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22 June 2009
Oregon Isn't The Only Thing That's Green!
The American Meteorological Society has thousands of members in all types of atmospheric disciplines. The smallest group is likely the broadcast Meteorologists. We have a little over 100 attendees here in Portland at the the 37th annual AMS Conference on Broadcast Meteorology. I know what you are thinking. A room full of 100 people with very good haircuts. You might be surprised though. We come in all colours, shapes and …
14 April 2009
Weather "Doctor Who" Would Love- Gravity Waves? (updates at bottom)
It sounds like something right of an episode of Doctor Who. High winds arrive suddenly, and disappear 4 hours later in a flash. That’s just what happened over North Alabama Sunday night. Sonic screw drivers, and a Tardis might help explain it, but I have a pretty good idea, just the same. I can promise that the Daleks had nothing to do with it. (Although I would not put it past the Cybermen). So what did happen to …
12 April 2009
Twisters and Ice From The Sky
Good Friday 2009 will long be remembered in Alabama and Tennessee. Huge hailstones, and violent tornadoes pounded the region. Only two deaths, and some 50 injuries, but a lot of destruction. It certainly could have been worse, and to families that lost loved ones and homes, it is a tragedy that will be remembered for a life time. Many times, when severe storms hit, the only view of hail or …
9 April 2009
Weather & Climate Models- Trust me this is interesting!
His name was Richardson. Lewis Fry Richardson. He was a British mathematician, and as a Quaker, also a pacifist. When World War one began, he enlisted as an ambulance driver to serve his country while adhering to his ideals. Richardson had the bright idea that the mathematical equations that govern the air, could be used to predict the weather. He decided to make a forecast, and divided the forecast area …
13 March 2009
The Great Copenhagen Disconnect
Hundreds of the world’s top Climate Scientists have been meeting in Copenhagen. This is the largest meeting, since the release of the 4th assessment report of the IPCC in 2007. I have written here several times about research, indicating that the situation was worse than thought, just two years ago. The rate of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is increasing more rapidly than expected in the worst case scenario. Sea …
14 January 2009
The Misunderstood Wind Chill
Every time we get a big blast of cold in the Tennessee Valley, I get several requests for a wind chill chart. If I have reminded you of such a forgotten need, not to worry! I am including one in this post. However, if you think that the wind chill is “How cold it feels” then let me persuade you otherwise. It really is not. What wind chill IS, is …
21 December 2008
Crazy December Storm Track
If your reading this blog from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, you know how crazy the weather has been in December. Here in the Southeast USA, we have had warm and dreary conditions, with nearly 11 inches of rain in Huntsville. This is not a record though. Back in 1990 we had over 18 inches! The West, and North have had bitter cold, and snow for most of the month. …
29 December 2007
Best Science Books of the Year
I have read some great books on science this year and I want to share them with you. If you saw my Quick Science report on Sunday morning, then these are the books I was talking about. Two of them are by one author: Kerry A. Emanuel, Ph.D. Doctor Emanuel is a professor of Atmospheric Science at what is arguably the best engineering school in the world. MIT in Boston. …
17 December 2007
2007 Global Temperature 5th Warmest on record
Here is a press release from NOAA that you may find interesting. Yet another year of unusually warm weather in the USA and worldwide. NOAA: 2007 a Top Ten Warm Year for U.S. and Globe The year 2007 is on pace to become one of the 10 warmest years for the contiguous U.S., since national records began in 1895, according to preliminary data from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in …
5 December 2007
Goes 12 Dies an Early Death
If you look at satellite images on TV or online then you are most likely looking at images from GOES 12. On the West Coast another GOES provides coverage of storms from Hawaii to as far East as Oklahoma. Just before the 10 PM weathercast last night, I noticed that my satellite imagery was not updating. I suspected there was a hardware failure, or our down link dish was misaligned. …
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.