Rick_Dickert's Blog

If you are weather nut or have any level of fascination for meteorology like I do, this magazine is for you! It’s called Extreme Weather and was published by Astronomy Magazine. With devastating hurricanes, record floods and deadly head waves leading the news the last few years, it was the perfect time for a publication like this. It is packed with amazing photos of all kinds of wild weather. The special edition magazine is also loaded with articles on the science of weather. It is more than just a magazine, it is a comprehensive weather reference. What’s also great is that the writing is easy for lay person to understand, but detailed enough for the professional scientist. Living here in southern California where the weather highlight is mostly the depth of the marine layer, the feature on storm chasing really got me going. A very solid summary on climate change is included as well. Moreover, the story of our nation's greatest natural disaster is chronicled, the Galveston, Texas hurricane of 1900.

Photo from Extreme Weather by Astronomy Magazine

Photographs of clouds, satellite images and spectacular lightning shots make the magazine eye candy for even the casual weather enthusiasts. It’s possible Astronomy Magazine may make Extreme Weather a bi-monthly or quarterly publication. I hope so!    Check it out, it’s on newsstands now or check out Astronomy Magazine’s website for more information: http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx

 I highly recommend it!

Happy weather watching everyone-

Rick Dickert

Yep..we added another Dickert to the clan recently...Her name is Iris...She's awesome..a pure breed yellow lab. BUT..wow..just like a new born baby she’s A LOT of work right now..We got her when she was 8 weeks old from a breeder up in the Victorville area. We spent the previous few months researching labs before finally committing. I can't wait until she is a few months older and I can start to run with her and take her down to the water. I want to be able to get her out in the surf eventually. They hold a dog-only surf contest down in San Diego every June. A lab won the event this year! Perhaps Iris will hold up the trophy in another few years. She's already brought a lot of joy to our family. She's treated like royalty, like all dogs should be. I've read up on labs and general dog behavoir..but still need some help..Please pass on any advice that you might have! We are keeping her away from other dogs and public areas until she gets all of her shots.

YES..I know the adorable little pup that Iris is now will grow into a 60 pound BIG dog!

It's going to be an extra fun summer with Iris...Have a great week everyone and hit me up with some comments!

Take care-Rick

My favorite season...YES..it is here..finally..Summer officially arrives in the northern hemisphere at 4:59 pm PDT Friday, June 20th. The noontime sun will be directly overhead at the tropic of cancer, 23 1/2 degrees north latitude. In the northern hemisphere, it will be one of the longest days (most daylight hours) of the year. Here in L.A., the sun will be above the horizon for almost 14 1/2 hours. The weather is sure appropriate for the start of the warm season. On Thursday, Woodland Hills reached a record 109 degrees. Chatsworth was 110. Friday and Saturday will likely be just as hot, if not hotter. How about the REST of the summer? The Climate Prediction Center just updated their forecast for the next three months (summer). Below is a map which shows the temperature forecast.

A big area of the Southwest is expected to have ABOVE average high temperatures. However, the CPC is forecasting BELOW average temperatures along the immediate coast of southern California. We'll have to wait at see..but it certainly is off to a RECORD HOT start...Stay cool everyone and HAPPY SUMMER!! Rick

I love taking pictures of nature. Whether its clouds, mountains, the ocean or trees, I am always clicking away. My inspiration for landscape and nature photography came from my love of the earth and the atmosphere and my admiration for Ansel Adams. I have several of Ansel’s photographs on the walls of my home. My library is also filled with many of his books. Yeah, I try to emulate his work, but never get close. I was fortunate enough to take a trip up to Yosemite a few years back during spring and see where it all started for Ansel. What a magical place. I am hoping to take another trip to the park very soon.

Last year I purchased a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. It’s an amazing digital camera. However, there are so many complicated features that are available to help get just the right picture. I am slowly working with lighting and the ISO speed and am gradually getting more proficient with all of the camera’s bells and whistles. I’ll be honest though and say that many times I just put it in “auto” mode and click away. I need more training and need to get out more and shoot away! Below are a couple of photographs I took at the beach near my home. I like working with both black and white and color.

I’d love to hear from you guys about photography. Any good tips for photographing landscape images? Share some of your pictures with us. I am going to see if our web guys can set up an area where you can post some your work.

Have a great weekend everyone-Rick

Spring is in full swing, temperatures are nice and mild..flowers are blooming...perfect conditions for a hike! With surfing and running, hiking is another one of my favorite outlets. There are so many amazing trails right here in our backyard. The Santa Monica Mountains are loaded with all kinds of great hiking areas with various levels of difficulty. You can hike from the beach up to some of the mountain's highest peaks. Calabasas Peak (2163’) off of Stunt Road and Mulholland Drive is a great hike with awesome views. You can see the ocean and the valley from the trail. Much of the Santa Monica Mountains has been reserved for our pleasure. You have to take advantage of it! A short drive will get you out of the West L.A. or 818 gridlock and into the wilderness. Point Mugu State Park on the west end of the mountains is beautiful. I recently hiked through Malibu Creek State Park. WOW! It was my first time through the area. I’ve included a few pictures.

I'll take this view over the 405 any day..

**This is an old weather station..HAD to take a shot of it!

Yes..this is just a few miles from the city..

We pass over these trails on a regular basis up in SkyFox when we are flying in and out of Van Nuys Airport each morning. The mountains look great from 3000’ but you can’t beat being on the ground trudging through the trails. So make plans for a hike this spring..it’s the perfect time and I guarantee it will be therapeutic. The sea breeze and marine layer keep the temperature nice and mild this time of year. Robert Stone’s “Day Hikes Around Los Angeles” details ALL of the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It’s in my library and is my bible for hiking in SOCAL. It gives comprehensive driving directions to the trailheads and summarizes the various hikes. Go out and enjoy! I’ll see ya on the trail-Rick

Here's a great like to info on the Santa Monica Mountains:

 http://www.nps.gov/samo/

The poppys are blooming BIG TIME and you have to check them out! We made a trip up to the Antelope Valley last week and captured images like this: 

The high desert is covered with them..it is quite a sight. The Poppy Festival is taking place THIS weekend. Check out this web site for more information: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve is the best spot to view our state’s flower. There are trails and all kinds of great information. If you live in SOCAL and have never made it out to the Antelope Valley to check out the flowers I highly recommend it. It’s a great day trip! HEADS UP THOUGH!! This weekend looks like it will be windy and cooler up in the deserts. Check the latest forecast on our web site where you are at now! Have a good one everyone-

Rick

Ok, this one is for all of you who do NOT buy into the theory of global warming…According to government scientists, the average temperature across both the contiguous U.S. and the globe during the past climatological winter (December 2007-February 2008) was the coolest since the year 2001. HOWEVER, the average temperature for the U.S. of 33.2 degrees was still 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit ABOVE average. Below is a map which breaks down state by state rankings. Here in California, it was the 27th coldest winter on record and BELOW average. A series of Pacific storms kept our area on the chilly side through the winter months. Furthermore, we were in a La Nina pattern where the eastern equatorial Pacific waters are cooler than average. This typically brings cool temperatures to the Golden State. Meanwhile, much of the East Coast was above average. When you average in all of the states, we ended up being the coolest since 2001. Remember, this is only one winter! If you look at the long term averages, temperatures continue to slowly climb across North America and the globe. The data doesn’t lie; however, some still some debate on what may be causing the warming. We were in the 80’s and low 90’s here in SOCAL over Easter weekend setting new record highs..so spring is off to a WARM start...Time to hit the beach..Have a great weekend everyone and wite back! Rick

Spring officially began at 10:48 pm local time Wednesday night!..I made a mistake during the Fox 11 Morning News this morning..Today (Thursday) is the FIRST FULL day of spring. The noon sun will be directly overhead at the equator and everywhere on the planet will have close to 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness..hence EQUINOX!

Happy Spring! Rick

Flying up in SkyFox every morning, we encounter all kinds of weather. As a meteorologist, this is one of the many parts of my job that I love. I get to see first hand from 1000’ up exactly what is happening. Are low clouds spreading north into L.A. due to an eddy? Are the Santa Ana winds as strong as forecast? Has the cold front cleared the L.A. Basin? I can show and tell all of this every morning from SkyFox.

However, the weather can be a bit challenging for our helicopter as well. Wind is the worst. Strong Santa Ana winds make flying quite difficult and a bit sketchy. The erratic nature of the gusts are especially challenging. During a strong wind event, we try and stay clear of the mountains and canyons where the winds are typically strongest. However, if a wildfire develops and we need to cover it for the viewers, we just have to go with it...and typically they are in the windiest locations. I am often asked if I ever get scarred while flying due to the wind or other weather elements. I love it all, as long as it is in the zone of safe flying, which brings me to my next point.

Yes, there are limits to our flying ability. The visibility and ceiling are typically our biggest constraints. SkyFox and our pilot are categorized as a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) aircraft. In a controlled air space, the limits for VFR flying are at the lower end of MVFR conditions (Marginal Visual Flight Rules). This means the visibility should be 3 miles or greater and the ceiling (height of the bases of the clouds) should be no lower than 1000’ AGL (Above Ground Level). However, we have a special “clause” that allows us to fly if the visibility is as low as 1 mile and the ceiling drops to 500’ AGL. The FAA stipulates that our flying be in an environment in which we can make a safe landing without injury or damage to property. In the end, it is the pilots call. If he feels it is too dangerous, we keep the bird on the ground. With winds, if gusts are exceeding 50 mph, we are grounded. Bottom line, we fly as safe as possible.

You all be safe too!

Wow what a week…

An 111mph peak wind gust at Laguna Peak above Point Mugu and a minimum relative humidity of 3% in Burbank. That really tells the story of this Santa Ana wind episode. A sustained wind of 111mph in a hurricane would make it a MAJOR category 3 storm. 

Watching the fires and “feeling” the winds from SkyFox was an experience. To watch the coordinated efforts of the fire fighters on the ground and in the air was amazing. The water dropping helicopters make run after run saving homes. Some pilots making 30-40 drops in a shift dealing with wind and smoke. The strike teams on the hills in the heat. Once again, all to protect property and lives. These men and women amaze me. I have so much respect for them. After hours of flying this week in the smoke and winds, if I started to get tired or burned out all I had to do was think of the firefighters below and what they were going through. And what about all the people displaced from the fire or even worse those who lost almost everything. I was able to go home each afternoon with no problem. I salute all of the fire fighters and my thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their homes.

 
So are more fires in our future? Remember all of these fires are the result of US. Weather intentionally set or the result of down power lines, WE are responsible. We have built right up against wild land areas. We have increased our population and built power lines to support us. Without our development, these fires would NOT be here. Also, with continued warming in our atmosphere, droughts and heat waves will become more regular. This means more fire danger. Not the best of news. 

 
Rick

It’s been a tough winter for me as a meteorologists..I’ve BUSTED quite a few forecasts…I have gone too high on rainfall totals and too long on rain durations several times. I think I was trying to wish away this miserably dry season we are experiencing. Since July 1st (the official start of the rainfall season), Los Angeles (USC) has only received 2.47” of rain. This is the driest ever to date.

Moreover, we’ve had record heat, damaging winds, snow down to near sea level and below freezing temperatures at some beaches. It’s been a pretty crazy and random season, making it that much more difficult. But that’s no excuse! I feel so badly when I totally bust a forecast.

I know here in SOCAL, you guys are always on the move: outside, on the roads or just chill-axing in your backyards and really want to know what is up with the weather for planning purposes. When I bust a forecast I am miserable! I know it is an inexact science and we can’t always be right, but I still have a hard time with it. So please know, when I say dry and you see rain or I say sunshine and you see clouds, I am feeling your PAIN!! I apologize and will always work to better our forecasts.

Have a great weekend everyone-

Rick

PS: Dry with lots of sunshine for the weekend..with the marine layer returning by Sunday..but NO Rain!..I THINK??!! :)

…I was adopted through Los Angeles County Children’s Services by two amazing people. I owe them everything. No family is perfect and we had our dysfunctions, but I know that the foundation, support and motivation that I received from my parents helped me achieve my goals. The adoption system here in Los Angeles worked for me and my parents.

What I want to know is why so many people, including celebrities, are going OUT of the country to adopt. Let me first say that ANYONE who reaches out to help a child live a healthy, fruitful life is a hero in my eyes, no matter where the child came from. HOWEVER, I am just confused as to why the adoption trend is to go abroad. My birth parents were young, unwed college students here in SOCAL. They thought, given their circumstances at the time, it would be best for me to grow up in an established family. I know there are SO many children in the Los Angeles area that need homes now. Why not adopt these kids?? I may be ignorant to the process now. Perhaps the bureaucracy is out of control here in California so some feel the need to go out of the country. If that is the case, it needs to change.

Christine Devine, one of the leaders of our news operation here at FOX has dedicated herself to helping local kids find homes here in Los Angles. It’s a feature we run on FOX called Wednesday’s Child. You need to check it out if you haven’t already. Christine is my hero and one of my favorites here at FOX.

Please blog back and give me your thoughts and any information that you have on local vs. overseas adoptions.

When my parents were looking to find a boy back in the day, they came upon me. The adoption agent said I seemed like a solid kid but I had this odd habit of going to the window and looking to the sky and pointing at the clouds. I was quirky even back them :)….I had to finish on a light note! Take care everyone-