It’s that time of year… Winter. The season when those unrealistic snow and ice accumulation maps, for an unlikely event 10 days into the future, that often go viral on social media. So, I wanted to briefly discuss the nature of internet weather hype and how you can learn to recognize it. As the National … Read more
After a change to milder temperatures in late December for much of the U.S., the jet stream is in the process of taking another plunge southward into the nation. That will result in much colder temperatures over a significant portion of the U.S. during January. Late December Upper-Level Pattern In a previous article, we indicated that temperatures would be milder across … Read more
This past Christmas Day resulted in interesting weather across the central Plains. From strong thunderstorms in Kansas to the blizzard conditions in the Dakotas, the stockings were full of interesting weather Christmas morning. Nearly the entire state of Kansas, excluding the extreme western parts of the state, were impacted by a low-end squall line. I spent the … Read more
For well over 100 years, revelers by the thousands have flocked to Times Square and braved the elements to see the annual ball drop to ring in the New Year. Since the 1940’s millions more have been able to watch the festivities on television. Fortunately, most of these events have been without precipitation , with a few exceptions, but there … Read more
The day after Christmas Day in 2015, an outbreak of tornadoes across the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and northern Texas. There were a total of 12 confirmed tornadoes, including one violent tornado that was rated an EF-4 with estimated winds to 180mph that devastated the communities of Garland and Rowlett as it crossed Interstate 30. Below … Read more
If you aren’t a skier and you long to get away from snow and frigid temperatures during the holiday season, there are a number of destinations where weather conditions can put a smile on your face and allow you to have a good time. Here’s a short list of cities that could be quite inviting to you this … Read more
There was a time when I thought that I was all alone with my passion for weather. I was only 7 years old and how many other weather fanatics that were my age could there possibly be? I wanted to be a meteorologist when I grew up and that was settled. Over the many decades … Read more
A new member of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) family will launch from the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday, November 19th, at approximately 5:42pm EST (2242 UTC; Universal Coordinated Time). GOES-R, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series, will be the next generational advancement in meteorological forecasting and technology. It will … Read more
Last year on December 26th, the day after Christmas Day, an outbreak of tornadoes occurred near the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, metroplex. The area of Rowlett was hit the hardest by a violent EF-4 tornado. Many families lost everything as houses were completely destroyed, and donations for gifts and toys are being accepted for affected children. … Read more
On November 14th, our closest celestial neighbor will reach its full phase as it orbits behind the Earth where the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned, respectively. As the lunar orbit reaches its closest approach to Earth, it is called a perigee. The moon’s orbit is elliptical around the Earth and as a result, the proximity of distance between … Read more
On September 27th, 2016, a tropical depression had formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean that had traversed across the Atlantic Ocean as a disturbance of thunderstorms days prior. The next day on September 28th, a tropical storm formed. Its name: Matthew. Over the next few days, Matthew would undergo a rapid intensification process and strengthened … Read more
Important Update #1 [Monday 10/3 at 3 pm EDT] Since this page was created 8 hours ago, new model data have continued to trend the track of Hurricane Matthew westward, closer to the eastern Florida coast, tracking northeast along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. If future data continue to show this … Read more
You can also use our interactive tropical cyclone map to view more data about Hurricane Matthew. Category-5 storms are extremely rare in the Atlantic basin. September 30, 2016 Where is Hurricane Matthew headed? October 3, 2016 At 11 pm EDT, Friday September 30, Hurricane Matthew was upgraded to category 5 status by the National Hurricane … Read more
Friday 9/30/16 at 7:19 am A little over one hour ago, at 11:19 UTC (7:19 EDT), Rosetta sent its last signal to the European Space Agency’s European Space Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany, after colliding with Comet 67P (Churyumov–Gerasimenko). This was a well-orchestrated “crash” landing, bringing Rosetta’s 12-year mission to an end. The comet is … Read more
This past summer of 2016, I took on a meteorology internship position at KWCH Eyewitness News, an affiliate of CBS, in Wichita, Kansas. Throughout my college education career at Penn State University, I have worked hard at rounding my experience throughout the weather enterprise in as many ways as possible. And, while my ultimate goal is … Read more
This is an amazing satellite loop of Super Typhoon Meranti tracking toward southern Taiwan, with the eye passing just south of Taiwan’s southern tip. Meranti is now headed for the northern Philippines & southeast China. As of late Tuesday afternoon (9/13/16), Super Typhoon Meranti had become the strongest storm on Earth so far in 2016, … Read more
These forecast updates can also be found on our Facebook page. I have compiled them here for easy access as we track the first fall cold front, very early for North Texas, if this verifies. Note: Scroll down the page to see previous updates dating back to 8/27… Follow Up [Monday 9/12] The following … Read more
As the peak of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season nears, it was years ago today, on the morning of August 28, 2005, that the National Weather Service in Slidell, which has responsibility for New Orleans, Louisiana, issued a dire bulletin in advance of Hurricane Katrina as she headed towards the Gulf Coast. At the time … Read more
We recently reviewed ways to receive hazardous weather alerts via NOAA Weather Radio and were reminded by recent catastrophic flooding in Louisiana that it does not take a named storm system to cause catastrophic destruction (life and property). Now, we want to help you review ways to help you prepare for the next tropical event, … Read more
A strong mid-latitude cyclone over the southern U.S. resulted in widespread flash flooding from August 10th-14th, where rainfall totals were in excess of 30.00″ (inches) in some areas. Catastrophic flooding occurred across the Deep South, where over 1,000 motorists were stranded on Interstate 12 in eastern Louisiana. Since the flooding, everyone stranded on the interstate … Read more
The standard homeowners insurance policy in the United States does not cover damages from flooding caused by rains, hurricanes, and storms that are common in many parts of the country. Flooding can cause property damages worth hundreds and thousands of dollars, so every American homeowner should know about the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The … Read more
We simply can’t over stress the importance of disaster preparation. This includes having a stockpile of non-perishable foods, water, first aid supplies, backup battery power, and a reliable means of receiving accurate, critical information. A good way to start an emergency preparedness kit is to have a NOAA Weather Radio (NOAA; National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Read more
Atmospheric gravity waves, known as undular bores, are waves in Earth’s atmosphere that often show up quite well on satellite and radar imagery. They are notorious for creating wave-like clouds, which clearly propagate as waves when viewed in rapid time-lapse photography. Low-level atmospheric stability is implicated in the formation of undular bores. Large static stability … Read more
On May 25th, 2016, a large and violent, long-track tornado tore through the landscape across north-central Kansas causing extensive damage along Interstate 70 between Abilene and Chapman, Kansas. What was a marginal day for severe weather ended up producing one of the most violent tornadoes of the 2016 season. We visited Chapman on Saturday, July 23rd, … Read more
Definition of Heat Index: The heat index is an estimate of how hot the air “feels” to the human body and provides a relative indication of potential health risks. Among others, the two primary factors in the heat index equations are temperature and water vapor (i.e., moisture/humidity). Humidity affects the efficacy of perspiration to evaporatively … Read more
Interesting rainfall tidbits from the deluge in the Metroplex on Monday 7/4/16 The total rainfall at DFW Airport on the 4th of July 2016 was 3.20″ This shattered the daily record for 7/4 by 141% (previous record: 1.31″ in 2006) Compared with the entire month of July, as well as June + July… It ranked … Read more
Currently at Atlanta’s Hartsfield (ATL) The temperature is: ATL’s heat index is: °F Current Conditions Around Georgia How many days until fall? The summertime heat in the Southeast can be oppressive, despite the fact that actual air temperatures are relatively mild compared to those of the Great Plains and Midwest. For example, the average high … Read more
The summer solstice begins Monday, June 20th at 5:34pm CDT. A full moon, also known as the June Strawberry Moon, will coincide with the summer solstice. A Strawberry Moon is a term given to any full moon in the month of June. The term was used most by Algonquin tribes, who recognized it as an … Read more
Storm chasing is an emotional roller coaster. From operational field missions, to university research, and to the hobbyist and/or nature explorer, storm chasing consists of several thousand miles of driving for sometimes only an hour of action. Each Spring, scientists, meteorologists, hobbyists, and explorers, venture out to the Great Plains to seek some of the atmosphere’s … Read more
Currently at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) The temperature is: DFW’s heat index is: °F Current Conditions Around N. TX How many days until fall? It’s pretty much a given that summertime in North Texas will be hot. However, there is a fine line between “hot” and dangerously hot. In other words, “only” a few degrees can … Read more