Rare May Snowstorm Annihilates Records in Midwest
In Iowa, the 11 inches recorded at the town of Britt, which is in the north central part of the state, is also likely a state record. The 6.7 inches that fell in Des Moines was the biggest May snowstorm on record for that city as well. In Wisconsin, 16.2 inches fell at Ashland, which also set a state record for the heaviest May snowstorm on record.… Read More
Twin Cities Narrowly Escape Record May Snowstorm
Had the storm hit only 50 miles or so further northwest, the Twin Cities would have been in the bullseye for at least a foot of snow, which would have shattered the all-time May snowfall record there, which stands at just 3 inches.… Read More
Stubborn 2012 Heat Wave Roasts Eight States
Through the end of June, the South has had the most extreme weather during this period since the Climate Extremes Index began in 1910, with 56.86 percent of the region affected by extreme weather.… Read More
Extreme Heat Continues to Plague South Central States
According to the National Weather Service, Tulsa, OK likely set a record on Monday for the warmest overnight low temperature since records began there, as the temperature failed to drop below a toasty 88°F through this Monday morning.… Read More
Image of the Day: Meandering Mississippi From Space
An image captured from Landsat 7, an Earth-observing satellite managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), portrays the "graceful swirls and whorls of the Mississippi River" as NASA says. Spring 2011 brought some of the worst flooding in history, from the Upper Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. Snowmelt and more than three times the normal… Read More
Heat and Drought Pose Risks for Nuclear Power Plants
Like coal-fired power plants, nuclear facilities use large amounts of water for cooling purposes. After water has cycled through the plant, it is discharged back into a nearby waterway, usually a lake or a river, at a higher temperature. … Read More
Image of the Day: Tar Balls Hit the Beaches This Summer
Two years after the worst oil spill in history, tar balls and dead fish are still washing up on the shores of Louisiana and all along the Gulf coast. Environmentalist, scientists and local fisherman all over the Gulf coast are warning that the disaster is far from over. Fisherman say there are getting less shrimp now since the oil spill. Chemical d… Read More
Media Heats Up with Coverage of Extreme Weather
CBS News and the Associated Press reported on the mass power outages that occurred across the mid-Atlantic region because of the severe thunderstorm event, known as a “derecho, that occurred on June 29. The lack of power, and consequently the lack of air conditioning, added to the public health risks from the late June and early July heat wave … Read More
