Pam Knox

  • Hurricane Ian in South Carolina storymap

    You’ve heard a lot about the impacts of Hurricane Ian on southwest Florida, including the storm surge, loss of life, and inland flooding. But you may not have heard as much about what happened when Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Carolina later in the week. The National Weather Service office in Charleston has rectified…

    Posted in: ,
  • Even though the tropics have been quiet since Hurricane Ian developed and followed its path through Florida and the Carolinas, there is still some sign of life in the Atlantic Basin. Today there are three areas with a low probability of developing into a named storm. The area off the East Coast is designated as…

    Posted in:
  • Drought across many parts of the world is causing problems for farmers that are either harvesting their summer crops or planting winter ones. In Europe, a drought combined with several heat waves devastated maize production there, causing shortages that may be a 15-year low for the crop, according to Reuters. The droughts there and in…

    Posted in: ,
  • New daily lightning climatology

    Here is an interesting map display from NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center that shows the daily distribution of lightning stokes across the United States. It is very interesting to see how the area of most lightning strikes moves around over the course of the year. You can view it at https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/dataviewer/?mode=climo&category=ltg&product=ltgday.

    Posted in: ,
  • Fast-Onset Droughts are Accelerating

    A recent scientific study of droughts by Colorado University scientists has shown that typical hydrological droughts have not changed their rates of intensification over time, the intensification of fast-onset droughts (often called flash droughts) is accelerating and they are developing and getting worse more quickly than any time in the last 70 years of the…

    Posted in: ,
  • Some interesting blogs I’ve read lately

    I read information on climate and agriculture from a number of sources, and have found a few long-form articles that I really enjoyed this week. You might like reading them too and might even consider subscribing to their blog or podcast. Thoughts from the Orchard: The Gnat Line was written by Lenny Wells, the UGA…

    Posted in:
  • Join us for the Southeast Climate Monthly Webinar! These webinars provide the region with timely information on current and developing climate conditions such as drought, floods, and tropical storms, as well as climatic events like El Niño and La Niña. Speakers may also discuss the impacts of these conditions on topics such as wildfires, agriculture…

    Posted in: