infected with this virus experienced mild disease, although as with every type of influenza, there were deaths associated with the H1N1 strain.

The symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with H1N1 influenza. Also, like seasonal flu, severe disease and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.

Information on the spread of this virus may change frequently. This website will be updated as new information becomes available.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy Stay informed. This website will be updated regularly as information becomes available. Take everyday actions to stay healthy. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it and then wash your hands. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Stay home if you get sick. Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures. Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety

Press Releases, Speeches and Vide

Will no sunspots add up to cooler weather? Could be. Also, this weeks' swine flu update.

The sun is now in an unusually long quiet period with a lack of sunspots. In the past, in what is known as the Maunder minimum, there was a long period of little or no sunspot activity. This coincided with what is called The Little Ice Age. During this time there was a noticeable cooling in Europe and North America and many glaciers began to advance. People ice skated on the Thames in London. Settlers in northern regions had to relocate to warmer zones.

But nobody has ever given a mechanism to explain how a lack of sunspots could cause a cooler climate. Recently, some Danish scientists proposed a mechanism. No sunspots mean less magnetic activity from the sun since sunspots represent solar magnetic storms. Less magnetic activity from the sun, in turn, causes lower magnetic activity on the planets. It is the Earths' magnetic field that steers many cosmic rays away from our planet.

With a weaker magnetic field here on earth, more cosmic rays penetrate the atmosphere. These high energy rays cause the formation of ionized particles which serve as nuclei around which cloud droplets can form.

The result is more clouds which reflect solar energy back into space. With less solar heat, the atmosphere cools.

Many scientists dispute this theory but there still seems to be a connection with solar activity and climate.

Not hot enough? Wait until Monday.

We will be seeing warmer weather now and next week. The tropics are showing our first possible tropical depression.

SWINE FLU UPDATE

Total U.S. Novel H1N1 Flu Hospitalizations and Deaths
Posted August 7, 2009, 11:00 AM ET
Data reported to CDC by August 6, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

Reporting States and Territories*	Hospitalized Cases	Deaths
50	6,506	436
*Includes the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The number of hospitalized novel H1N1 cases and deaths presented in this table are an aggregate of reports received by CDC from U.S. states and territories and will be updated weekly each Friday at 11am. For state level information, refer to state health departments. CDC discontinued reporting of individual confirmed and probable cases of novel H1N1 infection on July 24, 2009. CDC will report the total number of hospitalizations and deaths weekly, and continue to use its traditional surveillance systems to track the progress of the novel H1N1 flu outbreak. For more information about CDC’s novel H1N1 influenza surveillance system, see Questions & Answers About CDC's Novel H1N1 Influenza Surveillance. International Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection See: World Health Organization.