On Weather and Climate
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El Niño Is Not Evil
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The media needs your attention; El Niño is a perfect conduit for grabbing it, especially the strong ones. But don’t fall for the fear trap.
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A Plea for Better Weather Maps
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Instead of trying to cram in the most amount of data possible, we should focus on clean, clear, and concise weather products that maximize public consumption.
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Legends of Meteorology – Ted Fujita
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All of Fujita’s best-known work emerged from his intense and comprehensive observational tenacity. He discovered the existence of ‘suction vortices’, which are small mini-tornadoes that circulate about the parent tornadic vortex, literally pulling up trees, barn animals, and structures.
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Legends of Meteorology – Benjamin Franklin
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Certainly not one of the most prolific lists of meteorological accomplishments, but this guy was busy doing other things. And, Franklin didn’t have modern observation networks, satellites, or other cool things to help develop his theories and experiments. He was very curious, perceptive, and open…
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Drought of Confusion
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Many locals were dumbfounded when the government and media informed them that there is a drought. Sure, the region had a dry spring. But it’s been raining buckets! Comments on social media reflected the state of confusion as the citizens tried to reconcile what they…
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Using Historical Hurricanes as a Predictor
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Sounds great, but…it turns out that nobody knows for sure how many TCs there were before we began tracking them with satellites in the late 1960s. Before then, just a subset of TCs were actually recorded in the history books – typically by ships or…
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Ranking Meteorology College Courses by Practicality
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If you’ve ever wanted to know how precipitation forms, the physics of clouds and rainbows, and how energy behaves, Physical Meteorology is a lovely course. Exam averages are around 40% and you’ll forget the details by next semester, but definitely a foundational course.
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Do Seasonal Hurricane Forecasts Have Value?
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Do government agencies like FEMA use seasonal forecasts to move equipment, budget for the response, or otherwise make any decisions? Does the general population see a seasonal forecast and then change what they do and how much they spend in their preparation for the season?…
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Love Island (Sea Turtle Edition)
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As I watched her disappear in the surf, the meteorologist in me began to wonder if loggerhead turtles are doomed in this era of a warming planet. Are we moving towards a turtle society with a 49/1 female/male ratio? Is this good for anyone (except…