I'm going to keep "My Great Title" as the subject line on my first post here, because I like it.

I'm still participating in the contest, and I enjoy it. It would be cool if we could get more people to participate somehow.

I just had one question right now. Is there a slight discrepancy in the map and the actual coordinates of a box you draw and posted tornado reports? Each time I draw an outlook, the actual point that is plotted is slightly north just slightly west of where I clicked to plot a point. Over time, I have learned to click a bit southeast of where I want my points, or manually alter the coordinates for a point such that it is in the correct location on the map.

That said, even if my outlook is where I want it to be when I see it on the map, I do not know, unless I plot the exact coordinates somewhere else, if my outlook is where it should be, and thus whether tornado reports I may expect to be inside my box are actually outside. Tornado reports do not seem to plot correctly on the map either (again, plotting a bit southeast of where they should be).

For example, on my most recent outlook, valid Monday, April 4, my outlook when viewed on the map clearly extends south of the Mississippi coastline, as I intended. A tornado was reported very near the Mississippi coast (see SPC's reports on their website) near Ocean Springs, MS (see report at end of this message). This is clearly on land, but the Tornado Outlook Contest maps show the report to be in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast and outside my outlook box. I'm not sure if the map is incorrect, or the report is plotted in the incorrect location, but this is a report that should be in my outlook (on land) but is in the water instead. How is this happening?

0145

5 E OCEAN SPRINGS

JACKSON

MS

3040

8872

ROOFING PEELED OFF OF A COUPLE METAL COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN FOUNTAINBLEAU AREA.WINDOW BLOWN OUT OF TWO HOUSE. LARGE SECTION OF TWO FENCES BLOWN DOWN. SEVERAL MEDIUM TR (LIX) (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/arx/Stormready/WFOlist.php)