Tag Archives: NOAA

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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It’s hurricane forecast season

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be busy again. You should know what to do about it by now. Another above-average hurricane season is in the forecast for 2022. A prediction issued Thursday by scientists at Colorado State University says there will be at least … Continue reading →

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Climate change and freezing weather

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A little science for you. It was the coldest February Texas had seen in more than four decades, and the sustained blast of arctic air knocked out much of the state’s power grid for several days, causing hundreds of deaths … Continue reading →

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The 2021 hurricane season is now over

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was another bad one, even if it maybe didn’t feel so bad from our local perspective. The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season [ended] Tuesday with 21 named storms, four major hurricanes and a new addition to the list of costliest … Continue reading →

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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 →

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It’s the quick intensification of the hurricanes for me

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

New things to keep you up at night. It’s a nightmare scenario that keeps forecasters up at night: A tropical cyclone strengthens quickly over a 24-hour period. It happened last year close to home with Hurricane Laura, which evolved from Category 1 … Continue reading →

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We still have half of hurricane season to go

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t get distracted. Don’t be lulled by the quiet start to this year’s hurricane season in Texas. NOAA is maintaining its forecast for an above-average year and has upped the number of storms it’s expecting. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Continue reading →

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Hurricane season is (almost) upon us

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Are you ready? Be prepared for another busier-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA warned Thursday. The agency is forecasting 13 to 20 named storms. Between six and 10 of those could become hurricanes and three to five could be major hurricanes … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and Texas flooding

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s more than just the Ike Dike. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan includes $50 billion to fortify states against future extreme weather events such as the droughts, floods and hurricanes that caused up to $200 billion in damage in Texas … Continue reading →

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First look at the 2021 hurricane season

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, it’s getting to be that time of year. From Space City Weather: Good morning. The most reputable hurricane season forecasting service, led by Phil Klotzbach at Colorado State University, has released its first outlook for the 2021 Atlantic season. … Continue reading →

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No more Greek letter-named hurricanes

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Later, Eta. Sororities and fraternities can keep their Greek letters — hurricanes will no longer use them. The World Meteorological Organization, which maintains the rotating list of hurricane names and retires storm names when appropriate, has decided to stop using … Continue reading →

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There sure were a lot of named storms this year

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Thirty of them, in fact. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season had a record 30 named storms. Twelve made landfall in the continental U.S., including five in Louisiana. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30 (that’s next week, so fingers crossed there isn’t … Continue reading →

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Hurricane season is just getting started

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just, you know, because we don’t have enough to be anxious about. Already smashing records, this year’s hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season is about to get even nastier, forecasters predict. In the coming months, they expect to run out of traditional … Continue reading →

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Hurricanes and pandemics

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Summertime in the Gulf Coast, y’all. Dealing with multiple disaster threats at the same time is nothing new for Francisco Sanchez. As a 15-year emergency management veteran for Harris County, Sanchez understands the anxiety tugging at local officials wary of … Continue reading →

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By the way, it’s hurricane season again

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just FYI. An above-normal Atlantic hurricane season is expected this year, including three to six major storms with winds over 111 mph, according to a forecast released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This would make 2020 the … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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Climate change and hurricanes

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’re living it now. A group of top hurricane experts, including several federal researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, published striking new research Thursday, suggesting that hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean have grown considerably worse and that climate … Continue reading →

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