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. This weekend, the western USA, Washington and Oregon in particular, are in the grips of an unprecedented heat wave. Meanwhile, the Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1st. An active season is forecast. There’s a complete section 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.
- The Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is now widespread. Here’s some basics on what you need to know.
- We’re used to yellow and orange while viewing sunsets. If we were on Mars, they’d be blue. Why it that?
- Here’s an interesting read concerning the irrevocable link between public health, climate change, and science communication. “The search for the Dr. Fauci of climate change.”
- As our climate warms, the Earth’s plant life has to adapt…but not necessarily for the better. “Scientists see the beginnings of a more sudden, disruptive rearrangement of the world’s flora, a trend that will intensify if greenhouse gas emissions are not reined in.”
- As of this post, much of the western USA is in the grips of a heat wave. The atmospheric ingredients for hot weather occur annually, but this scenario is quite different with patterns and data that indicate this is not normal summer heat.
- Summer heat in Siberia? Indeed there is. “Siberian Heat Wave Nearly Impossible Without Human Influence.”
- Perhaps the biggest climate news story this past week has been the leaked draft of a UN/IPCC climate report that has some very important crisis issues that need to be addressed immediately.
- 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. As of this post, we have had three named tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin. It may be quite for now, but 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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