Capital Weather Gang: Government
Posted at 11:43 AM ET, 08/16/2012
By Jason Samenow
The debate has raged for decades: Does it make sense to observe D.C. weather at Reagan National?
By Jason Samenow |
11:43 AM ET, 08/16/2012 |
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Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 08/14/2012
By Jason Samenow
Weather forecasting or preparing for war? The National Weather Service (NWS) seeks to buy 46,000 rounds of ammunition for semiautomatic pistols says the FedBizOpps website. But spokesman Chris Vaccaro said the ammunition is not for the National Weather Service.
By Jason Samenow |
12:45 PM ET, 08/14/2012 |
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Posted at 10:20 AM ET, 07/16/2012
By Jason Samenow
After predictions ranging from minor to severe, the geomagnetic storm that struck Earth this weekend fell smack in the middle - at moderate intensity. The storm produced beautiful aurora shown in this post.
By Jason Samenow |
10:20 AM ET, 07/16/2012 |
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Posted at 12:31 PM ET, 07/13/2012
By Jason Samenow
A geomagnetic storm is likely on Earth this weekend. NOAA predicts it will be minor, maybe moderate. NASA says it will be moderate to severe.
By Jason Samenow |
12:31 PM ET, 07/13/2012 |
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Posted at 03:58 PM ET, 07/02/2012
By Jason Samenow
The wind stole the show, but the second most striking feature of Friday night’s derecho was the vivid, almost continuous display of lightning.
By Jason Samenow |
03:58 PM ET, 07/02/2012 |
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Posted at 03:58 PM ET, 07/02/2012
By Jason Samenow
The wind stole the show, but the second most striking feature of Friday night’s derecho was the vivid, almost continuous display of lightning.
By Jason Samenow |
03:58 PM ET, 07/02/2012 |
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Posted at 03:15 PM ET, 06/20/2012
By Jason Samenow
The heat advisory for the Washington D.C. and Baltimore regions has been extended to cover the overnight hours tonight and Thursday through 10 p.m. On Thursday, another scorcher is expected, with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s to near 100 and heat indicates around 105. Hot day time temperatures represent a particular hazard for outdoor workers. In response, the Department of Labor has launched a campaign to confront the risks posed by extreme heat.
By Jason Samenow |
03:15 PM ET, 06/20/2012 |
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Posted at 01:07 PM ET, 06/08/2012
By Jason Samenow
Scott Smullen, spokesman for NOAA, issued a statement today, emphasizing NOAA’s commitment to avoiding National Weather Service furloughs.
By Jason Samenow |
01:07 PM ET, 06/08/2012 |
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Posted at 08:41 PM ET, 06/07/2012
By Lisa Rein and Jason Samenow
The National Weather Service notified its union on Thursday that it may have to furlough up to 5,000 employees for 13 days this summer to cover its budget deficit.
By Lisa Rein and Jason Samenow |
08:41 PM ET, 06/07/2012 |
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Posted at 04:18 PM ET, 05/18/2012
By Jason Samenow
NOAA has named Richard Knabb, the Weather Channel’s tropical weather expert, the next director of the National Hurricane Center. He will start work June 4.
By Jason Samenow |
04:18 PM ET, 05/18/2012 |
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Posted at 12:18 PM ET, 05/17/2012
By Jason Samenow
Some feel the argument that resources for weather forecasting are more important than for climate change prediction is an affront on the importance of climate change modeling and not helpful in advancing broader goals in advancing atmospheric science
By Jason Samenow |
12:18 PM ET, 05/17/2012 |
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Posted at 02:16 PM ET, 05/10/2012
By Jason Samenow
Of a possible $1.4 billion dollars in proposed spending cuts in the Departments of Commerce and Justice for 2013, the U.S. House Representatives voted to approve none of them. None of them except a piddly $542,000 for a NOAA climate website.
By Jason Samenow |
02:16 PM ET, 05/10/2012 |
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Posted at 02:19 PM ET, 04/23/2012
By Jason Samenow
In the wake of violent tornado outbreaks in 2011 and this spring, NOAA and FEMA have joined together to arm Americans with information and strategies to make it through severe weather. In this incipient Severe Weather Preparedness Week, the agencies are placing special emphasis on motivating individuals to take on leadership roles in readying their communities for all types of severe weather.
By Jason Samenow |
02:19 PM ET, 04/23/2012 |
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Posted at 11:14 AM ET, 04/18/2012
By Jason Samenow
Science Magazine reportsreports a Senate subcommittee chaired by Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) has approved a bill that would transfer responsibility of building four satellites from NOAA to NASA. The move would shift about $1.6 billion in funding from NOAA’s budget to NASA in fiscal year 2013.
By Jason Samenow |
11:14 AM ET, 04/18/2012 |
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Posted at 10:20 AM ET, 03/29/2012
By Steve Tracton
President Obama’s 2013 budget for the National Weather Service (NWS) reduces funding by $36.4 million in operations and research while weather satellite programs are slated for an increase of $163 million. Is there something wrong with this picture of enormous investments for satellites at the expense justifiably valuable components of NWS’s operational mission? In the opinion of many, including myself, the answer is a confident yes.
By Steve Tracton |
10:20 AM ET, 03/29/2012 |
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Posted at 11:21 AM ET, 02/15/2012
By Jason Samenow
Starting this Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) is upgrading the region’s radar, sited in Sterling, Va., to include dual polarization technology. This technology will allow meteorologists to see storms in a totally new dimension offering the potential to significantly improve forecasts, especially during flood events and severe weather.
By Jason Samenow |
11:21 AM ET, 02/15/2012 |
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Posted at 12:02 PM ET, 02/09/2012
By Jason Samenow
The La Nina pattern, linked to one the most extreme weather years on record in 2011 in the U.S., is forecast to fade away this spring according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
By Jason Samenow |
12:02 PM ET, 02/09/2012 |
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Posted at 03:54 PM ET, 01/27/2012
By Jason Samenow
Planting zones are retreating north all over the country, but the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) won’t state the obvious: the shift is a rock solid indicator of climate change.
By Jason Samenow |
03:54 PM ET, 01/27/2012 |
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Posted at 01:47 PM ET, 01/26/2012
By Jason Samenow
Exactly one year ago, a powerful winter storm walloped the region at just the wrong time, leading to one of Washington, D.C.’s worst ever evening commutes. A thunderstorm of sleet and then snow overwhelmed the region between 4 and 10 p.m., paralyzing traffic everywhere. Chances are good either you or someone you know waited until it was too late to leave your/their job, and got stuck on area roads for hours.
By Jason Samenow |
01:47 PM ET, 01/26/2012 |
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Posted at 11:05 AM ET, 01/26/2012
By Jason Samenow
Feast your eyes on it: NASA released one of the sharpest, most stunning true-color images of our planet the world has seen Wednesday.
By Jason Samenow |
11:05 AM ET, 01/26/2012 |
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Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 01/23/2012
By Dan Stillman
Many federal workers are just now settling into their offices after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) decision made around 7 p.m. yesterday evening to open under an 11 a.m. delayed arrival today. Was the OPM delay the right call?... wrong call? Here’s your chance to vote.
By Dan Stillman |
11:45 AM ET, 01/23/2012 |
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Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 01/17/2012
By Jason Samenow
Count the National Weather Service Employees Union and the National Resource Defense Council amoung groups who want NOAA to stay put in the Department of Commerce.
By Jason Samenow |
10:30 AM ET, 01/17/2012 |
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Posted at 03:16 PM ET, 01/13/2012
By Jason Samenow
The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), may find itself in a new home in the Department of Interior (DOI).
By Jason Samenow |
03:16 PM ET, 01/13/2012 |
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Posted at 02:14 PM ET, 01/12/2012
By Jason Samenow
Capital Weather Gangand many major media outlets, using information from NOAA, have reported 2011 set a record for most billion dollar weather disasters in the U.S. But a professor at the University of Colorado says NOAA’s information - the basis for the record - is “extremely misleading.”
By Jason Samenow |
02:14 PM ET, 01/12/2012 |
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Posted at 10:17 AM ET, 01/09/2012
By Andrew Freedman
A new policy put in place by the National Weather Service prohibits the agency from developing apps for specific mobile devices, such as the iPhone or iPad. Weather Service employees oppose the move, saying it would privatize a key function of the agency - the communication of its forecasts, watches and warnings - to private companies like The Weather Channel, which have already developed such apps.
By Andrew Freedman |
10:17 AM ET, 01/09/2012 |
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Posted at 12:55 PM ET, 12/08/2011
By Steve Tracton
After an extraordinary outreach campaign, NOAA was ultimately successful in obtaining the majority of increased funding requested in its 2012 budget to keep the
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program on track. But the Congressional authorization for increased funding of JPSS has some unpublicized consequences.
By Steve Tracton |
12:55 PM ET, 12/08/2011 |
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Posted at 01:01 PM ET, 12/07/2011
By Jason Samenow
2011 has established a new benchmark for extreme weather in the U.S. NOAA reports that the U.S. has experienced the most billion dollar weather disasters on record this year.
By Jason Samenow |
01:01 PM ET, 12/07/2011 |
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Posted at 09:52 AM ET, 10/28/2011
By Jason Samenow
At 2:48 a.m. Pacific time (5:48 a.m. EDT), NASA successfully launched what is considered the next generation satellite for monitoring weather and the Earth’s climate. The satellite was boosted into space by a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
By Jason Samenow |
09:52 AM ET, 10/28/2011 |
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Posted at 04:10 PM ET, 10/26/2011
By Jason Samenow
Three invalid severe weather warnings were inadvertently issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) Sterling, Va. office serving Washington, D.C. and Baltimore this afternoon. A system error was the source of the false warnings.
By Jason Samenow |
04:10 PM ET, 10/26/2011 |
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Posted at 12:50 PM ET, 10/14/2011
By Andrew Freedman
A climate scientist in Texas is accusing Governor Rick Perry’s administration of politically motivated editing of a scientific report. The report raises the question: would a President Perry be a repeat of George W. Bush when it comes to interfering with climate science research? The signals are mixed.
By Andrew Freedman |
12:50 PM ET, 10/14/2011 |
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Posted at 03:24 PM ET, 10/12/2011
By Jason Samenow
On October 27, NASA will launch the next generation weather and climate satellite. Known as the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (or, to save some syllables, NPP), the satellite spacecraft, roughly the size of mini-van, will orbit at an altitude of 512 miles above the Earth’s surface. The data it beams back to Earth will help improve understanding of both global change and weather prediction.
By Jason Samenow |
03:24 PM ET, 10/12/2011 |
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Posted at 03:23 PM ET, 08/31/2011
By Jason Samenow
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been promoting the fact it “nailed” hurricane Irene’s track four days out. On both of its home page and Environmental Visualization Laboratory website, it shows an animation demonstrating Irene followed the National Hurricane Center (NHC) track issued at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 23. It’s true that NHC correctly predicted Irene’s track at that point in time. But what about subsequent times? What about previous times? And what about its intensity?
By Jason Samenow |
03:23 PM ET, 08/31/2011 |
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Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 08/17/2011
By Jason Samenow
You’ve heard the saying a million times (and I almost cringe to repeat it): “everybody loves talking about the weather but nobody does anything about it.” The National Weather Service announced today, however, that it’s serious about preparing our nation for extreme weather. Its new “Weather-ready” nation intiative promises to “to make America safer by saving more lives and protecting livelihoods as communities across the country become increasingly vulnerable to severe weather events, such as tornado outbreaks, intense heat waves, flooding, active hurricane seasons, and solar storms that threaten electrical and communication systems.”
By Jason Samenow |
12:30 PM ET, 08/17/2011 |
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Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 05/16/2011
By Andrew Freedman
This story is the second in a two-part series on the strong tornado that struck Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on April 22, 2011, causing extensive damage to airport facilities and numerous injuries. Part I detailed how people inside the airport terminal buildings never received the warning. This post details how at least one airline pilot, and passengers, were also unaware of the danger until it was swirling around them. It illustrates what some say is a fundamental problem with the way weather information is shared among the Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and airline personnel, and then disseminated
By Andrew Freedman |
01:00 PM ET, 05/16/2011 |
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Posted at 02:45 PM ET, 04/29/2011
By Jason Samenow
Greg Carbin is the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, Okla., which has 43 employees, including more than 20 meteorologists. This federal center issues forecasts and watches for severe thu nderstorms and tornadoes across the entire United States. I talked with Carbin about his experience during Wednesday’s devastating tornado outbreak in the South.
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02:45 PM ET, 04/29/2011 |
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Posted at 03:00 PM ET, 04/13/2011
By Jason Samenow
For an number of years, NOAA has been working toward the development of a Climate Service. The premise of the Climate Service is that it would make climate information and data available in “accessible and timely” formats to assist people in making decisions. But in their Continuing Resolution for Fiscal Year 2011, Congress and the White House have blocked any funding for the effort.
By Jason Samenow |
03:00 PM ET, 04/13/2011 |
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Posted at 06:45 PM ET, 04/06/2011
By Jason Samenow
As a potential
shutdown of the Federal government draws closer, a looming question is: what would happen to products and services provided by the National Weather Service (NWS) ? Would NWS continue to issue forecasts, watches, warnings, and advisories? A NOAA official says yes.
By Jason Samenow |
06:45 PM ET, 04/06/2011 |
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Posted at 05:39 PM ET, 04/01/2011
By Andrew Freedman
On Thursday we reported on NOAA’s warning to congressional appropriators that budget cuts to a major satellite program, known as the Joint Polar Satellite System or JPSS, would severely erode the accuracy of weather forecasts. Today, six Democratic Senators took up NOAA’s cause, sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) as well as Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The senators are seeking full funding for JPSS during the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year.
By Andrew Freedman |
05:39 PM ET, 04/01/2011 |
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Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 03/23/2011
By Steve Tracton
Wednesday, March 23, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), its 189 National Meteorological and Hydrological Services Members, and the worldwide meteorological community at large, celebrate WMO Day. Each year the celebration centers around a selected theme. This year’s theme is the “Climate for you”
By Steve Tracton |
01:00 PM ET, 03/23/2011 |
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Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 01/20/2011
By Steve Tracton
Despite major advances in scientific understanding and the development of computer-based weather models, there remains much room for improvement. Anyone who has followed this season's winter storm predictions has, no doubt, observed this. While there never will be perfect forecasts due to chaos (i.e. the butterfly effect), there is considerable opportunity for more accurate predictions and better estimates of associated levels of confidence in hazardous winter weather systems.
By Steve Tracton |
11:00 AM ET, 01/20/2011 |
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Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 09/11/2009
By Steve Tracton
A WISDOM balloon is launched during last year's testing phase in Miami, Fl. Photo courtesy NOAA. The accuracy in predicting the track of tropical storms and hurricanes has increased substantially over the past decades. For example, the average error of the official National Hurricane Center 3-day forecasts has decreased from...
By Steve Tracton |
12:30 PM ET, 09/11/2009 |
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Posted at 10:45 AM ET, 08/07/2009
By Steve Tracton
* Major Heat by Sunday: Full Forecast | NatCast | July Recap * Graphic (courtesy NOAA) depicts NOAA hurricane-related activities before, during and after a storm. It appears that, for now at least, hurricane modification will not be one of them. As we reported in May, more than 25 years...
By Steve Tracton |
10:45 AM ET, 08/07/2009 |
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Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 07/16/2009
By Andrew Freedman
Proposal would consolidate aviation weather forecasters * Hello, Humidity: Full Forecast | NatCast | Wind Farms & Weather * * Federal Eye: More Storm Clouds for FAA-Weather Service Plan * Coverage area of the Washington D.C. Center Weather Service Unit. The House Science Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight is holding...
By Andrew Freedman |
10:30 AM ET, 07/16/2009 |
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Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 02/24/2009
By Jason Samenow
* Full Forecast | On the Verge of Drought? * In case you missed this video yesterday on the Federal Eye blog (and the mention about it in our PM Update), here's a great inside look at the National Weather Service (NWS) from Washington Post reporter Ed O'Keefe... In a...
By Jason Samenow |
01:00 PM ET, 02/24/2009 |
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Posted at 07:00 PM ET, 11/06/2008
By Ann Posegate
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), home of the National Weather Service, announced Monday that William J. Brennan became acting under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and acting administrator of NOAA on Nov. 1. Dr. Brennan replaces Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., who resigned last...
By Ann Posegate |
07:00 PM ET, 11/06/2008 |
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Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 10/18/2008
By Jason Samenow
As I write this, the National Weather Service (NWS) Open House in Sterling, Va. is ongoing and will continue through 5 p.m. today, and noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow. All sorts of activities are planned along with tours, weather observing classes and a dedication ceremony for the newly constructed facility....
By Jason Samenow |
12:00 PM ET, 10/18/2008 |
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Posted at 10:45 AM ET, 07/18/2008
By Dan Stillman
Every once in a while, Congress is faced with the chance to do something simple, smart and practical that could immediately and positively impact society. A bill requiring emergency weather radios -- which broadcast an alarm in the case of a nearby tornado or other emergency -- in new mobile...
By Dan Stillman |
10:45 AM ET, 07/18/2008 |
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Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 07/15/2008
By Jason Samenow
Two weeks ago I wrote about how our local National Weather Service (NWS) office in Sterling, Va. issued a staggering 205-210 severe weather warnings for the area (from central Va. to northern Maryland, not including the eastern shore) during June. And I showed that there were, in fact, a slew...
By Jason Samenow |
11:00 AM ET, 07/15/2008 |
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Posted at 06:30 PM ET, 02/11/2008
By Steve Scolnik
With voters going to the polls for the presidential primaries in all three local jurisdictions tomorrow, some citizens might be concerned that very little attention has been given to where the candidates stand on scientific issues. Physics Today, the magazine of the College Park-based American Institute of Physics, has...
By Steve Scolnik |
06:30 PM ET, 02/11/2008 |
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