Carolina Conflict: UNC vs Duke

We asked...and you responded. I never doubted it, but now it is clear...Charlotte is DEFINITELY a Tar Heels fan-base.

We held a poll to see who was the best North Carolina basketball team and here is how the results panned out:

59% - UNC Tar Heels
25% - Duke Blue Devils
14% - Who Cares? Is it Football Season Yet?

Tar Heels may have won the poll, but they couldn't pull it off when it counted most...on the court.

Yes, Round One goes to the Blue Devils - beating UNC in the Dean Dome. But Round Two isn't that far off...can Duke bring the momentum back home and get the win there as well?

Guess we'll have to see...

By the way, I saw this and since Duke DID win, I guess it is okay to let them gloat a little.



Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to slam the Tar Heels, they are still one of the best teams - with only two losses this season.

But the fact that those losses are to two different ACC teams, could hurt the Heels chances in the conference.

But Tar Heel fans, never fear. Ty Lawson will be back on his feet soon enough, and the Tar Heel spirit will be back in full swing...




...until Sunday when they play Clemson! Ha ha ha!

Go Tigers!

The Sugary Truth (Part Three)

Thinking about stopping by a fast food restuarant for a quick bite before work?

You may change your mind when you see just how much sugar you are eating. Check out the scary facts behind "The Sugary Truth."

(Click picture to watch video)

Super Bowl Ads up to Par?

USAToday.com and Ad Meter have teamed up once again to rank the top Super Bowl commercials for 2008. We have the top five for you to watch again, if you liked them.

This year, Budweiser took the top spot with "Clydesdale Team" Commercial.



#2 - FedEx's Giant Pigeon commercial.



#3 - Bridgestone's Screaming Critters



#4 - Doritos' Giant Mouse



#5 - Bud Light's Fire Breather



So which one was your favorite? Leave us a comment and let us know!

The Sugary Truth (Part Two)

So just how much sugar is in a 20-ounce Coke bottle?

The answer may suprise you as we show you just how much sugar you're downing with your lunch! Check out the scary facts behind "The Sugary Truth."

(Click picture to watch video)

The Sugary Truth (Part One)

That's right, we're taking a look at the sweet stuff. Just how much sugar are you giving your children?

All week long we are taking a look at foods and drinks and the scary facts behind "The Sugary Truth."

(Click the picture to watch the story)

The Super Bowl: From the Loser's Point of View

Super Bowl 42 lived up to the hype.

I mean, how could it not - no matter who won, it was a great game from the very making.

The Underdog vs. The Unbeaten Season.

I would have loved to have seen the Panthers in the game, but lets be honest - I think we all want to forget this season even existed.

When the Pats made it, I was VERY excited. But a 4th quarter touchdown pass from Giants QB Eli Manning to to Plexico Burress halted that excitement in mid-track.



Yup, thats the one.

So yeah, my Patriots didn't get the Super Bowl win, but let's not forget their achievements either. They may not have ended with the Perfect 19-0 season, but they still won one more game than the 1972 Dolphins who were 17-0. No other team has gone 18-1 since the new extended season. Now I know how fans of the 1968 Baltimore Colt felt.

But hey, its still HUGE.

Oh yeah, and congrats to the TRUE NY Giants fans.

I don't know why, but every year it surprises me how many fans come out of the woodwork when a team makes it to the Super Bowl game. Suddenly people you've never even heard talk about football are "life-long fans."

I'm going to quote most University of South Carolina football fans: "There's always next year!"

Mr. McCrory, come here! I have to tell you something!

It's amazing how much fun you can have in Charlotte, for just $2.60.

That's right...$2.60. The price of a Light Rail ticket to and from Center City.

Now, I'll be honest. I'm not from Charlotte, and just barely moved into the city limits and have an apartment there - so I wasn't around for the Light Rail vote. But like many people from just across the South Carolina border - I'm glad it is there. I can park near I-485 and ride into the city without having to figure out where to park and all that. Plus, I figure in some small way, I'm giving back to the city.

So my friends and I were bored on Friday and decided to go walk around Center City. Rather than drive around looking for a place to park, we decided to just take the light rail in.

On our way over, I mentioned to my friends that I had seen a profile for Mayor McCrory on Facebook earlier that day. (Who knows if it's actually the Mayor, or not.) All of the people with me were from South Carolina, and it didn't register right away who McCrory was. So I explained that he was the Mayor and was running for Governor.

About 30 minutes later, we were about halfway to Center City when a group gets on the Light Rail behind me. Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice saying "Hey everybody, are you enjoying your ride?" A group of people (late teens-to early 20s) in the back of the train started freaking out. "Oh my god, thats the MAYOR!"

So I turn around, and low and behold - there he is. I turned back around, because I don't want to be the creepy guy staring at the Mayor. One of the people from the group in the back comes running up and asks for the Mayor's autograph. I just laughed...but then it got interesting.

My friend Mia says, "Wow, we were just talking about him and there he is. I gotta say 'hi'." I figure it can't be any worse than asking for his autograph, so I say "go for it."

She turns around, and yells: "Hey Mister McCrory! Come here, I have to tell you something!" The Mayor walks over and she explains how we were just talking about him and how she didn't even know who he was. "30 minutes ago, I'd never even heard of you, now here you are!"

This time...I was too embarassed to even turn around. I just sat in my seat and laughed to myself. He was polite, said a few nice words and then walked back to his group. Honestly, I think she scared him a little. Ha ha.

Mia started texting another friend, and of course, we had to get a picture for her.



That's him, behind the pole.

After the Mayor excitement, we got off on 7th Street and walked around Uptown for about 2 hours and then rode the Light Rail back. We sat near a group of people who were riding for the first time, and were just checking things out. They were very funny, and we got plenty of laughs.

None as hard as when we saw the Mayor, though.

Who knew that $2.60 would get you such a good time?

Winter Blast Coming!

The past couple of weeks have been nothing short of spectacular for our area and the Southeast with an active pattern of storms with welcome rain. I've been asked if the recent rains are 'really' doing anything to help our situation out. You better believe it! Time of year is really on our side with a low sun angle and lower evaporation rates maximizing every raindrop across the area. As I'll always say, an inch of rain in December goes a lot further than an inch of rain in July or August. Unfortunately, we need about two to three months straight of this pattern to make a huge impact in the drought recovery. That will be difficult to do. In fact, signs of another pattern change with drier conditions are close.



We'll finish 2007 with another amazing soaker on Sunday. Everything still looks good for a general 1 to 2 inch rain for many areas as low pressure develops in the Southeast and moves toward the Carolina coast. Next up, a blast of arctic air with a strong and relatively dry cold front Tuesday. The air behind this front is some of the coldest we have seen in a long time. The attached panel shows the direct link to the Arctic with the cold air pouring all the way down through Florida!

This surge of arctic air will result in highs around the Charlotte metro in the 30s and 40s Wednesday and even Thursday struggles to get into the low 40s! Morning lows will be in the teens and 20s both mornings with 20s extending into Friday morning too. And I will say this, if you love skiing, make plans now for anytime from Tuesday through next weekend to hit the North Carolina resorts. Not only will the resorts have an easy time making fresh powder for the slopes, but natural snow will blitz many of the resorts from late day Tuesday into late Wednesday night. In fact, snow chains on tires and 4-wheel drive may be the way to get to those resorts with some of the snow squalls I can see developing. Pure arctic air in the form of a strong northwest wind into the mountains, a couple of upper air disturbances to move across and enhance snow squall activity will make for a significant snow. Look for more specifics from me by Monday of next week.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

I just wanted to take a second to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Mele Kalikimaka , Feliz Navidad or whatever version you choose to say.

'Tis the season for joy, happiness and remembering what is most important.

We were talking before the show this morning about our plans for the Christmas break and about traditions for our family Christmas.

But we want to know what you do! What does your family do for Christmas that you think is special? Let us know.



PS - if you want, you can Track Santa tonight!

Weatherman Notebook - Do You See What I See?!

**Friday morning update... this system looks too weak right now Christmas day and with a marginally cold air mass to be much of a threat for Winter weather. Unless something changes in the days ahead, scattered showers or sprinkles with a few wet snowflakes possible for the higher mountains or counties near the Virginia stateline might be as good as it gets. But as said, we're still many days away and I'll be sure to update this entry should something change:) Otherwise, a nice active pattern for the next 10 days with bouts of storminess is excellent news in our drought. **


While on vacation this week, I continue to start my days off with a few cups of coffee and look over weather charts each morning. Unless I'm away from a computer, I never truly leave the weather behind. This helps me a great deal when I come back to work, I feel like I can get right back into my groove of forecasting on-air. I'll be back to work next week as my wife and I will celebrate Christmas together in Charlotte. Well anyway, for those of you visiting our morning show blog, you've already noticed I post occasional weather entries. This entry goes to all my fellow snowlovers with fingers crossed for something close to Christmas... read on:)

First off, I've noticed some major climate indices showcasing a possibility of a more typical Winter pattern over the next 10 to 14 days... at least normal to slightly below normal temperatures. No signs of brutally cold air but cold enough to where you need to monitor passing systems and their tracks. The first of which falls on Christmas day! Two medium to long range computer models are remarkably close in the basic ingredients for a system Christmas day. This boosts my confidence to some extent as two computer models with totally different solutions makes for less than stellar confidence.

This first panel is for late day Sunday of the upcoming weekend. You'll see a ribbon of rain (shades of pink, violet, blue) stretching across the Carolinas into New England. This is the cold front you've heard about coming through over the weekend. Notice the tailend of this front sags into the Gulf of Mexico where it goes stationary.







While this happens, upper level energy will be diving out of the Rockies toward the Gulf with a strong jet stream aloft (river of fast moving air). The combination of the two 'could' be enough to generate an area of low pressure off that old front in the Gulf then move it northeast through the Southeast. This is our more classic track for any hope of Winter weather in our area. This next panel shows the system moving across the Southeast into the Carolinas. We have high pressure to the north of the system with a source of 'just cold enough air' to work with.

This all said, I post this in the spirit of Christmas and to all those asking me about a white Christmas:) Understand, this is many days out and will require numerous tweaks. And honestly, while I won't post all the various charts I look over for space concerns on our blog, the above chart at "face value" features a mixed bag of precipitation across the region because the cold high to the north is marginally cold for a Winter weather event. Many other cooling processes would need to occur to make for frozen precipitation. **If the track of the low is further to the west, it would be more cold rain or pockets of freezing rain... more to the east, possibly more wintry weather. Either way, you just have to love how December is finishing with rounds of storminess coming through during our horrible drought. We're in the midst of an active storm track, so lets keep it coming!
So, lots to watch over the days ahead. They'll be fine tuning and yes, there is always a chance the storm might not materialize being this far out. But lets watch it... Stay tuned...