Tropical Storm Irene Coverage

"Vermonters need each other. You are our conduit."

That was what one listener wrote to us about our coverage of Tropical Storm Irene and its aftermath. As the damage is assessed and the recovery continues, VPR will continue to provide the information and resources people need during this difficult time as well as the opportunity to share their stories and connect with one another.

During Sunday's storm, VPR broadcast hourly news updates with reports from across Vermont from our news team as well as the Eye on the Sky at the Fairbanks Museum. Additionally, we had a dynamic map on VPR.net that allowed Vermonters to follow the track of the storm and links to key services, road closure information and shelter locations.

Our coverage this week has been comprehensive with significant updates, interviews, and news stories throughout the day. Vermont Edition has been airing live at noon and 7 p.m., focusing on recovery efforts around the region and first-hand reports from listeners and regional officials.

We've also created a special section of VPR.net with aggregated news, photos, and links to important resources like road closures and volunteer opportunities. Listeners are also connecting on our Facebook page and sharing their photos and videos of the storm.

Here is a look at our news coverage plan for the next several days:

Vermont Edition will continue to be live at noon and 7 p.m. through Friday, and will focus on the state's recovery from Irene. We'll also be on the air live at noon on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Let us know what's happening in your town, what efforts are underway and what questions you have about cleanup efforts. Email your questions or comments to vermontedition@vpr.net.

We'll continue broadcasting hourly local newscasts at :04 after the hour between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. through Friday, in addition to longer reports during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. We have reporters, producers, and audio engineers spread out throughout the affected areas, including Bob Kinzel in central Vermont, Melody Bodette and Nina Keck in Rutland County, John Dillon in the Deerfield Valley, Nancy Cohen of WNPR along Route 9, Susan Keese in Newfane and Brattleboro, Patti Daniels in Manchester, Betty Smith in the Upper Valley, and Matt Laslo in Washington D.C.

You'll find all of our coverage plus resources and photos online at VPR.net.

The aftermath of Irene is a fast-moving developing story and the recovery will be a long process, and you can count on VPR will continue reporting on the clean-up and rebuilding efforts ahead.

Hold On To Your Hat!

Weather is a big part of what makes VPR special. We rely on our friends at the Fairbanks Museum to keep and Eye on the Sky for us, but every now and then we can't resist doing some reporting of our own. A bunch of us gathered outside VPR's main studios in Colchester around 3 this afternoon to watch the storm clouds roll in. Cheryl Willoughby took this photo.

What's the weather like where you are this afternoon?

VPR Is HOT!

So what does a VPR fan do when the temperatures get unbearably hot? According to this photo by Jim Woodard of Underhill, get in the car, put the top down, and listen to VPR. Loud.

While we can't guarantee VPR will keep you cool, it will definitely take your mind off the heat!

No AC in your car? Purchase a ticket for VPR's Summer Car Raffle for a chance to win a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid - you could keep cool, do something good for the environment, and support VPR all at the same time!

Why Radio Is So Cool

As a VPR listener you know there are a myriad answers to that question, but today, it’s all about two words:

Tropospheric propagation.

I should back up. We got this email from a listener over the weekend:

I was listening to A Prairie Home Companion and I got a lot of static, which happens occasionally on 88.7. I caught the call letters of the interfering station, WAGP 88.7, Christian Radio from Beaufort, SC serving the Savannah, GA area with 100,000 watts. I live in Porter Corners, NY on the first rise of the Adirondacks at 1000' elevation. This is amazing reception for FM. I just thought you would like to know.

Might seem strange, but this is actually an annual phenomenon, according to Rich Parker, VPR’s director of engineering: This time of year always brings reports of reception of distant stationsin various places around the country. In case you would like to know more about this phenomenon, there is an excellent article on WikiPedia here.

Radio is so cool!

Clearing Our Plate, Er....Dish

Many of us across the region were digging out of yesterday's snow storm, and VPR was no exception! In this picture, VPR's Sean LaRock clears snow off the satellite dish outside our Colchester studios. Even a small amount of snow or ice on our dish can disrupt our feed of NPR and other programming, so when the weather gets bad, our announcers keep a close eye on the dish to keep VPR programming coming to you! Stay warm!

(Photo courtesy of VPR's Aaron Kimball)

Diamond Dust

Listeners in the Thetford/Fairlee area have reported seeing diamond dust - what looks like diamonds in the sky above a river or pond.

Chris Bouchard at the Fairbanks Museum replies: "I think that what you saw can be attributed to an exceptionally thick frost. I think being close to a large body of water made the frost even thicker, as the water is still relatively warm this time of the year, which led the water to steam away lots of extra water vapor, which was then converted over into the hearty frost in the chilly air. I suspect the floating particles you saw might have been caused by a light breeze shattering the fragile crystals on trees, causing then to gently fall to the ground. During very cold air outbreaks in the winter, we can get fog that develops very tiny ice crystals, which we call diamond dust. Typically this only happens when it is well below zero, which is why I suspect you saw a similar, but different phenomenon!"

Let us know if you see diamond dust on these frosty mornings!

Signs of Fall

We set out for this morning's excursion to the park bundled in hooded sweatshirts and clutching steaming mugs of coffee. Parker (at left) didn't seem to mind the drizzle, and neither did I. Back at the ranch, only oatmeal for breakfast would do! Fall is definitely on its way - dreary and chilly or crisp and sunny, it doesn't matter - I am in love with this time of year.

The transition from summer to fall is one of the most transcendent parts of life in Vermont. VPR listeners have been sharing their signs of fall around our region. Whether it’s chilly mornings, changing leaves, or that first time you pull out your cozy wool socks, let us know your own observations online, and read the latest from your neighbors. You might even hear your signs of fall during an Eye on the Sky forecast!

VPR's Music Director Cheryl Willoughby is an avid photographer. Check out some of her fall photos here!

Why Does Spring Start on the 20th?

We celebrated the arrival of spring this morning at 7:44, prompting a listener to ask, "years ago spring came on March 21st!!! Why the change to March 20th???"

Mark Breen writes: 

"Calendars are funny devices...they try to make time even and steady, but the Earth's motions and orbits are not. It actually starts with leap years.  The orbit of the Earth around the Sun takes 365 and a quarter days.  We "save up" those quarters, so that every four years, we add that extra day to a year.  But the extact time of the Earth's orbit is 365.256366 days, a bit more than a quarter day.  Over a century, the extra 0.006366 days is more than a half day, so every year that ends in "00" we skip a leap year.  Of course, it isn't quite a full day, so after 4 centuries we've lost 1.5 days, so if the "00" year can be divided by 400, we add a day back in.  This keeps going, and takes into account other minor adjustments in the Earth's orbit and rotation.   Getting back to your question, because we added an "extra" day by having a leap year in 2000 (skip a leap year if it ends in "00", but NOT if it is divisbile by 400), this shifted the calendar back, so that all of the season dates are about a day earlier.  They will gradually creep back over the next 400 years.   I hope that makes sense.  It is an interesting question, and I am glad you noticed the difference."

The Scoop on School Closings

Remember when snowy mornings meant sleeping in and hot chocolate? For most of us they're now more about soggy pant legs and a long commute, but we still want to you to be warm and safe. That's why at VPR we post school closings on our website, so you don't travel unecessarily in bad weather.

Some listeners have asked us if we could deliver this in a different way, like reading the complete list on the air. VPR is a statewide network, and all of our stations are simulcast from our main studios in Colchester. With well over 1,000 schools in the VPR listening area, even if it took the announcer just 5 seconds to read each announcement it would nearly 90 minutes to read them all! Even if only half the schools were closed or late, it would still take 45 minutes. This is why we must rely on VPR.net to convey this information.

We've also been asked about providing an RSS feed of school closings. Since the list at our website is pulled directly from the Vermont Association of Broadcasters' database, at this time we are not able to provide an RSS feed or make any other changes to the information as it comes in.

We do take care to provide an overview of the counties affected on the air throughout Morning Edition.

Technology is ever-evolving, and we'll continue exploring better ways of getting you school closing information quickly and accurately. In the meantime, bookmark our school closings page, bundle up, and enjoy the snow!

Michelle Jeffery
Communications Producer