The Tuesday morning view of what will likely become our next tropical system in the Atlantic Basin... NOAA's "Gulfstream" is schedule to fly around it later today with an Air Force Recon mission scheduled for Wednesday. #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #NOAA
Chief Meteorologist Gary Stephenson
@gstephensonwx.bsky.social
Chief Meteorologist Spectrum News 1 (Central/Eastern NC) Aviation, Weather, Birds, Cats, Photography, Space, Star Trek, Standing up for SCIENCE!!! Hoping for a brighter tomorrow!
On this date in Aviation and Space History... The Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum" makes its first flight. It is an air superiority fighter designed to counter the American F-15 and F-16. October 6, 1977
On this date in Weather History... Heavy rain began across parts of eastern Pennsylvania, later triggering flooding along the Susquehanna River. The flooding washed many unharvested pumpkins down the river. It became known as the "Great Pumpkin Flood of 1786". October 5, 1786
"This location on Grandfather Mountain, just above the Blue Ridge Parkway, is traditionally a harbinger of the autumn leaf season. Seen from the Mile High Swinging Bridge area, this spot is always one of the first to turn and typically produces vibrant color." Photo by Leslie Restivo
Rainfall potential for North Carolina through next Monday afternoon... Models continue to bring tropical moisture into the state from Saturday night, Sunday, into Monday. #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx
All eyes in the western Gulf of Mexico... Models are indicating that moisture from, whatever this becomes, will find its way to North Carolina by the weekend. Could be a good opportunity for some needed rain. #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #NHC #NOAA
On this date in Aviation and Space History... The Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off on the STS-41G mission. It is the first space flight with two women, Sally Ride and Kathryn Sullivan, as crew members. It is also the first spaceflight for a Canadian astronaut, Marc Garneau. October 5, 1984
On this date in Weather History... Twenty-seven tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma. At the time, this is the greatest number of confirmed tornadoes during the month of October on a single day. October 4, 1998
Sunday afternoon Reindeer Games...
"Pops of red are emerging on the flanks of Grandfather Mountain and can be viewed from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Today’s photo showcases a maple with hues of red and purple found at the parking area for Beacon Heights." Photo by Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation
Completed my latest model project this afternoon… A “Strike Eagle” with SJAFB markings. #SpectrumNews1 #F15 #StrikeEagle
I must say... Models are starting to peak my interest in the western Gulf of Mexico. Models are hinting at a weak disturbance and tropical moisture potentially impacting the southeastern United States in the next 7 to 10 days. Maybe some much needed rainfall for the region.
"In the book, 11 different stories are told, each from the perspective of a different person or family in North Carolina..." #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #HurricaneHelene
2 years after the storm, graphic novel shares stories of Hurricane Helene survivors
Two years after Hurricane Helene ripped through much of the Southeast, many of the communities affected by that storm are still recovering. A new project has chronicled their journey, using what might...
pbs.org
"While the landscape is still mostly green, Grandfather staff are noticing daily progression of fall colors on the mountain. This photo, taken earlier this week, shows the view from Cliffside in the light of sunset." Photo by Leslie Restivo | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation
Its been a bit gloomy this weekend... But it was quite nice on Friday, when I took these pics. A little "Fall" starting to show up in our area. #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #Fall2026
The weather should cooperate for seeing this on Tuesday morning... #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #Moon #Jupiter
Jupiter will disappear behind the moon on Oct. 6 — and if you're in the right place, you can watch it happen
A waning crescent moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter before dawn on Oct. 6, hiding the giant planet from view across parts of North America.
space.com
On this date in Aviation and Space History... The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite placed in Earth orbit. October 4, 1957
On this date in Weather History... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is formed. October 3, 1970
NCDOT is planning to re-open Highway 12 at Pea Island to unrestricted, two-way traffic by the end of Saturday... #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #OBX #NCDOT
It may be October but we still have Hummingbirds in the region... Keep those feeders out if you can. I know our little friends appreciate it. #SpectrumNews1 #Hummingbirds
I post this for entertainment value only... Friday's 18Z GFS model wants it to snow on October 18th. Which is a little early for the GFS to start spiting out its "phantom" storms. I got a feeling, with this strong El Nino, we're going to see some weird stuff on the models in the coming months.
Potential rain totals over the next 72 hours... Models have been trending lower on total with areas farther south having the greater rain potential. #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #NWS
On this date in Aviation and Space History... William Knight sets a new airspeed record in a North American X-15, of Mach 6.72. This is the fastest flight that the X-15 will ever make. October 3, 1967
On this date in Weather History... A hurricane impacted San Diego, California. Known as the "1858 San Diego Hurricane", the center of the storm stayed just offshore but still did considerable damage to the city. October 2, 1858
Progress continues on getting Highway 12 at Pea Inland back in full service... Asphalt going down. #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #OBX #NCDOT
"The N.C. High Country is still mostly green though pops of color are emerging, as seen in this photo of Grandfather Mountain taken from the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Milepost 305." Photo by Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation
On this Friday morning... Clear skies... A little Fall color... And a nice looking Moon... #SpectrumNews1 #ncwx #Moon #Fall2026
If you thought this last Nor'easter was a little worse than in the past, there might be a reason for that... #ClimateChange #ncwx
Climate change worsened coastal flooding during East Coast nor’easter | Climate Central
Last weekend’s nor’easter brought damaging coastal flooding to the East Coast — higher seas driven by climate change made the impacts worse.
climatecentral.org