With summer upon us as well as hurricane season, it would be nice to have some help in picking a good vacation spot. Conventional meteorology cant provide much information for us on the long term. Forecasts tend to go awry after the three or four day mark. In this day and age, however, we're increasingly offered nontraditional replacements to mainstream methods, institutions and practices. Although conventional approaches serve a purpose, growing awareness of their limitations and flaws impel men to explore along the fringe for new, and in some cases, ancient solutions. So why not alternative weather forecasts?

According to the long range weather forecasting method employed by Johannes Kepler, the famous 17th century astronomer whose weather predictions brought him renown even before his discovery of the planetary laws of motion, the atmosphere, once again, is about to unleash its power this August.

Kepler observed that planetary positions coincided with the formation of weather systems here on earth that in turn produced storms, droughts, floods etc. The amazing thing is that his forecasts, which he published months beforehand, were right on target!

Based on this method, the Southeast US through the Ohio Valley is in for a round of severe weather around August 14th and 15th. One scenario shows a tropical system approaching the west coast of Florida and pushing inland with soaking rains. Another model suggests strong storms with damaging winds and possible flooding over the same area. Either way, there should be a very active weather pattern that should not go by unnoticed.