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A “blocking” weather event is a persistent area of high pressure which can sit over an area for a long time period, blocking or shifting the movement of weather systems through the area. This commonly results in hot, dry weather in the area of blocking high pressure but can also result in catastrophic flooding in…
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A friend of mine posted this article from Fee.org this week and made me think. There is no doubt that the Dust Bowl was precipitated (or maybe in this case, non-precipitated) by an extreme climate event which caused a multi-year drought and hot conditions. But there is also no doubt that human policies on how…
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The latest 7-day QPF forecast shows that the heaviest rain this week is likely to be along the Atlantic Coast in North and South Carolina, where a nearly stationary front is draped across the region. This will be the focus of most of the rain this week, with lighter amounts in other places. Southern Florida…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
As climate changes, trends towards warmer temperatures and variable rainfall are expected to have impacts on crops and on crop diseases, including fungal diseases. Overall the earth is getting wetter, and those areas are particularly likely to feel the influences of higher humidity, although there are certainly areas that are getting drier too. This article…
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According to NOAA, this May tied with 2016 for the hottest May on record going back to 1880. The year to date January through May ranks second warmest for that period. Temperatures in the Southeast were one of the few places on earth that had May temperatures below average, and the temperatures in Siberia were…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
As expected, the latest ENSO forecast shows a marked increase of the chance of a La Nina occurring later in 2020. This is based on recent cooling of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which is what is expected in a La Nina episode. The latest forecast now shows La Nina neck and neck with neutral conditions,…
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As sea levels continue to rise with warmer oceans and melting ice sheets, we are likely to see big changes along the coastal areas. One thing that is likely to happen is a reduction in coastal mangrove swamps, which currently help protect coastal areas in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Some of those may migrate north…