January 2021
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New research published in the journal Science shows that in recent years, hurricanes are strengthening closer to land now than in the 1980s when their data set began. They are also forming farther north and west than they used to, possibly due to the expansion of the tropics under a warmer climate, although it could…
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If you like clouds and good stories, you might want to check out this recent podcast from the New York Times which talks about the Cloud Appreciation Society and how they were able crowdsource observations of clouds to get a new type of cloud named. The cloud type is “Asperitas” and was formerly called “Undulatus…
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As someone who grew up in Michigan and Wisconsin, I saw plenty of evidence of Earth’s ice ages written in the terrain all around me. There were plenty of moraines and kettle lakes and outwash plains, and I even got to drive through the Driftless Area of SW Wisconsin on occasion when I was traveling…
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This week’s rain forecast shows that rain is likely over the weekend, followed by a cool and dry period for most of the region Monday through Wednesday. Another storm will drop more rain late in the week. The Florida peninsula will be largely missed by the rain. Longer-term models suggest that a strong cold front…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
Many of you may be wondering why the winter so far has not looked much like a typical La Nina winter. Here’s a column from Climate.gov that provides a good explanation for the wild weather this January at the North Pole and how it is affecting our local weather here in the Southeast. There are…
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I am not an expert in crop insurance, but I know that this time of year producers are trying to figure out whether to purchase it to cover damage to their crops in the coming growing season, and if so, how much to get. I found this discussion in Wallaces Farmer to be helpful in…
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This week’s Drought Monitor shows that a small area of moderate (D1) drought has appeared in south central Alabama under continuing dry conditions. Abnormally dry (D0) conditions have also expanded in the region, with areas added to the western Florida Panhandle and far western North Carolina. Rain amounts in the driest areas are expected to…
Posted in: Drought