Tornado Quest Winter Weather Safety Reads For December 20 – 27, 2019 #weather #climate #winter #wintersafety #windchill

Greetings once again to one and all! If you’re celebrating the holidays, I hope the season’s going well for you. Due to the holiday season, this will be an abbreviated version of the weekly blog with a focus on winter weather safety. On a personal note, I appreciate the many best wishes for a speedy recovery during my rehabilitation from prostate cancer surgery. On that note, let’s get started on this week’s winter weather safety reads.

Winter Weather Safety and Awareness
Winter Storms: The Deceptive Killers
National Weather Service Wind Chill Chart
National Weather Service Printable PDF Wind Chill Chart
NOAA Weather Radio – When all else fails, this will be your first line of defense during a weather emergency.
Interactive NOAA Weather Radio Coverage Map – Coverage can vary due to a variety of conditions. The best way to insure that you can receive broadcasts is to buy a NOAA weather radio with a high quality antenna.
Ready.gov Basic Disaster Supply Kit Info – Regardless of the season, have one of these at the ready.
Preparing Your Pets For Disasters And Emergencies
National Weather Service Homepage

Be very mindful of where your weather information comes from. Never stray from official sources, no matter how many followers they have, whether they’re ‘verified,’ or how much of a drama queen they can be.
Infographic courtesy NOAA & NWS

**Never underestimate the importance of wind chill. It can rob the body of heat faster than you think.**
Infographic courtesy NOAA/NWS Mobile, AL

**Now that you know about wind chill, dressing for cold comes into play. Proper attire is essential as this infographic shows. Layers are far better than one thick layer.**
Infographic courtesy NOAA/NWS

Please keep in mind that ONLY NOAA weather radio, your local National Weather Service office, or reliable broadcast media are the BEST sources of important, timely, and potentially life-saving weather information, watches, and warnings! None of the links on this page should be used for life-&-death decisions or the protection of property!

That’s a wrap for this post! If you’re on Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr, so is Tornado Quest. I’d like to thank so many of you again for all the thoughtful comments I’ve received over the past few weeks. As of this post, I’m still recovering well from surgery. Cancer does not have to be an automatic death sentence and I have no intention of giving up this fight and will accept nothing but absolute and total victory. If you’re a male over the age of 40, you should discuss getting your PSA tested with your doctor. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is only one of many reputable sites with further information.

Cheers…and Good Luck!

Tornado Quest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tornadoquest

Tornado Quest on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tornadoquest

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Media inquiries: tornadoquest@protonmail.ch

Tornado Quest Top Ten Science Reads For December 13 – 20, 2019 #weather #climate #climatechange #environment

Greetings once again to one and all! If the December holidays are a part of your life, I hope the season’s going well for you. Here’s a more concise overview of my intro from the last few weeks. After a few months on hiatus for health reasons, I’ve decided to resume this weekly blog of my choice of top ten science reads from the past week. This will be published every Friday between 2:00pm and 3:00pm Central USA Time (2000 UTC to 2100 UTC). On a personal note, I appreciate the many best wishes for a speedy recovery during my rehabilitation from prostate cancer surgery. To say it is a daunting challenge is an understatement. A medical situation such as this certainly has made me take pause and reevaluate the priorities in my life. On that note, let’s get started on this week’s reads.

The planet we know more about that any other in our solar system has something in common with Earth…Mars has auroras too!
The COP25 climate talks ended recently. At best, it came to an end in a stalemate with few countries that are contributing the lions share of global CO2 emissions willing to compromise.
Sometimes it takes bad news to get things in motion. Let’s hope we’re not too late. “A year of big numbers startled the world into talking about nature.”
We may know a great deal about our planet’s atmosphere, but occasionally there’s a new discovery that potentially can have significant impacts on our quality of life.
Air quality is often a highly underrated variable in our health. We wisely concern ourselves with what we eat, drink, and items that food/drink come in contact with. Here’s another good read with a sound study behind it on air quality. What we breathe into our lungs is just as important as what we consume by mouth.
Speaking of air quality, a recent study showed that the United States is (unfortunately) among the top ten countries for pollution related deaths. The air pollution we’re exposed to is a significant cause of death & disability linked to cardiovascular & respiratory diseases, strokes, & cancers.
Pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCB) for during particularily large and intense brushfire/wildfire scenarios. The dangers of these can be significant, even some distance from the fire.
Here’s the November 2019 State Of The Climate report. As you can see, it was yet another record setting month across the globe.
I love a good snowstorm and I REALLY love snow squalls! Recently, one rolled over Manhattan, NYC and was captured in time-lapse by several cameras doing what snow squalls do best, look spectacular!
Finally, let’s wrap up this week with a look at wind chill. Even in relatively temperate regions, wind chill can be a substantial winter safety factor. This chart will help you understand just how important wind chill is during the winter months.

Cheers…and Good Luck!

Tornado Quest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tornadoquest

Tornado Quest on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tornadoquest

Tornado Quest on Tumblr: http://tornadoquest.tumblr.com

Media inquiries: tornadoquest@protonmail.ch

Tornado Quest Top Ten Science Reads For December 6 – 13, 2019 #weather #climate #climatechange #environment #pollution #publichealth #wintersafety

Greetings once again to one and all! Here’s a more concise overview of my intro from the last few weeks. After a few months on hiatus for health reasons, I’ve decided to resume this weekly blog of my choice of top ten science reads from the past week. This will be published every Friday between 2:00pm and 3:00pm Central USA Time (2000 UTC to 2100 UTC). Coverage will be what my followers in social media are interested in and other topics that are of scientific importance; astronomy, weather and meteorology, climate and climate change, environmental science topics, the occasional quixotic read, and much, much more. On a personal note, I appreciate the many best wishes for a speedy recovery during my rehabilitation from prostate cancer surgery. To say it is a daunting challenge is an understatement. A medical situation such as this certainly has made me take pause and reevaluate the priorities in my life. On that note, let’s get started on this week’s reads.

First, let’s start with a bit of winter weather safety. It may be a given that dressing warm in cold weather is sensible, but there’s actually a bit of ‘science’ behind dressing properly. As the above infographic shows, dressing in layers is far better than one thick layer.
In spite of best efforts, it was inevitable that climate change would eventually enter the political arena.
Earlier this week, a volcano reminded us just how dangerous these seemingly benign geological phenomenon are. “Why deadly New Zealand volcano eruption was hard to predict.”
Of all the Earth’s continents, Antarctica is the one we know the least about. “The Antarctic: Study provides data about the structure of the icy continent.”
Speaking if icy regions, Greenland has lost a tremendous amount of ice in less than thirty years.
New research done on the Arctic sea ice has ominous overtones. A journal reference to the study is included in the article.
Even though large countries and major international corporations are contributing greatly to climate change, it’s still up to the individual to do the best that they can.
No surprises here. The health benefits to you and your loved ones is almost immediate. “Measures to reduce air pollution quickly result in big health benefits.”
Here’s some very important, new information based on research from the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) indicates what atmospheric scientists have suspected for some time; there’s a substantial connection between climate change, global warming, and extreme weather events. For further study, here’s a link to the original AMS study. “Explaining Extreme Events from a Climate Perspective.”
Last but certainly not least, one of the most quixotic elements of our contemporary society. Say ‘hello’ to the ‘Hurricane Truthers’ who, in no small way, are irresponsibly endangering the lives of millions doing what they do best…malevolently spreading lies.