-
For about 400 years centered around 1200 AD, Viking farmers lived in two colonies in Greenland, growing a few crops and raising herds of cattle and sheep. As many as 2500 Vikings may have inhabited the two colonies before they disappeared. Conventional wisdom says that they died out as the climate got colder after the end…
-
According to the Washington Post, “A wildflower superbloom is underway in the desert Southwest in March after seven inches of winter rain. Anza-Borrego State Park in California hasn’t experienced a bloom so prolific since at least 1999 according to park officials.” AFAR says that a “super bloom” is a technical term which means an “overwhelming abundance”—as in the…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
For at least the last 150 years, scientists have known that carbon dioxide gas is the primary source of warming in the earth’s atmosphere. Having some carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allows the temperature range on the surface of the earth to be suitable for life. But having higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the…
-
NOAA released a description of some changes to the suite of products put out by the National Hurricane Center which will become effective in the upcoming Atlantic tropical season. The updates include storm surge watches and warnings and some enhancements in watches and warnings for storms that have not yet reached official storm status. You…
-
The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows very minor changes to the drought status in the Southeast this week. With near-normal rainfall expected in the next few days and few impacts being currently reported, next week’s DM is not expected to change much.
Posted in: Drought -
If you haven’t had enough snow this winter to get your annual “snow fix” you might be interested in this story from Weather Underground. While I don’t often think of Japan as a snowy place (except for maybe in the far north), it turns out that because of cold Siberian air moving over the Pacific…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
NOAA released their latest climate summary today. It shows that the US experienced its second warmest every February and its 6th warmest winter. Nearly one quarter of the US was record warm in February, and it surpassed every year except 1954. You can see more and view maps at https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-201702.
Posted in: Climate summaries