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Many of you older folk like me probably remember the cold years in the late 1970s. In Michigan, where I was living, the winters and especially the Januarys were particularly bad, with large snowstorms that dumped feet of snow in some locations. Well, one cold outbreak was so strong that 40 years ago today, in…
Posted in: History -
Meteorologists use Doppler radar to track precipitation across the country. It provides not only information about falling rain and snow, but also a sense of the direction of the winds, which can help provide information about potential severe weather such as tornadoes. But Doppler radar can also track other things in the sky, such as…
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What’s your favorite kind of weather? What temperatures do you like best? While there is likely to be a range of values in your group of friends, scientists generally define “mild” weather as temperatures between 64 and 86 degrees F, with less than a half inch of rain and dew points below 68 degrees F, indicative…
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The latest Drought Monitor released this morning shows no changes in the drought status across the Southeast this week. However, rainy conditions coming up in the next few days may lead to further reductions in the drought status in next week’s monitor, so stay tuned!
Posted in: Drought -
NOAA and NASA released separate reports today on the 2016 global climate. Both agencies using separate methods determined that 2016 was the warmest year on record, beating out last year’s record. The warmth included most of the globe with a few small areas of cooler temperatures. The NOAA report can be found at https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summary-info/global/201612 and the…
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USA Today reported earlier this week that in all 2016 had only 17 tornado deaths during the year. This is the lowest in 30 years and the second lowest since accurate records began in 1950. The lowest year was 1986 with 16 deaths. One of the reasons this year was so low was that there…
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Those of us who watch the tropics for signs of El Niño or La Niña have noted that the recent weak La Niña seems to be dissipating pretty quickly. What will come next? Some of the models that have just come out are predicting a return to El Niño, and this set social media abuzz.…