Pam Knox

  • The Modesto Bee published the results of a study this week on the advantages of digesters for dairy waste, as reported by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.  Digesters use bacteria to break down animal waste and use it to produce energy while eliminating emissions of methane from the waste.  This reduces carbon emission…

    Posted in:
  • The storm that brought snow and wintry conditions to some parts of the Southeast has moved up the East Coast and is still hitting DC and New York as I write this, but we should see some respite this weekend after the lingering flurries end. The next storm system should move through the Southeast starting…

    Posted in:
  • Weather impacts on crops

    There have been a number of stories about the impacts of the recent extreme weather on crops and production.  Here are a few examples. The Packer reported here that January wind and rain have caused problems for corn growers in southern Florida.  The rain and wind knocked down corn plants, ruining any potential harvest.  This…

    Posted in: ,
  • Why does snow make it sound so quiet?

    If you’ve ever been out in an area covered by a significant snowfall, you may have noticed the “hush” that often occurs.  Some of the quietness is probably due to the lack of traffic on nearby streets, but snow actually has a sound-deadening effect.  You can read more about it here at the University of…

    Posted in: ,
  • Why the East Coast snowstorm is so potent

    If you have been following the national news, you know that a big storm is cranking up over the Southeast today and will move northeast over the Atlantic states, bringing 20-30 inches of snow to the DC area.  Here is a great article from the Capital Weather Gang which explains why the storm is so…

    Posted in:
  • If you are in Florida, southern Alabama and Georgia and the eastern Carolinas, you may smile and ignore this post.  Unless you are traveling this weekend.   But if you are anywhere else, you might want to read this article posted in Vox.com yesterday. Alan Black and Thomas Mote at the University of Georgia compared deaths…

    Posted in:
  • The Climate Prediction Center put out their latest outlooks for February and the rest of the year today.  They show that cooler and wetter conditions than normal should continue to dominate the weather of the Southeast for at least February through April.  A fter that, there is no indication of any trends in precipitation for…

    Posted in: , ,