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Talk To Tom

By: WKMG and Graham Media Group
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  • Summary

  • News 6 chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells wants to talk to you! During the half-hour show, Tom will share his views on recent weather events and phenomena, viral videos and more. He will also talk to experts about weather topics -- and he will talk to you!
    Produced by WKMG, in cooperation with Graham Media Group.
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Episodes
  • Solar eclipse: When Disney will experience a blackout

    Solar eclipse: When Disney will experience a blackout
    Apr 4 2024
    Central Florida won’t get a full solar eclipse on Monday, but one is coming and that means much of Central Florida, including Disney World will be plunged into darkness in the middle of the day. News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells talked to Derek Demeter, the Director of the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Planetarium at Seminole State College of Florida. “There’s going to be an eclipse that’s going to go right over Orlando, Florida in August 12, 2045,” Demeter said. He told Sorrells it would likely happen during the afternoon and, “It’s going to be one of the longest eclipses in a long time.” He explained the one in 2045 will go for 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Sorrells said experiencing a solar eclipse in person is unforgettable. He said he went to Greenbriar, Tennessee to experience it in 2017. “I went back home to my hometown to watch it because I knew it was coming. All of my relatives were like, ‘Really, you came home for this?’ ‘Well yeah!’ Then my mom who wanted to see me very badly was like, ‘Well, I’m glad you came home, but I can’t believe you came home just for the eclipse.’ I’m like, ‘Mom!’ So, she watched it with me outside and she burst into tears,” Sorrells said. When the moon steps in front of the sun and creates a false night in the middle of the day, Demeter said you can expect some unusual things to happen. “Temperature drops, you hear birds, you hear insects, it’s just really incredible, and one thing that people don’t understand, if you do get a clear sky, you have a 360-degree sunset,” Demeter said. So, imagine, being in the center of Magic Kingdom and the sky goes dark for more than 6 minutes. While that phenomenon is still 21 years away, Floridians can experience Monday’s partial eclipse from their own backyard or the parking lot at their job. Just make sure to grab a pair of glasses to protect your eyes. Or you can watch the livestream through the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Planetarium at Seminole State College. The planetarium also offers a lot of other engaging programs surrounding space. “Our most common show that we do is called Central Florida nights and that is essentially a guided tour of the night sky. So, we take a look at what currently is in the sky, constellations, planets, if there are any meteor showers or things like you know lunar and solar eclipses,” Demeter said. You can catch their next Central Florida Nights presentation on April 26. It starts at 8:30 p.m. and goes until 9:30 p.m. Make sure to get there early because the show often sells out. Demeter is an animated narrator and even works in a few jokes, making the tour of space fun for the whole family. Even after you step out of the planetarium, the fun doesn’t end there. “My favorite part too is they actually get to go outside with one of our telescopes and see some of the things they saw in the planetarium,” Demeter said. The cost is $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors. Only cash and checks are accepted. Learn more about the eclipse, the planetarium and the planets that surround us on Talk to Tom. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.
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    17 mins
  • Bottled water is draining Florida’s aquifer

    Bottled water is draining Florida’s aquifer
    Mar 7 2024
    A lot of people choose to drink filtered or bottled water to avoid the taste of the tap. James Adamski is a geology professor at Valencia College East in Orlando. He said the flavor, “all comes down to the chemistry of the water and the plumbing.” Though he said he understands people’s preference for bottled water, he also said pumping the water out of our natural springs and shipping it across the country is unsustainable, especially since we are already pulling so much water out of our aquifer for our daily use. “We are using it at a much, much, much, much, much, faster rate than nature can replenish it,” Adamski said. If we were keeping all the water for ourselves he felt things might be different. “If they were only bottling it for residents in Florida then maybe we wouldn’t see that much of a change,” Adamski said. If we keep pulling water from Florida’s aquifer at the rate that we are Adamski said we could end up with a bigger problem on our hands. “The springs, like Wekiwa Springs near my house, Blue Springs, Silver Springs, they all come from the same aquifer and if we use the water at a faster rate than it’s being replenished, then ultimately what we are seeing through our research is the spring discharge is declining at these springs.” He said over the last 20 years Wekiwa Springs has dropped below the preferred level 60 times and Rock Springs has fallen below that level 30% of the time. Adamski pointed out that a declining discharge could impact tourism as many people come to our state to enjoy our natural habitats. Over time he said it could also impact the quality of the water. “When you withdraw the fresh water from the aquifer, especially if you are more towards the coastal areas, and eastern Orange County, toward Tampa area, then the freshwater gets replaced by what we call saltwater intrusion, so overtime the aquifer gets saltier and saltier until it becomes unpotable.” Adamski did point out that bottled water makes up only a portion of the water pulled from Florida’s aquifer but said the combined withdrawals could leave a nasty mark on the aquifer which supplies about 90% of Florida’s drinking water. To learn more about Florida’s aquifer and how people are impacting our drinking water check out Talk to Tom. The podcast can be downloaded from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.
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    20 mins
  • How to fly over Florida without leaving the ground

    How to fly over Florida without leaving the ground
    Feb 29 2024
    News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells took off, flew through the clouds, and conducted an emergency landing on the water, all without leaving the ground. He took his podcast, Talk to Tom, on the road to Lockheed Martin in Orlando and test-drove their Prepar3d flight simulation technology from a modified cockpit. Chris Metel is the Program Manager for Prepar3d. He said the technology has been an important tool for pilots and others interested in flight. “Flying is very expensive, this is cheaper, it’s safer,” he said. Metel said the software has been used to train people working with the government and in the commercial airline industry. “We have people using it from F35 pilots, learning about the airport, learning about the cockpit, to a private pilot who is learning to fly for the first time,” he said. Metel said it allows them to experience traveling through different weather conditions like rain, lightning, and forest fires before they ever have to fly through them in real life. It also prepares them for the unexpected. “You don’t want to practice an engine failure in a real plane, but you want to be prepared when that happens, and this gives you the opportunity to do that,” Metel said. Beyond the sky, Lockheed Martin said its technology is also being used in the classroom. “A lot of schools use it for STEM activities. We actually have a lab at the Orlando Science Center that is populated by Prepar3d, so students can learn about aerodynamics or about planes. Me personally, it helps get them interested in aeronautics and engineering and hopefully become part of our team someday,” Metel said. Learn more about Lockheed Martin’s unique technology on Talk To Tom. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch it anytime on News 6+.
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    17 mins
Politics & Government
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