A very large sunspot region known officially as AR3664 has unleashed a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) towards Earth and a “severe” geomagnetic storm is a likelihood beginning as early as tonight and lasting into the weekend. According to NOAA, the first three of these CMEs could merge and arrive later tonight and early Saturday and two others will follow close behind. This is the first “severe” watch issued by NOAA in 19 years and the results could be auroras much farther south than usual and potentially, some impacts to communications and power grid-related infrastructure.
Read More
The overall weather pattern across the nation remains quite active as we push into the second week of May and this includes continuing threats of severe weather. Earlier this week, severe weather took place across Oklahoma and Texas with numerous tornadoes reported and the threat zone on Tuesday shifted to the Ohio Valley. Today’s greatest threat of severe weather will be focused on the Middle Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys and, once again, tornadoes will be on the table. The severe weather threat on Thursday will shift a bit to the east and south and likely extend all the way across the Gulf states from Texas-to-Georgia and up along the eastern seaboard to around the Delmarva Peninsula/southern New Jersey region.
Read More
Weather played an important role in the 1912 disaster of the sinking of the Titanic and it likely played a direct role in another disaster that took place 25 years later – at least that is the prevailing belief. On May 6th, 1937, while the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg was attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, a flame appeared on the outer cover of the rear of the ship. Within 34 seconds, the entire airship was consumed by fire and the golden age of airship travel was over.
Read More
Many who experienced the recent total solar eclipse in the US are wondering where and when will there be other opportunities in coming years and there are others who were “clouded out” on April 8th wondering the same thing. The next total solar eclipse on US soil won’t come for twenty years and the next one in North America will take place in 2033 across portions of Alaska. There are, however, several opportunities to view total solar eclipses between now and 2034, but most will require significant planning and extensive travel.
Read More
There have been occasional cold air outbreaks from Canada into the Northeast US and Mid-Atlantic region during the month of April and this week will be no exception. In fact, low temperatures this morning were in the 30’s across many suburban locations along the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor with scattered frost in some areas. Another chilly air mass will push into the northeastern states at mid-week following the passage of a strong cold front and early Thursday morning is likely to feature more low temperatures in the 30’s with patchy frost again on the table.
Next week, however, will feature a big-time warmup across the eastern half of the nation coinciding pretty well with the transition from April into May. Temperatures can climb well up into the 70’s by Sunday afternoon in places like DC, Philly, and New York City and 80+ degrees is possible for highs on Monday and the upcoming pattern change will result in far less frequent outbreaks of chilly air from Canada into the US.
Read More
Monday, April 15th, marked the 112th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 and I thought I’d revisit the overall weather pattern that played a key role in the tragedy. By studying weather maps and written records from that time period, some definitive conclusions can be drawn about the weather during the trip across the Atlantic, and there are also some interesting relatively new theories involving atmospheric conditions and their possible effects.
Read More
In August of 2017 America went crazy for the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse on US soil since 1918 and it provided a great opportunity for scientists and all sky watchers. What was referred to as “The Great American Solar Eclipse” took place on August 21st, 2017 when the moon passed between the sun and earth. Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every year or so, but generally cast their shadows over oceans or remote land masses. If you missed the 2017 total solar eclipse or it turned out to be cloudy in your particular area then there will be another opportunity on Monday, April 8th. This time the Moon's dark shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep northeast from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes.
Read More
A double-barreled storm system will impact a large part of the nation from today through Thursday with an initial (primary) low located over the Upper Midwest and a secondary is to form later tomorrow near the Mid-Atlantic coastline. The initial system is producing severe weather today across the Ohio Valley and there are waves of heavy rain running all along the “I-80” states from Illinois-to-Pennsylvania with “flash flood watches and warnings” issued in most areas. The severe weather threat will shift to the east on Wednesday raising the chances for strong-to-severe thunderstorm activity in the southern Mid-Atlantic and eastern Carolinas.
Farther north, it is cold enough for accumulating snow today across portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin and some spots will get dumped on over the next 24 hours. The accumulating snow threat will shift a bit to the east to Michigan by later tonight and perhaps to the south on Wednesday into Iowa and Illinois. Once the secondary storm gets going near the east coast later tomorrow, the accumulating snow threat will shift from the Upper Midwest to the interior Northeast US and some spots in interior New York State and New England will get dumped on by the time Thursday evening rolls around.
Read More
We all know the words…
“the weather started getting rough, the tiny shipped was tossed…”
Indeed, stormy weather played a critical role in the shipwrecking of the S.S. Minnow on that fateful day in late September 1964 onto an uncharted “desert” island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The ship set sail that day on a three-hour tour with five passengers, the captain of the S.S. Minnow, Jonas Grumby (aka Skipper), and his first mate named Gilligan. A sudden storm interrupted the tour, damaged the tiny ship, and the two-man crew somehow managed to steer the boat to safety onto an uninhabited island not far from the Hawaiian Islands.
For years, there has been a cloud hanging over the head of the Skipper as the result of conjecture that he was somehow at fault on that day in putting the passengers at risk. However, new evidence has come to light that should exonerate the Skipper once and for all from any wrongdoing.
Read More
It is one of the best times of the year when you hear the phrase “Play Ball” and “Opening Day” comes tomorrow in many cities including New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Unfortunately, the weather will not cooperate with damp and cool conditions up and down the Atlantic seaboard putting the home openers in serious jeopardy for the Mets, Phillies, and Orioles. Low pressure is to form later today along a stalled-out frontal boundary zone and the result will be occasional rain or drizzle in the DC-Baltimore-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor from later today into tomorrow afternoon. Dry conditions are expected on Friday in each of these cities and with an open day in the schedule, it may be very tempting to simply postpone the openers by one day. If, in fact, these openers are postponed as I do believe they will be then they would quite likely be done so officially as early as this evening.
Read More
