Infrared image of Hugo at landfall from the National Hurricane Center.

Back on September 22nd, 1989 I was only 8 years old, but the day was far from ordinary. On this day, 25 years ago, Hurricane Hugo made landfall in South Carolina with sustained winds of 135 - 140 mph and also sparked my life-long interest in weather. Let's look back at this incredible storm.

Well some good news... things are looking slightly better for the holiday weekend! Although warmer and more humid conditions will be arriving Saturday, current thinking now keeps much of the day dry for the I-95 corridor as the front stays well northwest over the Great Lakes. Some isolated showers may try to enter Maryland and central PA in the afternoon, but that activity will be spotty. Sunday will likely be the most active day in the Northeast, with showers and storms developing in the afternoon.

The first tornado in Suffolk County, MA since 1950 struck Revere, MA on July 28th, 2014. Atypical of most severe t-storms in the Northeast, the parent thunderstorm formed over northern RI around 8 AM, then pushed northeast towards Boston. Just before 9 AM, with the storm over west-central Norfolk County, our meteorologists issued warnings for damaging winds in the Boston area as the storm was exhibiting some rotation (indicating the potential for a tornado). By 9:32 AM, the supercell strengthened its rotation, giving a clearer sign that a tornado was likely on the ground:

While many may think tornadoes are mostly relegated to the Plains States, it is important to know that the Northeast is not immune to the phenomenon. In fact, tornadoes as strong as EF-3 (winds of 136 – 165 mph) can impact the region. Springfield, MA experienced one such tornado back on June 1, 2011, which was on the ground for over one hour, left a scar 39 miles long and up to ½ mile wide across south-central MA! While the Springfield tornado is uncommon and typically twisters of EF-0 and EF-1 magnitude occur, it is crucial to realize the danger these storms pose.

Well it is now early June and air temperatures across the northern Great Lakes have already surpassed 80 degrees. Unfortunately, the lake ice hasn’t received the memo that warmer weather has arrived. In fact, even on June 1st, Marquette, MI still had chunks of ice floating near the coastline of Lake Superior!

Our next featured meteorologist is the “Reale” deal in terms of forecasting and keeping our clients on top of the weather. Rob Reale began as an intern at WeatherWorks in 2009, before officially joining in October 2010 as a full-time meteorologist. Other than forecasting, Rob helps with the day to day operations, the forensic department, social media, and also assists in managing parts of our Certified Snow Total service. I sat down and asked Rob a few questions:

Often frustrated with vague weather forecasts from your local news or online sources when trying to schedule work crews? Is your job sensitive to severe weather?

Often frustrated with vague weather forecasts from your local news or online sources when trying to schedule work crews? Is your job sensitive to severe weather?