Drought to Last Into 2013; Impacts Expected to Intensify
After another week of low rainfall and high temperatures in the Midwest and Great Plains, it is all but guaranteed that this year will end with more than half of the area in the lower 48 states still under drought conditions. Now, as the drought is poised to enter 2013, climatologists expect its impacts to worsen as it lasts through the winter. … Read More
NOAA: 2012 To Rank as Second Costliest Year Since 1980
While the total number of billion dollar natural disasters is down from 2011, when there were a record 14 such events, costing a total of about $60 billion, the economic losses this year are expected to exceed last year, largely due to the massive economic toll caused by Hurricane Sandy and the widespread drought… Read More
A Year After Flooding, Commerce on Mississippi Imperiled
It was only a year ago that there was record flooding along the Mississippi River and many of its tributaries. Heavy rainfall combined with spring snowmelt to cause the mighty Mississippi to overflow its banks, damaging towns and farmland that line the waterway.… Read More
November Is Globe’s 333rd Straight Month of Warm Temps
November was the 333rd month in a row with a global average surface temperature that was above the 20th century average, a clear sign of the warming trend that scientific evidence shows is very likely due in large part to manmade emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.… Read More
Resilient Drought Holds on Through Dry Autumn
Another week of below-average precipitation across the lower 48 states has brought little relief to drought-stricken areas, making it increasingly unlikely that long-suffering areas will see the dry spell subside by the end of the year. As of December 11, 61.87 percent of the land area in the continental U.S. was still under some degree of drought… Read More
Book It: 2012, The Hottest U.S. Year on Record
Global warming is directly linked to only a few weather events and climate trends. One of them, however, is warming itself, which could make 2012 a watershed climate change year in the U.S. More than superstorms, wildfires, and devastating drought, this year’s record-smashing spring and summer heat waves, with their melted airport runways and … Read More
Sans Polar Satellites, Sandy Forecasts Would’ve Suffered
In an analysis NOAA released on Tuesday, meteorologists at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Reading, England, re-ran their computer model after depriving it of the data that comes from the current fleet of polar-orbiting sat… Read More
Lubchenco, Head of NOAA, To Step Down in February
Lubchenco’s retirement adds another top job to the list of key NOAA vacancies. That list includes the director of the National Weather Service (NWS). In May, NWS director Jack Hayes resigned suddenly after it was revealed that the agency had redirected millions of dollars in funds without congressional authorization.… Read More
