Warm weather makes the starlings happy in Rome.

Rome has one of the milder winter climates in Europe and this makes a great place for the migrating starlings to call home for the season. But it doesn't make the Romans happy. The birds are noisy, and their droppings are causing a strong stench and slippery conditions. Walkers carry umbrellas to protect themselves from the droppings. 

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/12/14/458917484/dodging-droppings-romans-cope-with-massive-influx-of-starlings

Most Recent El Nino Predictions

This is the latest in the prediction for El-Nino. As you can see, it doesn't look like we will be getting too much of a winter here. May have to go to the high country to get some snow time in. You can watch the video with info at http://www.weather.com/news/climate/news/strong-el-nino-december-2015

This is one of the top 3 El Ninos. And all 3 of those has been in my lifetime. Yeah, folks, we are warming up.

Year	Sep-Nov ONI (degrees C)
1) 1997	+2.18
2) 2015	+2.04
3) 1982	+1.86

Year	Peak ONI (degrees C)
1) 1997-1998	+2.26 (Oct-Dec)
2) 1982-1983	+2.12 (Nov-Jan)
3) 2015-2016	+2.04 (Sep-Nov)

Stormy Northwest

The Northwest area is being bombarded with crazy weather. There was a tornado that touched down in the state of Washington, waves were hitting 35-40 ft on the coast of Oregon and Washington, and floods and wind damage are devastating people out there. We all know that we are only going to see more of this with the El Nino season, and the warming temperatures on Earth. Even though I feel that we are pretty safe in the Ohio Valley in WV from most of the crazy disasters like this, we will feel the effects as well when insurances start to raise premiums to cover costs, supplies increase in price, etc., etc.
Check out the link with more on the Northwest:
http://www.weather.com/storms/severe/news/pacific-northwest-storm-impacts

EPA and Climate Change

Climate change is happening

I was checking out the EPA Website and I found this article on climate change.


Our Earth is warming. Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.5°F over the past century, and is projected to rise another 0.5 to 8.6°F over the next hundred years. Small changes in the average temperature of the planet can translate to large and potentially dangerous shifts in climate and weather.

The evidence is clear. Rising global temperatures have been accompanied by changes in weather and climate. Many places have seen changes in rainfall, resulting in more floods, droughts, or intense rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves. The planet's oceans and glaciers have also experienced some big changes - oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, ice caps are melting, and sea levels are rising. As these and other changes become more pronounced in the coming decades, they will likely present challenges to our society and our environment.

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/

Questions about climate change

I found this article that answers hard questions about climate change. I thought it was a pretty good article. Its easy to read and may be a good classroom resource for discussions on the subject.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/28/science/100000004063352.app.html?nytapp=iphone&_r=0

Hurricane Season Has Ended

The 2015 hurricane season has ended with activity in the Atlantic below average.  Out of only 11 named storms this year, only four developed into hurricanes, none of which made landfall.  Unfortunately, Texas and South Carolina were both struck by damaging tropical storms (Ana and Bill), resulting in billions of dollars in damage, and at least one death.  Overall though, the season was very quiet compared with typical years.  The same cannot be said for the Pacific, with El Nino causing record setting conditions in the Eastern and Central Pacific regions. The Eastern Pacific saw 18 named storms, 13 of which developed into hurricanes.  This included Hurricane Patricia off of Mexico, the strongest hurricane on record. Luckily that storm produced far less damage than was expected due to striking in a relatively unpopulated area and quickly losing power over the mountains.  The Central Pacific had 14 named storms, 8 of which became hurricanes, with 5 of those being major.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/120115-below-normal-atlantic-hurricane-season-ends-active-eastern-and-central-pacific-seasons-shatter-records.html

100 year record broken in Buffalo

In Buffalo, a record that has stood for over a hundred years has been broken! Its December and it still HAS NOT SNOWED! Usually by the beginning of December upstate NY has seen a large snow. The last time Buffalo had no significant snow before December 3rd was in 1899. The lake effect usually has much to do with bringing the snow to Buffalo. The record has been broken and the bar may be set quite high as warm weather looks to keep Buffalo dry for some time.

El Nino is the main corporate on why snow has not been laid in Buffalo. During November only 7 days were below freezing temperatures. In looking forward to the future it may be disappointing to those who like a white Christmas. Predictions show that this warm, dry weather will continue in Buffalo!

Chicago's Record Snow Fall

On my son's 11th birthday, Chicago got over 11 inches of snow. This was the 2nd largest snowfall in a single storm in November history for the windy city. Seems awfully early for the snowfalls to be hitting like this. My brother was in the hospital up in Chicago, and wouldn't have been able to go anywhere if he wanted.
The weather people keep talking about the El Nino warming up the US, however, the Midwest probably wasn't feeling like it a couple of weeks ago. However, this weather pattern will cause more wet snows than dry, which will create a lot more havoc.

El Nino affecting our December

Rick and I were just talking on Monday about how we have not had hardly any rain and it definitely has not flooded. Then came the rain!! It looks like we will be getting more rain than snow this winter due to the El Nino pattern. Below is the article from WSAZ about our December weather.


http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/El-Nino-Effects-into-December-359778621.html


One thing that I will be pointing out to my students is that just because the temperature is warm this year does not mean it is global warming and the end of the world. While we know that there is a warming trend, this year will probably be warmer than winter in a couple of years. We have spikes like this. In fact, Tony mentions a Christmas morning at 76 degrees back in the 80s. I am hoping to be able to get my students to understand how to look at climate and to look at the warming trend over a long time period with the spikes up and down. Like the dog walking video we watched in class.

Winter Outlook

I was in Texas during Thanksgiving break, and I definitely noticed some of the effects of El Nino. The weather was colder than it was in West Virginia, and there was a lot of rain. I looked up the winter weather for the next few months, and it looks like the south will continue to experience cooler than normal temperatures, and the north and northeast will experience above average temperatures. This will be due to a strong southward dip in the jet stream.

Unlikely Fall Snowstorm Hits China

In China this past week there was an early fall snow storm seemingly unconvinced many people except the skiers. 300 flights were cancelled and bus passengers were stranded as the storm passed. Icy and slush made it extremely difficult for people to get because of the storm. This storm caught China off guard and even forced it to close down schools (a very rare thing in China) for a few days. The one benefit came to skiers where over 17,000 headed out to the slopes for the first ski of the year.

Winter Storm in China

Global conference in Paris today

In Paris today, world leaders are meeting to come to agreements to fight global warming.  The last time they met was in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. The earth has changed drastically since then. I found some of these changes to be amazing. 1997 was only 18 years ago. It's not so long in Earth times.

Since 1997...

-The West Antartica and Greenland ice sheets have lost 5.5 trillions of ice.

-The five-year average surface global temperature for Jan to Oct has risen by nearly two-thirds of a degree F between 93-97 and 2011-15, according to NOAA. In 97, Earth set a record for the hottest year and then records were set again in 98, 2005, 2010 and 2014, and is expected to happen again in 2015. 

-The average glacier has lost about 39 feet. 

-Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels climbed nearly 50 percent between 97-2013. The world is spewing more than 100 million tons of carbon dioxide a day.

-The seas have risen nearly 2.5 inches on average. 

-At its low point during the summer, the Arctic sea ice is on average 820,000 square miles smaller. 

-The five deadliest heat waves of the past century have come in the past 18 years. 

-The number of weather and climate disasters worldwide has increased 42 percent, though deaths are down 58 percent.

President Obama, French President Hollande, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates will announce a new initiative today, to develop clean energies, committing to spend 10 billions of dollars for a technological fix to the planet's climate woes.

Wild Weatherh in the West

California has been having some windy weather of late, with a tornado hitting the town of Denair in the Central Valley, damaging 21 homes. It has been categorized as a category 1 tornado (the weakest level), but since these are unusual in California it is still cause for notice.


The tornado uprooted trees, took down power lines, and attacked homes with debris at least a mile through town.  The wind speeds were from 86 to 110. Though this is nothing if you live somewhere like Tornado Alley, it is surprising to come across when you are from California.


Thankfully, no one was injured in this unusual weather instance.




http://www.latimes.com/local/weather/la-me-ln-california-wild-weather-20151116-story.html

Menu Recommendations Based on the Weather

Soon you'll be able to see new "smart" digital menus at McDonald's that will change based on the weather.  If it's snowing outside, these menus will promote hot drinks, but if it's warm and sunny, the menus may recommend salads or iced tea. When the menu boards were tested in Canada, customers ended up spending more than they did before the new menus were installed.

Winter Storm Ajax

While we are still experiencing mild weather, the first major winter storm of the season, which has been named Winter Storm Ajax, is spreading through the Rockies and High Plains today and tomorrow. This storm is causing blizzard conditions. However, the warm side of this storm will produce severe thunderstorms and tornados in the South this week.


http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-ajax-snow-plains-rockies-denver-november-2015

Earthquake triggers tsunami

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about earthquakes and their relation to the weather. This past Friday there was an earthquake that registered 6.5 on the Richter scale in Japan. This earthquake caused a small tsunami. In 2011, a similar tragedy happened in Japan but that tsunami caused much devastation. A tsunami is a seismic sea wave that is caused by the displacement of water. In this instance, the displaced water came from the earthquake.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/magnitude-65-earthquake-strikes-southwest-japan/59812/

Thanksgiving Weather

http://www.almanac.com/blog/weather-blog/first-thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner I thought it would be interesting to look at the first Thanksgivings weather.  Though we do not have a newscast of what the weather was. An accurate guess can be made.  The pilgrims were very interested in the weather and made lots of mentions of the weather in the diaries according to the article. They did not talk about the conditions on the day of Thanksgiving which would lead one to believe it was a normal New England day.   It probably was a partly sunny with temperatures around 60 according to the article.  This would be something to be thankful for after the stormy trip, followed by the harsh winter and spring.

How EL Nino affects snowfall this season.

Scientists have been studying snowfall during La Nina, El Nino, and neutral years. No two systems are alike. For that reason, they searched further into studying moderate and severe El Nino years weather patterns. These scientists studying 51 locations were they had 23 El Nino, 20 La Nina, and 22 neutral seasons of snowfall. They looked further into El Nino and La Nina by studying the cold air that travels from west to east.

The results may surprise you. La Nina seasons had heavier snowfalls in the cascades, northern Rockies and lower elevations.  While El Nino seasons had less snowfall in the Northern part of our country including New England. And El Nino is snowier in the great plains and the Ohio Valley. Does that mean more snow for the Huntington area? According to the map... it depends! Huntington lies just in between the mild and snowier seasons. Depending on the course of the Jet steam, it seems that we may have a snowier winter than in other years.

El Nino Story

Where is that November chill?

In the past couple years we've  had cold weather by now here in the Tri-State area.  Maybe not severe snowstorms, but we've experienced weather that is common to the Fall season.  While the cold seems to continue to evade the Huntington area this year, that isn't true for the western portion of the nation.  San Fransisco is expected to stay below 50 degrees today, while the Sierra Nevada area and eastward could end up with 6 to 12 inches of snow.  It's not that I wish that were the case here, but some colder weather would make it feel like we were as close as we are to Thanksgiving...  The snow will have a positive impact on the drought situation in the western portion of the U.S. hopefully the jet stream will continue to play a role in delivering cold weather for a while, because they need it desperately.

It would be nice if the cold air carried by the jet stream will make it's way to the eastern portions of the country, but according to weather forecasts, this seems unlikely.



image via: weather.com/maps/planner

The 10 Worst Blizzards in US History

The 10 Worst Blizzards in US History recounts the 10 worst blizzards in U.S. history. The Great Blizzard of 1888 had the worst death toll with 400 dead and 200 boats sunk. The Children's Blizzard was a surprising blizzard since children in Nebraska and North Dakota went to school without coats and by the time they were sent home it was -40 with wind chill. 235 died in this storm.  Finally the Super Bowl Blizzard that started in the Pacific Ocean and crossed the Rockies. It had a record low of 961 millibars. Forty seven tornadoes were caused by this storm. Only 60 died from this storm but farm animals were not so lucky.

The Perfect Storm

Most people are familiar with the mediocre movie starring George Clooney an Marky Mark, and to a lesser degree the excellent book of the same title, but few probably understand what made the 1991 storm "perfect."  The storm, which surprisingly had no official name, began as a low pressure area off the coast of Canada, and quickly grew into a nor'easter just before Halloween.  A nor'easter is a massive storm that develops in the Northeast, and gets its name from the direction its winds blow.  At this time, the remnants of Hurricane Grace had made their way into this location, and when they got absorbed by the nor'easter, an enormous storm developed that eventually redeveloped into another hurricane.  The storm caused extensive flooding and damage from immense seas along the coast of New England.  When it was all said and done, the storm amassed over $200 million in 1991 dollars, and resulted in thirteen deaths.  This storm also coincided with a low pressure system in the Midwest which formed the infamous Halloween Blizzard of 1991.  Due to the size and power of the nor'easter, the blizzard was trapped, causing it to dump even more snow and ice on the affected areas, killing 22, and injuring more than 100.

Worst Winter Storms In U.S. History

I was curious as to the worst snow storms that have been seen in the United States. The link below is a list of the 11 worst winter storms to hit America from Time.


http://time.com/3583572/worst-winter-snow-storm/


The list includes storms as recent as last winter's storm that bombarded the Northeast, paralyzing places like Buffalo, NY with the enormous amount of snow that fell. This storm left people stranded and tragically resulted in life lost.





This list goes as far back as the 1800s as well. It includes the storm of 1888, where the east cost was hit with almost 50 inches of snow from March 11-12! The storm was so bad that they had to haul snow out of the streets of places such as New York and dump them into rivers. And of course back then that meant putting horses to work pulling carts.

Weather in November

I couldn't remember a particular winter storm from previous years, so I researched the weather we will be looking forward to this month. Tony Cavalier has quoted this month as being a "November to remember." Last year we experienced a top 10 coldest November on record, and this year may be a top 10 warmest November. This may be due to the strong El Nino pattern. These warmer temperatures may extend the growing season, lower heating costs, and allow people to travel safely during Thanksgiving break. Since my school has recently started  growing vegetables in our new grow tunnel, I am thankful that we have more time to focus on our fall crop. This November forecast does not predict the weather for the rest of winter, but Cavalier mentions that El Nino has the potential to keep our area warmer than usual.
http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/November-to-Remember-Weather-wise-Ahead-340017462.html

1913 Severe Weather

I had never even heard of this before. Interesting...
1913 - The freshwater fury , a rapidly deepening cyclone, caused unpredicted gales on the Great Lakes. Eight large ore carriers on Lake Erie sank drowning 270 sailors. Cleveland OH reported 17.4 inches of snow in 24 hours, and a total of 22.2 inches, both all-time records for that location. During the storm, winds at Cleveland averaged 50 mph, with gusts to 79 mph. The storm produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Buffalo NY, and buried Pickens WV under three feet of snow. (9th-11th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)

First snow!

So, it would seem that we have seen the first snow fall in the US now. A storm is passing through the Midwest and though I'm sure people aren't looking forward to the snow, the Midwest definitely needs some form of precipitation.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/rain-snow-to-return-across-west/53478920

The year we lost Kroger

The snowstorm I remember the most was the one we had in March of 1993. I lived in Beckley and we had a record snowfall of 30 inches. The roof of our Kroger caved! I learned how to play Spades and Rook. We finished a game of Monopoly.

What made this storm the "storm of the century"? "The Blizzard of '93 is a good example of a 'snowicane'," AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski added. "It was granddaddy of 'em all." There was an extrememly strong jet stream over the Gulf of Mexico. The polar, Pacific and subtropical jets combined forced to create 170 mph winds. The storm hit quickly and strongly.





Images from http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/blizzard-of-93-the-storm-of-th/62671

Blizzard that shut down Interstate 77

There was a blizzard warning for southern WV in the winter of 09. Luckily, for me I was in Huntington when it hit opposed to Princeton, WV at the time. The Huntington area saw two inches from this snow storm. My plans were to travel back on Saturday evening but ended up staying until Sunday. The storm got so bad that it shut down interstate 77 overnight, leaving many people stranded.  Headed back home over the weekend, I never thought it was so bad until I got just past Charleston. Mile by mile the amount of snow kept getting deeper and deeper and abandon cars where all over the road. By the time that I got to my home I spent the next 4 hours shoveling my small driveway. I was able to stay waist deep in snow. The storm left our country out of school for nearly 3 weeks. 

Public information about storm

Post for Katy Jones

The worst blizzard in Cleveland history, also known as the White Hurricane hit Thursday, 26 Jan. 1978. There was low pressure from the Mississippi Valley that met over southern Ohio with low pressure from the western Great Lakes. A cyclone occurred as high winds swirled around low pressure as the temperature dropped 39 degrees in just a few hours. There were extreme winds that blew 53-mph with 82-mph gusts as the wind chill went below -100 degrees.

http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=B14 

Storm of the Century (or at least my lifetime)

The first, and I believe biggest, snow storm I ever had to deal with was the blizzard of 1993. I was in 9th grade and we were out of school for several days. I remember having to go with my dad while it was still snowing to pick mom up from work. We slid all over the place, and later that night the governor actually closed all roads except to emergency vehicles. This was the first time I had ever heard that you could get a ticket for driving on the streets! I know we got well over a foot of snow, but don't remember just quite how much. I had to go outside and shovel a little area for my dog to go to the bathroom because it was up to my thighs! Hills Department store sold t-shirts that said "I survived the blizzard of 93." You can google '93 blizzard to see footage of this massive storm that affected over 25 states.

Antarctica Gaining Ice??

There has been a lot of talk about the Antarctic losing ice in the western part and on the Antarctic Peninsula. However, studies have shown that it is also gaining ice in the east. So does this mean that there is a rise in the sea level due to the amount of ice that Antarctica is losing or is it from some other source? Or is the Antarctic taking away ice from other, northern locations. Scientists are not in agreement about all of this, however, they all do agree that either way, it can cause problems. Watch the video and read the article to see more.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/world/antarctica-ice-gain/index.html

Edmund Fitzgerald

http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/wxwise/fitz.html

This is a story on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  I first heard about this disaster from a song.  I did not realize that the Great Lakes had storms and could produce waves that would sink a freighter.  This article tells about the weather reports telling of a storm coming and the captain trying to alter his course so that it would not wreck his ship.  Unfortunately the storm became worse and the ship went down with all on board not surviving

The Dust Bowl

Picture by NOAA

I remember times in Arizona when we would have sand storms. Sometimes they would be little ones, but I remember one specifically that was so bad we were stuck in a restaurant for a while till it settled down. Being young, I was scared because the sand just engulfed you.
The Dust Bowl that happened in the 1930s was on a whole different level. As you can see in the pictures, it just covered towns with a mess. It is thought that poor land use, drought, and sea surface temperature created these massive sand storms. The storms then in turn, created a greater drought. The sand cut off the evaporation process, drying out the atmosphere. This drought carried all the way across the great plains of the United States. After this, some new rules were put into play to help with soil erosion and keep this catastrophe from ever happening again. However, other countries are not as fortunate. In fact, China may be seeing this type of weather event soon.

Pumpkin Shortage

We have definitely been hearing numerous stories about atypical weather conditions caused by changing climate; anything from droughts and wildfires to flooding and mudslides. One thing that surprised me recently was a possibility of a pumpkin shortage this year that may even affect supplies of pumpkin pie filling.  The so-called pumpkin capitol of the world, Morton, Illinois received above average rainfall during the peak growing season in June, severely affecting pumpkin yields.  Libby's Pumpkin, who supplies 85% of the world's pumpkin filling is predicting half the supply they have had in past years, so if you have your heart set on pumpkin pie this holiday season, it might be advisable to stock up now.

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-pumpkins

Blog Post for Katy Jones

November weather pattern change is bringing warm September-like conditions to the east and snow to the mountains in the west for early ski fever. The midwest, south, and east are experiencing a high pressure system this week to bring in warmer weather while the west is getting a jet stream to deliver cold air. 

http://www.weather.com/forecast/national/news/november-pattern-change-west-snow-east-warm

The Atmosphere on Mars

I plan to discuss the layers of the atmosphere this week with my students, and I was looking on Newsela for articles related to the atmosphere. I found an article that was posted last year about a spacecraft that is orbiting Mars and measuring its atmosphere. The measurements will be used to understand its past atmosphere. Scientists believe that Mars was warm and full of water long ago, and it may have had a thicker atmosphere in the past. The atmosphere of Mars is currently 100 times thinner than Earth's atmosphere. NASA's website has articles and images of the spacecraft Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN). The website mentions that there will be a news briefing this Thursday, November 5th at 2pm to discuss the ongoing exploration of Mars. I may use the Newsela article to allow students to compare and contrast the atmospheres on Earth and Mars. They can then use the NASA website to research current findings.

https://newsela.com/articles/mars-maven/id/5323/

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-new-findings-on-fate-of-mars-atmosphere

Cyclone Chapala

A cyclone is close to hitting the coast Yemen in Arabian Sea. It is rare that a cyclone moves this close to land from sea and it is carrying hurricane strength. Although the wind is a concern, than main concern is the amount of rainfall that is going to take place. Weather centers are calling for life threatening flash floods to occur. The last time a cyclone of this magnitude took place in this area was 1922. Cyclone Chapala was a category 3 cyclone last week and changed to category 4 over the weekend. This is the strongest cyclone in the Arabian Sea to date. The warm, dry desert air of Yemen usually dissipates storms like these. However, these this storm isn't complying. For an area that doesn't get much rainfall, these storms could be detrimental to a desert land.

Cyclone Chapala

Is this November going to be warmer than average?

As November begins, it is looking like this month will be warmer in many areas then is typical.  The following image shows the chances of there being a higher then normal or warmer than normal November this year.























The chances of warmer temperatures in Michigan are extremely high at about 70%. While in are area we only have a chance of warmer weather in the 30% range, at least it is predicting warmer and not colder than normal!


What does this prediction of warmer temperature say about rain and snow chances? It seems likely that the precipitation amounts will be around normal. Snow on the other hand, seems unlikely till late in the month. Even late in the month, it is currently a very slim chance of having a measurable snow.


http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2015/11/michigan_weather_may_make_this.html

Bretagne

Today my students are learning about the Bretagne (Brittany) region of France. See map.



Bretagne is on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel. So I thought I would look at their weather for the month of November. Their average daily temperature is 48 Fahrenheit. Today's temperature is 58. They have an average of 17 rainy days in November and the forecast for this week calls for some rain. The temperatures will dip in the last week of November. Overall, its not very interesting. It looks like a typical November that we experience.

Earthquake in Afghansitan

In trying to find a weather article that hasn't already been used today, I read on the weather channel website that an earthquake happened in Afghanistan today and I wondered if earthquakes were at all weather related. Earthquakes happen below the earth's surface and out of the atmosphere so it doesn't really seem plausible that they are related to weather. And I discovered that they are indeed not related to weather but sometimes may seem connected to a big weather event. Major storm systems associated with low pressure changes in the atmosphere can induce fault slips and then earthquakes. When stresses in the Earth's outer layer push the sides of a fault together, causing rocks to slip and energy to be released, then earthquakes happen. In conclusion, sometimes earthquakes happen following a big weather event and sometimes they don't.

2 Things to Expect This Winter Thanks to El Nino

Things to Expecting This Winter Thanks for El Nino (According to NOAA)

The strong El Niño's fingerprints are all over this winter's outlook.
This year's El Niño, which is forecast to become one of the strongest on record, is expected to influence weather and climate patterns this winter by impacting the position of the Pacific jet stream, NOAA forecasters say.

1. The South will be cooler than average, the North will be warmer.





2. The South will be wetter than average.

Blog Post for Katy Jones

Hurricane Patricia was expected to be the most dangerous hurricane in history. It was the strongest hurricane recorded at sea but fortunately did not cause any major damage or fatalities once it reached land. There was some damage that was due to strong winds of 165 mph and some mudslides caused by heavy rain. The reason for it not causing worse damage was because it hit a low pressure area in the mountains and the people in Mexico remained safe. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/24/americas/hurricane-patricia/

Wet Weather on the Gulf Coast

Severe thunderstorms have hit the Gulf Coast over the weekend. Parts of Louisiana were under water this morning and Texas has been hammered with downpours as well as the remains of Hurricane Patricia hit. These storms dropped over a foot of rain around Fort Worth, and 9 inches around Houston.


Louisiana has been hit hard as well with almost 9 inches of raining falling on its capital of Baton Rouge. These areas are still at risk for high winds and flooding as these storms work their way past. These winds can be expected to reach up to 50 mph.


Needless to say, it's not a good time to be checking out the Gulf Coast!


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/wet-weather-floods-isolated-tornadoes-threaten-gulf-coast-n451346

Winter 2015-2016 Outlook: 5 Things to Expect

Winter 2015-2016 Outlook: 5 Things to Expect
http://www.weather.com/forecast/national/news/winter-2015-2016-what-to-expect
The predictions for this year is a cooler south and a warmer north. A main cause of this is EL NINO which changed the location of the Pacific gulf stream. The South will also be wetter while the North is drier. California will get some drought relief but not enough to fix their problems.  Huntington looks like it is on the border of everything according to the maps so I guess I will have to find a wooly caterpillar to get our weather

Flooding Causes Train Derailment

The aftermath of Hurricane Patricia devastated parts of Texas this past weekend.  On Saturday, rain was falling at a rate of 2-3 inches per hour near Houston causing heavy street flooding and resulting in the cancellation of the half-marathon.  

In Corsicana, the floodwaters caused a train to derail.  Luckily the conductor and engineer were safely able to swim to higher ground.  Meteorologists claim that over 20 inches of rain has fallen near this area since Thursday.  Rain is expected to continue in parts of eastern Texas through Monday.

Retired Scientists are Building a "Cloud Whitener" Machine

I was searching Newsela for weather articles that I could use in my classroom. Newsela is a free website that provides current news articles with guided reading questions. The best feature about this website is that teachers can change the Lexile score of the article to differentiate the reading material for their students. This particular article is about a group of retired scientists who are concerned about the effects of global warming. They are building a "cloud whitener" machine that may help cool down the planet by shooting tiny droplets of water in the sky to create fog. This fog would increase the brightness of the clouds, which would allow the sun's rays to reflect back into space. Some scientists are concerned about how this machine may alter weather patterns. If the machine does work, other scientists worry that people may not change their ways to decrease the effects of global warming. I plan to use this article with my students when we discuss the different types of clouds and collect cloud data for GLOBE.

https://newsela.com/articles/cloud-whitener/id/11271/

Danger in Mexico

By Friday evening a very dangerous hurricane is nearing the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Hurricane Patricia became the most powerful hurricane in the western hemisphere with winds speeds reaching up to 200 miles per hour. Residents are preparing for the category 5 hurricane to reach land fall by Friday evening and it could be recorded as the most powerful hurricane to ever touch down on land. Air Force Hurricanes have measure Patricia at 894 Millibars. The next closest Hurricane registered was at 902 mb being Hurricane Linda in 1997.

The eye of the Hurricane is expected to touch down in Mexico in Guadalajara, Mexico, Mexico's second largest city in the beginning evening hours on Friday. Depending on the pattern of the Hurricane the areas in Mexico could see strong winds, flooding, power outages, etc. A hurricane watch is on the area. Now we just wait and watch for the the effects.

Hurricane Patricia Weather Story

Record Setting Hurricane

Warmer than average ocean temperatures is having yet another affect on weather; increasing the strength of storms.  Hurricane Patricia has the highest recorded wind speeds of any storm, and that includes the then record setting Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippians almost two years ago.   With sustained winds of 200 mph, Hurricane Patricia is set to send 40 foot waves against the Mexican coast, and as of now is aimed squarely at the tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.  In addition to the intense wind and massive waves, areas are expected to receive at least 20 inches of rain, setting off flash floods and affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Landfall is expected for Friday, which means that by Sunday Texas will probably receive the remnants of the storm, worsening the flooding situation that already exists.

http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-patricia-mexico-coast

16th century Mexican Church revealed

Due to the drought in Mexico, a church that was built in the 1500's but was later abandoned, is showing itself. The church was built in 1564, but then illness hit in the late 1700's and the people left the area. In 1966, a reservoir was built, flooding the area and covering up the ancient church. Now, with the lack of rain in the southern state of Chiapas, this structure has become a tourist spot. A ferry is taking people out to view the historic temple. Similar stories have occured with the drought in California. I think it is pretty neat to see things that have been hidden for years. http://www.weather.com/climate-weather/drought/news/temple-of-santiago-reappears-mexico-drought
Check out the pictures on the link.

Weather Predictions for November

On Thursday, October 15, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a prediction for November's weather forecast.  As you can see from the first picture, West Virginia is in the "EC" region for precipitation probability.  This means that there are equal chances of having above average, normal, or below average precipitation amounts in November.

The second image was constructed by analyzing temperature probability.  West Virginia is in the "A" region meaning that it is predicted that there will be above average temperatures in November.

Autumn Weather is Here

I was surprised to leave for work this morning and find that I ALMOST had to scrape frost off of my windshield. As I drove from downtown Huntington to the rural Barboursville area I noticed that that temperature difference to be about 5-7 degrees cooler.

Most students commented that it was cold this morning so we used the iPad to ask Siri about the current temperature. (Sorry, my weather station has not been fully installed yet.) We discovered that this morning at 8:30 am it was 37 degrees. I allowed the students to use the iPad to ask Siri about temperatures in different areas of the world. We discovered that it was 81 degrees in the Bahamas and 48 degrees in Alaska. They are super excited to begin using the weather station.

It's getting colder, or is it...?

So with winter approaching, temperatures have been dropping. I, personally, am not a huge fan of the cold and now I'm really bundling up.

However, Alaska seems to still be experiencing unusual weather. Granted, it's not March anymore. But it's interesting to see that Alaska, one of the coldest regions on Earth, is seeing less snow. March is typically still a time of cold weather and I was surprised to read that they did not have any snow for much of February and into March. It makes me wonder what this coming winter season will bring.

http://www.weather.com/forecast/regional/news/anchorage-alaska-record-low-snow-season

Typhoon Koppu

As Hurricane Joaquin just passed through, our attention has been focused on the Carolinas and the recovery of those states. However, the Philippines have had their own bout of unlucky weather recently. Typhoon Koppu hit land in the Philippines Sunday morning, unleashing life-threatening rainfall. Flooding and downpours have caused at least 12 to be killed from Koppu, and many more injured or forced to leave their homes. Falling trees, landslides, and drowning either in flooded cities or by being pulled out to see, the Philippines has seen some rather heartbreaking results from this Typhoon.

Currently, the winds from Koppu has lessened, but the rains are still expected to be heavy and ongoing until tomorrow, which could easily cause more flooding and mudslides as over 65,000 villagers have fled their homes for higher ground.

http://www.weather.com/storms/typhoon/news/typhoon-koppu-lando-philippines-impacts

Did Cold Weather Cause the Salem Witch Trials?

Did Cold Weather Cause the Salem Witch Trials?

I thought this was a very interesting article.  Weather is always with us so many times we do not pay attention to it unless there is a disaster like a hurricane.  This article theorizes that lower than average temperatures coincide with witch accusations according to Oster.  Crop loss and hard times come out of the lower temperatures causes people to blame someone and who better to blame than witches who can control the weather.  This still happens today in Africa but instead of the problem being the cold it is too much rain but once again witches are blamed.  So instead of blaming a witch this Halloween season blame the meteorologist.

Weather Changes this Week in the U.S.

Three big weather changes are expected this week. Moisture will be returning to the Gulf Coast, bringing rain to the South. The Northeast and Midwest will see warmer temperatures, which is a departure from the frost and snow that some areas recently experienced. After recent flash flooding this past weekend, the Southwest will see drier conditions.



http://www.weather.com/forecast/national/news/three-big-changes-next-week-gulf-moisture-southwest-dry-temperature-flip-flop

California Mudslides

California can't seem to catch a break when it comes to weather.  It seems as though they're either in drought conditions with wildfires or experiencing flash flooding and mudslides.  The latter was the case yesterday with some parts of Southern California receiving 4-6 inches of rainfall in a short period of time, sending mudslides cascading into valleys.  This stranded numerous motorists and left thousands without power yesterday evening.  Unfortunately they are expected to see more showers and thunderstorms today, with the Antelope Valley being at the biggest risk for more flash flooding.  These thunderstorms have been set off by an upper-level low pressure system that has been moving around the Southwest for the past couple of weeks, and looks to cause problems for Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Texas this weekend.





http://www.weather.com/news/news/california-flooding-mudslides-stranded-motorists

When will we get snow?

Like Stephen, I was about looking at weather.com and saw the same information about snow coming.  I was about to post about it and saw his blog.  I guess I should be faster.  ;)  I decided to look into when we are supposed to get snow here.  I found the following information on almanac.com:

OCTOBER 2015: temperature 60° (3° above avg.); precipitation 3" (2" above avg. east, 1" below west); Oct 1-7: Sunny, then scattered t-storms, warm; Oct 8-12: Sunny, chilly; Oct 13-21: Rain, then sunny, nice; Oct 22-26: Rainy periods, mild; Oct 27-31: Sunny, cool.

NOVEMBER 2015: temperature 47° (1° above avg.); precipitation 2.5" (1" below avg.); Nov 1-2: Sunny, mild; Nov 3-6: Rainy, mild; Nov 7-11: Rain to snow, then sunny, cold; Nov 12-15: Showers, mild; Nov 16-19: Snow showers, cold; Nov 20-27: A few showers, mild; Nov 28-30: Snow showers, cold.

 

It looks like we can expect snow as early as November 7th, according to this information. 

 

It also looks ahead for the upcoming year and gives an overview as you can see below:

 

Winter will be colder and slightly drier than normal, with above-normal snowfall. The coldest period will be in mid- to late January, with other cold spells in mid- and late December and early and late February. The snowiest periods will be in early to mid- and mid- to late December, February, and March.April and May will be cooler and drier than normal.Summer will be hotter than normal, with below-normal rainfall in the east and above normal in the west. The hottest periods will be in late June and early and late August.September and October will be much warmer than normal, with the hottest period in early September, and will have near-normal rainfall.

It says "above-normal snowfall".  Makes me wonder if we will end up losing those days at the end of our school calendar and possibly even cut into spring break.  I love a good snow day, but I also like getting out early and having a week off in March.  I am so conflicted!

SNOW UP NORTH???

I was routinely doing my daily weather check and I ran across a story of snow in the northeast this weekend. It is so hard to believe because it seemed as though summer drew out longer than ever before (I'm not complaining) here in WV. There is a shift in weather that is bring a cold mass to the mid-west and east. That mixed with a cold front Canada will bring cold temperatures this weekend to our neck of the woods and possibly even snow in northeast. Its hard to believe winter is coming..

• Snow in the North 

• Minneapolis/St. Paul: First official 30s and possibly the first official freeze (32 degrees) of the season expected this weekend. Highs may not get out of the 40s Friday and Saturday.
• Chicago: First 30s of the season possible this weekend. Frost/freeze possible, particularly in the suburbs. Highs only in the 50s Friday-Sunday.
• Cincinnati: First 30s of the season possible this weekend, which could result in the first frost, particularly in the suburbs. Highs will only be in the 50s this weekend.
• Buffalo: After an above-average high of 70 on Monday, expect only 50s for the remainder of the work week. Highs may not get out of the 40s this weekend. Lows in the 30s are possible for the first time this season this weekend, with a frost/freeze possible Sunday and Monday mornings.
• Cleveland: Highs in the upper 40s or low 50s expected this weekend. First lows in the 30s of the season possible this weekend.
• Hartford: Following low to mid-70s on Monday and Tuesday, highs will hold in the 50s this weekend. The first freeze of the season is possible, as well.
• New York City: Highs in the 70s Monday and Tuesday will give way to 60s for the rest of the workweek. 50s are possible this weekend, with early morning lows dipping into the 30s.
• Pittsburgh: Also starting the week in the 70s, highs slide below average with 50s or upper 40s Friday-Sunday. First lows in the 30s of the season possible this weekend, with a frost or freeze expected.
• 
  
  
  

Walterboro, South Carolina

As Hurricane Joaquin hit the Carolinas, my Facebook page had a intimate look at the results from a friend in Walterboro, South Carolina. As a teacher, she not only posted information about the hurricane, but school closings for her county as well.

Counties were closed Friday October 2nd as a precautionary measure for the storm about to hit.

As the hurricane hit over the weekend, extreme flooding occurred, closing down roadways and causing people near sources of water to be asked to evacuate.







Some before and after photos of Joaquin's damage in Columbia, SC.







http://www.weather.com/news/news/before-after-images-south-carolina-floods?cm_ven=Facebook_TheWeatherChannel_Weather_JKo_Article_No_7_20151005_twcplayer
As the water recedes, today will mark for some counties the first day the haven't had to cancel or delay school in over a week as a result of Joaquin. With all the damage done, it will take a lot of work and time to repair damages done. It's quite remarkable that a single storm can cause such a nightmare for so many people.

Below: How most South Carolina residents are probably feeling after Hurricane Joaquin.

Weather Station

BMS is up and running with their weather station. You guys can check out our station's info at weatherlink.com. Our station is BMS-1. We put it up on the roof, attached to our A/C shroud. Here is what the current info is:

Station:	BMS-1
Temperature:	77.6 F
Humidity:	38%
Wind:	2 Mph S 191°
Barometer:	29.704" - Falling Rapidly

Crazy ways living things survive floods

So with the flooding occurring in South Carolina, a phenomenon can be seen that is pretty interesting. In order to survive, colonies of ants will form a raft of each other's bodies to float above the water with the queen on top. The ants can survive for weeks but are constantly struggling to survive against turbulent water and predators.

http://www.weather.com/science/nature/news/fire-ants-flood-water-south-carolina

Fall is starting to show itself in some parts of the country.

We have started to experience some of the cooler fall weather and the leaves are beginning to turn and to fall from the trees. Some states in the east may even see some snow this week.

But the west is still suffering. They don't know what season they are in anymore. They have been hitting record highs for this time of year and the trend is expected to continue this week.



The warmth comes from this jet stream that is over Canada, keeping all the colder air north instead of turning southward. By the time the jet stream turns southward, it will be cooling off the eastern states instead of the western states.

The west will continue to suffer through droughts and wildfires. They may have some hope in a upper-level of low pressure that is expected to move into the Southwest this weekend as a cold front approaches the Northwest. This will bring cooler temperatures and a chance of rain.

Weather Prediction: Farmer's Almanac

I have always been curious about the accuracy of the Farmer's Almanac. It was first published in 1792 and is still going strong today.

What is the Farmer's Almanac?

The centerpiece of the Old Farmer's Almanac is its winter weather forecast, which naturally has sparked a backlash from professional meteorologists. But faulty information or inaccurate findings haven't kept the almanac from finding an audience of some 10 million monthly visitors to its website. Along with the weather forecast, the almanac throws in gardening tips ("Planting by the Moon"), a recipe for curried apricot and peppercorn chutney plus such minutiae as how deep a moose can dive.

Despite claims that the 2015 Old Farmer's Almanac's winter weather predictions were 96.3 percent accurate, many meteorologists and outlets say any forecast should be taken with a grain of salt. Many meteorologists liken the almanac's forecast to getting your palm read from a psychic.

Here's what the almanac is saying about the upcoming winter. Virtually no part of the U.S. is safe from the cold weather, and residents of the East Coast, the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast should be prepared to bundle up. There's also going to be plenty of snow for the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest and the Ohio Valley. If you're looking for some type of escape, Texas, Florida, Idaho, Utah, Oregon and Oklahoma will experience mild and dry weather. Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi will experience normal and dry weather, according to the almanac.