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24 August 2016

30 Deaths from Lightning in the U.S. So Far This Year. 12 From Tornadoes

Meteorologist John Jensenius at NOAA keeps track of the deaths from lightning each year, and I asked him to send me a list of the deaths each month, so that I could share. We are now up to 30, and it is worth noting that 80% of the deaths are male and 20% female, a fact that is not unusual, with far more males rather than females becoming victims each …

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9 November 2011

Tornado Hits Oklahoma Mesonet Stations

  This is the kind of thing that makes meteorologists go running through the room, and all the while jumping up and down. A tornado passed very close to the Tipton station on Monday afternoon. So close, that it knocked it out, but not before measuring and incredible pressure drop, and some amazing wind gusts. Here is what the Okla. Mesonet Facebook page has: “Here’s a plot of the 1-minute …

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7 November 2011

Earthquakes Saturday and Tornadoes on Monday- Wild Times in Oklahoma!

  What’s going on in Oklahoma?? The biggest quake in Sooner state history hit on Saturday (I was video chatting with my daughter on our iPhone’s as it happened). Today, I get a call from a friend, (who is a fellow meteorologist) and he’s chasing a tornado near Snyder, Oklahoma! Tornadoes in November are rare anywhere. Especially so in Oklahoma! Now you know why so many meteorologists come from Oklahoma. …

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17 October 2011

Tornadoes and Those Who Study Them

I did a quick presentation on Saturday at the National Weather Association’s public outreach day. The event was held at the McWane Science Center in downtown Birmingham. This coming week, is the annual NWA conference. This year it’s a joint meeting with the GOES Users Conference, and I’m presenting at the GUC on Thursday, along with being a co-chair of one session. There is no other science that fascinates the …

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5 September 2011

Out of Control Texas Wildfire from Space

  The wildfire to the SE of Austin remains out of control and has burned 300 homes according to press reports. The wildfire is also visible on GOES images as well. The weather could not be possibly any worse in this situation. A summer of the worst drought in history and now a strong cool front has brought gusty northerly winds with dewpoints in the 30’s, giving very low relative …

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2 September 2011

Tropical Storm Lee May Swamp Louisiana- and Maybe MS. & Alabama

  The NWP guidance continues to indicate very heavy rains over the Gulf Coast and some models are squeezing out over 15 inches of rainfall in spots. It seems likely that this system will move very slowly and still be dumping heavy rains over Alabama on Tuesday. If the past is a guide ( and it is), then we could see flooding well inland from Lee. As it was with …

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1 September 2011

NHC missed the Irene Forecast?? I Think Not.

Every meteorologist/forecaster I know agrees that the NHC forecasters did an amazing job on Irene. Yes, the intensity forecast was a little high on the landfall forecast for N. Carolina, but the skill in intensity forecasts is still a much bigger problem than track and the 24 hour forecast was quite close. There are few weather obs on the outer banks and I suspect the winds were higher than recorded …

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26 August 2011

Irene’s Core Heads for The Big Apple; Hurricane Warning for New York

  Irene is now a cat two storm and the wind shear has weakened it just a bit today. The wind field is very large though and flood models are indicating that it will produce significant flooding, perhaps as high as a category two storm in some places. Winds may gust to hurricane force in NYC, but sustained winds will likely be at tropical storm strength as it passes, and …

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19 August 2011

Supercell Thunderstorm East of Brussels Kills 4

  The red arrow is pointing at the overshooting top on the thunderstorm, indicating a very strong updraft. The BBC says 4 were killed when a stage collapsed at a music festival. Surface weather obs (from just before the storm developed) indicated temps near 27℃ (80℉) and dew-points near 18℃ (64℉). A surface front was moving into Belgium as a strong upper level trough pushed through the UK, and this set the stage …

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18 August 2011

Waterspout Today In North Carolina

Waterspouts are not tornadoes but have caused damage and injuries in the past. They develop when horizontal rotations from wind shear (and rising and falling air parcels) get twisted into the vertical.

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