Tag Archives: NOAA

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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It’s hurricane prediction season

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And it will be another busy one. The 2025 hurricane season is shaping up to be one of the most intense in recent years, with forecasters at Colorado State University predicting an above-normal active season. A staggering 17 named storms are expected, with 9 … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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Trying to save the deep sea coral after the BP oil spill

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating stuff. In the early morning, at a lab not too far from the Galveston coast, Shannon Ainsworth is collecting hundreds of tiny, floating brown eggs from a tank of deep-sea coral. She sticks a little plastic dropper into the … Continue reading →

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Cool pavement

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. More than 20 people died in Dallas and Tarrant counties from heat-related illnesses in 2023 as Texas saw record heat waves and triple-digit temperatures, according to the counties’ medical examiners. Heat-related emergency visits to hospitals also spiked. Cities … Continue reading →

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The less-than-expected hurricane season (so far)

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope this doesn’t jinx anything. Although the historical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is around Sept. 10, based on data since the 1850s, storm experts are giving the next two weeks of tropical development a 60% chance of … Continue reading →

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Flooding in Texas

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We have a lot. We’re going to get more. Any questions? The combination of rising sea levels and sinking land along the Texas Gulf Coast has made the region one of the most frequently flooded in the country, according to … Continue reading →

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Tuesday Beryl checkin

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got no power but I do have Internet, so here’s a brief Beryl overview for you. We’re all fine and we do have some battery power to charge devices and keep the fridge and freezer cold, but expect things … Continue reading →

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Here’s Beryl

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Hoping for the best. Beryl is on the cusp of regaining hurricane status this evening as it lumbers its way north northwest through the western Gulf of Mexico. At this point, it’s mostly a waiting game as the outer bands … Continue reading →

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Keeping an eye on Beryl

Posted on July 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From Space City Weather: In brief: Although we cannot be certain at this time, it increasingly looks as though Tropical Storm Beryl is on track to make landfall somewhere between Corpus Christi and Matagorda Bay on Monday. For the greater … Continue reading →

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Another “extremely active hurricane season” forecast

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Buckle up. With the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season starting in less than 10 days, the nation’s top weather agency on Thursday released its most pessimistic forecast to date, giving this year an 85% chance of having an unusually high number … Continue reading →

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“Extremely active” hurricane season coming

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Be prepared. The emergence of a La Niña weather pattern and warmer tropical waters could lead to an “extremely active” 2024 hurricane season, according to researchers at Colorado State University who issued their first hurricane season outlook of the year … Continue reading →

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Hope we have enough water this summer

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking great for some parts of the state right now. Two consecutive summers of brutal heat and drought have left some parts of Texas with notably low water supplies going into 2024. A wet year or a well-placed hurricane … Continue reading →

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On the weather and the climate

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good news: The dormant wildfire season — which has produced nearly all of the 30 largest wildfires in Texas — is here, but data from the Texas A&M Forest Service suggest this may be a mild year thanks to El … Continue reading →

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“Near normal” hurricane season this year

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, bad news. Texas and the rest of the Gulf and East coasts are most likely to see a “near-normal” hurricane season this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Federal forecasters are predicting between 12 and … Continue reading →

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I-45 project is back on

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Though it will still be several years before there is any real construction. Nearly two years to the day that federal officials paused TxDOT’s plans for rebuilding Interstate 45 and downtown Houston’s freeway system, national and state highway leaders have come … Continue reading →

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Here come the new floodplain maps

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to tell you if you are now in the floodplain. When Harris County debuts a massive overhaul of its floodplain maps later this year, the Houston area will be the first in the country to rely on a … Continue reading →

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Kemp’s ridley turtles making a comeback

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We deserve a little good news. For the first time in 75 years, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been discovered on the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the … Continue reading →

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This could be a really bad hurricane season

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Anytime the year 2005 is used as a point of comparison, it’s bad news. The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1, and the Gulf of Mexico is already warmer than average. Even more worrying is a current of warm tropical … Continue reading →

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Is there a better way to measure hurricane intensity?

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Probably. During the this week’s National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, a Colorado State University professor proposed a better a way to predict the damages of a devastating hurricane — do away with the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Hurricane specialist, Philip Klotzbach, … Continue reading →

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