Greetings to everyone! The past few days across North America have seen a few episodes of severe weather. Fortunately, there have been no major events or outbreaks. With the arrival of May, we have reached the climatological peak of the tornado/severe weather season across the USA, so there are plenty of chances for many severe weather events. Climate change and reducing emissions has been in the news a great deal as of late. There are several other good science reads to review this week, so let’s get started.

• The planets in our own solar system never cease to amaze us. “Animation Shows how Saturn’s Rings Move at Different Speeds.”
• The occasional meteorite (aka ‘shooting start’) is one thing, but space dust is another matter and, according to data from Antarctica, reaches our planet in surprisingly large quantities.
• Here’s some very encouraging news on the renewable energy front. “The Sky’s the Limit: Solar and wind energy potential is 100 times as much as global energy demand.”
• As our planet’s climate changes, NASA has been conducting a significant amount of research into how changes in climate affect a myriad of our planet’s systems including hurricanes.
• “Halting the Vast Release of Methane Is Critical for Climate.” A major United Nations report says reducing methane emissions, the main component of natural gas, is far more vital than previously thought.
• Perception of a ongoing or potential danger to personal well-being has a definite connection to climate change. “Somehow, a majority of Americans still don’t think climate change will affect them.”
• Looking on the bright side, there is reason to be optimistic regarding climate change. “More reasons for optimism on climate change than we’ve seen for decades: 2 climate experts explain.”
• This is a very interesting perspective on the USA’s 2021 tornado activity to date & what could be in store for the rest of the year. Considering it’s a La Niña year & May is the climatological peak of annual tornado activity, we could be in for some substantial events. Time will tell.

PREPARING A SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCY KIT FOR HOME, VEHICLE, AND WORK

This handy checklist from the American Red Cross will help you put together an emergency kit for a variety of weather scenarios. A kit like this is very helpful in a variety of other difficult scenarios from wildfires to blizzards to tornadoes and hurricanes.

Where you get your weather forecasts, warnings, and other important information is as important as being informed. Discretion is of the upmost importance when you’re trying to stay weather aware. As of late, it’s been brought to my attention that there have been amateur ‘forecasters’ using graphics with the intention of appearing as professional and official sources of information on Twitter, Facebook, et al. They should NOT be taken as official sources of potentially life-saving warnings and weather forecasts and updates.

Social media is a very useful tool that can be misused for misinformation, disinformation, and hype. While this infographic is geared towards, winter weather, it certainly applies to ALL types of weather year round.

That’s a wrap for this post! If you’d like a detailed review of tornado and severe weather safety, please review the previous posts for further details. I’d like to extend a big ‘Thank You’ to my followers in social media. I’m glad you’re along for the fun! If you’re on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram, let’s connect! As for the COVID-19 pandemic, sport a spiffy mask, practice good hand-washing hygiene, mind your social distancing, stay safe, and stay healthy!

See you next Saturday!

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