NOAA study shows pattern of fewer days with tornadoes, but more tornadoes on those days NOAA study shows pattern of fewer days with tornadoes, but more tornadoes on those days Are tornadoes increasing? Not really, the number has remained relatively constant. What is changing is that there are fewer days with tornadoes each year, but on those days there are more tornadoes, according to a NOAA report published today in the journal Science. Read more
Forecasters get new system to manage ‘flood’ of weather data, improve forecasts Forecasters get new system to manage ‘flood’ of weather data, improve forecasts NOAA puts into operation Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor system developed at National Severe Storms Laboratory Weather forecasters rely on an incredibly large amount of information when they make forecasts and issue warnings. A new system, activated by NOAA’s National Weather Service last week, quickly harnesses the tremendous amount of weather data from multiple sources, intelligently integrates the information, and provides a detailed picture of the current weather. Read more
NOAA flies over Arctic to measure extent of sea ice NOAA flies over Arctic to measure extent of sea ice Annual fall mission helps gauge climate change in Arctic NOAA researchers set out this week on a two-week mission to fly over the Arctic to measure how much the ice has melted over the summer and gauge the speed of this fall’s refreezing of sea ice. This is the second year in a row scientists have flown above Arctic waters. Data gathered from both years is testing a hypothesis that increased summer heat stored in the newly sea-ice free areas of the Arctic Ocean lead to surface heat fluxes in autumn that are large enough to have impacts on atmospheric temperature, humidity, wind and cloud distributions. Read more
Climate change not to blame for 2013 Colorado floods Climate change not to blame for 2013 Colorado floods Heavy multi-day summer rain events not expected to increase in the area Last September’s widespread flooding in northeast Colorado, which saw just over 17 inches of rain in one week in the city of Boulder, was not made more likely or more intense by the effects of human-induced climate change, according to a new NOAA-led study published today in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Read more
Army Corps hydrologist named new director of NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Army Corps hydrologist named new director of NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Deborah H. Lee will bring extensive experience with Great Lakes water resource research and management Deborah H. Lee, the chief of water management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, has been named the new director of NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). Lee is slated to begin on December 1, 2014. Read more
NOAA releases unmanned aircraft inside Hurricane Edouard NOAA releases unmanned aircraft inside Hurricane Edouard Scientists aboard NOAA Hurricane Hunter launch Coyote unmanned planes to collect data near ocean surface NOAA hurricane hunters entered a new chapter in the use of unmanned aircraft systems today when scientists aboard the aircraft launched unmanned aircraft directly into Hurricane Edouard. The Coyote unmanned aircraft is the first unmanned aircraft deployed directly inside a hurricane from NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft. The goal of the Coyote is to collect temperature, pressure and wind observations below 3,000 feet, where manned aircraft cannot fly safely. Read more
Study: Reducing human-caused air pollution in North America & Europe brings surprise result: more hurricanes 11May2022 Read more A new NOAA study published today in the journal Science Advances about four decades of tropical cyclones reveals the surprising result that reducing particulate air pollution in Europe and North America has contributed to an increase in the number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic basin and a decrease in the number of these storms in the Southern Hemisphere. The study also found that the growth of particulate pollution in Asia has contributed to fewer tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific basin. Read more
Greenhouse gas pollution trapped 49% more heat in 2021 than in 1990, NOAA finds 23May2022 Read more The Annual Greenhouse Gas Index serves as a measure of global society's progress - or lack of progress - in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Read more
Projected increase in space travel may damage ozone layer 21Jun2022 Read more Scientists from NOAA and The Aerospace Corp. modeled the climate response of the stratosphere to increased future emissions of black carbon from rockets burning kerosene fuel. Read more
NOAA and Saildrone launch seven hurricane-tracking surface drones 3Aug2022 Read more In partnership with NOAA, Saildrone Inc. is deploying seven ocean drones to collect data from hurricanes during the 2022 hurricane season with the goal of improving hurricane forecasting. For the first year, two saildrones will track hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. Read more
Study validates accuracy of NOAA’s smoke forecasting model during the Camp Fire 5Jul2022 Read more A research team led by scientists from the University of California Berkeley and NOAA found that HRRR-Smoke accurately predicted the intensification of smoke pollution from the Camp Fire. Read more