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2 February 2011
Yasi Pounds Queensland, While Chicago Digs Out
Cyclone Yasi hit Queensland with winds gusting to 285 km/hr (177mph). There may have been brief sustained winds at 300km/hr, and this makes Yasi a strong cat 5 cyclone at landfall. The town of Tully has been hit very hard, with 90% of the buildings heavily damaged, according to ABC News Australia. Late reports indicate heavy damage all along the area near landfall. Meanwhile, the blizzard has left 21 inches …
18 October 2010
Great Poster for Teachers
Found this online today and it’s a must for Earth Science teachers everywhere. This is definitely my longest post ever! Okay so click on it and download the full size image and then get a poster made! kudos to Karl Tate at OurAmazingPlanet.com
13 September 2010
Amazing 1 minute GOES Imagery of Hurricane Igor
Tip of the hat to my friend and fellow meteorologist T.J. Malone for this incredible view of the eye of Hurricane Igor. Igor is packing 150 mph winds and almost a cat 5 storm. Igor will not affect the U.S. and it’s unlikely to hit Canada either. Bermuda residents should keep an eye on it (Pardon the pun). The first few frames are the usual every 30 minutes but then …
10 July 2010
A Story About Science – (How rising greenhouse gases are increasing the risk of the ISS hitting space junk.)
I saw an interesting press release about a paper this past week. The headline was along the lines of “Climate Change Increasing Space Junk”. Say what? I can predict the comments now that this will get. “You blame everything on global warming!” Well, let’s look at what the paper really says and why they reached the conclusions they did. I know one of the authors of this paper. Judith Lean is …
8 July 2010
Stormy Sun May Be About To Cause Trouble
Space weather experts at NOAA and NASA have been monitoring a very active sunspot over the last few days. This area has produced several Coronal Mass Ejections (CME). These flares can cause trouble with radio communication and even cause power outages if they hit Earth. Satellites can be especially hard hit. Past solar flares have crippled communication satellites. A really big flare could cause billions of dollars in damage to …
29 June 2010
Alex Nearing Hurricane Strength in Gulf (Updated with AMSU Image)
Tropical Storm Alex is looking quite healthy this afternoon and has finally started moving. There seems to be a growing consensus among the models that Alex will come ashore in Mexico, well south of Brownsville, Texas. The latest movement, along with the new guidance, is a bit left of the last NHC track. Look for a shift the forecast a little southward in the next advisory. It is not out …
19 June 2010
Oil Slick from Space- New View
Click the image below to see in high res. It sure seems to be getting bigger… Dan Update: The pic below was Orange Beach last weekend. Image from Karen Parden. Click the image above for full resolution.
9 June 2010
New Images From Space Show a LOT of Oil
The images from the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites have at times shown the oil slick in the Gulf very dramatically. Today’s is one of the best I have seen. The sun angle was just right. You can also see a smoke plume at the very bottom. This is where they are burning the oil off the top of the ocean. (That seems very strange to have to write.) How …
3 June 2010
Oil Now in Areas Open To Fishing
There are several ways of seeing the extent of the oil slick on the water in the Gulf of Mexico. Visible light is just one way. A better way may very well be to use Synthetic Aperture Radar and look at the Gulf in high frequency radio light. The SAR image to the right is courtesy of CSTARS and the European Space Agency. It shows the oil well. It also …
18 May 2010
Oil Slick Entering the Gulf Loop Current (Trust me, that's bad)
The Gulf Loop current may very well be picking up the oil slick in the Gulf. This would bring the oil down through the Florida Keys and into the Gulf Stream. Eventually passing between Florida and the Bahamas. Oil in this area could cause severe damage to ocean reefs in the Keys and near the Bahamas. The ocean current models show the path of the loop current very well. This …
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.