The link below that says 'Today's Weather' will take you to a page at www.weather.com that has current conditions and a forecast for the Outer Banks! (Hey, folks, don't blame me! The folks at the Weather Channel website offer 'weather on your site', and what they give you is the link below. I even asked them if there was a way to get the 'full page' forecast, etc., on my page, and they said, in a word, no. I REALLY wish they'd change that!)
The next logo is for a site called the Weather Underground. They seem to have a more useful product available for personal websites. I have noticed, though, some internet 'pop-up' blockers like Norton Internet Security do have a tendency to block this logo, and I'm not sure why. So if you don't see a logo below this paragraph, that's the likely cause. If you CAN see the logo, rest assured that it shows the current conditions for the Outer Banks!
I'll be creating a links list below that I will add to from time to time, as I find interesting weather-related sites, especially those that deal with this area!
About the title of this page, let me say this: I am a weather obsessive (mild case, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. And, no, you can't change the channel when I have the tv on the Weather Channel! Especially at 10 before the hour during Hurricane Season, which is when they air the Tropical Weather update! That is, when there IS something to update...) That is to say, I am one of those people who loves tracking storms, etc. I do not wish for storms to be intense, I do not hope for storms to be as damaging as possible, I don't want to see anyone or anything hurt or damaged. I simply enjoy keeping track of the storms as they happen, and helping to inform others about the situation when appropriate. This is one of the reasons why I became a ham radio operator, and one of the reasons why I got into broadcasting. I am a member of an organization called SKYWARN, which is a TRAINED group of ham radio operators, and others, who monitor weather conditions during severe weather, and who report their observations to the nearest office of the National Weather Service. When I lived in Huntsville, Alabama, I helped track tornados. Here, it's usually hurricanes that draw the most attention.
(Warning! Rant Mode is now On!)
I said above that there is a difference between a weather obsessive and a weather paranoid. I've already given you a prime example of a weather obsessive! Me! On the other hand, a weather paranoid is someone who, when they see dark clouds and a bit of wind, they automatically assume, or want you to believe, that a severe weather warning has been, or should be issued. Or, if they see temps in the upper 30s, and a chance of precipitation, they automatically assume, or want you to believe, that an ice storm is imminent. I have known and worked with both weather obsessives and weather paranoids, and find the former much more fun to be around. As a matter of fact, I have known and/or worked with more than one television or radio weather forecaster who was referred to by the nickname 'panic button', because they tried to hype whatever weather extremes they could, usually to try to increase the ratings for their station's newscasts. 9 times out of 10, this is a result of instructions from a news director or station manager who is more concerned with ratings than with accuracy. And 9 times out of ten those forecasts are wrong, which starts to build up a 'boy crying wolf' situation. This creates the possibility for tragedy. I actually watched a television weekend weather type actually use the term 'Ice Storm' in a forecast 5 days from the day of his forecast. Needless to say, when day 5 got there, not a cloud in the sky. And, it was warm, too! No wonder he was on weekends, and not on the prime newscasts!
Unfortunately, I have recently begun to notice a similar trait in the weather staff of one of the Norfolk television stations. In fact, they didn't change the headline above their national radar/sat view for several months. It continued to read 'Headed Our Way?' If you watch TV weather in the Norfolk area, I'm pretty sure you know which station I mean.
(Rant Mode is now Off!)
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