Category: Weather & Tides

Drought Woes in Dry US West Raise July 4 Fireworks Fears

6/29/2021 - By Lindsay Whitehurst. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks. But with a historic drought in the U.S. West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials are canceling displays, passing bans on setting… SEE MORE

Climate Change Means Less Snow for Yellowstone

6/25/2021 - By Iris Samuels. HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park visitors hoping to see its world-renowned geysers, wolves and bears can expect warmer temperatures and less snow as climate change alters the park’s environment, according to a report by U.S. and university researchers released Wednesday. Average temperatures in the Yellowstone… SEE MORE

What’s Behind the Heat Wave in the American West?

6/18/2021 - By Anita Snow. PHOENIX (AP) — Much of the American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week as a high pressure dome combines with the worst drought in modern history to launch temperatures into the triple digits, toppling records even before the official start of summer. Record daily… SEE MORE

Satellite Mapping Image from NOAA's Ocean Service

What is Hydrography? And Why is it So Important?

6/7/2021 - By NOAA's Office of Coastal Survey. Hydrography is the science that measures and describes the physical features of the navigable portion of the Earth's surface and adjoining coastal areas. Hydrographic surveyors study these bodies of water to see what the "floor" looks like. Under the Department of Commerce, NOAA and… SEE MORE

High Waves Wash Out Chicago Beaches as Lake Michigan Reopens

5/31/2021 - CHICAGO (AP) — Beaches in Chicago were washed out by high waves Friday on the first day the city was to reopen Lake Michigan to swimming since summer 2019. Waves reached up to 11 feet (3.35 meters) high, closing many of the beaches that had been set to open for… SEE MORE

Hurricane Irene approaches Virginia in August, 2011. ©NOAA-NASA GOES Project

Biden Doubling Spending to Prepare for Hurricanes, Storms

5/27/2021 - By Matthew Daly and Darlene Superville. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Monday that he’s doubling U.S. emergency spending to help communities prepare for hurricanes and other extreme weather events, while launching a new effort at NASA to better understand and track the impact of climate change. The $1… SEE MORE

Best Harbor in the US Contest - usharbors.com

US Harbors & Divirod Announce Tide Station as a Prize for “Best Harbor” 2021 Winner

5/25/2021 - Rockland, ME — May 24, 2021 One of the winning harbors of this year’s “Best Harbor in the US” contest—which wraps up at midnight on May 31st--will get a free tide station to monitor the sea level changes in their local community. US Harbors, the sponsor of the annual contest,… SEE MORE

How Space Weather Could Wreck NASA’s Return to the Moon

5/23/2021 - By Neel V. Patel. Is NASA really going to return humans to the moon in 2024? That was the increasingly unlikely mandate issued to the agency by the Trump administration. President Biden hasn’t changed that goal yet, although most experts expect him to give NASA some much-needed breathing room and reset that… SEE MORE

VA National Guard Soldies patrol Norfolk following Hurricane Sandy (Oct. 29, 2012). ©Sgt. 1st Class A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard

Study: Climate Change Added $8 Billion to Sandy’s Damages

5/19/2021 - By Seth Borenstein / AP News. Climate change-triggered sea level rise added $8 billion in damage during 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, one of nation’s costliest weather disasters, a new study said. During Sandy — a late fall freak combination of a hurricane and other storms that struck New York and surrounding areas —… SEE MORE

Severe Weather Preparedness: The Human Element is Key

5/13/2021 - By David Cannon, Director of Yacht Operations/Meteorologist WRIWX.com. The science of Meteorology and more particularly weather forecasting is an ever-evolving field. Let’s take for example its “infancy” … tracking changes and trends in weather through the use of weather instruments to collect data gave way to the use of radar… SEE MORE