Morning Weather Report [06/08/21] Four Days of Storms Begin
Today
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. West wind 3 to 8 mph.
Tomorrow Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. North wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
MTA Releases App to Check Train’s Seating Capacity on the New Haven Line
A screenshot of the app’s visuals to show riders which cars are available using color codes. 
MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced that New Haven Line customers can now see the amount of space available on each car of an approaching train by looking at digital signs on platforms five minutes before a train arrives or by using the Metro-North Train Time app at any time. The feature is designed to help customers find cars with the most available seats on a train before boarding. The technology was launched on the Harlem and Hudson Lines in November 2020.
“I am excited that many more Metro-North customers are now able to use this technology,” said Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. “As riders continue to return to Metro-North, this makes it even easier to plan your ride. I want to thank all of the hardworking MTA employees for their work on this transformative project.”
The capacity tracking feature was rolled out by car fleet. It became available in November 2020 for most trains operating on electric portions of the Harlem Line and Hudson Line – trains composed of the newer “M7” railcars. Crews continue to work to bring capacity tracking technology to the diesel sections of the lines and to older “M3” electric rail cars.
Customers who already have the app installed will receive an automatic update with the new feature.
The project was completed by Metro-North in-house staff.
Since its inception in 2013, the free mobile app, which is available from Google Play and the AppStore, has provided real-time status and schedule information to customers via their smartphones, along with destination, track assignment and real-time position of the next 12 trains at a given station. Features also include service alerts, fare information, ADA accessibility, parking availability and connecting services. The app is also translated into six languages -- English, Spanish, Chinese, Yiddish, Portuguese and Italian.
Highlights of the Metro-North Train Time app include:
New, refreshed interface with detailed results
Real-time capacity tracking to enhance social distancing
Real-time train location updated every three seconds
Closed car notifications
Ability to bookmark favorite trips
Easier access to eTix
Six available languages -- English, Spanish, Chinese, Yiddish, Portuguese and Italian
For more information about the Metro-North Train Time app, visithttp://web.mta.info/mnr/html/traintimeapp.htm
Westport Library Presents “Celebrating Fatherhood” with NBC’s Craig Melvin
The Westport Library is pleased to present Craig Melvin, anchor of NBC News’ Today show on Thursday, June 17th at 7:00 pm. Melvin will discuss fatherhood, addiction, resiliency, and his new book, Pops: Learning to Be a Son and a Father with his wife, Lindsay Czarniak.
For Craig Melvin this book is more an investigation than a memoir. It's an opportunity to better understand his father; to interrogate his family's legacy of addiction and despair but also transformation and redemption; and to explore the challenges facing all dads.
To participate via livestream or in person at the Westport Library go to https://westportlibrary.org/event/celebrating-fatherhood-with-craig-melvin/
Copies of Pops are available for ordering and pickup at the Library for those who live nearby or shipping to those further away.
Growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, Craig had a fraught relationship with his father. Lawrence Melvin was a distant, often absent parent due to his drinking as well as his job working the graveyard shift at a postal facility. Watching sports and tinkering on Lawrence's beloved (but unreliable) 1973 Pontiac LeMans were two ways father and son connected, but as Lawrence's drinking spiraled out of control, their bond was stretched to the breaking point. Fortunately, Craig had a loving, fiercely protective mother who held the family together. He also had a series of surrogate father figures in his life - uncles, teachers, workplace mentors - who by their examples helped him figure out the kind of person and father he wanted to be.
Pops is the story of all these men and of the inspiring fathers Craig has met reporting his "Dads Got This Series" on the Today show. Pops is also the story of Craig and Lawrence Melvin's long journey to reconciliation and understanding, and of how all these experiences and encounters have informed Craig's understanding of his own role as a dad.
Craig Melvin is the news anchor of NBC News’ Today show, a cohost of the show’s third hour, and a host of Dateline NBC. Before joining Today, he was a longtime anchor on MSNBC, and before that was an anchor on NBC’s affiliate in Washington, DC. He has covered a wide variety of breaking news events during his career, including several national political conventions and the mass shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Melvin has also taken part in NBC Sports’ coverage of numerous major events, including the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2019 Super Bowl. He graduated from Wofford College, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he now serves on the board of trustees.
Lindsay Czarniak is a sportscaster and NFL sideline reporter for FOX sports. Prior to joining FOX sports, she spent six years as SportsCenter anchor and field anchor/reporter for ESPN’s NFL pregame show, NFL Countdown. As solo anchor, Czarniak hosted ESPN’s “SportsCenter on the Road” initiative, anchoring the network’s coverage. from events like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series and MLB All Star game. She has also worked at WRC-TV (NBC4) in Washington, D.C., reported from the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, and the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, Turner Sports, and WAWS/WTEV-TV in Jacksonville, FL.