It is that time of year, tornado season. If you are in charge of an office or public building's signage please mark your tornado shelters. Someday, it might save a life.

As we go past the 5,000th cold temperature record set so far in 2013, we have this headline from PennLive : The story quotes the Nature Conservancy, a big environmental group. Nature Conservancy is also responsible for t his headline : Both articles quote Dr. Evan Givertz. In both articles he is identified as the Conservancy's "senior climate scientist." If you go to his biography  you find he is not a "climate scientist" but an ecologist. Those are two very different disciplines. Just Sunday, the  New York Times "ethicist" blog had an article criticizing television stations who call their weathercasters "meteorologists" when they do not have the credentials. I agree with that criticism of the television industry. But that is not where it stops: Most would be shocked at the number of climate 'scientists' that have never been a climate or meteorology classroom. It would be beneficial to all concerned if the news media and ...

For anyone concerned about tornado safety, When the Sirens Were Silent is a must-read. It might just save your life. —Jenna Blum, New York Times and international best-selling author of The Stormchasers and Those Who Save Us.  Available as an ebook for just $2.99. Via Kindle here . Via Nook here .

Fireworks over the Harbor.

Told to me by coworker Larry Brown at WKY TV in Oklahoma City my very first week on the air: Never say anything near a microphone you wouldn't want the entire world to hear. I hadn't said anything wrong, he was just coaching me as I did rehearsals leading up to my first live on-air weathercast three weeks later. That advice still serves me well.  

Had a great time speaking to the American Association of Contingency Planners today. Really enjoyed being in San Diego. Tonight's sunset out my hotel room window.

Via Twitter and WGNO TV: The tornado was indeed rain-wrapped and difficult to see. I had to play with the photo in order to make the funnel clearly visible. The photo was described as "near Kenner" but I don't know the exact location of the tornado at this time. This is a Louisiana tornado but it is the one east of Houma (scroll down). Rest of info is correct. There is tornado damage, I don't know the extent. There are 39,000 homes and businesses without power, homes with damage in Kenner, a 59 mph wind gust was clocked at Louis Armstrong Airport and power was off there for at least a time. I am giving a speech this afternoon, so this will be my last update on the Louisiana tornado situation unless something major occurs.