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04-15-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, and it's almost time for our local coffee shops to open. That means if you’re headed to Starbucks at (Joseph) Kemp & (Frank) Kell Boulevards, it’s okay to take a detour to Frank & Joe’s Coffee in Parker Square. You can go to Starbucks tomorrow. And, it's Tax Day. I received my refund a month ago. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:40 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 85. South wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
--- 5:45 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 83.2% Kemp: 96.2% Kickapoo: 87.3%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 89.5% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (85.25%) to determine drought stage.
--- 5:50 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:55 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:05 AM - ERCOT (Texas) snapshot of grid conditions - ERCOT reports that conditions are normal and there is enough power for current demand with an operating reserve of 10,683 Megawatts.
--- 6:10 AM - AVIATION SNAPSHOT - KSPS (Wichita Falls Rgnl, TX, US)
Text: METAR KSPS 151052Z 18010KT 10SM CLR 21/19 A2981 RMK AO2 SLP084 T02110189
Conditions at: 1052 UTC 15 Wed Apr 2026
Temperature: 21.1°C (70°F)
Dewpoint: 18.9°C (66°F) (RH = 87%)
Pressure (altimeter): 29.81 inHg (1009.6 hPa) (sea level pressure 1008.4 hPa)
Winds: from the S (180°) at 10 kt (5.1 m/s, 11.5 mph)
Visibility: 10+ mi (16+ km)
Clouds: sky clear below 12,000 feet AGL
Ceiling: at least 12,000 feet AGL
--- 6:20 AM - According to a story at Texoma’s Home Page (KFDX), the reopening of the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum is near. You can listen to local railroad (BNSF) radio traffic on 160.920 MHz on your scanner radio. Will they have a scanner, tuned to that frequency, in the main exhibit?
--- 3:07 PM - I’m getting a scratchy signal on 437.800 MHz, the Amateur (ham) Radio repeater aboard the International Space Station. I hear a few hams giving their grid square locations. I must be on the edge of the ISS radio footprint. I don’t know if they’re coming or going. Since the signal has now completely faded, I’d say they’re headed away from me. I was using my attic discone antenna.
--- 4:18 PM - An Amateur (ham) Radio Skywarn® storm spotter, on U.S. 281 just north of Scotland, Texas, reports a rotating wall cloud and funnel approaching Clay County, Texas.
--- 6:30 PM - The Local Group is on CB Radio Channel 23. In there with them tonight are static crashes from the passing storms. Get a CB Radio and give them a shout.
--- 7:45 PM - In Wichita Falls, the southwest corner of 11th and Holliday, where a dialysis center now sits, was once home to Wholesale Electronics. In 1970, I bought an Antenna Specialists CB radio ground-plane antenna. I remember the price being between $35.00 and $39.00. I sold it to another CB'er the same year. It was a short-term IOU sort of thing. When he died in 1990, he still hadn't paid me. RIP, Eddie!
--- 10:00 PM - The CW (Morse code) portion of the 40-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band is jam-packed with signals tonight. I'm not looking for any contacts, but I listen (20 and 40 meters) on and off throughout the day. It's like music!
--- 10:10 PM - I was “today” years old when I learned of the “52 Simplex Challenge.” The idea is to call CQ on the Amateur (ham) Radio simplex frequency of 146.520 MHz for 52 days. The goal, I guess, is to keep .52 simplex active. It looks like the originator of this plan began it on March 1, 2026. Is this the first year of the event? Will it happen again next year? Can anyone just start their 52 days at any time, or is it intended to be a coordinated effort? I must investigate!