Giving Due Respect to the Power and Ferocity of the Camp Fire in North-Central California11/12/2018  DISCUSSION: There is no debate whatsoever that the past 48 to 72 hours or so have been some of the worst for the state of California in recorded history in the context of state-wide wildfire impacts. Having said that, there are some impressive images and things can still be taken away from this absolutely horrifying and down-right terrible situation across various parts of both northern, central, and even southern California. Attached above is a brief video briefing which helps to capture and discuss a few of these points for everyone's insights and knowledge base.
To learn more about this fire weather situation as it evolves, be sure to monitor our Twitter account as well as our website for updates! To learn more about other weather observation topics from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
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DISCUSSION: There is no doubt that #Florence has been firing up to no end on social media over the past several days, but there is more to this story "than meets the eye." What many people will often not consider when it comes to a given tropical cyclone landfall are some of the neater things which an individual can learn by simply observing air stream flow in the vicinity of a National Weather Service radar site. One such detail is how a dual-polarization radar system can identify key features associated with the approach and forward movement of a landfalling tropical cyclone. Attached above is a classic example in which a very clear and concise video briefing goes over one such topic to provide clearer insights into how Hurricane Florence could be seen and tracked via radar imagery as it slowly began to make its way across the state of North Carolina.
To learn more about other neat topics pertaining to global weather observations, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz How is GOES-16 Impacting Weather Forecasting and Research? (credit: Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz)9/1/2018 
DISCUSSION: With the GOES-16 (or also known as the GOES-East) satellite imager fast-approaching the 2-year mark of its existence as an orbiting highly-advanced weather and observational satellite imager, it certainly has already earned plenty of tremendous of respect and appreciation. Here, you will be taken through some of what this state-of-the-art satellite imager has already accomplished in a relatively short period of time since its launch in late November of 2016. It goes without saying that since the onset of the advanced remote sensing era, there has been a substantial increase in both the prevalence and the confidence invested into the integration of high-resolution satellite imagery into the both weather research and weather forecast process.
As operational National Weather Service meteorologists and other atmospheric research scientists continue to adapt to revolutionary changes in the ways by which we are now able to study the atmosphere, so will the level of detail we find in corresponding results of such work. Thus, it goes without saying that the impacts of the GOES-16 satellite imager have transformed weather forecasting and applied research in a number of profound ways. For example, before the introduction of GOES-16, we could never visualize the initiation of severe thunderstorms to the level of detail which we now can. Whether it is understanding the rate of change with time in terms of how fast the updraft columns are growing horizontally and vertically within a strengthening convective storm or understanding how fast the cloud-top temperatures are evolving on a minute-to-minute basis, GOES-16 is forever changing atmospheric science. Moreover, when it has come to forecasting both short-term and longer-term changes in association with Tropical Atlantic and Tropical Eastern Pacific hurricanes, GOES-16 has allowed atmospheric scientists who study tropical cyclones in sparkling details and learn even more than we already know and understand about the dynamics and inner core structure associated with both developing and mature tropical cyclones. Whether it has been getting a close-up view of eye wall formation, eye wall replacement cycles, deep convective generation within the inner core of more intense hurricanes (e.g., Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria from 2017), or even having a more clear understanding for how various tropical storms have interacted with islands or coastal as well as more inland regions of the United States, GOES-16 has not failed to disappoint. Another example of this phenomenal ability is shown in the animated visible satellite imagery of Hurricane Aletta attached above (courtesy of Meteorologist Dan Lindsey who is currently a Senior Scientific Adviser from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service program). It is worth noting that Hurricane Aletta was one of the first tropical cyclones which was captured in real-time by GOES-16 and the level of detail you can see within the inner core of Aletta in this animated satellite imagery effectively speaks for itself. In other respects, GOES-16 has also helped meteorologists to better understand how various atmospheric phenomena work even more which include (but are certainly not limited to) sea-breezes (and convection thereof), cold front progression, squall line formation and/or evolution, fog formation and/or dissipation, wildfire forecasting (and critical monitoring thereof), etc. Thus, these are just more examples which help to strengthen the net argument for how the GOES-16 satellite imager is forever changing the ways in which we are now able to look at and study the Earth's atmosphere and all the remarkable forces of nature which it generates year in and year out. To learn more about other neat meteorological observational stories from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  Back in early July, a strong heat wave impacted the Northeast United States, creating heat indices above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for many areas. Places like Albany, New York, saw above-average temperatures for this time of year. For Albany, NY, average temperatures for the first week of July are in the low 80’s. Although there were above-average temperatures, it is not uncommon for New Yorkers as it occurred the first week of July. However, it was unusual due to the fact that it lasted for a total of six days. The last time maximum temperatures were greater than or equal to 90 degrees Fahrenheit for six days straight in Albany, NY, was in July of 2013, and before that, August of 2002. The heat wave did max out at six days, as average temperatures arrived when needed. How? This began on Friday, June 29th, as a high-pressure system moved into the Northeast United States, creating a strong ridge over much of the Eastern seaboard. This set up the heat wave for many areas in New York State, especially in the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys. In this, I will focus on the Capital Region Area (Albany, NY). Criteria: The Capital Region was under a heat advisory from the morning of Saturday June 30th to the evening of Thursday July 5th. Then on Sunday July 1st and Monday July 2nd, an excessive heat warning was issued for the Capital Region. The National Weather Service defines a heat advisory as heat indices exceeding 105 degrees Fahrenheit but can be lowered if it is a multi-day heat wave or if it’s early in the season. Being that this was a multi-day heat wave, the National Weather Service in Albany, NY, lowered the criteria for a heat advisory to heat indices above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the National Weather Service also lowered the criteria for an excessive heat warning of heat indices from 110 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Details: The peak of the heat wave was on July 1st and July 2nd, as there was an excessive heat warning issued on Sunday and Monday for much of the Hudson and Mohawk River Valleys. Over the heat wave period, temperatures in Albany, NY reached as high as 97 degrees Fahrenheit with heat indices near 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Although this heat wave brought some very hot temperatures to the area, only two records were broken, and one record was tied for Albany, NY over the five-day period:  Outlook:
Luckily a cold front pushed south from Canada and was able to break through the ridge. This cold front brought some rain to the area that ended this strong heat wave and finally brought relief to the region. Credit: National Weather Service To learn more about other observed high-impact weather events, be sure to click www.globalweatherclimatecenter.com/observations!  Radar image taken July 2015 NWS Norman, OK of grasshoppers and beetles over Qaunah, TX. DISCUSSION: When observing the radar at night, large circles of reflectivity usually surround the radar scan area. It is likely that this reflected feedback from the radar is ground clutter, although in other cases you might see something else. When there isn’t any active weather within a radar coverage area, the local radar is set to a slower antenna rotation which causes the radar to have a finer resolution and heightened sensitivity. This setting is called “clear air mode”. During this mode of operation, the radar will pick up reflected ground clutter from mountains, buildings and tall objects as well as clear air echoes such as dust particles, light drizzle, air mass boundaries and fronts. Clear air mode is also used by scientists to pick up on certain echoes that many wouldn’t think of being a possibility. These specific clear air echoes are birds and insects. This has been beneficial to scientists who have used clear air mode to study bird and insect migrations for years.
When the radar is in clear air mode, it has an advantage of picking up on small objects such as insects and birds. This is because of its increased sensitivity and resolution. When birds or insects cluster together in larger groups, they become increasingly visible by the radar. The more birds and insects in one area, a higher reflectivity is shown in the radar image. Scientists can determine the difference between bird and insect reflectivity in a multitude of ways. For birds, it depends on the time of day. Most species of migrating birds continue their travel at sunset and fly through most of the night before landing at sunrise. Using radar velocity imagery, scientists can also decipher between birds or insects by comparing their movement to the prevailing winds. If the reflectivity moves against or faster than the wind, it could be birds. It is challenging to determine if the reflectivity is caused by insects because they fly with the wind rather than against it. For insects, it depends on the time of year and location more so than the time of day and speed. Many insects in the spring and summer tend to swarm near rivers, lakes, fields and ocean shores where they hatch, use up resources and gather to reproduce. In the image above, a radar signature posted by NWS Norman, Oklahoma shows grasshoppers and beetles as they move over agricultural fields in Quanah, Texas on July of 2015. The radar shows the movement of these insects to be northeast in the direction of Oklahoma. It is typical for grasshoppers and beetles to migrate from one area to another using up resources and then moving on to find more food elsewhere. Grasshoppers are especially one of the most burdensome migratory insects to agriculture. They eat most of the grain, cereal, tomato and onion crops until there is nothing left. Radar is used in detecting density, location, direction, and speed of birds and insects. A study done by Dr. Sid Gauthreaux and Carroll Belser was able to quantify bird migration using radar reflectivity by interpreting magnitude of bird migration in terms of radar values measured in dBZ (decibels of Z, where Z represents the energy reflected back to the radar). Their findings are used today as a guide to scientists who record and predict migrating bird patterns. The guide is established as follows:
Radar has been very beneficial to the science of studying bird and insect migration just as much as it has been for meteorologists who study and forecast the weather. One would not expect, aside from the normal radar imagery of precipitation in large and small storms, that they would have the ability to see insects and birds as well. Clear air mode allows for this and is a very useful tool in furthering scientific discoveries. For more interesting weather related topics click on the link below: https://www.globalweatherclimatecenter.com/observations ©2018 Meteorologist Alexandria Maynard 
DISCUSSION: There is no debate that the first "true round" of severe weather has now arrived across the Central United States over the past 24 to 48 hours. This multi-day severe weather event has been predominantly characterized by impressive storm structure, impressive lightning displays, and very heavy rainfall bursts anywhere in the path of the more intense convective storms. However, a very important aspect of severe weather which is quite often overlooked is the impact of how modern satellite imager observations have revolutionized the ways in which scientists study, analyze, and forecast both current and past severe weather events.
There is no debate across the atmospheric science forecasting and research communities that GOES-East satellite imagery has completely "changed the game" in terms of how meteorological forecasters and/or researchers analyze and study the atmosphere. More specifically, the GOES-East Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) 16-channel platform facilitates incredibly high-resolution analyses of storms on very small scales. One such example can be found with the GOES-East 1-minute visible satellite imagery on 2 May 2018 as storms fired up across many parts of Kansas and also across northwest Oklahoma. In the aforementioned 1-minute visible satellite imagery attached above, you can see how there appears to be a "bubbling" phenomena occurring near the center of the cloud deck associated with the blossoming convective storm complex. This "bubbling" effect is a visual manifestation of what are known as "overshooting tops." Overshooting tops are an indication of the fact that there is a particularly intense region of a given thunderstorm wherein the updraft is so strong that it breaks through the upper-most part of the thunderstorm. This point at which the updraft breaks through the top of the given cloud deck is what is visually observed as the "overshooting top" part of the thunderstorm. Therefore, it goes without saying that when severe thunderstorms develop these "overshooting tops" features, that is not a time that you want to be under or in the path of such a storm since it would have that much of a greater potential to develop heavier rainfall and even hail at times. To learn more about other interesting stories pertaining to weather observations, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
DISCUSSION: Earlier this month, the National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio tweeted a radar image of a colony of bats outside of the cities of Concan and Knippa in Texas. Where did these bats come from and how can we see them on radar?
Texas is home to some of the largest bat colonies in world. This includes the largest known bat colony at the Bracken Cave Preserve and the largest urban bat colony at the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. Just a few hours away from these two colonies is the Frio Bat Cave, which is where the bat colony shown in the above radar imagery resides. In April and May, it is common to see swarms of hungry pregnant mother bats leaving their caves looking for food just after sunset with waves of bats leaving for 2-3 hours. In early June, the baby bats are born, meaning that the swarms of bats leave their caves later in the evening. In late July/early August, bat season reaches its peak and these bat swarms will continue to be seen until as late as November. How exactly can these bats be seen from weather radar? Radar sends out signal that hits an object and is then reflected back to the radar at varying strengths depending on the size of the object. Usually, the signal received back is reflected from precipitation. However, other objects such as smoke plumes, insects, birds, and bats, can also reflect signal back to the radar. This is why you can get what looks like precipitation showing up on the radar even when there is none occurring in that area. How do we know a radar signature is bats and not actually rain or another source? A bat signature on radar will show up first as a sudden circle that quickly spreads outwards in subsequent frames of the radar until the bats have all dispersed. These signatures are also typically found in the evening when bats leave their caves to find food. If you live in an area with an active bat colony, you may just be able to spot these animals leaving their caves on radar! To learn more about other neat observational stories both directly and indirectly related to atmospheric science, be sure to click here! ©2018 Meteorologist Stephanie Edwards  Discussion: An important technique to estimate the strength of tropical cyclones is known as the Dvorak technique. The Dvorak technique, developed by Vernon Dvorak is a satellite-derived system to estimate storm strength solely based on visible and infrared satellite imagery. The system uses cloud patterns visualized through satellite imagery and can then be used to indirectly measure wind speed and central pressure. Today the Dvorak method is used mainly as verification to measure wind and pressure. This important technique is even used by the National Hurricane Center. What makes this system useful and accurate is because storms with approximately similar intensities were found to contain similar cloud pattern identified on satellite imagery.
 DISCUSSION: Earlier this month, it was discovered that the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on the GOES-East satellite had captured some of the first satellite imagery of a phenomenon known as gigantic jet lightning. But what exactly is gigantic jet lightning and how did the GLM “see” it?
Gigantic jets are a type of upper atmospheric lightning, also known as transient luminous events (TLEs). While most TLEs lack many of the characteristics of the lightning we usually see in thunderstorms, gigantic jets are different in that they are connected to the electrical discharges that cause “typical” lightning. In a thunderstorm, a build-up of electrical charges within the cloud leads to the formation of lightning. While the exact mechanism behind this build up of charges is debatable, what is known is that when enough charge is built up, energy is released from the cloud in the form of lightning. Normally we think of lightning as flashes within or between clouds, or as strikes between the cloud and the ground. With gigantic jets, the electrical discharge exits from the top of the cloud into the ionosphere, reaching upwards of 50 miles into the atmosphere. Gigantic jets have been captured in videos and photography for years, but it was only recently that they have been captured on satellite imagery. The GLM on the GOES-East satellite continuously maps and detects lightning over the Americas and surrounding oceans. Lightning strikes and flashes emit light through the top of the cloud, which is detected by GLM and shown in satellite imagery. Since gigantic jets are electrical discharges emitted through the tops of clouds, they too would be detected by the GLM. Furthermore, they would show up even brighter and more intense on satellite imagery than typical lightning flashes, since what is being detected in this case is the electrical discharge itself rather than just the light from the flash emitted through the cloud. Satellite imagery provided by the GLM can be used to help us further understand gigantic jets and other lightning phenomenon. To learn more about other neat observational stories both directly and indirectly related to atmospheric science, be sure to click here! ©2018 Meteorologist Stephanie Edwards 
DISCUSSION: During the course of a given year, there is no question that there is an abundance of evidence proving that Earth effectively has a "living and breathing system" which is in a state of constant flux. This is perfectly illustrated by the fact that as shown in the looped real-color satellite imagery attached above, Earth's oceans and foliage operate as a "filter" to help purify the air surrounding Earth (even in the presence of continued fossil fuel consumption). Thus, Earth's oceans and foliage act as a balancing force in Earth's ability to clear out a solid percentage of man-based consumption of fossil fuels which underlines the importance of protecting the Earth's forests and Earth's oceans. Attached below are some exact excerpts from the actual article which was published by NASA and discusses some of the core principles of this research.
"Carbon naturally cycles through Earth’s environments. Trees and other plants take up carbon dioxide and turn it into the building blocks of roots, stems and leaves. Some of that carbon stays in the soil as the vegetation dies and gets buried. Some is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide through plant respiration, and both carbon dioxide and methane — another potent, carbon-based greenhouse gas — can be released through decomposition, land clearing and wildfire. The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the tiny water-dwelling plants called phytoplankton take up the gas as well. Over many millennia, the pace of carbon cycling is governed by volcanic emissions and weathering of rocks. For most of human history, carbon has been in a more-or-less steady cycle. This cycle has been thrown off balance as people burn fossil fuels — carbon that has been long buried underground as oil, gas and coal — and as forests are cleared and soils are turned for agriculture. All of these contribute to increasing carbon emissions. While the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that ecosystems absorb from the atmosphere each year varies quite a bit, the fraction in the long run has averaged out to about half. More carbon dioxide and methane in the air means warmer global temperatures. Warmer temperatures can disrupt some ecosystems and impact their ability to absorb more and more carbon. An even more imbalanced carbon cycle will cause greater variability and consequences that are not yet fully understood." To learn more about this particular story as published by NASA, click on the following link: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/carbon-climate. To learn more about other neat stories surrounding observations in geo-science, be sure to click on the following link: https://www.globalweatherclimatecenter.com/observations. © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz |
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