There have been a lot of upset atmospheric scientists (here's one ) recently because of the Trump Administration's proposed cuts to meteorological research.  Without getting into that subject, I want to bring your attention to how innovative research in weather science can still be done without spending millions and millions of dollars: The OTUS Project . They are flying drones into tornadoes and conducting measurements -- something that never before has been done.  They are licensing their footage and asking for donations to sustain themselves. You can donate at the orange link above. 

One of the three new radar trucks NOAA is putting into the field for the 2026 Vortex Project.  Please note NOAA's photo caption.  So far in 2026, the meteorological community has been roiled by proposed cuts in atmospheric research as well as a proposal by the Trump Administration to disband the National Center for Atmospheric Research. We've written about these several times, the most recent article is here .  Yesterday, a new research program ("Vortex 2026") was announced by the National Severe Storms Laboratory. They are going to put three trucks with multiple mobile radars in the field. They plan to study, in real-time, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms and ... Beyond tornadoes and thunderstorms, the new radars will also support research into other high-impact hazards. In wildfire situations, mobile radars can help monitor smoke plumes, fire-induced winds, and changing weather conditions that affect fire behavior and firefighter safety. During flash-flooding even...

Sports Illustrated  Each school will receive $135 million as a result of the "capital deal" in addition to the $80 to $100 million each school receives year from TV rights.  Exactly why should these universities be non-profit? This "capital deal" -- selling assets that were originally paid for by taxpayers -- is as money grubbing a deal as any private sector company would make. Football is hardly a key academic activity. Universities also have endowments, sometimes worth billions, that also receive preferential tax treatment.  Before anyone says, "universities are engaged in public service," so was my company WeatherData, Inc. (we directly saved hundreds of lives) but the government wouldn't let us be non-profit.  Below are comments regarding last week's 60 Minutes'  weekly "Trump is evil" report that he allegedly shut down breast cancer research. This "overselling" over university research potential is, unfortunately, qui...

With the mess this spring with regard to the National Weather Service, especially regarding hurricane forecasting, I have good news. #1. The concern about the microwave data from the DMSP satellite is over. It will continue for the life of the satellite. #2. Even more important is a peer-reviewed paper published last week that demonstrates the importance of the entire suite of hurricane hunter data.  Every American Meteorological Society journal contains a "significance statement" that explains how it advances the science. Here's the statement with this paper: When a tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean is forecast to make landfall in the United States and its territories, the Gulfstream IV (G-IV) aircraft is used to collect data from the environment around the hurricane with the goal of improving the hurricane track forecast. Our study aims to evaluate whether these data improve the track forecasts of hurricanes from 2018 to 2022 by comparing forecasts with these data...

I'm pleased to report that Wichita State University has finished cataloging my collection and it is now available for those researchers who wish to use it. You can click here to see what is available. The collection includes my papers, research and other information that I hope the community will find useful. 

Ted Fujita with me in 1993. Ted visited WeatherData, Inc on a  couple of occasions, this was when he presented some initial findings of his research on Hurricane Andrew.  Unquestionably, the greatest and most innovative meteorologist of the 20th Century was  Dr. Ted Fujita . Among his discoveries were downbursts, the oscillating tornado alley, wall cloud association with tornadoes, suction vortices and The Fujita Scale, among others. Ted was personally modest and low-key about his accomplishments but he evoked a surprising amount of envy -- which has held weather science back in a number of ways.  While I cannot speak for others, the envy seemed to stem from his willingness to go into the field and do the very hard work of examining the debris, collecting unconventional data like individuals' photos of storms, and the emotional work of speaking to those affected. Because he was usually the only person willing to take this forensic approach, his success in getting fun...

While the meteorological road from research to forecasting and warnings is often a bumpy one, we continue to make progress. Here is an example which -- may -- lead to better tornado warnings. Below is a screen capture from a Twitter/X post and video: There was fascinating data from a mobile radar (below). Dr.'s Josh Wurman* and Karen Kosiba intercepted this tornado and were able to set up the radar in time.  The maximum measured winds just above the ground were 224 mph! EF-5 intensity is 200 mph. However,  the official rating may not be that high for the reasons below. While original (superior, in my opinion) Fujita Tornado Intensity scale allowed for measurements of tornadoes, its successor, the 'Enhanced' Fujita Scale (EF), ranks tornadoes solely  by damage.  Example: If, for example, an EF-4 (second highest) tornado's only damage was to a rural barn that would fall apart in 100 mph winds, that tornado will be rated EF-2 rather than its actual intensity which was E...

This story is about a scientist doing an amazing things -- while others scoffed.  As the above clip from Twister  shows, it has been a goal of meteorologists for decades to get a probe(s) into a tornado to measure its winds, pressure, and other data in hopes they can be used to create better computer models that will allow better forecasts.  The problem has always been that when a tornado gets to weather instruments, it destroys them. The National Severe Storms Laboratory developed TOTO ( TO table T ornado O bservatory; meteorologists love acronyms, no matter how inane). It was towed into the tornado's path and would take measurements near the ground -- if only the tornado would move over it. This was the inspiration for "Dorothy" in the movie Twister. If I recall correctly, they got it into a tornado's path a single time....... with predictable results .  In 2019, Dr. Reed Timmer, best known for his television show Storm Chasers -- amazingly -- launched a small, in...

Today is the final day of the 2023 hurricane season.  And, for the 2024 season, there is some new research that might prove helpful in forecasting the "rapid intensification" of hurricanes. There are some hurricane forecasters that believe 2024 could be a very active year. You may wish to factor that into your plans for next summer and autumn. 

This mumbo-jumbo passes for 'research' in the field of global warming.  Sheesh!

One of the silliest global warming papers (and that's saying something!) in a while was published last week. We taxpayers are being mocked for not "trusting" universities and their researchers. Evidently, university researchers think we don't pay attention to what is occurring at American universities. In addition to the above, a professor wanting to "use muscle" to prevent a student paper's photographer from taking photos in a public area, university trampling students' free speech rights ,  students' suing for free speech rights ,  sorority forced to accept biological men as members.  Notice a trend here? Not only is the quality of university research questionable, students and staff must either follow the liberal line or you are gone! And, good luck suing to get your rights protected. Why Does This Matter For Global Warming Science? It is politically incorrect at a university to publish research that casts doubt on the catastrophic global wa...

A forecast of how rainbows will change in the next 78 years. 🙄 Taxpayers in both the United States and Great Britain evidently paid for this peer-reviewed paper.  First, who cares?! Second, weather forecasts 78 years in the future? Absurd.  That is hardly the only recent global warming silliness. See below from CNN. The nonsense doesn't stop! Of course, this is the same publication that told us in March, 2000, that "children aren't going to know what snow is." Today, if you attempt to look up that infamous article, you get, "We can't find that page*." No matter how many times the zealots are wrong , it never diminishes their confidence and self-righteousness.  NOTE: This one came out today, after the above was posted. Global warming: Is there anything it can't do?! * FYI: While I occasionally will delete a routine forecast to reduce clutter, I do never delete other content, including forecasts that are incorrect 

Penn State University Meteorology It has long been suspected that "vorticity" (atmospheric spin) near the ground being tilted upward plays a significant, or even major, role in tornado formation (step 1, above). To my knowledge, this process has never been photographed. This past Friday evening, Kathleen and I happened upon a tornado just as it was starting to develop eight miles west southwest of Hope, Kansas (below, target symbol), although it is being called the Tampa Tornado because it was closer to that town. I'll call it the Tampa Tornado from here, on.  We were driving south on K-15 when, suddenly, a swirl of dust and debris appeared in front of us (below). Through and to the right of both the debris and the road in the background is the cumulonimbus cloud that would produce the Wichita-Andover Tornado twelve minutes later. The photo is taken through the windshield and, as best as we could tell, there was no visible funnel cloud above. Twenty-five seconds later (my...