Archive: News & Notes
Local Weather Conference: July 18-19
Louis Uccellini, Director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, speaks at the 2006 Eastern U.S. Weather Conference. By Capital Weather Gang photographer and EasternUSWx.com co-founder Ian Livingston. On July 18 and 19, the 4th annual Eastern United States Weather Conference will be held in Crystal City at the Hyatt...
By Ian Livingston | July 13, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Gas Pains: A Perfect Storm?
Think gas prices are too high already? Friday morning CNBC reported on the likely impact of even the threat of a hurricane strike on energy prices (additional report, including a tour of Shell's real-time operations center here). After two seasons of few storm landfalls on the U.S. coast, traders have...
By Steve Scolnik | June 3, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Bangladesh's Example for a Post-Nargis World
Tropical Cyclone Nargis, which exacted a staggering human toll on the politically isolated and poor country of Myanmar, has demonstrated once again that there is an urgent need for a more robust infrastructure in developing countries for issuing and disseminating warnings of natural hazards. Unlike when the deadly Indian Ocean...
By Andrew Freedman | May 14, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (35)
Freedman: Sale May Improve The Weather Channel
In this era of media company layoffs and mergers, perhaps it was only a matter of time before The Weather Channel (TWC) was put up on the auction block. But while its loyal viewers should view the potential sale of the venerable network with some skepticism, there is plenty of...
By Andrew Freedman | April 14, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (12)
Freedman: The Price of Al Gore's Climate Battle
To a climate change contrarian, Al Gore is a one-man axis of evil. By publicizing the dangers of global climate change, and now launching one of the most expensive and far-reaching issue advocacy campaigns of at least the past several years, Gore has helped to vault climate change to the...
By Andrew Freedman | April 7, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (246)
Freedman: Climate Change Low on Public Agenda
The American public does not view global climate change as a top tier problem facing the country today, according to a recent Gallup poll. The poll found that "the economy in general" topped the list, followed by the Iraq War and about two dozen other issues, including "lack of money,"...
By Andrew Freedman | March 31, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (11)
News & Notes: Southeast Tornado Outbreak
Last night's tornado in Atlanta: Significant damage occurred in downtown Atlanta, including to Georgia Dome and at CNN Center. See: Tornado Trashes Atlanta from CNN.com Tornado that struck Atlanta last night was 200 yards wide and cut a path six miles long Tornado was rated EF-2 intensity by the National...
By Jason Samenow | March 15, 2008; 04:49 PM ET | Comments (2)
News & Notes: Atlanta Tornado and More
CNN: Tornado sweeps through Atlanta. See also from the Associated Press via Washington Post: Atlanta Braces for Another Severe Storm NOAA: Coolest Winter Since 2001 for U.S., Globe NY Times: Deadline Nears for Weather Channel Bids Weather.com Blog: Memories of the [March 1993] Superstorm New Scientist: Weather map interface lets...
By Jason Samenow | March 15, 2008; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (9)
News & Notes: Wind, Ohio Snow & Bob Ryan
It's been a windy week! After clocking a hurricane force 74 mph gust Tuesday, Reagan National Airport recorded a 60 mph gust yesterday. Gusts of 50-70 mph were widespread yesterday. See also: 80,000 Lose Power in Burst of Wind, Hail While we were getting clocked by wind yesterday, Ohio was...
By Jason Samenow | March 9, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (13)
Freedman: To Be Renovated
In a small corner of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, past the dinosaur exhibit with its throngs of stroller-pushing tourists and beyond the Dinosaur Cafe that sells overpriced salads, lies an exhibit on ice ages that proclaims that the earth is not in fact warming due to human...
By Andrew Freedman | March 3, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (11)
Watch Out: Weather Warnings Could Change
Confused by the sometimes dizzying array of watches, warnings and advisories issued by the National Weather Service in advance of and during winter storms? You're not the only one. The National Weather Service itself is proposing to "simplify and clarify the communication and dissemination of expected winter weather hazards." In...
By Dan Stillman | February 29, 2008; 11:15 AM ET | Comments (30)
News & Notes: Md. Snow, Va. Ice, D.C. Q&A
Today's News & Notes takes us on a brief tour of Maryland, Virginia and D.C.: Maryland: MarylandWeather.com reminds us here in the D.C.-Baltimore area that snow is so close, yet so far: Parts of Western Maryland "have seen 25 accumulating snowstorms this winter. Keyser's Ridge, in Garrett County has had...
By Dan Stillman | February 27, 2008; 07:00 PM ET | Comments (26)
News & Notes: Freedman Moves to Monday
Columnist Andrew Freedman, whose column was regularly featured here on Sundays, will switch to Mondays starting tomorrow. A variety of material will fill his Sunday slot including original weather photography, short (and fun) news items (such as below), questions from you (email them to us) with our responses, and more....
By Jason Samenow | February 24, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (15)
Freedman: Super Tuesday Spin
Tornado outbreak competes for Super Tuesday attention It was a tough decision on Tuesday evening of what story to follow more closely: the presidential primaries or the unfolding tornado tragedy in the South. As of early this morning, the death toll stood at more than 50 from the abnormally violent...
By Andrew Freedman | February 7, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (8)
Phony Airline Weather Delays?
Tired of spending hours stuck at Dulles and not even getting a voucher for free Potbelly (not that I'm bitter ...) due to so-called weather delays? If you're suspicious weather isn't even the problem, you may be onto something. Elliot.org reports: Do airlines lie about their weather delays? Not only...
By Jamie Jones | January 24, 2008; 11:50 AM ET | Comments (4)
News & Notes: Geek me out!
Tracking weather while in transit; Science of cold on PBS tonight As if your cell phone didn't provide enough reason to ignore the road while driving, DC-based XM Satellite Radio announced Sunday that they will debut the first-ever real-time in-vehicle weather tracking system at next week's North American International Auto...
By Steve Scolnik | January 8, 2008; 06:15 PM ET | Comments (7)
