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Showing posts from November, 2017

Precipitation Forecast for the First Seven Days of December

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This is a forecast of precipitation amounts  through 6pm Thursday.

How Weather Affects Utilities

An article about my friend, Jeff House. Utilities use meteorologists to manage the amount of electricity they generate -- and, that decreases costs to customers.

Weather, Not Climate

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This is a screen shot of an Indonesian volcano erupting. I took it yesterday evening from YouTube . There is a mistaken report in a major media outlet claiming the volcano is going to change the "climate." That is incorrect. While it is likely the volcano will have an effect on the weather  for a period of months or even a year or two, it will have no effect on the climate (long-term weather). It will cool the Northern Hemisphere's weather and it may have other effects. For example, the extreme Mississippi Valley floods of 1993 were related to a volcanic eruption. It is far too soon to speculate what effects this volcano will have on the weather of 2018.

Cyber Monday: "Warnings"

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This was posted on Twitter Saturday evening: Posted yesterday: One week ago today: Hi Mike.  A little over halfway through the book – just past Fujita’s groundbreaking work on microbursts and downbursts from Delta 191.  It’s  an excellent read. Warnings  isn't about science, per se. It is about the people who risked their careers to save lives. If you like this blog, you'll love Warnings.  And, please keep in mind that, other than for my books and speeches, there is no advertising on the blog. Help support it. Since it is Cyber Monday, you can order it from Amazon here (and they will have more in stock by the end of the week). And, you can order it from Barnes & Noble here .

Sunday Fun: The 2017 Dave Barry Gift Guide

Just click here . Your are welcome.

Yes, Hurricanes Are Getting LESS Frequent in the United States

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Here is the updated data, courtesy of Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr. Hurricane landfalls in the United States are getting less  frequent. The U.S. 2017 hurricane season ends on November 30. 

Black Friday Book Suggestion

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Amazon does it again.  :-( For the third year in a row, they have run out on Black Friday. Don't worry, they actually have 70+ copies in their pipeline (I checked). Go ahead and order and they will be there in plenty of time for Christmas.  However: If it is super urgent, call Watermark (below) and they will send out a copy today.  --- original posting --- If you enjoy reading this blog, you'll enjoy reading Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather.  What are readers saying about the book this week? I get emails from readers and I've had two since Monday: Hi Mike.  A little over halfway through the book – just past Fujita’s groundbreaking work on microbursts and downbursts from Delta 191.  It’s  an excellent read. I've read and enjoyed it.  I think I'm going to go down to Watermark and get a couple more copies to send to other people as gifts.  Very pleased to report that  Warnings  is back in stock at Amazon but they on

A Marvelous Thanksgiving Story

You'll really enjoy this heartwarming story .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

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Hope you have a wonderful day. We all have a lot to be thankful for. Below is a movie that illustrates what it was like to take a Thanksgiving road trip in the 50's. The only thing it doesn't say is to, "Watch out for dinosaurs!"

Here Is Your Black Friday Forecast

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Thanksgiving Travel Forecast

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Happy Trails!

European Tornado Chasers Drive Into Tornado

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Fortunately, I'm not forecasting any tornadoes between now and Thanksgiving! Later today, I'll have the Thanksgiving travel forecast.

AccuWeather Forecast for Thanksgiving

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Sunday Fun: This is Really Cool

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I've never flown Emirates Airlines but a promotion like this, if I were ever flying to the Middle East, would certainly make me want to give them a try.

Big News: "Warnings" Back in Stock at Amazon!!

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Very pleased to report that Warnings  is back in stock at Amazon. How we found more copies is a long story that we'll save for now. If you live in south central Kansas, it is also on sale and in stock at Watermark Books . It is a great book (reviews here ) that you will enjoy if you have any interest in weather or science. If you enjoy this blog, please consider it for the holidays.

Hurricane Harvey Lawsuits

The article I recommended has been taken down.

The National Hurricane Center's Accuracy Was Excellent This Year

While AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions issues its own hurricane forecasts for our clientele, the National Hurricane Center is the source for hurricane and tropical storm forecasts for the public. I'm pleased to link to this story from the Washington Post  documenting that the Hurricane Center had a very good year in terms of the accuracy of its forecasts.

Quote of the Day

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The article to which Bjorn links is here .

Dominos: Hadn't Thought Of It This Way

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Mazel Tov, Mindy and Mark!!

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I would like to wish all of the happiness and joy in the world to Mindy and Mark East. As you know, Mindy is the marketing person for my speaking business and book sales.

Sutherland Springs: The Ultimate Reason to Pray

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USA Today Last Sunday’s atrocity at the First Baptist of Sutherland Springs, Texas, brought about an extraordinarily disappointing and even repulsive reaction from many prominent people in politics and entertainment. Instead of statements of empathy, support, or even the good taste to stay silent, there were too many reactions like this sampling: Or, from a U.S. Congressman, Or, from the Speaker of the House and a cast member of  The Big Bang Theory, There were many more along these lines but this sample should be sufficient to illustrate the issue. "If prayers did anything, they'd still be alive." That is an astonishing misunderstanding of the purpose of prayer. I'd like to try to assist Mr. Wheaton and others as to what my fellow Christians were doing in Church one week ago this morning.  Jesus declared,  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the fi

Saturday Fun: A Free Apple Fritter? Okay, Then!

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At lower left we have our thief courteously bringing a apple fritter, complete with wax paper to people in a donut store at whom he pointed a gun earlier in the tape. Nice to know gun-toting criminals are polite, and sanitary, in Texas. The video is here .

Puerto Rico: Congratulations AccuWeather Colleagues!

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Photo by AccuWeather's Aira Nelson I want to let you know about our company's relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Our State College team filled an entire shipping container with essential supplies -- especially generators -- needed for the town of Patillas, where, unfortunately, it appears Hurricane Maria "hit yesterday." Four members of our team went to PR to insure the supplies got to those in need. I'll let our team members on the scene take over the story, The circumstances are unfortunate, but the community– especially in the humble town of Patillas- are extremely hopeful and full of energy.  Patillas welcomed AccuWeather with open arms.  No one we met complained, not even the people who lost their homes.  One family in particular had an enormous impact on me. This family of three – a husband who lost his legs, his wife, and her 102-year-old mother, who has to be on a feeding tube – had come into town extremely early, seeking a generator to help with the fee

That's Hedy!

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One of the world's most fascinating people was the late Hedy Lamarr. Why? Because the Austrian and American film actress was not only successful in MGM films, she was the inventor (yes, has the patents to show it) of spread spectrum technology, a form of radio communications that would help defeat the Nazi's. You know we call that invention today? Wi-Fi and Bluetooth! Today would have been her 103rd birthday. There is a one-woman show about her life playing in Chicago.

How Much Warming Has Actually Occurred in the United States?

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With great fanfare (at least in meteorological circles) the United States unveiled a state-of-the-art climatological network so that we could actually measure climatological change in the United States. The network has been operating since 2004. You may also remember the report issued last week that forecast future gloom and doom but that also observed none of this has occurred to this date. Perhaps the reason the gloom and doom has not yet occurred is because United States temperatures have not risen. Above is the data: there is little, if any, significant warming depicted during the almost 13 years the network has been in existence. One can, of course, correctly accurately point out that 13 years is a short period of time in climatological terms. But, given the  sometimes ridiculous  reporting about [global] warming in the United States one would expect to see....warming. Hat tip: WattsUpWithThat

Tornado Sunday Traps Two Men Under Tons of Hay

How Well Have Past "Climate Catastrophe" Reports Aged?

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Friday, Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr. and I took a look at the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of reports calling for climate catastrophes . In it, I stated, I tend to focus on what is occurring now and compare it to past IPCC/US Climate Project projections. Obviously, the current climate in the United States is not as bad as was forecast.  Let's take a look (hat tip: Dr. Ross McKittrick) at how well one of these comprehensive reports, thirteen years ago, has aged in the past 13 years: ...Major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.  The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few exp

Two Tornado Watches in the Midwest

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There are now two tornado watches in effect: If you live in the areas under a tornado watch, please monitor the weather the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Significant Tornado Risk in the Midwest

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An Out-of-Season Risk of Tornadoes Any time of year a 5% (brown) risk of tornadoes is significant. A 10% elevated risk is quite significant. So, please make sure your family members and friends are aware that tornado watches may be needed later today along with the possibility of taking shelter during tornado warnings. In addition, there is a rare (for this time of year) chance of very large hail in the hatched area. For hail, the significant threshold of 1" hail is 15%, the red area is where the chance is 30%. Hatching is where the two inch or larger hail is forecast. I will update this once this afternoon but will not be able to live-blog storms later today.

An Amazing "Thank You"

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Tulane University, New Orleans, just sent a unique "thank you" to AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions for our service to them during the recent hurricane season. Photo by Tom Bedard Meteorologist Ali Davis is standing behind three New Orleans' King Cakes ! They are a special delicacy of The Big Easy. What did Tulane have to say about our services? If you aren't getting celebratory service to help you navigate extreme weather, contact sales@accuweather.com . We'd love to hear from you. 

The New Climate Report: Keep Cool!

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The New York Times  ( headline above ) reports as news something that meteorologists have definitively known for more than 40 years and that is that human beings affect the climate. This is not by any definition "news." But, what does the report really say once you get past the silly headlines? My friend, Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr. took the time to break down what report says about current  extreme weather conditions in the United States down into tweets. With his permission, I am reproducing them here. In English, #2 is climatesciencese for "we do not have evidence for a change in TC=tropical cyclone (tropical storms and hurricanes) frequency or intensity over decades or the past century." #3, if anything, the number of strong tornadoes is going down . #4, Winter storms have  become more frequent and intense since 1950. #5 Regarding drought, there is "no detectable change" in drought (if anything, the statistics show the amount of drought going dow