Clouds pass by Mount Nittany Thursday afternoon The American Meteorological Society's meeting is over and was a huge success. Many interesting papers were presented about weather, climate, and society.

Hand-sharpened pencils! In New York's Hudson River Valley, craftsman David Rees still practices the age-old art of manual pencil sharpening. His artisanal service is perfect for artists, writers, and standardized test takers. Shipped with their shavings and a "certificate of sharpening,"   these extra-sharp pencils make wonderful gifts.   Traditionally people mail in their pencils to be sharpened; however David now offers a new service: He will provide the pencil. So, if you have $60, you can place your order here .

Gene Norman asked me to make everyone aware of the first-ever National Flood Conference to be held in Houston from October 24 to 26, 2010. Their web site is here . In Warnings , I tell the story of the progress we have made with hurricanes, tornadoes, and downbursts. Unfortunately, we have made somewhat less progress with regard to floods. The good news is that some new technology, known at dual-polarization radar, will be introduced in the next 12 months. That allows radar to more accurately estimate the amount of rain and the rate at which it is falling which will likely lead to better warnings. The conference promises to be very interesting, plus it is a great time of year to visit Houston. Check it out!

As I was viewing web sites in my hotel room last night, I came across this from the Carl Pope , the chairman of the Sierra Club. August 10, 2010 Martha's Vineyard, MA -- I certainly can't complain about the weather this week. It's gorgeous on Cape Cod, a good place this summer to escape from the exceptional chill of California's summer this year. But the newspaper suggests that globally that's not the norm. Heat waves in Russia have led to massive fires in parts of the country that are usually too wet to burn, to the loss of 30 percent of that nation's wheat crop, and to a ban on grain exports from one of the world's major producers. It's either Russia's worst heat wave in 130 years or, if you believe some commentators, in a thousand. Regardless, the death rate in Moscow has doubled. In Pakistan, the already fragile regime of President Zardari has been pushed into even greater instability by unprecedented floods that have displaced 14 million p...

Flooding has plagued Iowa most of the summer. The latest round has focused in the Ames - Des Moines area. The above photo from The Des Moines Register   is of Iowa State University. In the background is the Hilton arena where the water reached a depth of ten feet. Unfortunately, the rain is not over. This forecast of rainfall amounts from the National Weather Service is is predicting another 3-4 inches in northern Iowa from the time of this posting until 7am Sunday. And, my colleagues at AccuWeather are forecasting the potential for tornadoes, large hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds in the same general area today and tonight.

According to The New York Times  there is a new Johnny Carson website . It features more video and content than the previous version. Hi-Oh! Here are more details: Not much from the first 10 years of Carson’s “Tonight Show” (he took over in 1962) has survived, having been destroyed in an era when no one contemplated the possibility of home video. But the existing tapes, along with a complete library of shows from 1973 on, were kept in storage — and this is not a joke from a Carson monologue — in a salt mine in Kansas. To be specific, the salt mine is in Hutchinson. You can even tour it . While I don't wish to be maudlin, I miss Johnny! I doubt there will ever be another with his wit and class. I want to end this post on an up note with Carnac's ultimate answer: "Sis-Boom-Bah." Can anyone tell me the question? If you don't know the question in question, you can view it here . It is at 4:35. Be ready for one of the longest sustained laughs in the history...

A fascinating story from my friend,  Bill Hooke .