Climate and Ag in the news
-
Futurity.org posted an interesting article recently about how shifts in temperature and precipitation in the eastern US are changing the populations of tree species around the regions. While some of the changes are expected due to an increase in temperature over time, some of the other changes are unexpected. For example, changes in the carbon…
-
Every month I post maps and links to the latest seasonal forecasts from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. Most of you read them, and some of you even believe them. Here in the Southeast we generally have a better chance of skill because our winter climate is tied to the ENSO phase (currently coming out of…
-
A major weather or climate disaster like floods, wildfires or drought can affect tourism into the area for months after the event ends. We saw this in 2016 in the Southeast with the wildfires in the southern Appalachians, where visits to Gatlinburg TN and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were reduced by peoples’ perceptions…
-
Weather and climate are frequently in the news. I tend not to talk much about current weather because it changes faster than this blog, although I occasionally mention upcoming frost or tropical storm events. On the longer term, there are some interesting stories around that are informative or entertaining to read. Here are a few…
-
Even though spring is already almost three weeks old for climatologists, today is the official start of astronomical spring. EarthSky has a good story about the March equinox (which means “equal night”). You can read it here. They have a second story about whether days and nights are equal at the equinox here. (Spoiler alert–they…
-
If you live in an area that is prone to flooding rains (which pretty much includes all of the Southeast), you may have looked at FEMA flood maps to see if your property falls within a flood plain. This is something many people do in hindsight, such as after a big flood event like the…
-
According to an analysis of tornadoes by ENSO phase, a year with a La Niña present is more likely to have tornadoes in northern and western parts of the Southeast, while a year with an El Niño is likely to have more tornadoes in southern Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Since we are currently in a…