John Telich: More Than A Sports Journalist

John Telich 1983

You know him as a 45+ year sports journalist veteran here in northern Ohio. This week marks the end of the storied career of John Telich. He's covered virtually every big sporting event from the mid 1970s through the up and down 2021-22 Browns season.  He tells the story when he was on the field during the Kardiac Kids 1980 season.  He was on the field during Len Barker's Perfect Game. He was there when the Indians went to the World Series in the mid 1990s, He was their when the Browns came back. He was their when the Cavaliers won their first Championship. I could do on and on. 

Those of us who have worked with JT know him as a man of character. His "fly under the radar", low key demeanor doesn't fit the archetype television personality and that fits him just fine.  You might have noticed his tireless work helping others. He's the first one to arrive and the last one to leave EVERY time we ask for supplies or gifts for people in need. He takes pride in his work both on and off camera. He is a man of character. 

In this social media, Tiktok-ified era we live in where many live for the spotlight, act with false modesty looking for some payout through their "15 minutes of fame", JT is a shining example of someone who goes about this day without fanfare. He handles himself with grace and humility.  He conducts himself not for attention, not for clicks but for the benefit of others. Rather than gossip on the day's events, he chooses the high road and builds people up!   He chooses to celebrate others. 

Today we celebrate his 45+ year career as a sports journalist. JT on behalf of my family, we wish you all the joy in the world enjoying life outside of television. I'm sure we will find you running trails, reading and most of all, helping others!   We should all use his work ethic and humble attitude as a template on how to act and behave each day not only in the workplace but in life.  

Send him a congratulatory note. He'd love to here from you!

Where Does This Summer's Rainfall & Humidity Rank?

No big surprise here.  Even after an almost 2 week rainfall break in late July/early August, this summer still ranks 2nd all-time through August 19!

The individual rainfall events have been significant. Here is the number of 1/2" inch rainfall days.

28 of the 80 total days have had at least 0.1" rainfall. That is far and away the most of any summer.

The volume of rain water that's fallen across northern Ohio this summer is DOUBLE last summer!

For comparison, 6.6 trillion gallons of roughly 5% the volume of Lake Erie!

Our original summer outlook highlighted ABOVE NORMAL rainfall with an active July which has worked out very well.  We were hoping for near storm days and more dry breaks which would have allowed for more 90 degree days.  My initial call was for 10-15 days above 90. We went with slightly above to account for drier periods. As of this August 20th we stand at only 6. 

Number of severe thunderstorm warnings still running BELOW AVERAGE.

Continental upper level pattern has matchup pretty well with our initial outlook. 500mB heights vs normal in the images below show every 15 days starting June1st. Notice the frequent LOW in the central US and high pressure ridges flanking it.

How about the humidity.  Where does this summer rank?  2021 ranks 5th since 1948. Interesting summer of 2018 was more humid overall as was the summer 2010. The most humid summer was 1995

The extreme humidity has come in spurts.  We measure extreme humidity period in hours above a certain level. So far this summer's extreme humidity is lagging behind last year. In fact EVERY summer in the last 5 years has featured MORE EXTREME humidity than summer 2021.  See image below.

40th Anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978

When you ask people about historical winter weather across northern Ohio, The Blizzard of 1978 is at the top of the list. Here is a news clip from WJW FOX 8 from that evening, January 26, 1978. 

The Ohio Turnpike was completely shut down.  The only time in its history!

What most people don't remember is that we had more than 20" of snow on the ground BEFORE the 25/26th BLIZZARD. 

*  We had TWO big storms earlier in the month. 

*  The first blizzard hit on the 8th and 9th.  9" of snow fell between the 8th and the 9th. Wind gusts were near 50 mph

*  We had a 10 day break then 12" of additional snow fell between the 19th and the 21st (storm number two) just five days BEFORE the Great Blizzard.

*  Only 8" of snow fell in Cleveland, 5" in Akron, 14" in Mansfield. 

The National Weather Service defines a blizzard NOT WITH SNOWFALL but with sustained winds of at least 35+ mph for at least 3 straight hours with 1/4 mi visibility or lower. Again, heavy snow storms are not necessarily blizzards

What caused the problems wasn't the new snow but the near hurricane force winds which gusted above 60 mph for almost a day (80+ mph gusts reported in many areas. 100+ mph near Lake Erie). These winds blew the snow already on the ground from the previous snows creating the 20+ snow drifts across the state.

In fact, the snow from the Great Blizzard was nowhere near the top 50 snowiest 2 day storms on record. 

For historical perspective, 18 of the top 50 snowiest 2 day periods since 1940 occurred between 2000 and 2009.  

History of My Browns "0-for" Beard 2016

Its Christmas Eve. The Browns finally won. The collective sense of relief felt across Browns Nation is palpable. Yes, the beard will soon be history. The finality of it all has filled me with a sense of closure. The Browns win-less streak is behind them. My beard will soon be a casualty of the razor. Yet I can't help but be a little nostalgic. I've grown beard for a variety of reasons over the years. What's the real reason why I grew this beard?  Here's is my beard retrospective.

It all started back in 2011.  I was trying to find some excuse not to shave each day before heading to work at WJW FOX 8.  There is an unwritten rule put forth years and years ago that television personalities need to stay cleanly shaven.  There are some exceptions to the rule in the television world. But in general, facial hair--even today with beards in style--is a no-no. Anyway, I approached my boss with a weird idea.  What if I grow my beard until the temperature reaches 60 degrees.  After all we were in the midst of one of the coldest winters in decades. It would be a slap-in-the-face to old man winter. Everyone was sick of the cold and snow. We could promote it on our morning show.  I could make fun of the beard.  Most of all, I wouldn't need to shave for an extended period of time.  I was hoping for 3-5 weeks tops.  In the end, the whole "no shaving until 60 degrees" beard lasted around 30 days.  I shaved it off in stages. My kids had a great time coloring it.

Beard 2011

Scary beard in 2011. I think I colored it if I remember

The following year, I grew my beard for Mow-vember. In the end I raised $2000 for cancer research.  It was for a great cause. It was for the kids.  Once again, I didn't have to shave for 30 days.

November 2012

In late 2013 shortly after Christmas,  the itch (no pun intended) to grow a beard surfaced again.  This time, I would soften the request with my boss (who was more than likely onto my yearly beard growing stunts) by stipulating that I would only grow my beard until we reached 50 degrees.  The request was granted. I was ecstatic. I would start New Years Eve. No more shaving for another unknown period of time!  Unfortunately we were also in the midst of yet another brutally cold winter.  Snow cover blanketed northern Ohio. Many nights fell well below zero. We didn't see the grass until mid March.  People were getting stir-crazy.  My beard continued to grow....through January and February into early March.  The whole beard growing thing became an exercise in self deprecation. We all made fun of it.  It became synonymous with the cold.  We finally reached 50 and I shaved it on PI day, March 14th in stages. My beard grew for 74 days.

Beard early 2014

Beard in February 2014

Shaving the beard in stages

March 14, 2014

Fast forward to late August of 2016.  After one of my son's football games, he mentioned that it's been a while since I grew a beard...almost three years. Both of my kids have fond memories coloring my beard with sidewalk chalk when they were really little.  Around this time RG3 went down with a serious injury after game one of the Cleveland Browns season and I needed another excuse to grow a beard. After Labor Day I approached my news director and asked him if I could grow my beard again until the Browns win their first game.  He looked at me a bit funny and said  "Are you sure you want to do this?"   I answered without hesitation, "Absolutely!" He agreed and added the stipulation that in the event the Browns go 0 and 16, you shave it at the end of the season.  Statistically, the chances of this happening were so remote that I never thought of it as a viable possibility.  I agreed and boom...I was off!  My thinking in early September was that even with the "Browns quarterback by committee merry-go-round" we would surely a win in the first few weeks.  At the worst, the Browns record would be 1-4 or 1-5 with a win before New England in week 5.  There was no way I could break my beard growing record set back in early 2014 of 74 days.

Week 5 came and went with no win...

So did week 6 and on and on...

week 6

I was getting a bit worried. I might have this beard around Halloween....or Thanksgiving. That would be day 77 if you're keeping score. My boss kept saying, "Aren't you glad we added the 0 and 16 thing early on?"

Week 14 - Day 101

So here we are.  It's the holidays. It's December and I'm well past day 80, day 90 and now day 100. We've hung Christmas ornaments on the beard on the morning show.

December 14, 2016

The beard has received its own mail (with beard oil and beard butter).

The Browns were now 0 and 14.  The attention has been a bit overwhelming.  Never did I think that my beard would last this long. Remember, this was all an excuse not to shave for a few weeks at best.

After Browns win against San Diego - Day 107 - Christmas Eve

Finally on Christmas Eve, the Browns earned their first win of the season against San Diego. My phone blew up as literally hundreds of people took time out of their busy Christmas Eve activities to send me messages filled with joy.  Most were glad the Browns won. Many were also glad the beard was finally toast. I couldn't believe it.

Most people understood the intention was not a serious one even as the "0-for" beard evolved. I've always been a Browns fan since I was a kid. I remember the glory days of the 1980s.  I remember the day the Browns left in 1995. I remember walking into old Cleveland Stadium to buy a seat in 1996. My basement is decorated in Cleveland sports memorabilia spanning 30 plus years.  This season was as tough for me as it was for all of Cleveland. I can't imagine how tough this has been on the Browns organization.

So I want to thank everyone who has followed this since September 8th.  Its December 25th. I just finished applying some Beard Oil to my 106 day old growth knowing that the end of the beard is at hand. My family is rejoicing. It's truly been an exciting ride.

Tomorrow, December 26, during the morning show on WJW FOX 8 we will shave it off in stages.  I'm sure I'll need many band-aids.

What is Snowfall in Cleveland like AFTER Summers with Many 90 Degree Days?

Many ask me if there is a connection between summers with many 90 degree days and snowfall in the winter ahead.  According to this chart, maybe there is something to this.

I caution anyone who uses JUST ONE piece of data in drawing a conclusion about any upcoming season as there are MANY components in determining seasonal outlooks.

What Are Shelf Clouds?

Thursday, August 11, 2016 several strong thunderstorms passed over the Cleveland suburbs. Many viewers submitted photos of stranger cloud formations with some speculating that there tornadoes. What are these clouds?  Are they a rare phenomena?  Not really. These are called shelf clouds or Arcus Clouds. They are fairly common around thunderstorms even in northern Ohio. I blogged about shelf clouds over 10 years ago!

What are shelf clouds? The National Weather Service has a great description.

Shelf clouds are typically seen at the leading edge of a thunderstorm or squall line of thunderstorms. Remember, shelf clouds are not tornadoes or wall clouds. These are formed when rain-chilled air descends in a thunderstorm's downdraft, then spreads laterally when reaching Earth's surface. Warmer, more moist air is lifted at the leading edge, or gust front, of this rain-cooled air. When this warm, moist air condenses, you see the shelf cloud. 

Normally, you will feel a burst of cooler wind followed by rain and maybe hail. The higher gusts occur on the back edge which can cause downed trees and power outages. So when the next storm develops, look for the Arcus Cloud. Remember that tornadoes normally don't accompany these cloud formations just gusty winds, rain/hail then the highest winds toward the back end.

A Brief History of Drought in Northeastern Ohio

Since June 1st, we continue to accumulate a rainfall deficit across northern Ohio and many parts of New England. The overall pattern has featured storm clusters to travel northwest to southeast through the corn belt.  Yet much of northern Ohio, parts of Michigan and New England has missed out on frequent rainfall this summer.

As with many meteorological events, people on social media are comparing this dry period to other droughts of the past. For me, the big droughts of 1988, 1991 and 2002 come to mind. 1988 always appears on the top of my list because of the intense heat that summer. I didn't mow a lawn for 3 months!

Is there a way of comparing past periods of drought accurately? The Palmer Drought Severity Index is a great tool in comparing historical periods of above or below normal dryness or wetness of an area.

Per NOAA: "Palmer Drought Severity Index: attempts to measure the duration and intensity of the long-term drought...long-term drought is cumulative, so the intensity of drought during the current month is dependent on the current weather patterns plus the cumulative patterns of previous months".

Ohio has 10 climate divisions. I downloaded the historical PDSI monthly numbers for the northeastern Ohio climate division #3 and plotted them in roughly 30 year time periods. Green indicates wetter than normal, yellow shows drier than normal. THE SCALE ON THE LEFT CHANGES ON EACH GRAPH SO BE CAREFUL IN YOUR COMPARISONS

A few things to note based on these observations:

*  July 2016 PDSI is probably closer to -3.5. Montly numbers are not available as of this writing.

*  The 1991-92 drought was longer and more severe than any drought since the mid 1960s even beating the hot summer of 1998!

*  Frequency of wet periods were much higher than dry periods since 2000

*  The drought of 1962 to 1966 is comparable in duration to the drought of the early 1930s. These           drought events mark the only two instances where the PDSI dropped below -6

*  Many periods of drought from the 1910s to the 1930s with very little long term recovery

*  Three major droughts between 1895 and 1910

These graphs are great but they are annual monthly plots.  How about summer droughts? I singled out the summers (May through September) where PDSI levels stayed below -1. (NOTE: I CHANGED THE SIGN OF THE PDSI NUMBERS TO POSITIVE TO BETTER REFLECT THEIR SIGNIFICANCE GRAPHICALLY)

Some years to note:

* The summer droughts of 1991 and 1999 started off earlier and lasted into September. 1988 was tame in comparison.

*  During the summers between 1930 to 1934, fifteen of the twenty-five months had drought levels below -3.  During the 1960s' summer droughts, only six of those twenty months saw levels that dry.

* Yes, our soil moisture is significantly dry. But we have a long way to go before this drought becomes historic