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High above the surface near the equator is a band of strong winds which alternate between westerly and easterly flow on a regular cycle. Surprisingly, the cycle is not tied to the calendar year but switches between phases in a 28-month period. I’ve put a graph of the oscillation, which is called the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation…
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Here is an excellent site I ran across today that explains the basics of how climate models work in clear language from a reputable scientific source. If you would like to know more about how they work, check out https://nas-sites.org/climate-change/climatemodeling/.
Posted in: Climate science -
The latest 7-day QPF forecast shows that for most inland parts of the Southeast, rainfall in the next week will be less than half an inch, well below normal even for this dry time of year. Jeff Cook, extension agent in central Georgia, points out in his Three Rivers Ag blog that the dry conditions…
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The Packer reported earlier this week that Florida tomato growers had a tough time this year with their tomatoes due to a very wet winter and spring. They reported that “during the 2015-16 season, which ended in June, tomato growers packed 28.2 million 25-pound equivalent cartons of mature greens and vine-ripe tomatoes, down from 36.5…
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WABE radio reported today that Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division has officially declared a Level 1 drought for Atlanta and northern Georgia, 53 counties in all. While the Drought Monitor has shown drought in this area for several months, conditions have lingered and impacts have become severe enough for the State to make an official drought declaration.…
Posted in: Drought -
High Country News had a fascinating article this week about one of the longest-serving National Weather Service cooperative observers. Anna Mae Wright is a farmer who has been taking daily weather observations since the late 1940s in Redrock, New Mexico, which means she has been observing for seven decades. The NWS has depended on faithful…
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In today’s somewhat surprising climate news, NOAA announced that they are canceling the La Niña watch that has been in place for several months. While colder than normal conditions have been seen in the Eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator for a while, they have not been strong enough for long enough to constitute an…