Chris_Dunn's Blog

 Here is a question from viewer Les Gomez of Littleton:

Hi Chris: Watch your newscast almost every night at about 9:16 PM.

 I have always wondered why is humidity expressed as "relative".

 What is it relative to? Thanks and regards.

Hi Les-     When we report “relative humidity” it is expressed as a percent of saturation of the air.  For example, 50% rh means the air contains about ½ of what it can hold at that temperature.  Because the total amount of moisture (the gas, water vapor) the air can hold varies with temperature, the humidity is relative to the air temperature.  A more absolute measurement of moisture in the air is dew point.  The dew point temperature is the temperature at which the air would be completely saturated.  The temperature/dew point spread can tell you how much moisture is in the air and the difference is the “relative” humidity.  Here is an example:  An 80 degree day in Denver in the summer feels pretty pleasant because the humidity is low…dew point of 35 degrees with an air temperature of 80 degrees = 12% relative humidity.  On the other hand, an 80 degree day in Miami, Florida in the summer (actually, it would rarely be that COOL in the summer in Miami) with a typical dew point temperature of 75 degrees = 81% relative humidity.  Same air temperature, but you have a long way to go in order to get that moisture in the air to condense in Denver than Miami. 

Day 1: With 26 anglers onboard the Angler, the boat was on its way by 11 a.m. The crew loaded up the bait tanks with live sardines on our way out of San Diego Bay. We then cleared Point Loma and headed South. There would be no fishing on this day. The time was spent rigging up for the days ahead. Skipper Brian Kiyohara gave a brief safety talk and an overview of what we could expect for the days ahead. That was followed by a tackle and rigging seminar held by the deckhands. It’s definitely a team effort on the American Angler.

Day 2: Just before first light, Skipper Brian shut down the engines, explaining that we were in the right area, but that we had to wait until it was light enough to begin trolling and looking for kelp paddies (floating clumps of seaweed that attract fish). We stopped shortly thereafter on a blind jig strike which ended up being the first yellowfin tuna of the day. I hooked a dorado that was so small I didn’t even realize I had him! The fish was quickly sent back to his place in the sea and we continued the trolling in search of the next school.

A fish here, a jig strike there, nothing really that would knock your socks off about this day of fishing, until…BOOM! Around 11:30 a.m. skipper Brian and his crew spotted a kelp paddy that was marked by a large inflated trash bag. Obviously another boat had been here and thought this one was worthy of pointing out to others who may be headed down this way. I can tell you this: It did not disappoint! The water was full of life. It was like watching fish in an aquarium in the clear offshore waters. First came the dorado, then micro-sized yellowtail, then the yellowfin tuna followed by a round of skipjack tuna. The action was about as fast and furious as it gets. Every bait found a fish. The only question was what kind.

As soon as I cast a sardine away from the boat, I automatically put the reel in gear and didn’t have to wait long to get bit. We’re talking 5 seconds or less and you had a fish on. It was that quick! The action lasted for about 2 hours, during which our group managed to put nearly 200 fish on the boat. Most of the yellowfin were of the decent school-sized variety in the 15-25 pound range. After the fish scales settled we began heading in the direction of Guadalupe Island, the next stop on this five day fishing adventure.

Day 3: We arrived at Guadalupe Island before sunrise, hoping to take advantage of what had been a steady bite on larger yellowfin tuna. These were the kind that average between 50 and 100 pounds. However, the bite really seemed to take a turn for the worse on our first day visiting the island. Only three of the bigger tuna were caught through the course of the morning, including a 66 pounder reeled in by Martha Bummer of La Crescenta, CA.

When the desired bite failed to materialize, Skipper Brian moved the boat in a little closer to the island so we could drop the anchor and perhaps entice a passing school of tuna along with some of the big homeguard yellowtail this island is famous for. We took care of both on this stop. In what could be referred to as a slow but steady pick, we caught another two dozen school-sized yellowfin tuna along with nearly 30 Guadalupe Island yellowtail. Some were on the surface, being caught on fly-lined sardines, and some were on the bottom where the dropper loop and a heavy lead weight was the ticket.

Even this bite slowed as the wind came up on the afternoon. By dinnertime, skipper Brian announced to everyone that we would stay at Guadalupe for one more day to try and get some better action out of the big fish that we knew were there. In the meantime, we would anchor up for the night on the quiet leeward side of the island and enjoy a pleasant night on the water catching small mackerel to supplement our bait supply.

Day 4: Same drill as the day before. We begin searching for schools of larger tuna. They have been hanging out under pods of black porpoise, so when you find the porpoise, the tuna aren’t far behind. We did find the porpoise and the tuna, but getting them to bite was once again a tough chore. Following our successful change in plans from the day before, we anchored up and started catching quality-sized yellowtail. After a few dozen forktails came over the rail, Skipper Brian decided to see what we could find farther up the lee side of Guadalupe Island.

Stopping on a spot of fish he saw on the sonar, we found a school of yellowfin that wanted to bite! They weren’t the jumbos approaching 100-pounds that had been caught in this area, but a respectable 20-30 pound average. The rest of the day was spent in search of the bigger fish to top off our success from earlier in the trip. We did find one more of the big guys. Actually, Martha Bummer found it…on the end of her line! This one was in the 60-pound range.

At the end of the day we were left with a few options on how we would end this trip. Skipper Brian decided to leave the island and head for an area just Northwest of San Martin Island where the yellowfin tuna were being targeted by boats on shorter trips. This would give us another ½ day of fishing before we had to head back to the dock.

Day 5: The weather on this trip had been great up until the last day of fishing. A steady wind out of the Northwest produced waves of 5-8 feet. As we got closer to the beach the thinking was that the wind would die down and the sea would mellow. That thinking (forecast) wasn’t exactly what happened. The wind continued to blow and the sea continued to bounce our 90’ boat around. Despite this challenge we did manage to find more fish that wanted to bite. One kelp paddy held school-sized yellowfin tuna along with more micro yellowtail and tiny dorado.

The rest of the day was basically scratch fishing, adding to a total of 35 tuna we added to the refrigerated seawater fish hold. With the weather still up and the fish down, skipper Brian decided to call it a trip at 3 p.m., with plenty of fish for everyone and a long trip home. We will arrive around 6 a.m. the next morning following a “waffles on the bay” breakfast.

One thing I didn’t mention about the trip is the food. Words could not do it justice! Chef Paul and his assistant Nate prepared some truly fantastic meals. You will not go hungry on one of these trips. The rest of the crew performed flawlessly. They obviously want to see us catching fish. But more importantly, they are all about making sure you have a good time. We did.

     On the night of Wednesday, February 20th, Colorado will be treated to a total lunar eclipse!  That happens when the Earth's shadow temporarily blocks sunlight from reaching the moon's surface.  Unlike a solar eclipse, it is completely safe to directly view a lunar eclipse, because moonlight reflected back to Earth from the surface of the moon and not the direct, intense rays of the sun. 

    For Colorado, this eclipse reaches "totality" just a few minutes before the start of Fox 31 News at 9 PM!

   For more information on this lunar eclipse, check out my favorite Astronomy website:  http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/15357796
.html 

We occasionally get the question, "What exactly is wind chill factor and why can't water freeze when the wind chill is below freezing?"  The folks at Earth Gauge just happened to send a concise, accurate answer to that very question:

Chillin' Winds

Here is a recent question from viewer Dana:

A friend of mine and I were debating on the amout of snow we get in denver annually, and the amount of snow Alaska gets annually? I say, Alaska gets more. He says their even. Can you help me?

Dana-

    You know that ALASKA is an awfully big state and the variations in weather are significant. 

     I can use Anchorage as an example city for your comparison.

     Denver’s average annual snowfall is 61.7”  The average annual snow in Anchorage is *slightly* more at 69.5”

     Using data from Fairbanks, in Alaska’s interior region, that city’s 30-year seasonal snow average is 65”.

     Thanks for your question.

Here is a question from viewer Judy White:

I have never known the difference between a storm warning, watch and advisory.  I never know which one means take cover. J

Little help?

If you had a “weather for dummies” graphic on the news the way they list the terror alerts, I would get it.

Thanks for your help Chris!

Judy-

     The difference between watches, warnings and advisories have to do with timing and intensity.  When it comes to winter storms, a watch is issued when a significant snow is expected to begin beyond 24-36 hours.  12-24 hours out if the threat is still there a watch is upgraded to a warning.  National weather service criteria for a warning depends on the area, with higher amounts required for a warning in the mountains.  A snow advisory is issued when snow is expected to have an adverse impact on travel or outdoor activities, but the amount of snow is less than required for a warning.

When talking about spring and summer severe weather, a watch is issued when conditions are favorable for severe storms or tornadoes to form. A watch is in effect until the threat of severe weather has passed. Think of it as a "heads up!"  A warning is issued when a severe thunderstorm, tornado or flash flooding is actually occuring.  Think of this as "take action, now!"

Here is some information on a rather large full moon on the night of 10/25. Maybe it will help the Rockies with Game 2 of the World Series? Hey, after last night they could use all the help they can get!

-Dunn

Big Full Moon Tonight

Tonight’s full Moon (10/25/2007) is the biggest full Moon of the year. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others...and tonight’s will be as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than the other full Moons of 2007. The reason is that tonight’s full Moon will be occurring during "perigee"...or when in the Moon’s orbit around the Earth when it comes the closest. The Moon’s orbit is an ellipse with one side 30,000 miles closer to the Earth than the other. When the Moon is furthest from the Earth in its orbit...it is at "apogee". So when viewing tonight’s full Moon and it appears larger than normal...it is no illusion, it really is!

Perigee full Moon to the left...apogee Moon to the right.

Photo from the National Weather Service 

I use the term "awesome" not in a good way, but to describe the sheer magnitude of this disaster. More than 300 square miles have been burned and hundreds of thousands of residents have been evacuated. It reminds me of the massive wildfires in Southern California back in 2003.

It's the same weather setup this year: A dry rainy season followed by a long hot summer. Now, dry, hot, offshore Santa Ana winds are fanning the flames and blowing the smoke out to sea as you can see in this amazing visible satellite image:

Satellite Image of Smoke/Fires

I see signs of this pattern breaking down by later this week, but until then it's bad news.

Backyard gardeners beware!  If you have escaped the few frosts and freezes we have experienced along the front range earlier in the season, your time has finally run out.  The weekend storm system moving in (late Saturday night and Sunday) has some pretty chilly air along with it.  That is one reason we are forecasting snow for the Denver area on Sunday.  By Sunday night into Monday morning, I'm expecting overnight temperatures to drop into the 20s just about everywhere around Denver.  That will effectively kill off the rest of our gardens, especially for warm-loving veggies like tomatoes and squash. 

   Since most of our gardens are still growing strong, it is a shame to waste the produce that isn't quite ripe. Here is a trick that has served me well the past several years:  Pick those tomatoes, even the green ones,  and place them either in a brown paper bag or on newspaper in a cool, dark place.  A basement or garage will do well, as long as is doesn't get below freezing.  You'll find that the 'maters will gradually ripen and you'll be able to enjoy the fruits of your gardening labors well into November!

I was recently reviewing some National Weather Service records (because that is what I do for fun in my spare time) and found this interesting tidbit:

 (Denver) August 19-30, 1875   Grasshoppers appeared in great numbers at 10am on the 19th.  Thousands landed on the ground.  The streets were literally covered with them.  Swarms of grasshoppers were seen each day.  All gardens in the city were devastated...and in the countryside the grasshoppers were very destructive to ripened grain.  On the 30th the grasshoppers were so numerous as to almost darken the sun.

Kind of makes anything we have seen this summer tame in comparison!   

 Here is a question from viewer Doug Webb:

     Seeing that the Hurricane season is upon us, how often does Hawaii see hurricanes that come near the islands? When was the last time one actually hit the islands?

Hi Doug!
     The last significant hurricane I can remember hitting the Hawaiian islands was Iniki in 1992.  If I recall correctly, it was also the strongest, most damaging and costliest hurricane to ever hit Hawaii.  It was also the last time a central Pacific hurricane name has been retired.

   After further investigation, before this year there have been only 10 tropical storms or hurricanes in the past 57 years that have passed within 75 miles of any of the Hawaiian islands.  As you can see, it is a fairly rare occurance for Hawaii to get hit by a hurricane.

   Thanks for your question!

As I write this, we are in the final days of July. Hardly the time of year to think about snow, but it is just around the corner! The earliest "first snow" of the season in Denver happened on September 3, 1961. That's the earliest in the season when something more than just flurries fell on the mile high city. So what about this year? Here are the decidedly un-scientific guesstimates from the Fox 31 weather team of when we will see the first snow of the 2007-2008 season:

Erin Little...October 3rd (Pretty early,but this IS Colorado)

Chris Dunn....October 20th (1 day past the average date...going out on a limb there, Dunn.)

Chris Tomer...October 31st (Happy Halloween!)

Crystal Egger...November 4th (A later start to the snow season)

We shall see what eventually happens!

     Around this time every year, you'll start to hear the term "monsoon" used a little more frequently.  Every year there always seems to be some confusion over what exactly that term means, such as when someone rushes into a building to get out of a heavy downpour and says. "Boy!  It's coming down like a monsoon out there!"

    Time now for us to clear things up with the real truth behind the monsoon.

What it is:  A seasonal reversal in wind direction.

What it isn't:  A heavy afternoon storm.

 
     The monsoon "season" in the Southwestern U.S. generally runs from early/mid July through early September, depending upon your exact location.     The National Weather Service office in Phoenix, Arizona has set parameters that define *when* the monsoon begins:  Three consecutive days with a dew point temperature of 55° or greater.  That rise in dew point temperature (moisture near the surface) means our seasonal shift in the wind is now bringing in moist air, moving up from the Pacific, Gulf of California and Gulf of Mexico.  That moisture causes thunderstorms to develop, which make a significant contribution to the annual rainfall for many locations across the Southwestern U.S.

    While Colorado is on the Northern fringe of the Mexican monsoon, we certainly do feel the impacts of this seasonal weather phenomenon.  The onset of the monsoon lessens fire danger, can result in flash flooding and produces beneficial rain at the hottest time of the year.


 

     I am a pilot and I love to share my enthusiasm and passion for flying with anyone willing to listen.  Like most pilots, if you try to start a conversation about anything having to do with aviation, you'll never be able to get us to shut up!  It is a pursuit, a passion, a great challenge.  I began my initial flight training in May 1997, flying 2-3 times a week.  I did my first solo by the end of July and by November I was a certificated private pilot!

    Now, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has started a new mentoring program that aims to answer all of your questions regarding flight training and to provide a little help and encouragement from others along the way.  The first step you need to take is check out this website:

http://flighttraining.aopa.org/projectpi
lot/students/learntofly/

     Between AOPA's program and my involvement in the mentoring program, I hope we can get some aspiring new pilots off the ground here in Colorado!  Feel free to e-mail me directly or post your thoughts here.

     I had heard that one of the top uses of the internet is for researching family history.  I recently did just that and came away with some amazing discoveries about my family and their role in the earliest development of this country!

I was able to trace my family name in this country before it was even a country...all the way back to  as early as 1663.  That is the date of the first record of one HUGH DUNN in New Hampshire.  Here is what I found:

     Hugh Dunn was born in England.  It is not know when or how he emigrated.  In 1663, he settled in Dover, New Hampshire and was given a 10 acre lot on the Lamprey River.  Being made a free man indicates that he had either completed an indenture or an apprentice ship.

    On July 18, 1664, he received a 20 acrey lot on the Lamprey River.  In 1666, Hugh sold his land in New Hampshire and moved to Piscataway, NJ, where he married Elizabeth Drake in 1670 or 1671.   Elizabeth Drake, a daughter of Francis and Mary (Walker) Drake, was born in England in 1648 and came to America with her family.  Elizabeth was grand-neice of the famous navigator/explorer Sir Francis Drake.

     As well as being a planter, Hugh DUNN was also a militiaman, civil officer and churchman. He served on the first Grand Jury in 1684 of which there were 17 members. Along with five other men, and was instrumental in organizing the Baptist Church in Piscataway, where his brother-in-law, John DRAKE was minister for 50 years. He, himself, was one of three lay preachers.