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14 July 2011
7th Warmest June on Record- NOAA/NCDC
From the National Climate Data Center today: The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for June 2011 was the seventh warmest on record at 60.94 F (16.08 C), which is 1.04 F (0.58 C) above the 20th century average of 59.9 F (15.5 C). The margin of error associated with this temperature is +/- 0.13 F (0.07 C). Global Temperature Highlights: Year to date The combined global …
9 July 2011
A Very Hot Wind Is Sweeping Down The Plain
Oklahoma is baking this afternoon! Temps last hour were above 110 at several locations and according to Gene Tyner at the NWS forecast office in Norman: “June was one of the hottest months in recent memory for Oklahoma and the hottest June on record in the west central and southwest part of the state where the average daily maximum temperature was above 100 degrees for the month. The average daily …
5 July 2011
“Exceptional” Texas/Oklahoma Drought Intensifies
In some parts of Texas and Oklahoma, the drought is now worse than the dust bowl days of the 1930’s. 72% of Texas is now in exceptional drought and the long range weather pattern is looking very dry and hot. If you include Oklahoma, and the other South Central states, then nearly 50% of the region is now at the most extreme drought stage. The image below shows the departure …
1 July 2011
New Normals vs Old- State by State
NOAA released this data today, showing how the new climate normals (being released this month) compare with the old on a state by state basis. Here is part of the press release that accompanied it. Thanks for the heads up the the NWS HSV folks. NOAA PRESS RELEASE: According to the 1981-2010 normals to be released by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) on July 1, temperatures across the United …
27 June 2011
The New Normal- and yes it’s hotter.
I have spent the week here in Oklahoma City (home actually) at the American Meteorological Society’s 35th Conf. on Broadcast Meteorology. My wife and I have a home just a few blocks north of the location, so it’s been nice to have the annual meeting in our back yard. There are really not that many people on air who have a background in atmospheric physics, and the AMS denotes …
16 June 2011
Good Science and Junk Science
The Good Science: NOAA released the May global temp. data today and the global land and ocean temps. were tied for 10th warmest on record. Land temps. were 7th warmest on record. The period of meteorological spring from March -May was also the 10th warmest on the instrument record. From NCDC: Global Highlights The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2011 was 0.50°C (0.90°F) above the …
15 June 2011
Measuring Sea Salt From Orbit and A Fun Quiz!
I still remember clearly my first trip to the ocean at age 7 in the mid 1960’s. It was beautiful Galveston, Texas and you could drive right out onto the beach in those days. Erosion and sea level rise, has taken much of that beach away now, but the greatest surprise to me was that the ocean was salty! As a little 7-year-old from land locked Oklahoma, I had no …
13 June 2011
Two Amazing Images from Space
The Chaiten Puyehue volcano in Chile continues to spew and enormous amount of ash, and has me wondering if we are getting to the point that we could see a global climate impact from the eruption. Vulcanologist Charles Stern at Colorado Univ. said back in May that the eruption was high in silica and low in Sulfur, which would negate the effects of a major global temperature change. I ‘ve …
Why the Media Screws Up Science- Courtesy potholer54
This is one excellent video essay by an experienced science journalist. Why the media screws up science. So true, and it should be required watching for reporters.
22 May 2011
Ozone and Climate Change in Antarctica
Antarctica has behaved rather strangely compared to what’s been expected for the rest of the planet as greenhouse gases rise. That in itself, is not unexpected, because Antarctica is unlike anywhere else on the planet. It’s much colder than the Arctic, and surrounded by a frigid ocean with a continuous fast-moving current that circles the bottom of the world. As the temps. warm, Antarctica will see more snow as …
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.