A “Winter Weather Advisory” (purple shading) is still in effect for our northern hometowns until 6 a.m. Wednesday and then for counties closer to, and including, the Quad Cities from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The heaviest snow tonight will be across the north and tomorrow in the Quad Cities and to the south.
Snowfall totals below still look reasonable.
Have a great rest of 2013 and Happy New Year!
Anthony
ORIGINAL POST: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2013, 9:01 a.m.
Happy New Year’s Eve!
More snow is on the way to eastern Iowa and northern Illinois this afternoon through Wednesday night. Even before that arrives, we are already going down in the record books in the Quad Cities as one of the snowiest Decembers on record.
With the 1.6″ of snow that fell Monday evening, that pushes our December total to 13.8″ officially in the Quad Cities. This ranks as the 15th snowiest December on record now. And, more snow is on the way before midnight, which would push us up higher.
While light snow and flurries are falling across parts of Iowa Tuesday morning, the main snow arrives this afternoon, tonight, and Wednesday. It will wind down Wednesday night.
Since this snow is fluffy and dry, it will be blown around easily by the wind.
Bitterly cold air follows the fresh layer of snow.
By Friday morning, we’ll see low temperatures of around -10° to -20° and it gets even colder next week.
Today marks the last day of 2013 and I’m ready for 2014. With Oscar nominations coming out in a couple of weeks, there are still some movies I want to see.
These are my ten favorite movies that I saw in 2013 and here is a recap of #20 to #11 if you missed it yesterday.
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $15.8 MILLION (STILL IN THEATERS)
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $540 MILLION
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $26,966
My three least favorite movies I saw in 2013.
I have to include the trailer because it looked so promising! The movie only grossed $14,567 in theaters. Look again, that’s 14-thousand dollars and not millions!
Here’s what I wrote about the movie back in July: “It was painful to watch Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner in “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”. If you love special effects, it was a great movie. However, the story line was lacking and the violence was over the top. Also, this is definitely not a movie for kids!”
UPDATED POST: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2013, 4:32 a.m.
The first round of light snow Monday night brought generally an inch or two to the Mississippi and Illinois Valleys.
Officially, in the Quad Cities, in Moline, Illinois, 1.6″ fell.
This brings us up to 13.8″ for the month of December, making it the 15th snowiest December on record, and more snow is on the way later today!
A “Winter Weather Advisory” goes into effect at noon Tuesday and will continue through noon Wednesday for the counties shaded in light blue north of the Quad Cities. This is where the heaviest snow over the next 30 hours will fall.
However, we’ll all see snow.
Since this will be a light, fluffy snow, we’ll have to deal with blowing snow, too.
It’ll be very cold Wednesday night through Friday night. However, the coldest air of the season arrives early next week!
Anthony
ORIGINAL POST: MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2013, 4:05 p.m.
Happy Eve of New Year’s Eve!
It’s snowing in the Quad Cities, just as I predicted, so I thought I’d give you a quick update.
The snow is moving rather quickly through the area and should be out of here by midnight. Accumulations tonight will be generally less than one inch.
Our next clipper system arrives tomorrow afternoon with more snow likely.
A “Winter Weather Advisory” goes into effect at 3 p.m. Tuesday through noon Wednesday for the purple shaded area north of the Quad Cities above. This is where the heaviest snow will fall through noon Wednesday.
This long duration snow event will finally come to an end late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Beyond noon Wednesday, we could still see accumulating snow.
When the snow finally ends late Wednesday night or early Thursday, the heaviest snow will across the north.
From around Maquoketa and Dubuque, Iowa, eastward to Galena and Mount Carroll, Illinois, 4-6″ of snow are likely.
Along and just north and south of Interstate 80 in Iowa and Illinois, including the Quad Cities and Galesburg, Illinois, 2-4″ are likely.
South of the Quad Cities, from Burlington, Iowa, to Macomb, Illinois, you may only see about an inch or two of snow.
With any snow event, there could be isolated higher totals in any of these locations.
Glancing at the late afternoon forecast models, the NAM (shown above at noon Wednesday) is definitely generating more snow that the GFS.
Since this is a long duration, three-day event and several pieces of energy are involved in the snow production, make sure you join me early Tuesday morning on CBS4 from 5-7 a.m. for the latest on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s snow.
Christmas week, I blogged my 20 favorite albums of 2013 and not too many people checked it out. Maybe there are more movie buffs than album buyers. Based on the sales of albums and movie tickets, I might be on to something there.
Here are the first ten of my favorite movies of 2013 and noticeably missing are movies that I haven’t seen yet, but I plan on getting to in 2014: “12 Years a Slave”, “August: Osage County” and “American Hustle”.
Now, remember, a movie is eligible if I watched it for the first time in that calendar year.
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $236.4 MILLION
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $771.5 MILLION (STILL PLAYING)
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $20.4 MILLION
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $180.3 MILLION
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $21.5 MILLION
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $269.2 MILLION
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $118.4 MILLION
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS: $493.3 MILLION
Thank you for checking out #20 to #11. How many have you seen?
Check in tomorrow for my favorite ten movies of 2013.
Radio back in the 1980s was so much fun and the music was amazing. I’m not a big fan of radio these days because you hear the same songs played over and over. Here’s a look at my favorite songs of 2013 and three of my least favorites.
Interesting enough, many of these songs and, especially, the top five got little, if any, radio airplay.
Take that, commercial radio. (Apologies to my radio DJ friends that are constrained as to what you can play!)
“LIMPIDO”
LAURA PAUSINI & KYLIE MINOUGUE
“SAME LOVE”
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS WITH MARY LAMBERT
“WAKE ME UP”
AVICII
“TREASURE”
BRUNO MARS
“FOLLOW YOUR ARROW”
KACEY MUSGRAVES
“TIMBER”
PITBULL & KE$HA
“C’MON”
KE$HA
“DO WHAT U WANT”
LADY GAGA & R. KELLY
“NOW THAT I FOUND YOU”
BRITNEY SPEARS
“VOCAL”
PET SHOP BOYS
YLVIS
“THE FOX (WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?)”
“RED”
CHER
“MY BOYFRIEND IS GAY”
HAILEY ROWE
So, those are my thirteen favorite songs of the year.
Here are three that I didn’t really care for.
I know I’ll lose gay points for one choice, but I’ll gain them back for fighting back at disgusting homophobia with another choice.
Yes, I’m talking about you, Eminem!
And, as a bonus to earn back my lost gay point for including a Britney song, here’s one of the sexiest videos of the year. And, radio, this song should have done much better!
If you’re still reading and you didn’t check it out the other day, here are my ten favorite albums of 2013.
I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that Santa was good to you. This is my last “Random Friday Thoughts” blog of 2013, so “Happy New Year” early!
“LIFESTYLE” OR “CHOICE”
Last week, a can of worms about the First Amendment was opened when “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson made anti-gay comments to “GQ” magazine. It caused A&E to indefinitely suspend Robertson.
My comments today are not about that ordeal, but I’ll re-post the link if you want to read what I wrote about “Duck Dynasty”, being gay, and God last Friday. It was one of my most viewed blogs of the year!
In the dialogue following my blog and the fallout about the suspension, one woman started badgering me about the “gay lifestyle”.
I responded that being gay is not a “choice” or a “lifestyle”. As for “choice”, LGBT people don’t normally go around asking straight people when they “chose” to be straight.
And, being gay is just one facet of who I am. It’s my life and not a “lifestyle”, but she wouldn’t drop it and even posted a dictionary definition of “lifestyle” for me!
So, if you insist that being gay is a lifestyle, this pretty much sums it up.
Since I’ve blogged about Bristol Palin and her views before, here’s what she’s saying about “Duck Dynasty” and the LGBT community in her blog post, “Leave Phil Robertson Alone”.
“I think it’s so hypocritical how the LGBT community expects every single flippen person to agree with their life style. This flies in the face of what makes America great – people can have their own beliefs and own opinions and their own ways of life. Everyone needs to treat others like God would, with love. It goes both ways. I hate how the LGBT community says it’s all about ‘love’ and ‘equality.’ However, if you don’t agree with their lifestyle, they spread the most hate. It is so hypocritical it makes my stomach turn.”
ONE MORE PALIN RESPONSE
Another Robertson defender was Bristol’s mother, failed Alaska Governor and Vice President wannabe Sarah Palin.
Last week, Palin was defending Robertson on her Facebook page, “Free speech is an endangered species. Those ‘intolerants’ hatin and taking on the ‘Duck Dynasty’ patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us.” However, now she admits that she didn’t even read his comments to “GQ” magazine to even know what he said!
On Fox News Channel’s “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren”, when pressed about the graphic nature of Robertson’s comments, Palin admits, “I haven’t read the article … I don’t know exactly how he said it.”
I have one thing to say: read first before you spout off in his (or anyone’s) defense! But, then again, consider the source….
SURPRISE “GLEE”FUL WEDDING
A couple of months ago, I blogged that 49-year-old actress Dot-Marie Jones, who plays Coach Shannon Beiste on “Glee”, proposed to her girlfriend of three years, Bridgett Casteen.
The couple invited family and friends to their Los Angeles home last Saturday for a holiday party. When the guests arrived, they were then told it was a secret wedding ceremony!
Congratulations Dot-Marie and Bridgett!
IPOD BOY
While it’s a few years old, Preston Leatherman still makes me smile and hit “replay” with his dancing with an ipod in public version of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. Watch and tell me you’re not smiling!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT — WINTER VERSION
BEYONCE
Beyonce has been struggling to find that next big hit on pop radio following many misfires. That may have changed with her new single, “XO”, which is already racing up the Top 40 radio airplay charts.
Bey did something unheard of recently when she released her new self-titled album, “Beyonce”. There was advance notice, no hype, and she released it exclusively to iTunes.
It paid off in a big way. In just the first three days, the album was downloaded 617,000 times and it debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. (Worldwide, it sold more than 800,000 copies in those first three days.)
In its second week with a full week of sales, it sold an additional 374,000 copies in the U.S. That’s a total of almost a million copies in just ten days!
However, the exclusivity to iTunes in those first few days ticked off other music retailers. Target and amazon.com are refusing to carry the album, but something tells me that Beyonce isn’t losing any sleep over it.
THE BIBLE
I recently saw the movie, “C.O.G.”, which stands for “Children of God”, starring Jonathan Groff, who will be appearing in the new HBO series, “Looking” next month.
It’s based on the life of writer David Sedaris. While there were many funny lines in the drama, here is the scene that made me fall over with laughter.
“The Bible says”… “I know what the Bible says”… “Then what’s your problem with it?”… “It’s poorly written!”
SINCE WE’RE TALKING RELIGION AND HUMOR
PICK HIT
17-year-old Dutch DJ/producer Martin Garrix is on the verge of scoring his first Top 40 hit in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 (#51).
His hit, “Animals, has already reached #1 in Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, the U.K., and on the Billboard Dance chart here in the States. The song is already a Top Ten hit in, at least, ten other countries.
FOUR BOOKS THIS YEAR
I am proud to say that as 2013 winds down, I just finished reading my fourth book. In 2014, I plan on making a dent in the more than 160 books I own now that I’m caught up on my magazines.
Just in time for the holidays, I read “Christmas in Plains” by Jimmy Carter, our nation’s 39th president and my favorite President.
In the 155-page, easy-to-read book, he shares stories of his Christmases growing up, serving in the Navy, as Governor of Georgia, as President of the United States, and after leaving office.
President Carter talks about growing up in Georgia during the Great Depression and his close-knit friendships with the black kids that lived on his father’s land in a time when there was much more racial divide in the South than there is today.
The book reminded me of growing up poor in Kentucky in the 1970s and Christmases being skimpy and how Santa brought some kids much more than others.
I enjoyed the stories about the traditions that he and his family started and how they progressed in life. However, my favorite story that he told was from one of the darkest times in American history.
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students/terrorists took over the U.S. Embassy in Teheran with 66 original hostages. Thirteen of those were released two weeks later and another man, who was becoming seriously ill, was released in July 1980.
The other 52 Americans hostages were held for 444 days.
During the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House in December 1979, President Carter and his daughter, Amy, surprised America when she flipped the switch for the tree.
President Carter writes, ” Amy and I planned a big surprised for the ceremony. When the television cameras focused on her at the crucial moment, she threw the switch but no lights lit up on the tree except the single Star of Hope on top — a symbolic acknowledgement that we were not celebrating while our hostages were being held, but were confident that all of them would return safely and to freedom.”
In Christmas 1980, the lights on the tree were turned on for 417 seconds, one second for each day that the hostages were being held. After that, only the Star of Light was lit up that holiday season.
In the final hours of his presidency on January 20, 1981, President Carter secured the hostages’ release. Right as President Ronald Reagan completed his inaugural address after being sworn in, the 52 hostages were released into U.S. custody after 444 days.
And, one more funny story from the book became answers to Trivia Pursuit questions.
While President Carter was happy that he was the answer to the first American president born in a hospital, he was less thrilled with the answer about a quote from his mother, Lillian. She said, “Sometimes when I look at my children, I wish I had remained a virgin.”
BEST & WORST OF CHRISTMAS SONGS
Now that Christmas is over and radio is returning to playing the same tired twenty pop songs over and over, I have to say that I now have two Christmas songs that I despise.
“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” has always been on that list. However, I just realized this season how much I dislike “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”!
On the other hand, I could listen to my two favorite Christmas songs year around. My second favorite is “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid.
And, my favorite Christmas song of all time is “Merry Christmas Darling” by the Carpenters! Karen’s sweet, angelic voice still melts me to this day!
FINAL CHRISTMAS 2013 WISH
I know the holidays can be stressful and crazy, so to honor of the best season of “American Horror Story” so far, “Asylum”, since I haven’t seen “Coven” yet…
I want to do my best imitation of Casey Kasem, a man whose voice I cherished as a teenager. Casey, you’re in my thoughts this Christmas season.
On Tuesday, I started counting down my favorite albums of 2013 from #20 to #11. And, before we get to my ten favorite albums of the years, here is where you can recap the first ten.
While technically released in September 2012, it was a slow burn and it was the album I played the most in 2013! Chris, I hope 2014 is the year everyone learns who you are!
Thank you for checking out my favorite albums that I bought in 2013. Here’s to great music in 2014.
And, in honor of Casey Kasem, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”
Season’s greetings, my friends! I can’t believe that another year has flown by and I hope this finds you healthy and happy.
This is my favorite time of the year. This Christmas, we’re staying home and making our own Christmas feast. As you recall, last year, we were getting ready to go on a Caribbean cruise with Gretel, Tammy, and Betty (“Mom”). It was a blast!
If you read my blog or if we’re friends on Facebook, you probably already know much of what I’m going to tell you. If not, here goes…
In January, Ray and I went back to Las Vegas to see Lady Gaga in concert for the third time. While she’s a freak, she’s an incredible entertainer. That show was one of her last concerts before she had to cancel the rest of the tour to have hip surgery. Luckily, she’s healthy again.
After spending the last two months of 2012 and the first two months of 2013 being a “stay-at-home dad” thanks to unemployment, things changed in February.
Ray had a conference in Kansas City, Missouri, and I went along for the ride. What else did I have to do? 🙂 On the way, he had a quick meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, so I was on my own and I had lunch at a Chinese buffet (you know that I love my buffets). That day, my fortune said, “success will be yours at home and in business in the next month”.
Sure enough, one week later, I was hired as the morning meteorologist at the CBS affiliate in the Quad Cities and I was back on the air at the beginning of March. It’s already been ten months! While it’s tough getting up at 1 a.m. five days a week with very little sleep, I’m surviving.
In addition to Lady Gaga, there were other concerts this year: ‘70s international superstar Helen Reddy (“I Am Woman”), ‘80s heartthrob Rick Springfield (“Jessie’s Girl”), Ke$ha & Pitbull, and the ‘80s band, Depeche Mode.
In August, Ray and I went to Cancun to get away and soak in the sun on a sandy Caribbean beach.
But, the big trip of the year came in late October. To celebrate his 50th birthday, Ray chose a cruise on the Danube River in southern Europe.
We flew to Zurich, Switzerland, for 24 hours and the city was absolutely stunning with Lake Zurich and the Alps.
From there we flew to Hungary and were bussed to Bratislava, Slovakia (another amazing city) where we boarded the “MS Sound of Music” for a 6-day cruise. We made several stops in Austria, including Vienna, and several stops in Germany. It was such an incredible time.
Next year, I turn 50 and I’m already planning out my “once in a lifetime trip” to celebrate.
Outside of work, traveling, and concerts, life at home is fantastic.
Ray and I are coming up on five years together. He’s still the planning and economic development director for the City of Moline.
Gretel is growing up so fast. She’s now in the 7th grade and she’s now a junior high cheerleader!
My sister, Tammy, is still living in the Quad Cities and working as a server at a local restaurant. While she misses her granddaughters, I think she’s happy being here with us.
So, to wrap up the year, we planned a quick drive down to my old stomping grounds in western Kentucky to eat at my favorite restaurant, Patti’s 1880s, and to visit Nashville for the Reba McEntire exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
While in Nashville, the trip also consisted of a 3-day Christmas celebration including Lorrie Morgan’s Enchanted Christmas dinner and show, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes, a General Jackson lunch cruise on the Cumberland River, a night at the Opry at the Ryman, and a stay at the historic Opryland Hotel amongst two million twinkling Christmas lights.
You only live once and I plan on doing that! I can’t wait to hear back from you about this past year and what you have planned next year.
And, I’ll close this the way I’ve signed my Christmas cards for the past twenty years, “May hope and faith conquer fear and hate this Christmas”.
Last week, I recapped my favorite albums of 2010 (“Night Work” by the Scissor Sisters), 2011 (“Femme Fatale” by Britney Spears) and 2012 (“MDNA” by Madonna).
Now it’s time to share my favorite albums of 2013.
LAURA PAUSINI
“20 GRANDES EXITOS”
DEPECHE MODE
“DELTA MACHINE”
MARY J. BLIGE
“A MARY CHRISTMAS”
ELI LIEB
“ELI LIEB”
JOSH GROBAN
“ALL THAT ECHOES”
MICHAEL BUBLE
“TO BE LOVED”
ROBYN
“BODY TALK”
Since I was three year late to the bus on this one, here’s a bonus just in case you missed it, too.
EMELI SANDE
“OUR VERSION OF EVENTS”
ZEDD
“CLARITY”
AVICII
“TRUE”
On Thursday, I’ll have the Top Ten since I have a special Christmas letter for you tomorrow.
ORIGINAL POST: Sunday, December 22, 2013, 8:24 a.m.
The biggest snow of the 2013-2014 winter season, officially in the Quad Cities, is beginning to wind down and head off to the northeast.
Technically, a “Winter Storm Warning” remains in effect in the fuchsia colored counties until 6 p.m. Sunday, but I think that will expire before them.
Here is where the winter storm is still snowing (and raining to the east) as of 8 a.m. Sunday.
Our far northern hometowns may still pick up another inch or two of snow today, but the rest of the area will see less than one inch of additional snow.
As of 6 a.m. Sunday, 4.1″ of snow had accumulated at the Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois. However, my colleague, Jim, the man with the official snow ruler, says that another 1.4″ fell after that for a total of 5.5″.
That’s awesome because I had 5.5″ at my house in Moline.
Some other totals across Illinois: 5.5″ Fulton, 5.4″ Freeport, 5.0″ Galva, 3.5″ Aledo, and 3.0″ New Windsor.
In Iowa: 6.7″ Iowa City, 6.7″ Brighton, 6.6″ DeWitt, 6.0″ Charlotte, 5.9″ Bettendorf, 5.0″ Blue Grass, 4.5″ Washington, 4.5″ Salem, 3.1″ Maquoketa. and 3.0″ Dubuque.
Bitter cold air will follow with single digit highs possible Monday and lows Monday night will be well below zero!
Here are some pictures from outside my house. By the way, the carolers are singing “White Christmas”!
What's Peeps Thinking About Now? It's Probably Random! 