April 18, 2005 VIEW FROM HERE Topics: Stormy Relationship...Zac Is Whack!...Kerrey For NYC Mayor? By Jim D. Berryman MissingNebraska.com It’s time for a new “View From Here”. Stormy Relationship A quick glance at the weather forecast for Nebraska on this Monday (04-18-05) and it has me longing for something about Nebraska I miss very much: Thunderboomers! Yes thunderstorm season is back in Nebraska. In my book, nothing beats a good ‘ole Nebraska thunderstorm. Within reason, of course. There was severe weather last week in eastern Nebraska. A tornado warning sounded, even though no tornado touched down. Quite a bit of hail fell in portions of Lincoln. When you grow up in Nebraska, you get a “nose” for being able to determine whether or not there will be storms later in the day. The typical day would start out warm and humid. There’s almost a scent in the air that tells your weather sensibilities that it’s going to let loose later on. Especially if there is a cold front approaching. I used to work on the 14th floor of the State Capitol building in Lincoln, which provided a breathtaking view of Lincoln and the rolling hills around the city. It also just happened to be a great place to see swirling dark clouds approach. It was the perfect perch for a weather- obsessed lad like myself. My knowledge and familiarity of Midwestern thunderstorms and how to tell if they’re really going to get stirred up, has come in handy here in the east on a number of occasions. Mostly to prove local meteorologists wrong! Many times in the 10 years I’ve lived in Connecticut, our local TV weather men and women have warned of potential severe weather in Connecticut, only to have storms wimp out by the time they get here. I could have told them it was going to happen, after seeing how thunderstorms generally fizzle when they hit Connecticut airspace. It’s happened over and over again. A line of nasty thunderstorms sweeps across New York state and Pennsylvania, then they hit Connecticut and they simply fizzle out. Why is this? Well, it has to do with a body of water called Long Island Sound. Since it is situated to the south of Connecticut, the state doesn’t get that “juicy air from the south” like Nebraska does, as the south wind here is cooled when it travels over the chilly waters of Long Island Sound. This cool breeze has a neutralizing effect on severe storms, causing them to lose their punch and fizzle in the more stable environment. Of course, these are all generalizations, as there have been a handful of instances where severe weather has struck here in Connecticut. I even took cover once a few years ago, when I was convinced a tornado was about to hit. The neighborhood where I work in Hamden, Connecticut was hit by a tornado in the 80s. So, tornadoes and severe weather happens in Connecticut, but it takes a lot longer in the spring before we hear rumbles of thunder than it does for Nebraskans to hear thunder in the spring. Hallam Anniversary We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the Hallam, Nebraska tornado. It struck on May 22, 2004. I came across a tornado chaser’s web site, complete with his notes on that terrible day and numerous photos. One of the photos shows the ominous black sky in the distance before the storm plowed through the tiny town. With clouds that black, you know they mean business. Here is the link to that site: Hallam tornado pics Zac Is Whack! What else is going on? Husker spring football, that’s what. Just ask the over 63,000 fans that attended the Spring Red-White game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 16. A guy from Norman, Oklahoma stole the major headlines from the scrimmage. And he wasn’t in a Sooners uniform. Quarterback Zac Taylor passed for over 300 yards in the White’s lopsided victory over the Red team 42-14. Last season’s quarterback Joe Dailey is reportedly the number 4 QB at NU. Hmmm. It’s still way too early to determine how this will all play out this fall, but at least it got Big Red fans talking…and dreaming of more positive things to come for the Husker football program. Go Big Red! NYC Mayor Bob Kerrey? Noticed in the New York Times that former Nebraska senator and governor Bob Kerrey may run for mayor of New York City! Kerrey is involved in a bit of a controversy right now after criticizing Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a recent New York Times article. That, even though Kerrey had accepted an invitation to speak at an event called “Democrats for Mayor Bloomberg” a few days earlier. Obviously, Kerrey has had a change of heart about Bloomberg. Not sure if Kerrey would have much of a chance against Bloomberg. Despite having to fill the very large shoes of former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, Bloomberg has become more popular with New York residents during his time in the mayor’s office. Couple that with the general New Yorker’s perception of Nebraska, and it could be a tough sell, despite the fact that Kerrey has been a transplanted New Yorker for some time now as president of New School University in Manhattan. Then again, New Yorkers across the state elected a former first lady from Arkansas as U.S. Senator. Kerrey has spent more time in New York than Hillary Clinton had when she won election a few years ago. And this is just New York City, rather than the entire state. Seems Kerrey is well-regarded in New York, especially after he came to national prominence again during the September 11 hearings. Related Story 04-18-05: Kerrey 'unlikely' to enter NYC mayor race Full Story From LJS Feedback