Image courtesy NOAA.
Greetings to one and all! I hope this week’s post finds you happy, healthy and the weather is to your liking. Across North America, the severe weather season continues. Meanwhile, the Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1st. An active season is forecast. As of this post, Claudette, the third tropical cyclone of the Atlantic season, has made landfall on the central USA gulf coast. There’s a complete page of information on hurricane safety in this week’s post. There are many other good science reads to review for this week, so let’s get started.
- “What is awe?” In this day & age when dystopian conflict is the norm, feeling awe in the presence of nature/science is a badly needed solvent.
- In astronomy, it’s very important to study weather on other planets. “Astronomers Have Found the Perfect Exoplanet to Study Another World’s Atmosphere.”
- Three new missions are planned for Venus…two of which are from NASA!
- Some of you may remember the snow days that were an annual occurrence just a few decades ago. These days, things are much different. “Remember snow days? Today’s kids get heat days.”
- Texans were greatly inconvenienced in February 2021 when a cold snap led to the cratering of much of the state’s infrastructure. Only four months later, a heat wave threatens to pull a repeat performance.
- These startling images show just how bad the drought in the western USA has become…and how this could be an omen for the months to come.
- According to a new study, when climate change is taken into consideration, “high-elevation forests in Colorado and southern Wyoming are experiencing bigger wildfires than at any point in the last 2,000 years.”
- When residents are threatened with a hazard (earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, et al.), language can be a life threatening barrier. Here’s an excellent read on the importance of translating warnings.
- Reminder: The Atlantic hurricane season outlook has been released by NOAA. A busier than normal tropical cyclone season is anticipated. Time will tell whether the outlook verifies. Regardless, it’s best to prepare for the storm you hope never happens. You’ll find details on Hurricane Safety And Preparedness below.
HURRICANE SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS
The official start of the Atlantic hurricane season began June 1, 2021. As is the case with most years, the late summer and autumn months comes the peak of activity. This is a list of tropical cyclone safety and preparedness links that I hope you’ll find helpful and spearhead your preparedness plan. None of the links on this page should be used for life-&-death decisions or the protection of property!
WEATHER DATA
Central Pacific Hurricane Center
National Weather Service Homepage
National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center
NOAA Climate Prediction Center
NCAR Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project
HURRICANE SAFETY & EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION
American Red Cross Severe Weather Safety Information
American Red Cross Hurricane Safety Checklist (PDF file)
Extensive FEMA Emergency Preparedness Document (34 Page PDF File)
Ready.gov Basic Disaster Supply Kit Info
Preparing Your Pets For Disasters And Emergencies
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
Flash Flooding: Turn Around, Don’t Drown
Interactive NOAA Weather Radio Coverage Map
The following infographics cover many important topics including emergency preparedness, flood safety, and tornado sheltering information which is also applicable to structures that are subject to tropical cyclone winds. Tornadoes are also common in land-falling tropical storms and hurricanes. Residents in those areas should be ready to take shelter if a tornado warning is issued. Other infographics deal with misinformation that you may encounter in social media. If in doubt, always stay with OFFICIAL sources of important information, forecasts, and warnings.
Even though this infographic is focused on winter weather, it certainly applies to weather information year round. Diligence from January through December is important to cull through misinformation, disinformation, and unfounded rumors.
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 information on hurricane/tropical storm watches, warnings, and other related 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’d like a detailed review of tornado and severe weather safety, please review April and May posts. Next week we’ll continue information on hurricane preparedness. 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, get vaccinated, 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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