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12 August 2016
Brutal Heat For the Eastern Seaboard This Weekend.
A weekend of brutal heat is on the way, from here on Delmarva, to DC, and all the way to New York, with heat index values well above 100. Extreme humidity covers much of the Eastern half of the U.S. this Friday evening, and the high moisture content of the air is pushing heat index values into the danger range. The levels of water vapor in the atmosphere are also …
14 August 2015
The Ugly Side of August Arrives in The Northeast Next Week
Unlike much of the Plains and the Deep South, the summer has not been that hot across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. but next week is going to bring the ugly side of August to much of the region. The heat will likely make it all the way into Toronto and Montreal and affect millions of people. This same weather pattern a month ago would likely bring highs in the …
13 September 2012
WMO Throws Out World Heat Record- Death Valley Wins Gold
The World Meteorological Organization has thrown out the long-standing World temperature record, and now the number two reading at Death valley is on top. El Azzizia, Lybia was the record holder at 58 C (136 degrees F,) but as suspected by many meteorologists (including this one) the record was suspect. After some detailed research, the WMO has decided that this record is not likely accurate, and this leaves the 56.4C …
10 August 2012
NASA Climate Expert James Hansen & An Amazing Forecast
In 1988 James Hansen published a paper with a prediction that many of his fellow scientists thought was a bit over the top. I want to explain the prediction and then give a summary of the paper he published this week showing it was (almost amazingly) correct. Imagine that the odds of a cold winter, or hot summer, are represented by a 6 sided dice. Two sides are white for …
30 July 2012
Tulsa Hits 108 Degrees Sunday- Forecast for Wednesday 113!
The temp. at midnight in Tulsa was 95 degrees after a high of 108 on Sunday. The heat goes on and on and on… FYI- the all time record for Tulsa is 116 degrees in the dust bowl August of 1936. From what I see on the numerical models tonight, that record is in jeopardy. Update 1 am EDT Tues. 31 July: Tulsa set an all time record high minimum …
26 July 2012
Greenland Melt Was Predicted In Advance By Paper Awaiting Publication
The image above is based on data from the Indian Oceansat-2 satellite and shows that on 12 July 2012 virtually all of the Greenland ice sheet surface was melting. The highest point on the ice sheet, Summit at 3,200 meters saw temperatures at 36 degrees! The melt areas can be detected by the albedo of the ice sheet and this can be confirmed by a network of automated surface stations …
6 July 2012
Strong Signs of El Nino Brewing In The Pacific (Global temps will likely jump to new records.)
Imagine you are slowly filling a bathtub with water, and are measuring how deep the water is at frequent intervals. Also imagine, that at times your dog jumps in while you’re measuring, and this of course causes you to get a higher water level. The dog gets back out, and the water level drops slightly, but not as much as it was before because the faucet is still running, and …
29 June 2012
Colorado Wildfire Smoke Reaches U.S. East Coast
I could see the smoke in the air at sunset here in Salisbury, Maryland tonight as well. The folks at Climate Central has an interesting graphic that explains the wildfires. The much reduced snow pack has to be the main factor. The dead trees from the Pine Beetle most certainly are aggravating the situation. It was 108 (44.5C) in St. Louis today, and Indianapolis had the warmest June day on record. Records in Indianapolis go back to the …
27 June 2012
All Time Records Tumble in Rockies and Plains. Fires Threaten NCAR.
The massive heat wave spread from Montana to Louisiana Tuesday with several more all time record highs broken. Hill City, KS and McCook, Nebraska hit 46 degrees C or 115 degrees F. Both, the warmest temperatures ever recorded in those cities. Winds gusted to 40 mph at Denver International and all along the front range of Colorado in the afternoon. Lightning from thunderstorms sparked wildfires and they grew rapidly. The …
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.