>IMPORTANT NOTICE: From March 9-21, 2011, I shall be on holiday in New Jersey, USA and therefore won’t be blogging, I hope to post some during my holiday, updating on what I’m doing, where I’m visiting and what’s the weather like but the usual posts will resume on March 21, 2011…

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TODAY’S TOP WEATHER STORIES
On Weather & Climate Through the Eyes of Mark Vogan
 

 
1 killed, others hurt in La. tornado
CBS NEWS

Louisiana town cleans up after deadly tornado
CNN
 
Numerous Injuries From Louisiana Tornadoes
THE WEATHER CHANNEL
 
FORTHCOMING WINTER STORM FOR US HEARTLAND
 

Snowstorm Eyes Front Range, Midwest
THE WEATHER CHANNEL


“Blizzard Alley”
THE WEATHER CHANNEL

IN OTHER NEWS

Brazilian football fans take a dip in flooded Sao Paulo stadium
BBC

Rain Will Not Put Damper On Carneval in Rio De Janeiro
ACCUWEATHER NEWS

TODAY’S WEATHER ACROSS AMERICA
From AccuWeather

Big Storms for the Big Easy On Mardi Gras Weekend
By Bill Deger, Meteorologist

Northeast Weekend Soaker To End With Snow
By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

Nasty Brush Fore Season Continues in Florida
By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

WEATHER TALK
By Mark Vogan
 
I’ve achieved more in the last 24 months than I’ve done in 28 years, I can honestly say, I’ve never been more ready for a holiday!

As you’ll have noticed, my wife and I are all set to head across the pond to New Jersey on Wednesday (March 9th) for a much anticipated 10-day vacation and I can’t wait. We are fortunate to have very dear friends in which we are staying with.

It’s been a rollercoaster past 2 years with buying a house and moving in, back in May 2009. Before that, I passed my car driving test in July 2007 after spending 6 years not really bothering and moving on.  Before I got married to my wife Karen, I was one of those people that didn’t really have much ambition and hope for achievements. After passing my car driving test in 2007, I believed I had a talent there that could be further developed and therefore I then went on to train and pass my heavy goods class 2 (rigid) back in April 2009 at the wonderful training school of CTTS in Bathgate, West Lothian.

Thanks to achieving that license and paying around £1,000 in October 2009 I started work driving class two trucks for Grahams Dairies at the Port Dundas depot in Glasgow which was better money and it was the beginning of my new career in driving. The money spent was well worth it.

In achiving my class 2, this only gave me more determination in furthering my driving ability and to the highest level one can achieve. That was by going for the top of the food chain. In May 2010 I went back to CTTS and through their outstanding expertise and training, they helped me pass my class 1 heavy goods (Articulated/big rig) test/license. In only a short 3 months following my test pass, I got a job at JBT Distribution in Bathgate, a steep learning curve and this was driving the class 1 and transporting anything from general goods to fridge freezers, timber, meat, fish etc regularly from Aberdeen and Inverness back and forth to Bathgate. Unfortunately, through difficult working hours, conditions and poor treatment, I left JBT in November 2011 and returned to Grahams Dairies in Glasgow and I can safely say I enjoy my run from Port Dundas, Glasgow down to Dumfries, Stranraer and across all areas of Dumfries and Galloway. 

As you’ll have gathered from reading this, it’s been a pretty busy past few years in which I’ve gained and achieved more in the last 24 months than I’ve done in my whole life and I can honestly say that I never been more ready for a holiday.

When I return, I look forward to resuming my blog posts and anticipate an exciting spring and summer of 2011 ahead!

If your interested in getting your Heavy Goods License feel free to contact me with any questions or contact CTTS directly by emailing enquiries@cttstraining.co.uk or by phoning 01506 633100.

I can garentee that CTTS would provide you with the very best training and you would be driving clean, well maintained, full-sized and the very best of trucks that help you into the industry!

VAGARIES OF THE WEATHER
INDIA & SUB-CONTINENTAL ASIA WEATHER
BY RAJESH KAPADIA
 
M1 is precipitating in North Pakistan today, with Parchinar in NWFP recording 42 mms and Dir measuring 28 mms. Several other stations have received between 5-15 mms.

M1 is also coming across a bit more south than estimated.

Todays UTH map shows good humidity at below 30N level, indicating more

chances of cloud formation, in the Upper Sindh region, and the regions North of Sindh in Pakistan.

Light rains will occur in Balochistan and upper Sindh, with a few pockets of rain “pop marking” the Sindh coast on Sunday.

With M1 moving into India on Sunday itself, more rain in the Northern states of Kashmir and H.P. can be expected.

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WHAT’S REACHING TODAY’S BLOGS?

Louisiana Tornadoes, Storms Disrupt Mardi Gras
Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather 

Many Maps to Show You the Impacts of the Storms Coming
Henry Margusity, AccuWeather
 
THE EXTREMES OF THE DAY
 
TODAY’S US EXTREMES
COURTESY OF ACCUWEATHER
 
HIGH: 84 degrees at Brownsville, TX
LOW: -12 degrees at Huron, SD
 
TODAY’S EXTREMES HERE AT MY HOUSE
 
HIGH: 50 degrees
LOW 33 degrees
 
Thanks for reading.
-Mark