Severe
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The Adventures in Mapping blog has a story this week about how the season migration in tornado events can be mapped just like the migration of wildebeest or other wandering animal or bird species. Tornadoes undergo a seasonal cycle of occurrence that is ultimately related to the sun’s angle, which changes over the course of…
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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…
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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…
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Bloomberg.com has an interesting article this week about how natural disasters are costing farmers billions of dollars a year in damage to infrastructure, loss of livestock and crops, and challenges in getting food to markets. While the story discusses trends in natural disasters over time, I think another consideration is that producers are now more…
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For those of you interested in severe weather and tornadoes, you will enjoy reading this journal article about the first known tornado forecast that was ever made. J. P. Finley was a military meteorologist who was fascinated by severe weather, especially tornadoes, and spent a lot of time studying how they formed. He made his…
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Spring has sprung with a vengeance, and warmer weather means that severe weather is more likely. That can contribute to power outages, road blockages, flooding, and other things that may affect agricultural production. Winter weather like ice storms can also cause problems for farmers trying to take care of their livestock, and get milk to…
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Weather Underground published an interesting analysis of severe weather this year earlier in February. Considering how cold the East Coast has been, it’s probably not a big surprise that severe weather, which is usually linked to thunderstorms, would be limited this year. By comparison, last year there was well above-normal activity. Still, I did not…