It’s actually what is known as a  sun halo or sometimes called an  icebow.

It’s created when light is  reflected and  refracted by the  ice crystals in the clouds.

The light splits up into different colors forming a ring around the sun.

Right now the air we have is very dry. Relative humidities have been less than 20 percent.

That along with gusty winds, a lack of leaves on the trees and storm debris leftover from the October Snowstorm of 2011 and the 2011 June 1^st Tornado, all help to create the perfect conditions for brush fires.

And when the winds are gusty those brush fires can get out of control and spread very quickly.

Even though this is burning season you should refrain from burning on days when the fire danger is high. Several western Massachusetts cities and towns do not allow burning at all.  If yours does allow you to burn and you’ve obtained a permit, check with your fire department on the day you plan to burn. If the fire danger is high they may not allow you to burn.

Also if you smoke make sure you properly dispose of all smoking materials. Do not throw your cigarette butts out the car window. I was driving home from work the other day and the woman in the car in front of me kept flicking her cigarette butts out the car window even hitting my car.

Right now all it takes is a spark or ember for a brush fire to start.

Once we get some rain, the leaves get on the trees and it gets more humid the fire threat will diminish.

John Quill remained on the air at WWLP for 47 years before retiring in 2000.  Of course, I like many grew up watching John Quill deliver the weather here on 22News. He inspired me at a young age and I learned a lot about weather by watching his forecasts.

I had the honor and priviledge to work with John from 1996 right through 2000.

However, Saturday night into Sunday afternoon a strong ocean storm brought heavy snow to parts of eastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Rhode Island.

That same storm is responsible for the gusty winds and cold air that has moved in. Fortunatley we saw virtually no snow from this storm even though it wasn’t all that far away. Here is a look at how much snow fell just off to our east.

Brewster, MA: 6.3″
Hyannis, MA: 5.0″
South Sagmore, MA: 3.0″
Nantucket, MA: 2.5″
New Bedford, MA: 5.0″
Hanson, MA: 4.0″
Taunton, MA: 4.0″
Westerly, RI: 4.0″
West Warwick, RI: 4.0″
Acushnet, MA: 4.0″
Mattapoisett, MA: 4.0″
South Yarmouth, MA: 4.0″
Hingham, MA: 4.0″
East Walpole, MA: 4.0″
Franklin, MA: 3.9″
Sherborn, MA: 3.5″
Mansfield, MA: 3.5″
Warwick, RI: 3.5″
Scituate, RI: 3.3″
Walpole, MA: 3.0″
Coventry, RI: 3.0″
Bristol, RI: 3.0″
Warwick, RI: 3.0″
East Braintree, MA: 3.0″
East Killingly, CT: 3.0″
Pembroke, MA: 2.8″
Hanson, MA: 2.8″
Millis, MA: 2.4″
Hopkinton, MA: 2.0″
Nantucket, MA: 1.5″
Ashford, CT: 1.0″

Phil’s accuracy rate is only around 39 percent. Last year he did see his shadow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter and we all remember how that turned out. February and March of 2012 were two of the warmest months on record.

There are some long range models that do point to some wamer than normal weather over the next few months so maybe Phil is onto something.

Climate Prediction Center Temperature Outlook Feb-April

2. It is recommended to keep indoor temperatures at or above 55 degrees.

3. Check your automobile for proper fuel, antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid and oil levels. Check your car battery as well.

4. Be especially cautious of fire places and any indoor heating device for the potential of carbon monoxide poisoning. Never use a generator inside your home.

5. Be sure to bring pets indoors

More winter weather tips are available at: http://www.Ready.Gov/winter-weather

Here are some tips for driving when dense fog moves in.

•Drive with lights on low beam. High beams will only be reflected back off the fog and actually impair visibility even more.

•Reduce your speed — and watch your speedometer. Fog creates a visual illusion of slow motion when you may actually be speeding.

•Listen for traffic you cannot see. Open your window a little, to hear better.

•Use wipers and defrosters as necessary for maximum visibility.

•Use the right edge of the road or painted road markings as a guide.

•Be patient. Do not pass lines of traffic.

•Do not stop on a freeway or heavily traveled road. If your car stalls or becomes disabled, turn your vehicle’s lights off, and take your foot off of the brake pedal. People tend to follow tail lights when driving in fog. Move away from the vehicle to avoid injury.

It’s now looking like a fairly weak systen will pass through Monday night into Tuesday bringing us some snow late Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. Right now it looks like we could pick up around an inch or two of snow.  So if you’ve been dreaming of a white Christmas it looks like you just might be in luck.

After that we’ll be tracking a more significant storm that could bring us snow or a wintry mix late Wednesday into Thursday. We’ll keep you posted.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Back in October of 1997 the American Radio Relay League conducted a simulated Emergency Test for Westchester County, New York.

The images were produced at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida and used data from the Hurricane of 1938.

The path of the storm was just about identical to the one Hurricane Sandy took, but what is even more haunting is the name they came up with for the storm, “Sandy”.

The name used for the storm simulation was that of the Westchester County Communications Officer Sandy Fried, who was nine years old during the Hurricane of 1938.

http://www.weca.org/SET/report/node6.html

Her track itself is highly unusual, to have a hurricane that initally looked like it would go out to sea but now is projected to make a hard left turn is something that is very rare.

You may remember Hurricanes Gloria, Bob, of course Irene and Tropical Storm Floyd. They brought us mainly rain and some wind.  With those storms we were on the left side of the storm, that usually means we see the heavierst rain. The strongest winds are on the right side. We’ll be on the right side of  Sandy which will mean we’ll see the strong gusty winds and less rain.

Sandy is classified as a category 1 hurricane but has an extremely low central pressure. That combined with a large high pressure system to the north, the one that is basically turning her into the coast, will help to strengthen her winds. That’s why we’re expecting the winds to be more of a problem than they normally would be with a weaking category 1 hurricane.

Also, when Sandy makes landfall she won’t be classified as a hurricane even though she will likely still have winds around 75MPH. This is because she will be losing her tropical characterstics and taking on more of the characteristics of a winter storm. She’ll be classified as a post-tropical cyclone.

That is why it does look like now our main concern will be for strong, gusty winds that will likely lead to power outages. The strongest winds will be Monday night. I still don’t expect the kind of power outages we saw during the October snowstorm.