Tag Archives: NOAA

Climatology, National Weather, Thornton Weather

NOAA releases 2016 – 2017 winter weather outlook

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What will this winter have in store for Thornton?  Forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center have released their outlook and for the Front Range, it doesn’t hold much in the way of clues.

The CPC does show odds favor above average temperatures for much of Colorado for the period from December through February.  In terms of precipitation, the agency gives equal chances of near average, well above average, or well below average precipitation for most of the state. The one exception is the southern third of Colorado which they peg at having above average chances of a drier than normal year.

From NOAA:

U.S. Winter Outlook predicts warmer, drier South and cooler, wetter North
Drought expected to persist in California and expand in the Southeast

Winter 2016 - 2017 temperature outlook. Click for larger view. (NOAA)
Winter 2016 – 2017 temperature outlook. Click for larger view. (NOAA)

October 20, 2016 – Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued the U.S. Winter Outlook today, saying that La Nina is expected to influence winter conditions this year. The Climate Prediction Center issued a La Nina watch this month, predicting the climate phenomenon is likely to develop in late fall or early winter. La Nina favors drier, warmer winters in the southern U.S and wetter, cooler conditions in the northern U.S. If La Nina conditions materialize, forecasters say it should be weak and potentially short-lived.

“This climate outlook provides the most likely outcome for the upcoming winter season, but it also provides the public with a good reminder that winter is just up ahead and it’s a good time to prepare for typical winter hazards, such as extreme cold and snowstorms,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Regardless of the outlook, there is always some chance for extreme winter weather, so prepare now for what might come later this winter.”

Other factors that often play a role in the winter weather include theArctic Oscillation, which influences the number of arctic air masses that penetrate into the South and create nor’easters on the East Coast, and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which can affect the number of heavy rain events in the Pacific Northwest.

The 2016 U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February):

Winter 2016 - 2017 precipitation outlook. Click for larger view. (NOAA)
Winter 2016 – 2017 precipitation outlook. Click for larger view. (NOAA)

Precipitation

  • Wetter than normal conditions are most likely in the northern Rockies, around the Great Lakes, in Hawaii and in western Alaska
  • Drier than normal conditions are most likely across the entire southern U.S. and southern Alaska.

Temperature

  • Warmer than normal conditions are most likely across the southern U.S., extending northward through the central Rockies, in Hawaii, in western and northern Alaska and in northern New England.
  • Cooler conditions are most likely across the northern tier from Montana to western Michigan.
  • The rest of the country falls into the “equal chance” category, meaning that there is not a strong enough climate signal in these areas to shift the odds, so they have an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and/or precipitation.

Drought

  • Drought will likely persist through the winter in many regions currently experiencing drought, including much of California and the Southwest
  • Drought is expected to persist and spread in the southeastern U.S. and develop in the southern Plains.
  • New England will see a mixed bag, with improvement in the western parts and persistence to the east.  
  • Drought improvement is anticipated in northern California, the northern Rockies, the northern Plains and parts of the Ohio Valley.

This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon the strength and track of winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.  However, La Nina winters tend to favor above average snowfall around the Great Lakes and in the northern Rockies and below average snowfall in the mid-Atlantic.

NOAA produces seasonal outlooks to help communities prepare for what’s likely to come in the next few months and minimize weather’s impacts on lives and livelihoods. Empowering people with actionable forecasts and winter weather tips is key to NOAA’s effort to build aWeather-Ready Nation.

World Weather

NOAA to develop new global weather model

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The EarthThe primary model created by the United States for weather forecasting has been long overdue for some significant upgrades.  NOAA has recently been making great strides in improving the system and has announced more details on the latest.

From NOAA:

July 27, 2016 NOAA took a significant step toward building the world’s best global weather model today, a priority for the agency and the nation. NOAA announced the selection of a new dynamic core, the engine of a numerical weather prediction model, and will begin developing a state-of-the-art global weather forecasting model to replace the U.S. Global Forecast System (GFS).

The new global model will continue to be called the GFS. As with the current GFS, the new GFS will run in the background of NOAA’s suite of weather and climate models improving skill across all NOAA’s forecast mission areas.

“Using our powerful supercomputers, our new dynamic core which drives the model, and the newest modeling techniques, we are poised to develop and run a more accurate and reliable global model that is used as a basis for all weather forecasts in the U.S.,” said Louis W. Uccellini, director, NOAA’s National Weather Service.

The new dynamic core, Finite-Volume on a Cubed-Sphere (FV3), was developed by NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey. The FV3 core brings a new level of accuracy and numeric efficiency to the model’s representation of atmospheric processes such as air motions. This makes possible simulations of clouds and storms, at resolutions not yet used in an operational global model.

The FV3 core enables the model to provide localized forecasts for several weather events simultaneously all while generating a global forecast every six hours. Looking 10 years ahead, the GFS model with the FV3 core will run in higher resolution and be able to zoom in on smaller and smaller storm systems to provide forecasters better pictures of how storms will evolve.

Goals for the new model are:

  • a unified system to improve forecast accuracy beyond 8 to 10 days
  • better model forecasts of hurricane track and intensity, and
  • the extension of weather forecasting through 14 days and for extreme events, 3 to 4 weeks in advance.

Engaging the meteorology community during model development and improvement is a priority for NOAA. The agency plans to develop a program to involve researchers in testing and improving algorithms, data assimilation methods and physics. The goal is to incorporate successful enhancements into operations.

“We are collaborating with the best model developers in the U.S. and around the world to ensure the GFS has the most recent advances in weather prediction modeling, and so we can accelerate improvements to the model as they are developed,” Uccellini added.

Building the Next Generation Global Prediction System will take a tremendous amount of testing, analysis and verification. Model components, including the physics package, data assimilation and post processing—all parts of the existing architecture—will be rebuilt and improved to work with the new software.

Climatology, Thornton Weather

NOAA Winter Outlook: Little clarity as to El Niño’s impact on Thornton

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Temperature - U.S. Winter Outlook: 2015-2016. Click for larger view. (NOAA)
Temperature – U.S. Winter Outlook: 2015-2016. Click for larger view. (NOAA)

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center released their 2015-2016 winter outlook this morning and while a strong El Niño will play a factor in some parts of the nation, its effects here are less clear.

As we have written about before, Colorado’s geographical location well inland, shelters it some from the effects of warm, Pacific waters.   Overall snowfall in Colorado during El Niño years has not trended greatly one way or another.  We have however seen some of our largest storms during El Niño.

NOAA’s outlook shows a pretty typical El Niño situation with some locations of the nation expected to receive copious amounts of moisture.  For us, it does point to a bit better chance of a wetter than normal period from December to February.

Read the complete text of NOAA’s outlook below.  At the bottom is the video they released to accompany it.

From NOAA:

Precipitation - U.S. Winter Outlook: 2015-2016. Click for larger view. (NOAA)
Precipitation – U.S. Winter Outlook: 2015-2016. Click for larger view. (NOAA)

Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued the U.S. Winter Outlook today favoring cooler and wetter weather in Southern Tier states with above-average temperatures most likely in the West and across the Northern Tier. This year’s El Niño, among the strongest on record, is expected to influence weather and climate patterns this winter by impacting the position of the Pacific jet stream.

“A strong El Niño is in place and should exert a strong influence over our weather this winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “While temperature and precipitation impacts associated with El Niño are favored, El Niño is not the only player. Cold-air outbreaks and snow storms will likely occur at times this winter. However, the frequency, number and intensity of these events cannot be predicted on a seasonal timescale.”

Other factors that often play a role in the winter weather include the Arctic Oscillation, which influences the number of arctic air masses that penetrate into the South and nor’easters on the East Coast, and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which can impact the number of heavy rain storms in the Pacific Northwest.

The 2015 U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February):

Precipitation Outlook:

  • Wetter-than-average conditions most likely in the Southern Tier of the United States, from central and southern California, across Texas, to Florida, and up the East Coast to southern New England. Above-average precipitation is also favored in southeastern Alaska.
  • Drier-than-average conditions most likely for Hawaii, central and western Alaska, parts of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, and for areas near the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

Temperature Outlook:

  • Above-average temperatures are favored across much of the West and the northern half of the contiguous United States. Temperatures are also favored to be above-average in Alaska and much of Hawaii. Below-average temperatures are most likely in the southern Plains and Southeast.

Drought Outlook:

  • The U.S. Drought Outlook shows some improvement is likely in central and southern California by the end of January, but not drought removal. Additional statewide relief is possible during February and March. Drought removal is likely across large parts of the Southwest, while improvement or removal is also likely in the southern Plains. However, drought is likely to persist in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, with drought development likely in Hawaii, parts of the northern Plains and in the northern Great Lakes region.

While it is good news that drought improvement is predicted for California, one season of above-average rain and snow is unlikely to remove four years of drought,” said Halpert. “California would need close to twice its normal rainfall to get out of drought and that’s unlikely.”

This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon the strength and track of winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.

NOAA produces seasonal outlooks to help communities prepare for what’s likely to come in the next few months and minimize weather’s impacts on lives and livelihoods. Empowering people with actionable forecasts and winter weather tips is key to NOAA’s effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

Climate Change

Global warming: Deceptive temperature record claims

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The U.S. government is at it again, hyping meaningless records in a parameter that does not exist in order to frighten us about something that doesn’t matter. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced this week that according to their calculations, July 2015 was the hottest month since instrumental records began in 1880.… Continue reading Global warming: Deceptive temperature record claims →
Astronomy

NOAA imagery shows population centers and road transportation network

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The Suomi NPP satellite acquired two nighttime images early on October 1, 2013, for this natural-light, mosaic view (top) of the continental United States. (NOAA)
The Suomi NPP satellite acquired two nighttime images early on October 1, 2013, for this natural-light, mosaic view (top) of the continental United States. (NOAA)

Millions of Americans will be taking to the highways of byways of the nation in the coming weeks for various holiday travels.  Imagery released by NOAA this week shows how the nation’s major roadways intersect with the major population centers.

A nighttime satellite image of the nation was taken by the Suomi NPP satellite taken last month near the new moon when light from space was relatively low.  This allowed NOAA to generate an image showing population centers from coast to coast.

When overlaid with a graphic of major interstate highways, railroads, and rivers, the images provide insight into how the nation evolved.

Early in the nation’s history, rivers were the major means of transportation and population centers developed around them.  As we expanded and the national highway system took shape, major roads connected the cities.

Below we have added an interactive slider to allow you to compare the surface travel networks with the satellite image.  Simply move it side to side to compare.

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[wpw_ba_img src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sz3WguZ6u70/UpT_qACKk2I/AAAAAAAAA6E/F8lNPrVHqBs/s600/us_vir_2013274_720.jpg” data_alt=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ccGCWfWTc1A/UpT_qGByopI/AAAAAAAAA54/N_VcvIEcg6w/s600/us_vir_2013274_720_maps.jpg” title=””]
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Natural Disasters, Thornton Weather

NOAA satellite image captures ‘biblical’ storm as it strikes Colorado

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This image from the Suomi NPP satellite's VIIRS sensor from the evening of September 11, 2013, shows the storm system that has devastated towns in the foothills of the Rockies in central Colorado. Flash Flood Watches and Warnings are in effect throughout central Colorado, citing excessive runoff causing flash flooding of creeks and streams, roads and roadside culverts. The heavy rains could also trigger rock slides or debris flows in steep terrain. Major amounts of rain over the last several days have saturated soils in many foothill and Urban Corridor locations and additional rainfall in these locations today and tonight will only exacerbate an already serious situation. The High Park and Four Mile burn areas will be especially susceptible to the heavy rains. This image was taken around 2015Z on September 11, 2013. (NOAA)
This image from the Suomi NPP satellite’s VIIRS sensor from the evening of September 11, 2013, shows the storm system that has devastated towns in the foothills of the Rockies in central Colorado. Flash Flood Watches and Warnings are in effect throughout central Colorado, citing excessive runoff causing flash flooding of creeks and streams, roads and roadside culverts. The heavy rains could also trigger rock slides or debris flows in steep terrain. Major amounts of rain over the last several days have saturated soils in many foothill and Urban Corridor locations and additional rainfall in these locations today and tonight will only exacerbate an already serious situation. The High Park and Four Mile burn areas will be especially susceptible to the heavy rains. This image was taken around 2015Z on September 11, 2013. (NOAA)

* Click the image above for a larger view

Five days of rain, one with absolutely torrential downpours, created dangerous and deadly flooding across much of the Colorado Front Range.  At one point the National Weather Service warned of ‘biblical rainfall amounts’ and it became hard to argue with that terminology.  The rainfall amounts were truly astounding.

Boulder, where some of the worst flooding was seen, recorded 9.08” on Thursday, September 12.  Estes Park, where the Big Thompson River flooded its banks, saw 3.9” over the 24 hour period.

Officially Denver only saw 1.1” on the date but that was as measured at Denver International Airport which only saw the edge of the storms.  At the previous historical location in Stapleton, 3.68” was measured.

Here in Thornton we seemed to be right in line for the storms and generated one of the higher totals in the metro area accumulating 4.76” on the date.  Since the rain started five days ago, we have received an amazing 7.66” (as of this writing).

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Climatology

July 2013 State of the Climate: U.S. warmer, wetter than average

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Significant Climate Events - July 2013 (NOAA)
Significant Climate Events – July 2013 (NOAA). Click for larger view.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its July 2013 State of the Climate report saying that while the average U.S. temperature was warmer than normal, precipitation was higher than normal.

As we reported earlier, here in the Denver area temperatures were largely average during the month.  Precipitation was close to normal but fell short of that mark.

The SOTC’s larger view shows the contiguous United States’ average temperature was 0.8° above the 20th century average.  This ranks it as the 30th warmest July on record.

In terms of precipitation, the nation enjoyed a wetter than average month, one that ranks it as the 5th wettest July since record-keeping began.

Below are the climate highlights from NOAA for July 2013.  Click here to view the full, comprehensive report.

From NOAA:

Climate Highlights — July

  • The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during July was 74.3°F, 0.8°F above the 20th century average, and ranked as the 30th warmest such month on record.
  • The western U.S. was warmer than average, where Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah each had a top ten warm month. Several cities, including Salt Lake City, Utah, and Reno, Nev., had their warmest July on record.Seven states across the Northeast also had July temperatures ranking among the ten warmest on record, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, each of which had a record warm July.
  • Locations from the Central and Southern Plains into the Southeast were cooler than average. Four states —Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee — had July temperatures that were among the ten coolest on record.
  • The Alaska statewide average temperature was 1.7°F above the 1971-2000 average and ranked as the fifth warmest July on record for the state. Anchorage had its fourth warmest July, and the city set a record with 14 consecutive days above 70°F.
  • The nationally-averaged July precipitation total of 3.47 inches was 0.71 inch above average and was the 5thwettest July on record for the contiguous United States.
  • Wetter-than-average conditions stretched from California, through the Southwest and Plains, and along the Eastern Seaboard. In the Southwest, seasonal monsoonal flow brought above average precipitation to several states, where Arizona and California both had July precipitation totals ranking among their ten wettest. During this time of year in parts of the Southwest, even light precipitation can result in above-average monthly totals but have minimal impacts on alleviating drought conditions.
  • In the East, 13 states had one of their ten wettest Julys on record, with the highest precipitation totals across the Southeast. Florida had its wettest July on record, with 12.38 inches of rainfall, 4.91 inches above average. The above-average precipitation in the Southeast resulted in widespread flooding and significant damage to crops.
  • The Northwest was particularly dry. Oregon had its driest July on record with only 0.03 inch of rainfall accumulating, 0.41 inch below average. Washington had its eighth driest July. Below-average precipitationwas also observed in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, where Iowa had its tenth driest July.
  • According to the July 30 U.S. Drought Monitor report, 45.6 percent of the contiguous U.S experienced drought conditions, up slightly from the beginning of July. Drought remained entrenched throughout much of the West and in parts of the Central and Southern Plains, and drought expanded into parts of the Lower Mississippi River Valley and Midwest. Over 20 percent of Alaska was in drought at the end of July, with severe drought developing in central parts of the state.
  • Based on NOAA’s Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand during July was above average and ranked as the 41st highest July value in the 119-year period of record.
  • The components of the U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) that examine extremes in warm night time temperatures, the spatial extent of wetness and drought, and extremes in days with rainfall were all above average. When combined with the other components of the index, the USCEI, as a whole, was only slightly above average. The USCEI is an index that tracks the highest and lowest 10 percent of extremes in temperature, precipitation, tropical cyclones, and drought across the contiguous United States.
  • On a local basis, the number of record warm daily highs and lows (2560) during July was roughly the same as the number of record cool daily highs and lows (2846), although there were slightly more cool records.
  • Climate Highlights — year-to-date (January – July)
  • The year-to-date contiguous U.S. temperature of 51.8°F was 0.5°F above the 20th century average and tied with 1952 as the 42nd warmest January–July on record. Above-average temperatures were observed in the West and Northeast, where California, New Hampshire, and Vermont had one of their top ten warmest year-to-date periods. Below-average temperatures stretched from the Northern Plains to the Southeast.
  • The year-to-date contiguous U.S. precipitation total of 19.14 inches was 1.54 inches above average and tied with 1997 as the 22nd wettest January–July on record. However, rainfall was not evenly distributed across the country. Dry precipitation extremes were observed in the West and wet precipitation extremes were observed in the East.
  • California, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon each had a top ten dry year-to-date period. California’s precipitation total of 4.58 inches was record low for the seven-month period at 9.82 inches below average, and 1.69 inches less than the previous record dry January–July of 1898.
  • Above-average precipitation was observed across most locations east of the Rockies, with ten states having one of their ten wettest year-to-date periods. Michigan was record wet with 24.35 inches of precipitation, 6.92 inches above average, and 2.30 inches above the previous record wet January–July of 1950. Several cities, from Fargo, North Dakota to Greenville, South Carolina, had a record wet January–July.
  • Based on NOAA’s Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand during January–July was below average and ranked as the 47th lowest January–July value in the 119-year period of record.
  • The components of the USCEI that examine extremes in the spatial extent of drought, as well as 1-day precipitation totals and days with rainfall were much above average for the year-to-date. When combined with the other components of the index, the USCEI, as a whole, was only slightly above average.

Regional Highlights for the Colorado area

High Plains Region: (Information provided by the High Plains Regional Climate Center)

  • Average temperatures were generally below normal in the east and above normal in the west across the High Plains Region this month. Temperature departures of 2.0-4.0 degrees F (1.1-2.2 degrees C) below normal occurred in eastern Kansas, central South Dakota, western North Dakota, and a few pockets of Nebraska. Meanwhile, western portions of Colorado and Wyoming had temperature departures of 3.0-5.0 degrees F (1.7-2.8 degrees C) above normal. The cooler temperatures in the east were in stark contrast to last year, when a good portion of the area had temperature departures of 6.0-8.0 degrees F (3.3-4.4 degrees C) above normal. Although monthly records were not set, a few stations did manage to sneak in to the top 10 rankings for warmest or coolest July. On the cool side, long-term station Wamego 4 W, which is located in northeastern Kansas, had its 5th coolest July with an average temperature of 75.6 degrees F (24.2 degrees C). The coolest July at Wamego 4 W was 72.0 degrees F (22.2 degrees C) in 1950 (period of record 1912-2013). On the warm side, Lander, Wyoming had its 10th warmest July with 74.2 degrees F (23.4 degrees C). Interestingly, 7 of the top 10 warmest Julys have occurred since 2000 in Lander and the top spot of 75.9 degrees F (24.4 degrees C) occurred in both 2003 and 2006 (period of record 1891-2013). While monthly extremes were not common, numerous daily records occurred throughout the month. One notable record was for the July all-time coolest maximum temperature in Concordia, Kansas. On July 28th, Concordia’s high temperature only reached 62.0 degrees F (16.7 degrees C) and beat out the old record of 63.0 degrees F (17.2 degrees C) which occurred back in 1979 and 1988 (period of record 1885-2013).
  • July precipitation was hit or miss across the High Plains Region. Areas receiving at least 150 percent of normal precipitation included central Kansas, central South Dakota, central and western Colorado, and scattered pockets in eastern Wyoming, north central Nebraska, southwestern South Dakota, and northern North Dakota. While rain was needed to help alleviate ongoing drought conditions, some storms brought heavy rain which caused mudslides in fire burn scars in Colorado and flash flooding in parts of Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming. Areas which missed out included eastern and central Nebraska, eastern and central North Dakota, and central Wyoming. These areas received less than 50 percent of normal precipitation. Because of the wide range in precipitation, there were stations which ranked in the top 10 driest or wettest Julys on record. With only 11 percent of normal precipitation, Omaha, Nebraska had its 2nd driest July on record with 0.44 inches (11 mm) of precipitation (period of record 1871-2013). The driest on record occurred only last year with 0.01 inches (0 mm). Meanwhile, precipitation in central Kansas helped alleviate drought conditions there, although long-term deficits were still high. For instance, Wichita, Kansas had measurable precipitation on 17 days in July, which broke the old record of 16 in 1950 (period of record 1888-2013). On average, Wichita has about 8 days with measurable precipitation in July. By the end of the month, Wichita received 7.69 inches (195 mm) of precipitation making this July its 4th wettest. Although 232 percent of normal, this was not nearly enough to beat the top spot of 13.37 inches (340 mm) in 1950.
  • The latest U.S. Drought Monitor showed both improvements and degradations over the past month. At the end of July, approximately 64 percent of the Region was in moderate (D1) to exceptional (D4) drought – down just slightly from 67 percent at the end of June. An expansion of abnormally dry conditions (D0) occurred in east-central North Dakota and eastern parts of Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In addition, two new areas of D1 were introduced in far southeastern South Dakota and northeastern Kansas. One category improvements were made in some areas of north-central and eastern Colorado. There was quite a bit of jostling of drought conditions in Kansas where some areas had improvements, while others had degradations. By the end of the month, 25 percent of the state remained in the D4 designation, however. Wyoming had an increase in severe (D2) and extreme (D3) drought coverage, going from about 47 percent of the state to 52 percent of the state. According to the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook released July 18th, the only area of drought expected to improve was in southwestern Colorado. Drought conditions were expected to develop in north-central Colorado and persist elsewhere through October 2013.
  • For more information, please go to the High Plains Regional Climate Center Home Page.
Climate Change, Examiner.com

NOAA and NASA: 2012 global temperatures rank in top 10 warmest on record

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Following on the release of data showing the United States saw its hottest year on record, the nation’s agencies responsible for monitoring climate said this week that 2012 temperatures globally were similarly well above normal.

Using slightly different methodology, NASA and NOAA ranked global temperatures in 2012 as the 9th and 10th warmest on record respectively. The difference in ranking is considered irrelevant and has global warming alarmists touting the figures as proof of man’s impact on the Earth’s climate.

Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com and find out why many doubt claims like this.

This map represents global temperature anomalies averaged from 2008 through 2012. (NASA)
This map represents global temperature anomalies averaged from 2008 through 2012. (NASA) Click the image to view a slideshow of maps and data from the reports.
Climate Change, Examiner.com

NOAA State of the Climate: 2012 hottest year on record for United States

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If you thought last year was warmer than normal the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says you thought correctly. The agency announced yesterday that the contiguous United States experienced its hottest year since record-keeping began in 1895.  Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com.

Not only did 2012 go into the record books as the hottest on record, it was notable for many weather and climate related events. (NOAA)
Not only did 2012 go into the record books as the hottest on record, it was notable for many weather and climate related events. (NOAA)
Examiner.com, World Weather

Launch of European satellite to further enhance weather and climate forecasting

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The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) launched its latest polar orbiting satellite yesterday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Metop-B spacecraft carries with it a host of instruments that will help feed models that forecast the weather and climate.  Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com and find out what it means for you.

MetOp-B launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: YouTube / ESA
MetOp-B launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. (YouTube / ESA) Click the image to watch video of the launch.