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On Twitter today, I found a reference to an interesting set of National Weather Service reports that describe past extreme weather events, including a number in the Southeast such as large hurricane events like Michael and Katrina and tornado outbreaks such as the major outbreak of 2011. These reports are geared toward both describing the…
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A new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was published on Monday. The researchers in the study found a strong link between planetary warming and pollen seasons. That could mean more misery for allergy-sufferers in the years ahead. The study shows that the combination of warmer air plus more carbon dioxide…
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Here is an interesting article on snowflakes from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In it, my friend and fellow climatologist Dr. Chip Konrad discusses the science of how snowflakes are formed. And then Michael Chitwood, Carolina professor and poet, explores the lyrical wonder of snowflakes. Together they create a beautiful picture of…
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The latest monthly climate summary for the US is now available from NOAA. It shows that this January was tied for the 9th warmest in the 127 year record. It was also the tenth consecutive January with temperatures above the 20th-century average. The precipitation ranked in the driest third of the 127 years on record.…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
Strong winds from the south ahead of a strong front have blown massive amounts of dust from the Sahara Desert north into south-central Europe. There is so much dust that snow has literally turned orange. You can read more about the weather that set up the winds and see some maps at Severe Weather Europe…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
While things feel cold to me here, and I even saw a little sleet today, air temperatures are expected to be much colder in Michigan where I grew up in the fruit belt in western Lower Michigan. The split in the polar vortex caused by the Sudden Stratospheric Warming event earlier in January is bringing…
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Most of the Southeast will see a lot of precipitation this week, with two storms moving through the area. Some parts will see snow or other frozen precipitation, while more southern locations see all rain. Up to five inches could be seen in some places, which is not good for farmers trying to get field…
Posted in: Climate outlooks