Can you believe that it is Thanksgiving week already? Though travel and gatherings will likely be lighter than the norm this year (AAA is predicting a 47.5% decrease in air travel for the holiday!), the weather likely won’t put a damper on the holiday for most across the U.S. With more and more families and communities cancelling gatherings or making more unique plans such as outdoor dining or Zoom calls, it is still just as important to take a look at the weather ahead of time in order to plan accordingly.
For this week’s Third Thursday interview, I am so excited for you to meet a colleague of mine, Rick Shema. I met Rick while we were both serving terms on the American Meteorological Society Board of Certified Consulting Meteorologists (BCCM). Rick owns Weatherguy.com, a company which specializes in marine meteorology. He provides forecasts and support services for marine applications, and also provides expert testimony for marine cases in litigation. His love of the water and Naval experience give him top notch credentials in his work. We’ve had the opportunity to collaborate together both on the BCCM and on a case or two over the years, and I always enjoy working with him. His passion, integrity, and enthusiasm for what he does comes through in every aspect of his work. I hope you enjoy getting to know Rick as much as I have!
Eventful. Notable. Significant. These words can all describe 2020 in a nutshell, but they also aptly recount the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season. At the time of this writing (November 11, 2020), NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) is currently issuing advisories on Tropical Storms Eta and Theta, while also monitoring an additional disturbance in the eastern Caribbean!
It is amazing to believe, but here we are: this week’s post marks the 100th time that Kelly and I have been fortunate enough to connect with our readers! I have to admit, I was filled with some trepidation as we began this journey not quite two years ago, wondering what on earth we might write about when we committed to blogging weekly. Worse yet, who would want to read it? To my surprise and delight, writers block has been a rare occurrence, and we enjoy and read all of the comments from our readers. I thought it would be fun to go back into the archives and reflect on how this space has grown and evolved since we posted our first entry back in December of 2018.
Can you guys believe that this Saturday is Halloween?! I feel as if this year has flown by (and has been a little scary itself!)….but what a fun treat that this spooky celebration falls on a weekend this year! Halloween can be a tricky one for meteorologists, and revelers alike. Normal high temepratures can range from the 40s to the 80s with low temperatures ranging from the teens to the 70s…which makes planning your costume in advance a little tricky!
After Kelly’s great blog about mental health and tropical cyclones, I thought it would be great to piggy back off this idea and discuss how to deal with anxiety and worries which kids may have about hazardous weather. Extreme, or even just abnormal, weather can be a cause of anxiety in kids of all ages. Children are often fearful of the unknown, and having questions about weather phenomena, particularly those which seem scary due to seeing footage on television or hearing parents talk, can be particularly unnerving. As Kelly discussed in our ‘Ask Me Anything: Weather Edition‘ event which we held a few months ago, we firmly believe that talking to children at an age-appropriate level about weather and teaching them how to prepare and be safe during hazardous weather can go a long way toward helping reassure children and ease some of that ‘fear of the unknown’. Let’s dig a little deeper and talk about some ways that parents, teachers, and other authority figures can help empower children to be less fearful and more prepared.
Robyn and I went to undergrad together at the University of South Alabama, and I have loved watching her career grow over the years. She offers great insight into the life of a broadcast meteorologist, as well as great advice!
This week we continue our profiles on the various agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Since we are in the peak time of Atlantic Hurricane season right now, it seems like a great time to take a closer look at what the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center do, and some of the services they provide.
Labor Day weekend in the northeast United States was absolutely beautiful. Full sun, not too hot, perfect weather for the traditional end-of-summer activities that usually fill that weekend. However, early September has been filled with weather conditions that are anything BUT perfect in other parts of the country. Let’s take a look:
