Tag Archives: National Weather Service

The long haul of recovery

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We only really have a best guess as to how many people are still missing from the Hill Country floods. More than 10 days after catastrophic July Fourth floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, the official death toll … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s still flooding in the Hill Country

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It keeps raining. Emergency crews suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding in Central Texas on Sunday morning amid new warnings that additional rain would again cause waterways to surge. It was the first time a new round of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why does Greg Abbott hate FEMA?

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, FEMA loves Texas, so… Gov. Greg Abbott was quick to request federal assistance last week after devastating floods hit the Texas Hill Country. But the Republican governor is simultaneously helping the Trump administration find ways to “wean off” … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hill Country flood roundup

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Just some articles of interest, no real thread. Climate Change Helped Fuel Heavy Rains That Led to Devastating Texas Flood Climate scientists said the torrential downpours on July 4 exemplify the devastating outcomes of weather intensified by a warming atmosphere. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

So now the Lege will get involved

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As I said yesterday, I don’t know if Greg Abbott would have called a special session to address the great tragedy happening in the Hill Country if one hadn’t already been on the calendar for other reasons. He didn’t call … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The flood warning history of Kerr County

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve tried for awhile to get some funding for a flood warning system. They’ve failed every time. Nearly a decade before catastrophic flash flooding killed at least 75 people in Kerr County, including 27 children, several local officials were hard … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

On the value of disaster warnings

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard to know where to start with this. For the last three days, state Rep. Wes Virdell has been out with first responders in Kerr County as they searched for victims and survivors from the devastating floods that swept … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Hill Country flood update 2

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A brief overview of the situation, written on Sunday at noon. The death toll rose to 68 as a result of the Fourth of July floods along the Guadalupe River, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. That includes 28 children. There were … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hill Country flood update

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The situation remains very bad, with a significant potential to get much worse. The official death toll from the catastrophic floods that hit the Texas Hill Country rose to 27 as of Saturday morning, according to the Kerr County sheriff’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The weather folks are doing their best

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hold space in your hearts for them, because our safety depends to some extent on their success. With hurricane season underway and an above-normal activity forecast, some National Weather Service offices like Houston — where as many as 44% of positions are vacant … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The weather folks are doing their best

It’s more than just FEMA

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The 2025 hurricane season is underway. It won’t be just the storms that determine how bad it is. FEMA leads the federal response when disaster strikes. It coordinates rescue efforts, provides temporary housing and medical help, and offers financial assistance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A start-of-hurricane-season roundup

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your latest forecast. The nation’s top weather agency, where federal job cuts and staffing shortages are stretching forecast resources thin, is predicting 13 to 19 named storms in its 2025 hurricane season outlook released Thursday. This hurricane season, which begins in less … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who cares about weather disasters?

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not the Trump administration. The Trump administration’s steep staff cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) triggered shutdowns of several climate-related programs Thursday. Perhaps most notably, the NOAA announced it would be shuttering the “billion-dollar weather and climate disasters” database … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who cares about weather disasters?

The CenterPoint weather stations

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, I guess. CenterPoint Energy plans to install a network of 100 weather stations across its 12-county service territory in the Greater Houston area before hurricane season kicks off on June 1, the company announced Monday. The weather stations are … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The CenterPoint weather stations

On weather balloons

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another possibly bad omen for the hurricane season. Due to staffing constraints, as a result of recent budget cuts and retirements, the National Weather Service has announced a series of suspensions involving weather balloon launches in recent weeks. On February … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on On weather balloons

The Pauline Road Fire

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is a little close for comfort. Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough declared a local state of disaster as a 2,000-acre wildfire in Sam Houston National Forest prompted over 900 home evacuations and school closures. The disaster declaration comes as … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Pauline Road Fire

We better not have a disaster this year

Posted on March 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We will not be able to recover from it as things stand right now. After a series of severe hurricanes hit the Texas Gulf Coast and other U.S. coastlines last summer, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was nearing its limits. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Beryl was stronger than we thought

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Some lessons for the future here. A new report from the National Hurricane Center found that Hurricane Beryl roared into the upper Texas Gulf Coast with maximum winds of 92 miles per hour, just 3 miles per hour shy of … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Assessing North Texas’ wildfire risk

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting stuff. North Texas terrain and climate differ significantly from Southern California’s, but the possibility of wildfires in the Tarrant County area that are as destructive as those in Los Angeles cannot be ruled out, according to Luke Kanclerz, head … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

This time the power stayed on

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The weather cooperated by not being as bad as it could have been. Most Houston-area residents woke up to two delights Tuesday morning: an unusually thick blanket of snow, and the power thankfully still on. It was a sharp contrast … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Snow Day 2025

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

That sure was something. Houston woke up to a winter wonderland Tuesday as a fresh blanket of snow fell across the region. The winter storm that also brought sleet should taper off through Tuesday afternoon. How does this snow — … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You say “de-REY-cho”, I say “de-REH-cho”

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

If only we could have called the whole thing off. A heat dome in Mexico contributed to Houston’s rare derecho event on May 16, when deadly and destructive winds whipped Southeast Texas, leaving eight dead and much of the nation’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Panhandle wildfires

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Scary stuff. A blanket of snow and rain that descended over the Texas Panhandle on Thursday helped firefighters to quell the spread of the largest wildfire in the state’s history, which has engulfed more than 1 million acres of land … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Panhandle wildfires

Texas Department of Agriculture sort of recognizes climate change

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, I guess. On the heels of a historic drought that devastated crops from the High Plains to South Texas, a new Texas Department of Agriculture report released Tuesday linked climate change with food insecurity and identified it … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas Department of Agriculture sort of recognizes climate change

Yes, it’s been an especially hot summer

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Record-breaking, in fact. Average high temperatures in Houston so far this summer have outpaced previous historically hot summers on record, according to the National Weather Service. In the months of May, June and July, temperatures in the city averaged 95.1 … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Yes, it’s been an especially hot summer

Maybe there won’t be another freeze this winter

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Views differ. Love it or hate it — winter looks especially warm in Texas this year. Federal forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said last week that much of the country is likely to see … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The bullet we dodged

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We can exhale now. Following days of warnings and calls to take Laura seriously, Houston and Harris County awoke to a typical late August day Thursday, virtually unscathed by the category 4 hurricane’s overnight landfall in western Louisiana. The city … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The bullet we dodged

Hope now, support relief efforts next

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is so, so bad. And it’s terrifying to realize how much worse it could have been. With winds topping 150 mph, Hurricane Laura is approaching Category 5 status as it barrels toward the Texas-Louisiana border. As of 7 p.m., … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Here comes Laura

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Be prepared. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo urged residents to prepare for a hurricane as the track and intensity of Tropical Storm Laura remains uncertain. She said the greatest threat posed by Laura likely would be high winds and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Making a better severe storm warning

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. We’ve all heard them – the blaring alerts that activate our cellphones or television when a severe weather warning is issued. Perhaps our favorite weather app sent us a push notification, or we saw a television meteorologist pointing … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s still supposed to be a busy hurricane season

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hurricane season technically lasts until December 1, but this is the peak of it, so keep paying attention. Don’t be lulled by a quiet June and July. The real Atlantic hurricane season is about to kick off. The hurricane season … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s still supposed to be a busy hurricane season

El Nino 2018

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. Houstonians can expect more rain than usual — and possibly street flooding — this winter, thanks to El Niño. The National Weather Service forecasts an 80 percent chance for a weak to moderate El Niño this winter, … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’re going to get more big rain storms

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Better get used to it. The weather is getting worse, says one expert. Torrential rains fall in the Houston area more often than they used to, according to an unpublished analysis from state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon. Heavy precipitation of any … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on We’re going to get more big rain storms

The drought is back

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bad news, y’all. The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that more than three-quarters of Texas is now in at least a “moderate” drought, and nearly half the state is in a “severe” or worse … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment