12/28/12 Year In Weather Photos

Several very big weather stories happened this year from wildfires in California to Hurricane Sandy along the northeast coast, to bad ice storms in Switzerland. Below are the 10 best weather pictures (in my opinion) of this year.

10. Harveyville, Kansas: an EF2 tornado rips through this town on February 29th

9. Schwedt, Germany: Ice forms in unusual shapes around trees at a national park on February 15th.

8. Point Pleasant Beach, NJ: sand overflows a home thanks to Hurricane Sandy. The storm whipped up record high tide levels in Sandy Hook, N.J. and on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, which broke the previous records from another Superstorm back in March 1993.

7. Oahu, Hawaii: The hailstone pictured below measured 4.25" in length, about the same as a softball.

Thunderstorms hit the island with numerous hailstones of 2-3" diameter and larger on March 9. This not only broke the old record hail size, it shattered it (the previous record was 1”, about the size of a quarter).  While rain is common in Hawaii, and hurricanes make occasional appearances, thunderstorms occur only about 20-30 days each year on the islands.

6. Morse Reservoir, Indiana: Severe drought ravaged much of the country including the Midwest and southeast.

5. Henryville, Indiana: On March 3 dozens of people were killed by a tornado in this sleepy town.  A total of 69 tornadoes happened during this severe outbreak, two of which were EF4s (wind speeds of mph). However, just a few days later, a separate system brought snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches to the tornado-damaged towns of Henryville and also West Liberty, Kentucky.

4. New Orleans: Here are pictures I took of The Crescent City Connection (also known as the Greater New Orleans Bridge) before Isaac hit, and during landfall in September. What was unusual abuot this storms is that after moving along at a fairly good pace while it was over water in the Gulf of Mexico, Isaac slowed to a snail’s pace once inland. It moved a total of only 145miles in 24 hours which caused the massive flooding to inland towns in Louisiana.  

3. Hoboken, NJ: taxis basically floating in flood waters from Hurricane Sandy on October 30. Almost two weeks after Sandy made landfall, 150,000 customers were still without power in New York and New Jersey. 

2. Union Beach, NJ: the Princess Cottage Inn had half of it taken by Hurricane Sandy. Out of only 1000 homes in this sleepy town, over 200 of them were deemed uninhabitable. Sandy's tropical storm-force winds extended 943 miles across at its widest point while moving up the East Coast, the largest purely tropical storm wind field since such records have been kept since 1988, according to Weather Underground's Dr. Jeff Masters.

1. Versoix, Switzerland: a massive ice storm almost crippled the city near Lake Geneva on February 5, 2012.Geneva resident and photographer Jean-Pierre Scherrer commented on how bad the weather conditions actually were, “After a conjunction of intense cold (-8 to -12 degrees Centigrade), plus very strong winds, blowing at over 70 mph, the waves got so harsh that they passed over the dikes and the droplets immediately froze everything they touched!”

 Sources: weather.com, NASA, NOAA, Getty Images

12/22/12 "Invisible" Turbulence "Found"

Have you ever been on a flight on a clear, blue day, and suddenly you experience turbulence? Many wonder why this happens since there is no cloud cover in sight to cause that bounce in the air. Well, now scientists have found the “invisible” culprit behind that turbulent air; gravity waves.

The phenomenon was explained more in detail at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. "Just like waves on the ocean, as they approach a beach, they can amplify and break. Gravity waves in the atmosphere can amplify and break, and we're finding now that's a major contributor to turbulence in the atmosphere that affects aircraft."

Gravity waves form when air travels up and down in the atmosphere, and hits something. For example, when clouds rise in the lower levels of the atmosphere air mixes freely, but eventually bumps into the more stable air in the upper atmosphere levels (typically 25,000ft. or higher), which forms ripples in the process. These ripples, or gravity waves, can travel up to 180 miles before finally coming to a stop.

"They're waves running around in the atmosphere all the time," explains Robert Sharman, a meteorologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), who conducted the study.

Prior to this, scientists and pilots believed that airplanes moving up and down in the jet stream caused the turbulence. What they found instead was that gravity waves "break" on the surfaces of planes, just like ocean waves breaking on the beach or a large boat.

Mountains, such as the Rockies, often form gravity waves on their own as air flows over the mountains and then overshoots as it reaches the other side. Thankfully the gravity waves don't span a large height in the atmosphere, so it's pretty easy for airplanes to avoid them by either climbing over them, or going beneath them.

Sources: NBC, LiveScience, NOAA

12/18/12 Cyclone Evan Hits Fiji

Fiji is usually what you picture when you are dreaming of beautiful beaches, warm, sunny weather, and a laid-back lifestyle. However, for the last few days, it has looked more like a warzone. Cyclone Evan is the strongest storm to hit Fiji in 20 years pummeled the islands over the last few days, basically annihilating everything in its path. As a category 4 storm, it packed sustained wind speeds up to 125mph, with gusts up to 170mph. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported in Fiji, but the storm did take five lives in Samoa, with up to 10 people still missing, just 3 days before it moved into the archipelago of Fiji.

Fiji is made up of 332 small islands, and has a population of just under 850,000 (just slightly more than Indianapolis' population).

On Viti Levu, the western part of the main island of Fiji, Cyclone Evan hit the area hard, making it look like a "war zone", the Fiji Times reported. This has led to numerous families being evacuated from their homes due to unsafe building structures.

Days of heavy rain have caused rivers to swell, which has flooded several roads and bridges. Strong winds have also blown down power lines, and torn roofs off of buildings, officials reported.

More than 8,000 people sought shelter in 137 evacuation centres, the Ministry of Information said.
Neighboring countries, Australia and New Zealand, have offered support to Fiji with both supplies as well as rescue personnel.

Sources: BBC News, Fiji Ministry of Information, Fiji Government Online Portal, U.S. Census Bureau, Reuters, NBC News

12/12/12 Mt. Everest From Space

The crazy weather and health risks prevent most people from even thinking about climbing Mt. Everest.  The few who have climbed the great peak find that while the 29,035-foot Everest definitely stands out, it does not look nearly as tall or impressive from 250 miles above the planet.

Yuri Malenchenko, a Russian cosmonaut, took the very rare photo (above) last month. So why is it so difficult to get a picture of Mt. Everest? U.S. astronaut and former Space Station resident Ron Garan, who tried many times to get a good shot explains,

"The answer is quite simple, all the photos we take from space are taken in the crew's own personal time. No time is allotted in our work day normally for Earth pictures. So if we want to capture a specific point on the ground we have to first know exactly when we will fly over that spot, second be available to grab a camera and get to a window, and third have the weather and proper sun angles to get a great shot. Over the course of my six months in space I was never able to get all three of those to align for Mt. Everest."

Pictures looking up at Mt. Everest are also hard to take, because even if you were able to make the trek to just below the peak, the weather is almost always brutal up there, and can prevent a good picture from being taken.  Mt. Everest often creates its own weather, so regardless of what the forecast might be around the mountain, it could be entirely different near the top.

12/07/12 Deadly London Smog Anniversary

60 years ago this month, the worst smog to ever hit London killed an estimated 12,000 people.  It was a deadly combination of typical London fog and heavy coal combustion.

For the several weeks leading up to the event, London had been experiencing very cold temperatures. Because of this, people were using their coal burning furnaces and stoves more frequently in order to stay warm. Add that to a large area of high pressure over the system creating wind-free conditions, to coal created a thick layer of smoke that combined with some dense fog to create a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday, December 5^th all the way to Tuesday, December 9^th before finally clearing out when the weather changed.

Not only did this cause a major disruption on travel due to zero visibilities, the smog penetrated indoor areas such as schools, businesses, and homes, and that is what made the biggest impact on health. It was not an immediate concern though. In fact, it was in the 2 weeks that followed that an estimated 4,000 people died, and over 100,000 became quite sick. A few years later that number of 4,000 was upped to 12,000 when it was later determined that other respiratory deaths were caused by the smog (such as asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and heart failure. It is important to note that while London experienced heavy smog in the past, no other event had caused quite the impact as this one.

It is considered the worst air pollution event of the history of the United Kingdom, and caused several changes of practice and regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956.

Sources: Disclose TV, Encyclopedia of Earth, EPA, University of Edinburgh

11/29/12 Hurricane Season Recap

Technically, hurricane season does not end until tomorrow, but with no potential storms in the Atlantic or Gulf right now, let’s look at a season recap.


Tracks of all tropical systems in 2012
 

This year, we had a total of 19 named storms, 10 of which made it up to hurricane strength (74mph+). However, we had no Category 4 or 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic/Gulf, and we had only one Category 3 hurricane. So how does this compare to average years? Normally we have only 12 named storms a year with the number of storms making it to hurricane strength around 6. However, the number of major hurricanes, which is a Category 3 or higher (111mph+), is typically 3 per year. This year we only had one, Hurricane Michael, which stayed over the open Atlantic. This year also produced the least number of major hurricanes in a season since 1997, when there was only one Category 3, Erika. If that wasn’t enough, we've only seen two years with no Category 4 or Category 5 hurricanes since 1995: 2006 and 1997.

Hurricane Sandy Track

The ironic part of this season is that we started off with a bang, leaving many wondering if this would be a sign of the rest of the season. In May, before hurricane season officially begins in the Atlantic/Gulf, two storms, Alberto and Beryl, had developed. Both only became tropical storms, and both had very little impact on the U.S. Also, this is the seventh consecutive year that no major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5) have hit the United States.

Hurricane Isaac
 

Of course, the caveat is that it doesn't take a major hurricane to cause big damage. Look at Isaac and Sandy, both of which caused devastating floods, along with high winds that caused numerous power outages.

Hurricane Isaac track

 

11/21/12 Earth Art From Space

The Earth's atmosphere experiences a roller coaster of changes over the course of 24 hours -- from dust storms, solar storm particles, carbon bursts, to tropical cyclones, pollution, and even sea salt swirls. However, most of this is invisible to us here on Earth’s surface, but from space, you have the perfect view.

Earlier this week, NASA posted a video compilation, titled “Paint by Particle” which illustrates the movement of all the particles that are in Earth’s atmosphere. The time-lapse takes place from August 2006 to April 2007.

At first glance, the video conjures up images of sand art picture frames such as these, but then you realize it is so much more than that. Each color represents a different type of particle in the atmosphere: dust (red), sea salt (blue), sulphate and/or high storm clouds (white), but also living organisms (green). Yes, the green color is actually organic carbon material, some of which came from living plants/bacteria. Here is the video below so you can see the beauty for yourself.

 

Sources: NASA, Youtube, Yahoo, Mashable

11/15/12 Leonid Meteor Shower

Many will get a special treat this weekend when the Leonid meteor show arrives in the early hours of Saturday morning, November 17th. The shower, named after the Leo constellation will be white or bluish white in color. While most are faint, some do appear notably bright, and leave glowing trains in their wake.

This year will differ slightly than normal years in that the Leonids are expected to show two peaks of activity, one on Saturday morning (Nov. 17) and another on Tuesday morning (Nov. 20). A perk this year is that the moon will not be a problem for this year’s shower. A downfall for this year, is that at best, there will be 10 to 15 meteors per hour Saturday morning, which is well below normal.

As with any astronomical event, the showers will be better the further you get from city lights, and will be brightest in the Northeastern horizon.

 

Sources: National Geographic, space.com, NWS

11/12/12 Total Solar Eclipse

Starting at 23:30 UT Tuesday, a total solar eclipse will be visible for four minutes and two seconds, over a 99 mile wide path. However, the only city that will be able to view the total eclipse will be Cairns, Australia. The eclipse will also pass over part of the Garig Ganak Barlu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory, but sky-watchers will only be able to enjoy two minutes of the total eclipse there. Places like New Zealand, Fiji, Papau New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and much of Indonesia will only be able to see a partial solar eclipse.  

Don’t live in Cairns, Australia? Don’t worry! Thanks to the internet you can watch the whole thing live at websites such as this one, or this one.  The eclipse will actually occur at sunrise on Wednesday, Nov. 14 for Australians watching it live, but it will still be Tuesday afternoon for people watching online in America.

Light blue lines indicate partial eclipse, dark blue line indicates area of total eclipse.

On August 21, 2017, we will have a chance to view a total solar eclipse here in the U.S. Cities such as Lexington, SC (13 miles west of Columbia), Dillard, GA (110 miles northeast of Atlanta), Athens, TN (60 miles northeast of Knoxville), Hopkinsville, KY (70 miles north of Nashville), St. Joseph, MO (50 miles north of Kansas City), Casper, WY (210 miles north of Denver), Salem, OR (45 miles south of Portland). This total solar eclipse will be visible for two minutes and 40 seconds. Many major cities such as Nashville, Atlanta, Kansas City, Columbia (SC), Portland (Oregon), Charleston (SC), and Lincoln (Nebraska) will be able to see a partial solar eclipse that day.

 

Sources: National Geographic, McGlaun.com, NASA, NOAA, space.com

11/9/12 Were Models Lacking With Sandy?

With Hurricane Sandy something of the past now, it is brought to our attention that our technological advancement here in the U.S. is far behind that of other countries. Well over a week prior to Sandy made landfall in the Northeast, some of the weather computer models were predicting “Sandy” (unnamed at the time) to be an unusual, yet very strong storm to the very region it hit. Some of the other computer models predicted that the storm would develop, but would head out to the Atlantic and spare the U.S. entirely. While all of the models ended up with the same consensus, including the National Hurricane Center (NHC) 4 days before it hit the New Jersey/New York, was that enough time for all residents, businesses, and governments to prepare? It also limits the time to rush supplies to that area that they will need once the storm hits.

While the actual weather computer models themselves were invented here in the U.S., the level of accuracy and ability of those models have fallen substantially behind those of other nations’ models. In fact, Kerry Emanuel, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, believes we may actually be in third or even fourth place compared to other nations. So who is the leader of the pack? What is commonly referred to as the Euro Model, is definitely at the top. In fact, this year alone, the Euro correctly predicted the tracks of both Hurricane Isaac and Sandy well before the other models did. This is important since these were the two big storms that actually hit the U.S. The Washington Post noted that the NHC’s parent company, NOAA had mentioned the European model’s scenario on its website, saying that if it proved true, it would create “a powerhouse capable of whipping the Atlantic into a frenzy and churning up dangerous tides.” However, it did not go as far as to agree with the model, just to say that basically “this is what the Euro model is predicting”.

 

“[The U.S. has] tremendous weather forecasting capacity, but we’re still losing to the Europeans,” said Heidi Cullen, chief climatologist at Climate Central, a nonprofit that communicates science to the public.

Why is the Euro so much better than the others? Well, for starters, the Euro model tends to focus more on numerical weather prediction and run their models on larger and faster computers.

In fact, Judith Curry, chairwoman of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia  Tech, said about the Euro, “[It’s] better overall”.  She also went on to say that the model has a higher resolution than its U.S. equivalent, makes more frequent forecasts, and is better at assimilating satellite data.

 

However, one area where we excel over them is that we recognize that this information is a public good, and since it is funded largely by the taxpayer, it should be available free of charge to the public. Why is that so important? Well, ironically, some European businesses prefer to use U.S. forecast models because they are free, whereas some U.S. businesses will actually spend very large amounts of money for European forecasts because they are better. So if only we could provide the same accuracy that the Euro does, and free like we currently do, we certainly would get back on top again.

Marshall Shepherd, director of the atmospheric sciences program at the University of Georgia, blames lack of funding for many of the problems facing NOAA. “That only gets worse going forward as we talk about sequestration and cutting agencies’ budgets,” he said.

But is more money necessarily the solution to fixing this problem? What if the real solution lies with restructuring the current NOAA system. Why not do like the European model does, and instead of only having one country’s model be the end all be all, use multiple countries to provide that model data? Conceivably we could have Canada and Mexico join in with us, providing us with a larger blend of government, media, academic, and private sector talent. Perhaps then could we get back on top again, and not have to rely so much on other computer models, simply because they are better than ours.

 

Sources: Speakeasy, Wall Street Journal, Politico, NOAA, Spaghettimodels.com, Wright Weather, ABC, NY Daily News,

11/7/12 New Nor'easter Brings In Winter

Before many are able to even get their power back from Superstorm Sandy, a new Nor’easter will hit starting late today bringing snow, sleet, and freezing rain. This new storm will also bring powerful winds of around 20-30mph, with some gusts as high as 60mph. That will likely blow down trees and limbs that were already weakened from Sandy. In addition to further delaying power being restored to more than 600,000 people who have been without it since Sandy hit more than a week ago.

 Another concern many authorities are dealing with is trying to clean up a lot of the leftover debris on the ground, which could end up becoming projectiles in this new storm.

Evacuations were ordered for nursing homes and healthcare centers in the Rockaways area (a section of Queens) in New York. Airlines have also canceled over 750 flights in and out of New York City. Along the Jersey Shore, the communities of Brick and Middleton have also ordered evacuations.

Getting fuel has been an ongoing problem for residents in New York and New Jersey for days now, and this will likely only add to that problem. Fuel rationing is already in place in New Jersey. In fact, some residents were hiring school children to stand in line with gas cans, and price gouging has been an issue in parts of New York.

Some snow totals for areas of the Northeast include:
New York City-   1-2” snow
Newark, NJ-   2-4” snow
Philadelphia-   3-5” snow
Baltimore-   1-2” snow
Hartford, CT-  1-3” snow, with a tenth of an inch of ice
Bangor, ME-  1-2” snow, with two tenths of an inch of ice
Some areas, including the higher elevations of upstate New York could see 5-8” of snow through Friday.

9/29/12 Record Cold Antarctica?

Just last week on Sept. 16^th, Vostok, the research station on Antarctica, recorded a low temperature of minus 119 degrees. As crazy cold as that is, it was still a few degrees off from the coldest temperature recorded on earth during the month of September, which is minus 122°F (which just so happens to have been set at this very same site).

Courtesy: National Geographic

Antarctica is by far the coldest continent on the planet. The coldest temperature recorded on planet Earth was recorded at Vostok in July of 1983, when the temperature plunged to minus 129 degrees. *Note- starting at -40°F any exposed skin will freeze instantly (Interestingly, this was determined by a bunch of scientists who stood around in Antarctica until their skin froze).

This past Antarctic winter finished colder than average over most of the continent. It is not surprising then, that the sea ice in the southern ocean has broken many daily maximum extent records in recent weeks but remained slightly below the record level set back in 2007.

Strangely, we know that the Arctic and Antarctic tend to oscillate oppositely, meaning while the Arctic continues to record well-below-normal ice conditions, the Antarctic has done the opposite, recording much-above-average ice conditions in recent years. Will this ever swap? Only time will tell.



Courtesy: Wired



Sources: Inforum, NOAA, Weather Notebook

9/19/12 New Cloud Type

Meteorologists are seeking to formally recognize a new cloud variety, making it the first since 1951! Meet Asparatus! Specifically, Undulatus Asparatus, meaning "rough waves" in Latin.

As you can see in this video, rain showers or thunderstorms push out, and they are followed by dry, cooler air. That forms these wave-like clouds. However, even though the clouds look very ominous, they do not produce rain. On the backside of many convective showers, warm air and cold air come together, which causes the air to become quite turbulent, and you can see that in the "rough wave" clouds.

Typically they are low level clouds, seen around the level of 6000 feet. These are most commonly seen in New Zealand, along with the central part of the U.S. and Canada, but can be seen anywhere if the weather conditions are right.

Meteorologists and "cloudspotters" around the world are seeking to formally recognize the first new cloud variety discovered since 1951.

So, is this officially a new cloud?

"It will only become an official classification if it is included in the World Meteorological Organization's reference book, the International Cloud Atlas," explains Gavin Pretor-Pinney, president of the Cloud Appreciation Society (CAS). This new cloud obviously thrills the folks over at the CAS, whose website says "we love clouds, we're not ashamed to say it and we've had enough of people moaning about them."

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva has the final say in cloud classification by publishing it in the official Cloud Atlas list. Keep in mind, the WMO doesn’t exactly move fast on new information like this, meaning a new  book is likely still a few years away. "The last time they did a new edition of the book was in 1975," Pretor-Pinney says.

However, CAS is trying to help the process out. There is a new iPhone app coming out that will gather geo-tagged cloud sightings from around the world, that will be shared with Reading University. This will allow researchers to study the photos, knowing the location and weather conditions at the time the photo was taken, to better understand how they form.

Sources: National Geographic, WMO, CAS, USA Today, Squidoo, Youtube

9/14/12 Ticks On The Rise

Insects and bugs have been in full force this year thanks to the record hot summer, and the very mild winter. Certain insects, such as ticks, thrive in hot conditions. Now that the weather is finally starting to cool down a bit, many people are going outdoors to enjoy it, but that might land you an unwanted guest on your daily walk or hike through the woods.

“Yes, ticks are definitely an issue in Georgia," explains Dr. Jennifer Keuten of Powers Ferry Animal Hospital. "We’re seeing way more ticks this year than we have in previous years probably because of the milder winter that we have had.”

The best way to prevent a tick from following you home is to make sure your pets are up to date on their flea and tick medicines, and for us humans, try to wear light colored clothing so the ticks are easier to spot.
Prevention is key since ticks can cause illness in both pets and humans, including Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

If you do find one on yourself or your pet, Dr. Keuten recommends using tweezers to remove it. You want to place the tweezers by the tick’s head, then squeeze and lift the tick off firmly.

9/06/12 Green Billboards & Walls For Cities?

Green roofs (where plants and/or grasses are planted on the roof of your home) have long been known to keep homes insulated better than standard roofs made out of things such as asphalt, but by adding greenery to other walls, you can help improve air quality.
Placing greenery such as trees, bushes, ivy, and other plants in the concrete jungles of cities, two of the most worrisome air pollutants, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and microscopic particulate matter (PM), can be reduced dramatically. Past research had suggested that the air quality could be improved by less than 5 percent.

However, a new study done by Dr. Thomas Pugh, from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and his colleagues from the universities of Birmingham and Lancaster, concluded that judicious placement of grass, climbing ivy and other plants in urban canyons can reduce the concentration at street level of NO2 by as much as 40 percent and PM by 60 percent. That’s more than eight times higher than previously estimated to improve the air!

The finding even suggesed building plant-covered "green billboards" in these urban canyons to increase the amount of foliage. Dr. Thomas Pugh explained why cities rather than suburbs are ideal candidates for this, "This is where pollution is highest. Green areas may be grown road by road without expensive or big initiatives.”

The nice thing about the "green billboard" idea is that is can be done over-time, and can start on a small scale level, but make a large impact.

"Big initiatives to fight air pollution, such as car-scrap bonuses, catalytic converters, or the introduction of a city toll, are not sufficient," says Professor Rob MacKenzie from the School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences of the University of Birmingham.

Thomas Pugh and colleagues explain that concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and microscopic particulate matter (PM) — both of which can be harmful to human health — exceed safe levels on the streets of many cities. Past research suggested that trees and other green plants can improve urban air quality by removing those pollutants from the air. However, the improvement seemed to be small, a reduction of less than 5 percent. The new study sought a better understanding of the effects of green plants in the sometimes stagnant air of city streets, which the authors term "urban street canyons." The study concluded that judicious placement of grass, climbing ivy and other plants in urban canyons can reduce the concentration at street level of NO2 by as much as 40 percent and PM by 60 percent, much more than previously believed. The authors even suggest building plant-covered "green billboards" in these urban canyons to increase the amount of foliage. Trees were also shown to

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-07-green-city-street-pollution-previously.html#jCp

Thomas Pugh and colleagues explain that concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and microscopic particulate matter (PM) — both of which can be harmful to human health — exceed safe levels on the streets of many cities. Past research suggested that trees and other green plants can improve urban air quality by removing those pollutants from the air. However, the improvement seemed to be small, a reduction of less than 5 percent. The new study sought a better understanding of the effects of green plants in the sometimes stagnant air of city streets, which the authors term "urban street canyons." The study concluded that judicious placement of grass, climbing ivy and other plants in urban canyons can reduce the concentration at street level of NO2 by as much as 40 percent and PM by 60 percent, much more than previously believed. The authors even suggest building plant-covered "green billboards" in these urban canyons to increase the amount of foliage. Trees were also shown to

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-07-green-city-street-pollution-previously.html#jCp

Sources: Environmental Science & Technology, PC World, and Phys.org

9/04/12 Forecast Future: Mobile Apps

How do people prepare for weather emergencies in their areas? Well a new survey by the Red Cross shows that social media users are preparing for emergencies based on what they see online. Meaning, users are likely to take safety or preparedness action based on the information they see in their social networks. In fact, 75% of these users contacted friends and family to see if they were safe. Additionally, over a third of the users said what they saw on social media determined whether or not they gathered supplies or sought out a safe shelter. These users look for hard facts like road closures, damage reports and weather conditions, which they claim is a better indicator of how serious the weather actually is where they live.

The survey also found that a total of 20 percent of Americans said they have gotten some kind of emergency information from a mobile app, including emergency apps, news outlets and privately developed apps. Plus, the amount of people using social media to alert their family/friends of their safety is up to 40 percent, compared to 24 percent reported last year.

"People are using social media to help others during emergencies by spreading useful information," said Linda Carbone, the Red Cross CEO for Florida's West Coast Region. "We're seeing mobile technology take a bigger role in helping people find critical information, take action and let loved ones know they are safe during a disaster."


TheWeather app

 The Red Cross has apps for shelter location finder, first aid tip, hurricane preparedness, and others. The hurricane preparedness app includes a flashlight feature as well as one-touch, "I'm safe" messaging that connects directly to your social media channels.

In addition to the Red Cross app, other apps such as the iDamage, Weather Channel, WX Reporter, The Weather, eWeatherHD, and Weather Snitch are very popular. Twitter and Facebook also provide great resources for people looking to find out local weather information.


eWeatherHD app