When the barometer drops, the hyperbole rises, and meteorologists aren’t happy about it.
Tag Archives: Wind
6 Killed in Alabama as Storms Sweep the South; Tornadoes
Meteorologists issued dire warnings of likely tornadoes as storms swept through Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi on Thursday.
California Redwoods Don’t Mind the Rain, Though Storms Topple a Few
Though some trees may be toppled in storms, experts say that redwood trees, which can live for centuries, are adapted to a wide range of weather events.
Battered Central Coast of California Prepares for Another Deluge
Hundreds of homes in the Santa Cruz region were damaged by flooding and wind. Weary residents are steeling themselves for even worse conditions this week.
North and Central California Could See Rain and High Winds for Days
Here is a day-by-day look at what to expect.
‘Atmospheric River’ Begins to Pound Western U.S. With Rain and Snow
As the Eastern United States starts to recover from a deadly weekend, the West is dealing with a fast-moving storm system that could bring flooding and mudslides, forecasters say.
As Forecasts Grow Ominous, Winter Storm Forces Millions to Brace for the Worst
Much of the country faces dangerous conditions, including heavy snow, strong winds and steep temperature drops. In Buffalo, meteorologists warned of a “once-in-a-generation storm.”
US renewable growth puts them on par with nuclear
Enlarge / A field of solar panels and windmills in the desert. (credit: Getty)
On Monday, the Energy Information Agency released its annual figures for how the US generated electrical power during 2021. The year saw lots of changes as the country moved out of the pandemic, with coal, wind, and solar power all seeing large jumps compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, widespread drought conditions in the west caused a significant drop in hydroelectric production.
Longer term, the big stories are the two renewables, wind and solar. Wind only started outproducing hydro three years ago but has now developed a commanding lead. And solar has gone from a rounding error to 4 percent of annual production over the last decade and is poised for explosive growth.
Living fossils
2021 marks the first increase in annual coal use since the Obama administration. Megawatts generated via coal were up by 16 percent compared to the year prior and accounted for a bit under 22 percent of the total electricity produced. But this is likely to be a temporary change. No new coal plants are planned in the US, and the past decade has seen both the number of operating coal plants drop by half, and coal go from powering 44 percent of US electricity production to only 22 percent.
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Hurricane Lisa Batters Belize as It Makes Landfall
The storm grew to hurricane strength on Wednesday. It had prompted hurricane and tropical storm warnings in parts of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico.
Hurricane Roslyn Hits Mexico as a Category 3 Storm
Forecasters warned it could bring coastal flooding and dangerous winds to cities along the country’s Pacific Coast.
Hurricane Roslyn Strengthens to Category 4 and Heads Toward Mexico
Roslyn became a Category 4 hurricane on Saturday. Forecasters warned it could bring coastal flooding and dangerous winds to cities along the Pacific Coast.
Great Lakes Storm Brings Snowfall and Possible 20-Foot Waves
Michigan saw up to a foot of snow in some areas, and Wisconsin was getting up to six inches from the storm.
In Georgia and the Carolinas, Ian Is Forecast to Cause Heavy Rain and Strong Winds
Weakened but still dangerous, the tropical storm is expected to produce strong winds and heavy rains as it moves north to Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.
When Is a Storm Surge at Its Peak?
A storm surge usually builds over many hours as the eye of hurricane approaches the coast.
Tropical Storm Earl Brings Rain and Winds to Eastern Caribbean
The storm was expected to strengthen and could become a hurricane this week, forecasters said. Rain and gusty winds were in the forecast for the Leeward Islands, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
San Franciscans Are Done Apologizing for Their Cold Weather Summers
San Franciscans are done apologizing for their cold Julys and Augusts. In a time of punishing heat waves, the city likes being a place to chill out.
South Dakota’s Derecho Brings Green Sky and Strong Winds
Meteorologists recorded winds of up to 99 miles per hour in parts of the state, with minor damage reported.
As the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces An ‘Environmental Nuclear Bomb’
Climate change and rapid population growth are shrinking the lake, creating a bowl of toxic dust that could poison the air around Salt Lake City.
Why Climate Change Makes It Harder to Fight Fire With Fire
Worsening wildfires in recent years have led officials to embrace planned fires to thin forests before disaster strikes. But the warming world is making it tougher to do safely.
Arizona Wildfires Seize on Chaotic Winds and Parched Forests
An uncontained springtime blaze north of Flagstaff, along with smaller fires in New Mexico and Colorado, has been a harsh reminder that fire season might now be year-round.
Severe Storms Are Again Expected Across the Midwest and the South
Meteorologists said thunderstorms could produce damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes in the Midwest and the Mississippi Valley, a day after tornadoes injured nearly two dozen people in Texas.
South Braces for Second Wave of Storms After 2 Deaths
Nearly 14 million people across the region faced an enhanced risk of severe weather on Wednesday. Forecasters said the storms could produce tornadoes.
Texas Wildfire Grows to 33,000 Acres, but Poses Little Threat
The Crittenberg Complex fire near Fort Hood could burn for more several days, if not weeks, a fire official said on Monday.
New Orleans Tornadoes Leave a Path of Destruction
At least one person was killed, and many houses were destroyed.
Dangerous Storms Threaten the Deep South After Tornadoes Rip Through Texas
Some schools and state offices in Louisiana were closed ahead of the forecast.
Texas and the Southeast Brace for Tornadoes and Heavy Rain
Severe weather, bringing several inches of rain and damaging winds, was expected to begin Monday afternoon in Texas and then move over Louisiana and Mississippi on Tuesday, forecasters said.
6 Injured as Powerful Storms Tear Through the South
A violent storm damaged nine mobile homes in Atmore, Ala. “It looked like all the trailers just exploded,” a sheriff said of the scene.
Saharan Sands Float North to Europe, Coating Cities With Dust
A European monitoring service projected that the dust, which cast an eerie orange pall over much of the continent, could reach as far as Denmark.
At Least 6 Killed as Powerful Storms Rampage Across Iowa, Officials Say
The National Weather Service said a preliminary examination of photos and videos from around Winterset, Iowa, suggested damage from a tornado with wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour.
Why Do We Watch the Weather on TV While It Is Happening Just Outside?
The strange allure of watching someone else stand in the blizzard.
Storm Eunice Kills at Least 8
Gusts toppled trees and sent debris flying, leaving tens of thousands without power and disrupting travel a day later.
As Gale Made an Extreme Sport of Heathrow Landings, He Called the Plays
Jerry Dyer became a media sensation after filming, and commenting on, planes landing at the London airport during a howling storm.
Storm Eunice Slams Britain With Dangerously High Winds
Wind gusts of up to 90 miles per hour were expected in parts of the country. One weather official said the storm would be the worst the country has seen in 30 years.
Texas Must Update Its Power Grid
A year ago, 10 million Texans lost power in a winter storm. The state has resisted a simple fix.
Study: Few places will struggle to balance renewables and conservation
Enlarge / Solar power and habitat preservation are likely to conflict, but only in some areas. (credit: Zhi Hao)
Compared to fossil fuel plants, renewable power facilities cover a lot of ground. That ground can be put to additional uses; many wind farms are also farms, and even solar plants can work well with agriculture. But these sorts of developments are definitely not compatible with conserving sensitive habitats for wildlife or plants. Even wind farms, which have a relatively small on-ground footprint, require access roads and regular servicing.
Early studies on the matter suggest this might be a serious problem, as they found that a number of renewable power facilities had been built on land that had been identified as a sensitive habitat. But new work from researchers at the University of Southampton indicates that the problem isn’t as severe as it seems. The actual footprint of existing wind and solar farms on sensitive habitats is small and should be able to be kept small in most countries.
Carbon-free footprints
To understand present problems, you must have an idea of what land has been developed and what needs to be conserved. The researchers used two different sources to identify the footprints of current renewable power facilities. For sensitive habitats, the team started with a database of all existing protected areas. It supplemented that with maps of the ranges of all land vertebrates listed as threatened on the “Red List,” as well as the World Wildlife Fund’s list of ecoregions. The protected areas were considered a starting point, and areas for potential expansion were identified based on their ability to protect the most threatened species.
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Deep Chill Sets In as Northeast Emerges From Heavy Snow and Harsh Winds
With snowplows and shovels, parts of Massachusetts and New York were clearing away piles of snow amid frigid wind chills.
Powerful Winter Storm Brings Whipping Winds and Heavy Snow to the Northeast
Forecasters called it a “bomb cyclone” and predicted that the Boston area would be hit particularly hard.
East Coast Braces for Snow Again
A winter storm watch was in effect from eastern North Carolina up to New England. Meteorologists said that slight changes in the storm’s track could shift snow totals drastically.
Winter Storm Latest: Thousands Left Without Power
On Monday, parts of Pennsylvania and New York State were expected to see the brunt of a winter storm that killed at least two in the South over the weekend.
U.S. South and Northeast Brace for Winter Storm That Pounded the Midwest
Dangerous ice was expected to hit the Carolinas, and up to a foot of snow was predicted from Tennessee to upstate New York and Vermont.
Fierce Windstorms Batter Alaska as Thousands Lose Power
Tens of thousands of people lost electricity this week, while the wind chill dipped to 35 degrees below zero.
Colorado Wildfires: What We Know
The fires on Thursday burned at least 500 homes and forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
What Role Does Climate Change Play in Wind Storms and Tornadoes?
The science suggests that the United States can expect more unusual and severe storms as the world heats up, increasing the urgency for action to protect communities.
Power Outages Across Midwest After Storms
Hundreds of thousands of customers were without electricity after a powerful storm system swept across the central U.S. At least one death was reported.
Storm Could Bring Destructive Winds to Central U.S.
A tornado watch was issued for parts of six states as wind gusts of more than 70 miles per hour bore down on parts of the Upper Midwest on Wednesday.
High Tidal Surges Bring Floods to the Mid-Atlantic Region
The impact was not as severe as forecasters had feared in some places, though flood warnings and advisories remained in effect on Saturday.
Nor’easter Brings Hurricane-Force Winds to Massachusetts
After battering the New York area, the storm knocked out electricity to hundreds of thousands of customers across New England on Wednesday.
The decreasing cost of renewables unlikely to plateau anytime soon
Past projections of energy costs have consistently underestimated just how cheap renewable energy would be in the future, as well as the benefits of rolling them out quickly, according to a new report out of the Institute of New Economic Thinking at the University of Oxford.
The report makes predictions about more than 50 technologies such as solar power, offshore wind, and more, and it compares them to a future that still runs on carbon. “It’s not just good news for renewables. It’s good news for the planet,” Matthew Ives, one of the report’s authors and a senior researcher at the Oxford Martin Post-Carbon Transition Programme, told Ars.
The paper used probabilistic cost forecasting methods—taking into account both past data and current and ongoing technological developments in renewables—for its findings. It also used large caches of data from sources such as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Bloomberg. Beyond looking at the cost (represented as dollar per unit of energy production over time), the report also represents its findings in three scenarios: a fast transition to renewables, a slow transition, and no transition at all.
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Europe’s Energy Prices Soar Amid Switch to Renewable Resources
Britain and the rest of Europe are watching natural gas prices and utility bills soar, and Russia is coming under pressure to provide more gas.
Why Louisiana’s Electric Grid Failed in Hurricane Ida
Much of the state, including New Orleans, lost power for days because many of Entergy’s electrical poles and towers were not built to withstand a major hurricane, energy experts said.