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June 1 is the first day of climatological summer, which includes the months of June, July, and August. Climatologists use calendar months for seasons to make calculations of averages a little easier and to compare more easily with past historical records, which were calculated by hand before electronic calculators were available. Hope it’s a great…
Posted in: Climate science -
The disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico today organized enough to be called Tropical Depression 2, but winds are not yet strong enough for it to be a named storm. If you live in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama or SW Georgia, you might have seen some high clouds from the storm’s circulation today. If…
Posted in: Tropical weather -
The updated monthly climate outlook for June 2023 was released earlier this week by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. The maps show that for almost all of the region there is no lean towards warmer or colder and wetter or drier conditions this month. That means we have equal chances of near, above, and below normal…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
The latest Drought Monitor, released today, shows that extreme (D3) drought is now gone from the western coast of Florida, although severe drought remains. In Virginia, moderate (D1) drought expanded along the northern border. In other areas there was a slight decrease in abnormally dry (D0) conditions. Rain in the coming week due to the…
Posted in: Drought -
As we end May 2023, a quick look at the maps for the preliminary monthly temperature and precipitation departures shows that most of the region was below normal, in some cases quite a bit cooler than normal. Precipitation was variable, with the northern areas drier than average, wetter than normal conditions in the coastal plains…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
As we begin the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, it’s worth looking back at past storms to see what lessons we can learn from the warnings that were given and how people responded (or didn’t respond) to the information provided by weather forecasters and emergency managers. Southeast Ag Net posted a helpful story this week describing…
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A new research study shows that flash droughts are becoming more likely across the world, causing negative impacts on agriculture and food production everywhere. And it’s not just agriculture but energy production and water supplies that can also be at risk. Some methods like precision agriculture and improved temperature and precipitation forecasts can help farmers…