NOAA

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Our Aging Weather Satellites Put Us at Risk

We almost went 'partly blind' just before Sandy hit: Jeffrey Kluger

(Newser) - With Hurricane Sandy upon us, it's time to take a hard look at our weather-predicting capabilities and the aging satellites that we depend on, writes Jeffrey Kluger in Time . Just last month—shortly before Sandy developed—one such satellite, dubbed GOES-East, began sending out a weak signal. NASA and...

July Was Hottest Month in US History

It trumps all federal records going back to 1895

(Newser) - One more milestone to help remember the scorching weather of July: It is now in the books as the hottest month in US history, reports CNN . The average temperature for the contiguous US came in at 77.6 degrees, which is the highest mark since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

Feds: Sorry, Mermaids Aren't Real

Agency takes a stand after gullible TV watchers wondered

(Newser) - We know you've been holding your breath, but you can stop now: The US government has officially declared that there is no evidence mermaids exist. The strange announcement came about after Animal Planet ran a show about mermaids called Mermaids: The Body Found in May. Apparently, some people thought...

Expect Up to 3 Major Hurricanes This Year

Forecast calls for normal year, less severe than recent years

(Newser) - Hurricane forecasters say this looks to be a pretty standard year for the Atlantic, with one to three major hurricanes expected in the six-month season that begins June 1. Some specifics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration :
  • Expect nine to 15 named storms, meaning winds reach at least 39mph
...

Last 12-Month Stretch Warmest on Record

NOAA: US temperatures were highest in the 117 years on record

(Newser) - It's getting hot out there. The 12-month period from May 2011 to April 2012 was the warmest since records began in 1895, according to the NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. The year-long stretch was 0.1°F warmer than the previous record-setter, November 1999-October 2000, and was 2....

Trouble Ahead: Weather Satellites in 'Rapid Decline'

Number will drop 'precipitously' by 2020

(Newser) - If you like to complain about the unreliability of the weather forecast, get ready to rant: The weather satellites orbiting the Earth are "beginning a rapid decline" in both quality and quantity, a new report finds, and squeezed budgets mean replacements may not be forthcoming. NASA and NOAA Earth...

Tsunami Debris: What to Expect

Leading edge of vast field of debris hitting West Coast

(Newser) - As debris from the Japanese tsunami—including a ghost ship and a soccer ball —begins to reach the shores of the US and Canada, officials want the public to know what to expect. Huge amounts of debris are expected to wash up, but with the debris field having dispersed...

Feds Seize 881-Pound Bluefin Tuna

Fishing boat accidentally caught it in net, which is illegal

(Newser) - A Massachusetts fisherman nearly caught a fortune in the form of an 881-pound bluefin tuna, but it's now the property of the US government. A fishing boat owned by Carlos Rafael snagged the massive fish inadvertently in its trawling net, reports the Standard-Times of New Bedford. It could have...

La Nina Is Back: Cue Another Weird Winter

Drought to continue in Texas, Gulf Coast

(Newser) - Winter looks to be cold and wet across the northern tier of states, and the drought will worsen in the South, where conditions are expected to be warmer and drier than usual, government forecasters said today. Like last winter, the Pacific Ocean cooling known as La Nina is affecting the...

Panel: White House Blocked Worst-Case Gulf Spill Figures

Findings slam government's handling of Deepwater Horizon disaster

(Newser) - The White House's response to the Gulf oil spill was sluggish and flawed by "a sense of over-optimism," according to a presidential panel investigating the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The panel discovered that the White House budget office rejected a request from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists for...

New Expedition to 'Virtually Raise' Titanic

Scientists will create 3D map of deteriorating wreck

(Newser) - Scientists plan to "virtually raise the Titanic" next month in what's being billed as the most advanced expedition yet to the wreck. A team of some of the world's leading archeologists, oceanographers, and other scientists will visit the site to assess the state of the shipwreck and create a...

Much of Spilled Oil Already Gone

Around 35% probably evaporated, model suggests

(Newser) - The Deepwater Horizon disaster has led to the release of million of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, but figuring out where it all is has proven kind of hard. Roughly 4.6 million gallons seem to have pooled into a shape-shifting blob off the coast of Louisiana,...

Third of US Faces Floods This Spring

Rains, wet winter, expected El Nino delivering deluge

(Newser) - In the latest climate calamity to cause misery, a third of the US is expected to be hit with flooding this spring. The Midwest, followed by the East Coast, will likely bear the brunt of what could be record flooding, brought by heavy rains last autumn, a wetter-than-usual winter, and...

Hawaiians Scramble to Save Entangled Whale

Humpback is enmeshed in hundreds of feet of fishing line

(Newser) - Rescue teams are battling rough seas in an effort to save a young humpback whale tangled in hundreds of feet of heavy rope off the coast of Hawaii. A transmitter was attached to the rope after earlier efforts to free the whale failed, and the whale's position is being tracked...

Hawaiian Island to Evict Over-Friendly Seal

Scientists fear monk seal pup raised by people will harm his human playmates

(Newser) - A seal pup that loves human company is facing deportation to hundreds of miles away from his Hawaiian home, the Wall Street Journal reports. Baby monk seal KP2, who often swims with people and even climbs on boogie boards, has become a much-loved local celebrity on Molokai since he showed...

Climate Research Faces Years Without Satellites

Scientists warn that death of aging satellites will leave dangerous gaps in knowledge

(Newser) - Scientists studying climate change are going to lose their eyes in the sky just when satellite data is most needed to make vital decisions, NPR reports. Years of underinvestment and squabbling between government agencies mean the climate satellites now in orbit will fail long before new ones can replace them,...

Obama Names 4 Top Science Advisers

(Newser) - Barack Obama today selected a Harvard physicist and a marine biologist for key science posts, in a sign he plans a more aggressive response to global warming than did the Bush administration. John Holdren and Jane Lubchenco are leading experts on climate change who have advocated forceful government action. “...

Hurricane-Proof Your Vacation
 Hurricane-Proof Your Vacation 
Aug 17, 2008 2:21 PM CDT

Hurricane-Proof Your Vacation

A little preparation can save big bucks

(Newser) - The government’s storm-watching body upped this year’s hurricane forecast to include 14 to 18 named storms, which could spell trouble for travelers. Forbes offers tips to stem potential financial losses and prevent your Caribbean vacation from going south.
  • Know your risks: The National Hurricane Center offers a month-by-month
...

Hurricane Chief Leaves Eye of the Storm

Center director ousted only 6 months into controversial stint

(Newser) - National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza is out as of today, the Miami Herald reports, less than a week after half his staff demanded his resignation. The head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the "disruption" caused by the controversial leader "threatens the center's ability to...

Stories 81 - 99 | << Prev