Random Friday Thoughts — January 27, 2017

It’s Friday again and the weekend is almost here.

I appreciate you checking out my Random Friday Thoughts.  As always, if we disagree and you want to tell me so, do it diplomatically and concisely.

LGBT RIGHTS & CLIMATE CHANGE, GONE!

Moments after #44 became history and America moved on to #45, searching the White House website yielded no results for “LGBT” and “Climate Change”.

In my heart I know what this means and anyone with a functioning brain knows, as well.

At the time of this tweet, I laughed to myself as a man, an American, and one of those people he thanked!

I think now just as I thought then, it’s just another joke and a bad one played on me and my fellow Americans.

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON…

If you’ve never watched the U.S. version of the political drama, “House of Cards”, you’re missing one of the most intelligent television shows ever!

Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey are incredible in the lead roles.  Their characters’ determination, iciness, and conviction to get what they want in the political arena is mesmerizing.

The show gives us the backstory of what really goes on in Washington.  Things are not cut and dry.  While it’s a television show, you know that Beau Willimon, the man behind the American version, is serving you a slice of reality.

He also tweeted that slice of reality last Friday morning!

We’re now at 1,454 days now!

Resist!

ONE LAST COMMENT

Facts:  “a thing that is indisputably the case.”

Synonyms of “facts”:  reality, actuality, certainty

So, Kellyanne Conway, “Alternative facts” are LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REBA HEADS INTO A NEW DIRECTION

Country music icon Reba McEntire is heading into a new musical direction with her latest release on February 3rd.

The deluxe version “Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope” will feature 22 gospel hymns.

Ever since “Sky Full of Angels” from 2003’s “Room To Breathe” album, I was hoping that Reba would record a gospel album.  And, since country radio airplay for her last album, 2015’s “Love Somebody” was pretty much non-existent, this is the perfect time for a change of genres.

The first single is “Back to God”.

Reba, how about a dance-oriented album next since you hit #2 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart in 1996 with “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”?

JIMMY CARTER

In September, when visiting the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library And Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, I left this message.

I’d love to visit the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas and leave a similar message!

I hope I have those feelings again for a future president!

HAVEN’T TALKED GAGA IN FOREVER

If you regularly read my blog, you know I love Lady Gaga.  I’ve see her in concert several times and her shows are amazing!

However, I wasn’t fond of the musical direction she took on “Joanne”, her latest album, and it’s the first Gaga album I didn’t buy. 😦  (I wasn’t alone.  Sales and radio airplay have paled in comparison with her previous releases!)

She’ll be playing the Super Bowl halftime show next weekend.  While I’m not a football fan, I’ll be watching her performance.

Sources close to Gaga told “Entertainment Tonight” last week that Gaga was informed that she couldn’t mention the 2016 presidential election or the current president.

The NFL says otherwise, “This is unsourced nonsense from people trying to stir up controversy where there is none. The Super Bowl is a time when people really come together. Lady Gaga is focused on putting together an amazing show for fans and we love working with her on it; we aren’t going to be distracted by this.”

Ironically, that nameless “source” is quoting another “unsourced” person.  Seriously, grow a pair, face up, and speak up or shut up.

Unless Gaga has gone soft, you know she’ll say and do whatever she wants.

Did Beyonce make a statement last year with “Formation”?  You’re damn right, she did.

Did her career suffer?  One word:  “Lemonade”!

“FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS”

This comedy, based on a true story, was my #3 favorite movie of 2016.

It’s about a wealthy woman, Florence Foster Jenkins, who was determined to become a successful singer although she was horrible.

Meryl Streep, who some idiot called “overrated”, was amazing as Jenkins.

On Tuesday, she earned her 20th Oscar nomination in the “Best Actress” category.

GRADE:  A

“CAPTAIN FANTASTIC”

Also, on Tuesday, I was ecstatic Viggo Mortensen was nominated in the “Best Actor” category for my #2 movie of 2016.

Here’s what I had to say about the movie in December.

“I highly recommend “Captain Fantastic”, which just hit DVD.

This little-seen movie in theaters is about a family living in the forests of the Pacific Northwest away from the trappings of modern life.

Viggo Mortensen plays Ben Cash, the father of six children, who has to decide how to keep his family together after the death of his wife.

It’s a shame that this movie only made $9 million in theaters.  It’s incredible and now you have a chance to see it at home.

Spoiler Alert:  Seeing Mortensen’s penis should NOT be reason enough for a warning at the beginning of the movie with “Brief Graphic Nudity”.  As his character says, “it’s just a penis!”

Wouldn’t “Brief Nudity” suffice?

By the way, on Thursday, Mortensen was nominated for a “Critics’ Choice Award” for “Best Actor in a Comedy”.  While I’m happy for the nomination, I have to ask, “comedy”???  There are funny scenes in the movie, but this leans more toward a drama to me.

Another great performance in the movie was from George McKay, who played Mortensen’s son, Bodevan.

GRADE:  A

PICK HIT

Calum Scott is best known for appearing on “Britian’s Got Talent” in 2015.

One of the songs he performed on the reality series was “Dancing On My Own”, a remake of Robyn’s 2010 hit.

Scott’s version has already topped the chart in Scotland and reached #2 in Australia and the U.K.

It’s recently just debuted on the American’s Top 40 radio airplay charts.

Scott’s debut album is expected this year.

ORIGINAL VERSION BY ROBYN

Swedish singer Robyn dominate the worldwide charts with this incredible song in 2010.

In America, it was a bigger hit on the Dance Club songs chart.

It reached #3 on both the U.S. and the U.K. dance charts.  But, it hit #1 in Sweden and #2 in Denmark.

“THE SHALLOWS”

It’s winter now, so you don’t have to worry about going into the water and thinking about sharks.

The last two Blake Lively (the beautiful wife of the gorgeous Ryan Reynolds) movies I saw were also on my favorites’ list in the respective years.

She was great in “Savages” (my #7 movie of 2013) and she was incredible in “The Age of Adaline” (my #7 movie of 2015).

I see a trend there.  Will “The Shallows” be my #7 movie of 2017?  Probably not.

However, it was a very enjoyable and realistic movie.

I got a little scared 72 minutes into the 87-minute movie because the plausibility took a little hit.  You realized that while what happened could take place, the stars would really have to align perfectly.  But, hey, it’s Hollywood.  Just go with it.

“Jaws” this isn’t, but it’s worth an hour-and-a-half of your time.

GRADE:  B-

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Major Winter Storm For Parts of Iowa

We’re down to the last week of January 2017 and we still haven’t had a measurable snow in the Quad Cities.

Our last sticking snow in the metro area was more than a month ago.  On December 17, 2016, 2.7″ of snow fell in Moline and 2.5″ accumulated in Davenport.

A winter storm moving out of the Plains today and across Iowa tomorrow will bring rain this afternoon.  This will be a wintry mix in our northern hometowns tonight and Wednesday.

By Wednesday afternoon, as this system moves to the Great Lakes, we’ll see a transition to all light snow for eastern Iowa and northern Illinois, especially Wednesday night.

Accumulations in our northern hometowns, around Galena, Illinois, and Maquoketa and Dubuque, Iowa, could be around an inch or two by Thursday morning.

As it looks now, the Quad Cities might see a dusting or so of snow by Thursday morning.

However, if you’re traveling to Waterloo, Iowa, 3-6″ of snow will fall there.  A “Winter Weather Advisory” goes into effect Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening.

A “Winter Storm Warning” covers much of northern Iowa, where more than 6″ of snow will be falling.  Parts of northwestern Iowa could pick up a foot of snow!

After this storm, colder weather is on the for the rest of the week into the weekend.

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — January 20, 2017

It seems like forever since I’ve written a “Random Friday Thoughts”.

While I shared my favorite movies, songs, and albums in blogs in December, I’ve mostly written about the weather lately.

As always, I appreciate you checking out my thoughts.  Feel free to share yours and if we disagree, do it diplomatically and concisely.  I won’t put up with tired rants! 🙂

LAST MENTION (HOPEFULLY)

I did share one more blog about you know who yesterday and that means I’ll be trying very hard not to bash him either.  You guessed it —  I’m not referring to him by name.

If you missed that, click here and it’ll open in another window.

Fasten Your Seat Belts!

IT’S AN HONOR….

Playing for the president of the United States, regardless of party, would be an honor for any performer.

But, after the decisive 2016 election, singers are catching hell for signing on or skipping this year’s inauguration and parties.

Garth Brooks is facing backlash from some of his conservative fans, but he says his decision not to play the inauguration was because of his world tour.

Brooks says, “We left it up to karma. If Cincinnati goes two weekends instead of one, then of course we are out.”

Strong sales prompted him to add three more shows over that weekend.

Brooks adds, “I’ll tell you with this whole presidential thing: We got one going out. Pray for him and his family. And for the president going in, pray for him and his family to guide this nation. Let’s stay together.  Love, unity — that’s what it’s all about.”

As Garth sings in his amazing anthem, “We Shall Be Free”.

https://vimeo.com/8515766

However, it was the other way around for Jennifer Holliday.  When it was announced that the “Dreamgirls” star was planning on performing, the backlash from her fans — people of color and LGBT — was immediate.

Holliday dropped out and apologized.

While I’m happy for that decision, I’m appalled about a reporte that Holliday and her family received death threats once it was initially announced that she would be performing.

If true, those people are as disgusting as the ones spewing their hate and ignorance before and after the 2016 presidential election!

Disgusting!

…BUT YOU’RE NOT DOING IT “FOR THE COUNTRY”.

While I said “it’s an honor” to play for the president, I’ve actually heard some performers say they do it for the country.

I think that’s stretching it quite a bit.

Our uniformed men and women in the armed forces do what they do for the country!

WHERE IS THE SNOW?

It’s now January 20th and it’s been over a month since we’ve had measurable snow in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa.

Officially, in the Quad Cities,  in Moline, we’re at the same point we were at last winter at this time on snowfall — 13.8″ (as of Thursday).

Typically, we should be at around 16″ at this point in the winter.

Since Davenport had more snow with the first storm of the season in early December, the total there is up to 16.5″ this winter compared to 11.8″ at this point last winter.

No snow is expected until later next week.

“THE WIDOW”

While we’re only a few weeks into the new year, I’ve already finished two books while walking on the treadmill.

I mostly read autobiographies, biographies, or books about real life events.  Occasionally, I’ll read fiction.

Over the past year, my favorites were “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins and “Dietland” by Sarai Walker.

If you’re looking for a thriller with the “Gone Girl”-like twist of who’s telling the truth and what is real and what isn’t, “The Widow” by Fiona Barton is a great book to check out.

Jeanie is now a widow and is being pursued by journalists to tell her story after her husband Glen is hit by a bus.

But, this isn’t the first time that she felt badgered by the television and print reporters.  The last time, it was mostly about Glen and a crime for which he was charged.

There’s also twists and turns centering around a missing child and internet porn.

“DON’T BREATHE”

This psychological thriller is now out on DVD and it’s definitely worth catching.

Three down on their luck young adults are breaking into houses in Detroit and selling what they steal for money.   Yet, they feel they’re not getting the money they deserve for the stolen merchandise.

So, they decide to target one more person, an Army veteran, who won a settlement from a wealthy family after their daughter killed his only daughter in a car accident.

He appears to be an easy target because he’s blind.  Big mistake!

Let’s just say you’ll never look at a turkey baster the same way again! If your mind is already reeling, it’s not exactly what you’re thinking! 🙂

This thriller was very successful.  It made $155.1 million on a $10 million budget!

GRADE:  A

“LIGHTS OUT”

While “Don’t Breathe” is a psychological thriller and I love those types of crime capers, “Lights Out” is more of a suspenseful, supernatural movie.

It’s like an extended movie version of an episode of “The X-Files”.

A family is left to pick up the pieces after the dad is murdered at his business by something that can only be seen when it’s dark — “lights out”.

His wife, played by Maria Bello, suffers from a mental illness.

She sinks further into depression after her husband’s death and their adolescent son, Martin, is becoming more and more distressed after seeing his mother talk to a third unseen “person” in the room.

Unable to sleep, he falls asleep in school and goes to stay with his grown sister.  We learn that she left home because of her mother’s behavior.

It’s all because of Diana and Diana’s identity drives this movie.

The $5 million movie made close to $149 million and a sequel is in the works,

GRADE:  B

MORE FROM TERESA PALMER

Teresa Palmer is the star of “Lights Out” and she’s phenomenal.

Although movie goers will recognize her from “Warm Bodies”, “I Am Number Four”, “The Grudge 2”, and “Hacksaw Ridge”, I first saw the Australian actress in her incredible second movie, “2:37” from 2006.

If you come across it, it’s definitely worth checking out.

JENNIFER HOLLIDAY

I saw Jennifer Holliday in concert at Market Days in Chicago in 2007.  She was amazing, as usual.

Most people remember her as Effie White in her Tony Award-winning role on Broadway in “Dreamgirls”.

That show also gave Holliday her only Top 40 hit on the “Billboard Hot 100” chart, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going”.  It reached #22 in 1982.  (That song also reached #1 on the R&B charts and won her a Grammy Award.)

Holliday has also scored six Top Ten hits on the Billboard Dance charts.

“And I Am Telling You…” hit the Top Ten twice, in 2001 and 2007, but it didn’t chart when the song came out originally in 1982!

She’s also topped the dance chart twice with “No Frills Love” — in 1985 in its original release and again in 1996!

This is my favorite Holliday song!

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Fasten Your Seat Belts!

“At first I was afraid, I was petrified”… but, “I will survive”.  Those Gloria Gaynor lyrics are blasting through my head this morning.  So, I’ll share the video with you — just because!

Election night, around 6:15 p.m. central time, I realized hours before all the polls closed that the unthinkable was going to happen.  I hoped for a miracle that never came.

As the night wore on, I was at a loss for words.

Sitting at my work desk early on the morning of November 9th, mere hours after securing enough red states to pass the 270 mark in the electoral vote, I knew he would become the president-elect. When my closest colleague and I talked about the shock, the tears started streaming down.

It was scary then and it’s even scarier now as it becomes official Friday — President of the United States!

As I stated in my New Year’s Day blog, “Since I live in the real world, I know some of you voted for someone other than Hillary and you got your wish!  I hope I never hear you express regret over that decision.  You won’t find a bit of sympathy coming from me.”

I added, “With that being said, I sincerely hope for the best for America (and the world). As someone put it after the stunning election — “wishing for the new president to fail is like boarding a plane and hoping it crashes.”

We’ve boarded that flight now and after I state a couple of things, I’m moving on, accepting the facts, and planning on not writing about him for quite some time!

The world will be a better place after this four-year reign of terror ends.

When the new Democratic president takes office in January 2021, this face and Kellyanne Conway’s face will serve as a reminder that we’re really going to “Make America Great Again”!

Once he’s sworn in, it’d be too easy to name call the 45th president of the United States.

While I find him ignorant and repulsive, I know he’s not the most evil person in American politics (Jesse Helms, George Wallace, Michele Bachmann, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Jeff Sessions, and a few others come to mind).

It’s going to be a long four years.

But, it’ll be four years that’ll be used wisely to ensure America and the world that he’ll be a one-term president.

Additionally, that means his vice-president will have to wait, too.  That is unless he becomes #46 after #45 realizes this is “real life” with real consequences and not some television reality show.

The most amusing thing over the next four years will be the schizophrenic tweets and lies on Twitter.

My determination and that of more than 65.8 million others between now and November 2020 can be summed up in this quote I recently came across and it’s perfect.

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”

Bon Appetit!

Anthony

Record Rain Monday & More Is Coming

It’s the middle of January and well into winter, yet I’m talking about a record rain event to kick off our week.

After an icy start Monday morning, we picked up 0.86″ of rain in the Quad Cities.  That was a record amount of rain for January 16th.

It was also more rain than we saw for the entire month last January.  We only picked up 0.44″ of rain (and melted snow) in January 2016.

It was also the most rain in one day in the Quad Cities in three months.  On October 6, 2016, we recorded 1.10″ of rain.

We have another system coming in Thursday night and Friday with rain and more rain is expected by Sunday.

Anthony

Dangerous Icing Tonight & Early Monday

UPDATED POST:  Sunday, January 15, 2017, 6:09 p.m.

Right now, light freezing rain is being reported from Ottumwa to Fort Madison, Iowa, to Macomb, Illinois.

In the afternoon update, all of eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois will be under the “Winter Weather Advisory” at some point tonight into Monday.

The importance of this is that all of us will see freezing rain.  The only differences across the area will be the start and end times for the “Advisory”.  That also coincides with the timing of when the worst of the icing will be taking place.

 

With that being said, just go through this list of Iowa and Illinois counties until you find yours and that’ll let you know the hours when the worse icing will take place.

The “Winter Weather Advisory” is already underway for Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, and Washington counties in Iowa, and for Henderson and Warren counties in Illinois.  This will expire at 9 a.m. Monday.

Knox and Stark counties in Illinois will go into the “Advisory” at 6 p.m. Sunday and this will run through noon Monday.

From midnight Sunday through noon Monday, the “Advisory” covers Cedar, Johnson, Louisa, Muscatine, and Scott counties in Iowa and Bureau, Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island in Illinois.

The “Advisory” now starts at 3 a.m. Monday through noon Monday for Clinton and Jackson counties in Iowa and for Carroll and Whiteside counties in Illinois.

It also runs from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday for Jo Daviess County, Illinois.

Anthony

UPDATED POST:  Sunday, January 15, 2017, 11:21 a.m.

The start time for the “Winter Weather Advisory” (blueish-purple shading) for some of us has been pushed back again.

It still goes into effect at 3 p.m. today through noon Monday for Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, and Washington counties in Iowa, and for Henderson and Warren counties in Illinois.

It now runs from midnight Sunday through noon Monday for Cedar, Johnson, Louisa, Muscatine, and Scott counties in Iowa and Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island in Illinois.

The “Advisory” now starts at 3 a.m. Monday through noon Monday for Clinton and Jackson counties in Iowa.

Anthony

ORIGINAL POST:  Sunday, January 15, 2017, 6:45 a.m.

The highly-anticipated ice storm I’ve been talking about for over a week now will arrive later today.

The worst of the icing and hazardous driving conditions will be Sunday night and the first half of Monday.

 

Winter advisories and warnings Sunday extend from the Rockies (for heavy snow) to Iowa and Illinois (for mostly ice).

This winter storm is still located over the southwestern United States and is already bringing icy weather to the Plains early Sunday morning.

As of this posting, the heaviest icing in still across southern Missouri and Kansas. This will be moving northeast today.

If you still have errands to run or if you’re heading off to church, most of Sunday morning is still expected to be dry.

The start times for the advisories remain unchanged from my Saturday evening update.

 

A “Winter Weather Advisory” (blueish-purple shading) goes into effect at 3 p.m. today through noon Monday for Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, and Washington counties in Iowa, and for Henderson and Warren counties in Illinois.

The “Advisory” runs from 6 p.m. today through noon Monday for Knox and Stark counties in Illinois.

And,  the “Advisory” starts at 9 p.m. Sunday and expires at noon Monday for Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, Johnson, Louisa, Muscatine, and Scott counties in Iowa and Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island in Illinois.

WINTRY MIX START TIMES

While there may patchy light snow, sleet, or freezing rain moving in late morning, I think our southern hometowns from around Fairfield and Burlington, Iowa, to Monmouth and Galesburg, Illinois, will see the more general wintry mix begin around 2-5 p.m.

The more concentrated wintry mix and icing event moves northward to the Quad Cities and along and south of Interstate 80 from around 5-8 p.m. Sunday.

It should reach northern hometowns by midnight and this may be mostly light snow there, at first.

As temperatures warm south to north Sunday night, the wintry mix will become mostly a freezing rain event.

Temperatures by late morning Monday will be rising above freezing, so rain will fall and the ice will slowly melt.  However, it may take until early afternoon for this to occur.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “advisories” are extended into Monday afternoon.

ICE AMOUNTS

I’m still expectng around one-tenth of an inch of ice to accumulate for most of us.

The heaviest coating of ice, up to one-quarter of an inch, will be to the southwest of the Quad Cities.

 

One final note is that winds are not going to breezy with this storm, so even when we get a coating of ice on trees limbs and power lines, it won’t be whipping them around increasing the chances of power outages.

The bottom line is that most of Sunday morning is still expected to be dry.  You still have some time to run to the store to buy last minute groceries or supplies!

Also, it’s always wise to have plenty of gas in your car in case you’re in an accident.  You’ll want to be able to turn the heat on, occasionally, until service crews and rescuers get to you.

I’ll monitor the start of the wintry mix and icing and update you, as needed, today.

Anthony

Icing Event Begins Later Sunday

UPDATED POST:  Saturday, January 14, 2017, 3:54 p.m.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  Here’s my final update for the day.  I’ll have another one early Sunday.

First off, the latest models continue to slow the onset of the wintry mix Sunday.

The start time for the advisories will coincide with the start of the wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain.

A “Winter Weather Advisory” (blueish-purple shading) will go into effect Sunday into Monday for most of eastern Iowa and west-central Illinois.  This replaces the “Winter Storm Watch” that was to go into effect Sunday.

The “Advisory” will run from 3 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday for Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, and Washington counties in Iowa, and for Henderson and Warren counties in Illinois.

For Knox and Stark counties in Illinois, the “Advisory” runs from 6 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday.

And, for the rest of the counties included in the “Advisory”, it runs from 9 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday.

Those counties are Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, Johnson, Louisa, Muscatine, and Scott counties in Iowa and Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island in Illinois.

The bottom line is the worst of the freezing rain and icing will be Sunday night through mid-morning Monday!

I’m still thinking we’ll see between one-tenth and one-quarter of an inch of ice!

Anthony

UPDATED POST:  Saturday, January 14, 2017, 9:39 a.m.

Just a quick note before you read the details of Sunday’s ice storm below.  The main event and the worst of the storm will be Sunday night and early Monday.

The storm, as expected, is still showing signs of slowing down even more.

Have a great weekend and read on to be prepared.

Anthony

ORIGINAL POST:  Saturday, January 14, 2017, 6:17 a.m.

The much anticipated ice storm is still coming Sunday, but it’s not likely to arrive for most of us until later in the day.

I talked about this in my Friday afternoon update and after looking at the new information this morning, I think we’ll have a few more ice-free hours Sunday.

A “Winter Storm Watch” goes into effect Sunday.

Locally, this “Watch” runs from 6 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday, except for Knox and Stark counties in Illinois.  There, the “Watch” begins at midnight Saturday and runs through 6 a.m. Monday.

At the bottom of the map you see a fuchsia and purple shading.  Those counties are under a “Freezing Rain Advisory” (fuchsia) and “Ice Storm Warning” (purple).

Later today or early Sunday morning, I expect our “Winter Storm Watch” to be changed to either a “Freezing Rain Advisory” or a “Winter Weather Advisory”.

Now, let’s talk about when this all starts and how much ice we’re expecting.

A light wintry mix may begin Sunday morning across the far south.

Hometowns from Ottumwa and Burlington, Iowa, to Galesburg, Illinois, could see a combination of snow, sleet, and freezing rain begin around midday Sunday.

For the Quad Cities and hometowns along and just south of Interstate 80, that wintry mix will start in the afternoon (4-7 p.m.).

Areas north of the metro area may see mostly snow for a while once it starts Sunday evening.

This wintry mix will transition to all freezing rain Sunday night and early Monday morning from south to north as temperatures warm overnight.

By mid-morning Monday, temperatures will be warming into the 30s and then the low-40s by afternoon, so it’ll be all rain and the ice will begin to slowly melt.

 

As you head south into those higher numbers, ice amounts could be closer to one-quarter of an inch.

That’s a lot of ice!

Driving will be very hazardous Sunday night and early Monday.  Trees and power lines will have a heavy coating of ice, which could cause power outages and interruptions to cable, phone, and internet services.

While the ice might be pretty to look at, this is a very dangerous situation.

The only silver lining is that winds are not expected to be strong during this icing event at around 6-12 miles-per-hour.

I’ll have another update later Saturday.

Warmer temperatures are on the way starting Monday.  By the end of the next week, we could see highs in the 50s!

Anthony

Ice Storm Threat Sunday

UPDATED POST:  Friday, January 13, 2017, 4:12 p.m.

After looking over the evening data, the only real change is that the system may slow down just a little more.

This means the wintry mix will probably start around late morning Sunday across the far south and early afternoon as you move more to the north.

Also, the start times for the “Winter Storm Watch” are now midnight Saturday for Knox and Stark counties in Illinois, 6 a.m. for the rest of our southern hometowns (Louisa, Mercer and Henry counties southward), and noon Sunday for the Quad Cities and areas northward.

Ice accumulation totals will be in the one-tenth to one-quarter of an inch range.

I’ll have another full weather update for your early Saturday morning.

Have a great weekend!

Anthony

ORIGINAL POST:  Friday, January 13, 2017, 5:27 a.m.

It’s not just Friday, it’s Friday the 13th!

With that in mind, I do have some ominous new details on the late weekend winter storm that’ll likely be a significant ice storm for much of our area and for the middle of the country.

Quiet conditions are expected today, tomorrow, and early Sunday.  However, there may be a light wintry mix across our southern hometowns late tonight and early Saturday.  This could cause some slick driving conditions.

As the details on this late weekend storm come together, a “Winter Storm Watch” goes into effect early Sunday through early Monday morning for almost of Iowa, a large portion of Illinois, including the Quad Cities, and the Plains.

Once this storm comes together and we get closer to the start of it, I expect much of that “Winter Storm Watch” to be upgraded to an “Ice Storm Warning”.

Those warnings are already in place for parts of downstate Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma for this weekend.

Here’s how things are looking for Sunday as of this morning.

Now, keep in mind that this’ll likely change as we head into the weekend.  The timing could be moved up or pushed back and the areas of heavy ice accumulation may shift some to the north or south.

A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will develop late Sunday morning or early in the afternoon and become more likely by Sunday evening.

This will be a common sight Sunday night as we transition to all freezing rain!  That’s when we’ll see road conditions deteriorate as ice glazes everything.

Significant icing is likely with one-quarter of inch not out of the question.

That’s the bad news because this is going to be a dangerous situation.

The good news is that by Monday, highs will be warming into the 40s and this becomes all rain and the ice begins to melt.

Even warmer temperatures are likely next week.  By the end of next week, we could hit 50° or the 50s!

But, we have to get through the late weekend ice storm first.

While I don’t work this weekend, I’ll have updates in my blog and on my Facebook page!

Be safe!

Anthony

Weekend Ice Storm Threat Building

UPDATED POST:  Thursday, January 12, 2017, 3:49 p.m.

Details on the potential late weekend ice storm are still coming together.  The specifics will likely change some more as we head into the weekend.

A “Winter Storm Watch” has been issued for late Saturday night into late Sunday night for many of the counties just to the south of the Quad Cities.

Right now that includes Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Louisa, and Washington counties in Iowa and Henderson, Knox, Mercer, Stark, and Warren counties in Illinois.

By the time we get to the weekend, I’m thinking that this “Winter Storm Watch” will be upgraded to an “Ice Storm Warning”.  Those warnings are already in place for parts of downstate Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma for the weekend.

Also, I think the Quad Cities will be included in future updates.

I still think parts of the area will see some light snow or a wintry mix Friday night, but the big event — possible significant icing — arrives late Saturday night into early Monday morning.

Be sure to join me Friday from 5-7 a.m. on “Local 4 News This Morning” for the latest information.

And, while I’m not working this weekend, you know I’ll have updates on my blog and on my Facebook page!

Anthony

ORIGINAL POST:  Thursday, January 12, 2017, 5:50 a.m.

It’s been an interesting overnight and early Thursday morning with thunder and lightning, sleet, and freezing rain for hometowns south and east of the Quad Cities.

Several flashes of lightning moved through Knox County around 2-3 a.m. Thursday.

This brought a glaze of ice that coated roadways, sidewalks, and cars making for a messy morning commute.

This will move out quickly this morning and we could see some sun break through the clouds Thursday afternoon.

Our next disturbance arrives Friday night into early Saturday.  This one will bring light snow and light freezing drizzle.

For the past week or so, I’ve been telling you about a bigger storm coming late in the weekend.  That’s still on the way, but our computer models are still not agreeing on the path or timing of the storm.

With that being said, I still expect a wintry mix Sunday and Sunday night that could bring a dangerous accumulation of snow and ice.

By Monday, temperatures warm to around 42° and I’m forecasting the wintry mix early that morning to change to all rain during the day into the evening.

It’ll end as a light wintry mix Monday night or early Tuesday morning.

Since there are still many variables with this late weekend storm this far out, plan on hazardous conditions later this weekend and keep up on the latest forecast.

Temperatures next week will be rather mild for January.  Highs will warm into the low-to-mid-40s.

Anthony

Listen Up! This Might Be About You!

Opinions, social media, professionalism, and tolerance are at the forefront of my thoughts today and I just have to vent.

We all have opinions and we express them to our friends and to people we might not even know through social media.  Facebook, I’m looking at you.

I have two Facebook pages — one personal and one professional.  On my personal page, I share my thoughts, my travels, my family, and so on.  On my work page, I only share weather updates and weather-related stories.

Clearly, some of the 3,550 “friends” I have on my personal page are linked to the wrong page.  It’s taken this divisive election and its aftermath for some to see that.

You clearly need to “like” my professional page if you want my accurate forecasts and updates without my personal opinions!

Let me share some personal things about me:  I love my family, my job, my real friends (in person and online), wine, champagne, vodka, desserts, buffets, and the f-word.

The bottom line is that I’m human and I’m not perfect.  As we all know, I’m not alone.

Because of my profession, I’ve developed a thick skin over the years, but people can still occasionally get under it.  Trust me, that f-word comes to mind and it does come out. But, because of work and that I’m a “southern gentleman”, I publicly suppress it.

Two days ago, a woman told me I was just as bad as Donald Trump.  Seriously, that makes me want to LOL.  Never in my life have I uttered or even thought, “grab her by the p—y”!!!

For the record, there are very few things that Donald Trump and I have in common:  I’m sure we’re anatomically similar and, in 1993, I used sun-in on my brown hair and instead of getting the desired ginger-color I was going for, my hair turned a shade of orange!  The horror!  The horror!

I guess where we’re most similar is that we both hold grudges — I forgive, but I don’t forget!

Sorry, I got sidetracked there.

And, then yesterday, I had my own Meryl Streep/post-Golden Globe moment.

A Facebook “friend” posted on my page:  “I think it’s about time that you quit whining also I’ve heard enough of crap I’ve heard enough from you he will be our president like it or not accept it for what it is your complaining is not going to change a thing spend a little more time doing your weather instead of complaining give the man a chance”

Trust me, I didn’t change the incoherent thought process, the run-on sentences, and the lack of punctuation in the post!  (I did highlight for you where he gave me work advice.)

So, let’s clear up some things.  March will mark my seventh year on Facebook.  I only had a personal page then and not a professional page.

If you’re one of those people that sent a friend request because you know me as a television meteorologist, but you don’t want me to have opinions and share them, you have two options: (1) like my professional page where you’ll only find weather and unfriend me on my personal page, or (2) just unfriend me on my personal page.

I don’t send Facebook “friend request” to people.  In the seven years on the site, I can count on two hands the number of people I’ve sent a “friend request” to and they’re “celebrities”.

I look at Facebook as my online “home”.  Since I’m not a bobble head or a “bubble headed bleached blonde [who] comes on at five”, I’ll continue to share my opinions with people that visit.

If you don’t like what I have to say or you disagree, I allow you to express that diplomatically.  But, when you hijack my page with a long string of comments or are rude to me or my other guests, I definitely don’t want to be your “friend” and I’m more than happy for you to go away!

With that being said, I want the country to survive the next four years.

However, that doesn’t mean I should keep my thoughts about him or his presidency to myself.  I know you’ve heard the all the things said about President Obama over the past eight years and about Hillary Clinton for the past thirty years!

You can’t have it both ways!

Recently, someone I trust dearly said to me, “For someone who talks tolerance, that wasn’t very tolerant”.

It got me to thinking and I’ll quickly expand on that.  When I talk “tolerance”, it’s not a wide umbrella that encompasses everything.

For me, it’s human rights and equality.  No one person — regardless of race, sexual orientation, sex, religion or lack of religion, age, financial status, and the list goes on and on — is better than another person.

There are people that recite passages from that good book about being made in his image and then there’s the document that this country was built on that mentions “all men are created equal”.

Those things may be true, but it doesn’t matter if we don’t extend courtesy to our fellow man.  Basic human rights are what I’m talking about when I speak of “tolerance”. However, I draw the line with ignorance.  That’s not under my umbrella of “tolerance”!

If you’ve made it this far, when you visit my blog or my social media “home”, show that your mother raised a decent child and be diplomatic.

Just as I can’t wrap my head around the fact that you may have voted for Trump, you’re probably thinking the same thing about me and my love for Hillary Clinton.

I’m a “Hillary flunky” (Trump-ism there) and if that’s too much for you to handle, then grow a pair and just unfriend me.  Or, if I post something you don’t like about #45, then scroll on by the comment and carry on with your day.

Anthony