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☆ Flash floods inundate highways in the Bay Area and the Midwest is under winter weather watch as extreme weather hits parts of US to start 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A major highway was shut down in the Bay Area on New Years Eve after heavy rains led to flooding. Meanwhile, the Midwest and Plains region is under a winter weather watch as storm moves east. This is the 2nd major weather event since Christmas, when Winter Storm Elliot tore through the US. Since Saturday morning, about six miles of Interstate 580 in the Bay Area near Oakland has remained closed due to flooding, the San Francisco Gate reports. Another one is expected in the Bay Area on January 2, the San Francisco Gate reported.

☆ Watch How Arctic Air Blanketed the U.S. Last Week
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Aatish Bhatia | Margot Sanger-Katz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Air temperature ⭠ Warmer air Colder air ⭢ Freezing +80°F +60°F +40°F +20°F 0 -20°F Source: NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction Note: The map depicts air temperatures two meters above ground. It shows a detailed simulation of air temperatures that was created by blending high-resolution weather forecast models with recent observations from satellites and over 30,000 weather stations. The polar vortex spins in a counter-clockwise direction, creating the path of cold air that traveled south, then east, and finally north again. It became “pretty breezy” as the freezing air shifted east, said Caleb Grunzke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Chanhassen, Minn. As the cold air traveled down the central part of the country, its path was deflected by the Rocky Mountains.

☆ How to Prepare Your House for the Extreme Holiday Weather
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Jenny Gross | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As winter storms move through large parts of the United States, here are steps to take to prepare for subzero temperatures, strong winds and blizzard conditions. Make sure you have extra batteries in case of power outages. The National Weather Service recommends having at least one gallon of water per person a day for three days. Expect temperatures as far south as Texas and Florida to plunge below freezing. Do not heat your home with a camp stove, oven or charcoal-burning device.

If you are dreaming of a white Christmas, your dreams may just come true this year. While a white Christmas might help the treetops glisten, the storm is likely to bring hazardous travel conditions as well. Last year, NOAA updated the average probabilities of a white Christmas across the United States. The song “White Christmas” was written during one of those long, snowless-Christmas spells. By the time he wrote the song at the end of the 1930s, New York City had not seen a white Christmas since 1930, according to weather service data and the official definition of a white Christmas.

☆ Listen to 'the bloop,' a strange noise recorded in the southern Pacific Ocean that stumped scientists for years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In 1997, NOAA scientists recorded a haunting, strange sound in the southern Pacific Ocean's depths. These underwater microphones the US Navy originally developed were 2,000 miles apart in the Pacific Ocean. Below, you can listen to the bloop sped up 16 times:Over the years, theories about the mysterious ocean sound's origin abounded. An adult blue whale swimming in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Icequakes occur when glaciers fracture in the ocean, cracking ice.

☆ Why California’s 2022 Wildfire Season Was Unexpectedly Quiet
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Maps of California show the perimeters of wildfire burns for every year between 2018 and 2022 (desktop version) or 2017 and 2022 (mobile version). The extent of acreage burned in 2022 is far less than what burned in 2021 and 2022, and looks more similar to what burned in 2019. 2018 2017 Camp fire 2022 2021 2020 McKinney fire 2020 was the state’s worst fire year on record. Wildfires have burned about 362,000 acres this year, compared to 2.5 million acres last year and a historic 4.3 million acres in 2020. Acres Burned by Wildfires in California A bar chart showing the total acres burned by California wildfires since 1987.

☆ Climate Change in Arctic Is Changing How People There Live and Work
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Eric Niiler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker operated earlier this fall in the Arctic, where rainfall has been increasing and air temperatures have been rising. Life is changing in the snowy, icy Arctic as it becomes warmer and rainier, spurring residents and wildlife to adapt, according to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 139-page Arctic Report Card was compiled by 147 scientists from 11 countries and included contributions from Native Alaskan scientists for the first time, according to NOAA. It details how warming air temperatures, shorter periods of snow cover, more precipitation and changes in animal migration patterns are affecting the food and health of people who live in the Arctic.

☆ Rain could soon overtake snow in parts of the Arctic, top scientists warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Broken up sea ice is seen from the window of a NASA research flight above the east coast of Greenland. That's causing Arctic sea ice to diminish, the tundra to turn green with vegetation, and sea birds to starve to death in droves. Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesFor the first time this year, NOAA has determined that Arctic precipitation — either rain or snow — is increasing across all seasons. But in places like southwest Alaska, that means rain falling on top of snow, then freezing. Bhatt is part of a group of researchers assessing whether the Arctic tundra in southwest Alaska should be reclassified as sub-Arctic tundra.

As many as 11 million people from California to Wisconsin are under winter weather advisories Monday due to a massive storm that has already dumped up to 4 feet of snow across the Sierra Nevada. The storm, expected to bring both snow and severe weather, is making its way into the Rockies and the northern Plains on Monday, where blizzard-like conditions are expected. Up to a foot of snow is expected to hit the Rockies, with winds gusting up to 50 mph. The risk for severe weather Monday is centered around southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle, where damaging winds up to 60 mph, large hail and a few tornadoes are possible. By Wednesday, the threat will shift east, where residents of New Orleans to the Florida panhandle are at risk for damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.

☆ Winter Storm Begins to Move Across U.S. as Holidays Approach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The moisture headed toward the Western U.S. appeared in a satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An intense storm sweeping across much of the U.S. in coming days will bring heavy rain and snow in some places, along with possible tornadoes and blizzard conditions. The rough weather started in the Pacific Northwest and California early Saturday. Heavy rains prompted flood advisories for some of coastal California, while some northern mountain passes were blanketed in icy snow.

☆ Winter Storm to Move Across Much of U.S. as Holidays Approach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The moisture headed toward the Western U.S. appears in a satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An intense storm is expected to sweep across much of the U.S. in the coming days, bringing heavy rain and snow in some places, along with possible tornadoes and blizzard conditions. The rough weather will start in the Pacific Northwest and California over the weekend and hit the Plains by Tuesday. It could dump as much as a foot of snow in some areas by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

☆ Americans are flocking to wildfire country
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Our main finding is that people seem to be moving to counties with the highest wildfire risks, and cities and suburbs with relatively hot summers. This is concerning because wildfire and heat are only expected to become more dangerous with climate change," Mahalia Clark, the lead author of the study, told CNBC. "People tend to think of wildfire as something that affects the West, but it also affects large areas of the South and even Midwest." On the other hand, sometimes high risk areas are more affordable, creating an unfortunate incentive for people to move there." But homebuyers also need to be doing their due diligence on the climate risks associated with the location where they are considering buying a new home.

☆ How to stay safe in an extreme solar flare, where the sun bombards Earth with radiation and magnetic havoc
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Stay safe during a solar storm by preparing to lose power, printing out maps, and staying off planes. What is a solar flare and how do they affect Earth? CMEs primarily affect the magnetosphere, jostling Earth's magnetic field lines in an event called a geomagnetic storm, also known as a solar storm. NASAGetting ready for the possibility of a major solar flare isn't that different from getting ready for any other disaster. If you follow the basics of disaster preparedness, you'll probably be ready for a solar flare.

☆ Mauna Loa Eruption Threatens a Famous Climate Record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

420 410 400 The Keeling Curve 390 Measurements of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere from the Mauna Loa Observatory, in parts per million CO2. In the meantime, officials are contemplating flying in a generator via helicopter to the Mauna Loa observatory, which is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ISLAND OF HAWAI‘I Mauna Loa Observatory Lava flow Eruption began at Moku‘āweoweo caldera Mauna Loa Honolulu Hawai‘i Hawaiian Islands Area of detail Honolulu Hawai‘i Hawaiian Islands Area of detail ISLAND OF HAWAI‘I Mauna Loa Observatory Lava flow Eruption began at Moku‘āweoweo caldera Mauna Loa Source: Copernicus Notes: Image captured by satellite on Nov. 28, 2022. But none hold quite the same symbolism as Mauna Loa, which is home to the first and most frequently cited data. Even now, when scientists want to test new carbon dioxide monitoring equipment, “they go to Mauna Loa,” Dr. Sweeney said.

☆ Hurricane Season Caps a Year of Fewer but Still-Destructive Storms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One of the two major hurricanes this season, Hurricane Ian barreled from Cuba to Florida and the Carolinas. The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season came to an end on Wednesday, after a historically quiet period gave way to a destructive finale with some of the most catastrophic storms in recent years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there were 14 named storms during the season, which ran from June to November. That is an average amount for a typical season, forecasters say.

☆ 18 Whales Have Been Found Dead Along East Coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Eighteen whales have been found dead along the East Coast in recent weeks, prompting concern from some local activists and lawmakers. Ten of the mammals washed ashore or were found near beaches around New York and New Jersey since Dec. 1, 2022, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, the federal agency overseeing the nation’s ocean resources and habitats.

☆ After a slow start, the 2022 hurricane season roared in with memorable and destructive storms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jennifer Gray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —As the hurricane season closes, a handful of blockbuster storms made history after an eerily quiet first half of the season gave false hope. In fact, we didn’t have any named storms from July 3 to August 31, the first time that’s occurred since 1941. One of those storms was Hurricane Ian, which hit land in late September and will go down as the most memorable storm of the 2022 season. “Tropical storms have formed in every month outside of hurricane season, and there have been a few hurricanes, too,” NOAA said. Historically, we’ve seen at least 15 named storms form in the month of December, even all the way up to December 30.

☆ Mauna Loa eruption disrupts critical climate equipment used to measure carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The longest-running climate equipment used to measure carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere lost power Monday evening and is currently not recording data because of Mauna Loa’s volcanic eruption in Hawaii. Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted early Monday morning for the first time in 38 years, sending lava flows cascading down slope, impacting the road used to access the Mauna Loa Observatory. The Keeling Curve graph comprises daily carbon dioxide concentration measurements taken at Mauna Loa since 1958. The fact that the tool has measured the changes of carbon dioxide levels for more than 60 years virtually uninterrupted has made it the authority source on the key greenhouse gas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also measures carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa using a different instrument.

☆ Dozens of times drought, ice melt, and storm surge unearthed unusual and unsettling discoveries this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Among the unearthed finds are old sites, ancient artifacts, rare fossils, and even human remains. This summer, low water levels created an eerie boat graveyard of previously sunken ships and beached boats, the Associated Press reported. The manmade reservoir's plummeting water levels also revealed human remains on at least six occasions since May, The Guardian reported. In Spain's Vilanova de Sau in the Catalonia region, plummeting water levels in a reservoir exposed a 11th century Romanesque church, the Associated Press reported. Switzerland's melting glaciers revealed the remains of a 1968 plane in August.

☆ Plummeting Mississippi River levels revealed a rare American lion fossil
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's only the fourth fossil of the ancient American lion found in Mississippi, according to the news outlet. Only four American lion fossil specimens have ever been discovered in Mississippi. A barges stranded by low water along the Mississippi River in Rosedale, Mississippi, in October. Scott Olson/Getty ImagesThe Mississippi River is a vital transportation route, and its unusually low water levels disrupted shipping across several states in recent months. In early October, low water levels revealed an old sunken ship along the river's banks.

☆ How Hurricane Sandy transformed the Jersey Shore into 'a playground for the rich'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Jersey Shore residents battled through a patchwork of programs to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. Even 10 years after Hurricane Sandy, Barbara is still reminded daily of the mental and financial toll it took on her. Courtesy of BarbaraThe bureaucratic red tape around flood insurance and rebuild programs linked to Hurricane Sandy deepened the divide between the haves and have-nots of the Jersey Shore. Milliman, an actuarial company that works with FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, found that about 47% of coastal dwellers had flood insurance, The Inquirer reported. "After Sandy, there was a lot more money coming in," Mery, who has built Jersey Shore homes for 15 years, told Insider.

Nicole became a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday evening as the storm made landfall on Great Bahama Island. It is expected to remain a hurricane as it approaches Florida, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. By The New York TimesThe National Hurricane Center said that areas along the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina coastlines could see life-threatening storm surge. Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water caused by strong winds from a storm pushing water toward the shore. Potential storm surge flooding 1 3 6 9+ feet The New York Times; storm surge flooding prediction by NOAA as of 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 9.

☆ Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | Photographs Devin Oktar Yalkin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +53 min

Beyond Catastrophe A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View By David Wallace-WellsYou can never really see the future, only imagine it, then try to make sense of the new world when it arrives. (A United Nations report released this week ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, confirmed that range.) A little lower is possible, with much more concerted action; a little higher, too, with slower action and bad climate luck. There were climate-change skeptics in some very conspicuous positions of global power. New emissions peaks are expected both this year and next, which means that more damage is being done to the future climate of the planet right now than at any previous point in history.

☆ Rural California city is facing the end of its water supply by Dec. 1
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Lindsey Jacobson | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Coalinga city officials estimate their small town will run out of water by Dec. 1st. Ray Singleton Source: CNBCThe California valley city, located inland between Los Angeles and San Francisco, is home to an estimated 17,465 people. The city has no control over how these facilities use water, and Singleton estimates they pull around 25 to 30 percent of the city's supply. They said they have been working closely with the City of Coalinga to find solutions, including finding water that may be transferred to the city. A large solar farm in the middle of rural farmland in Coalinga California.

☆ A Third La Niña Winter Will Likely Extend Record Drought in U.S. West
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Forecasters expect more drought for the U.S. West. La Niña will return to the U.S. for the third winter in a row, bringing with it warmer temperatures for the Southwest, Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center on Thursday forecast a drier-than-average winter across the South, but wetter-than-average conditions for areas including the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest.

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