Category Archives: Climate

How are we doing with heating degree days this year?

A heating degree day is a weather index designed to make weather data easier to use in planning.

The index estimates fuel consumption needs, and fuel distributors use it to schedule home deliveries. Electric and natural gas utilities predict power demands by adding up this index over time. Continue reading →

We are at the beginning of the most intense cold air outbreak of the winter thus far with high temperatures today not likely to rise above zero. It may be similarly cold tomorrow. Having two consecutive days in a row … Continue reading →

The ozone hole occurs high in the stratosphere, about 18 miles high, and over the continent of Antarctica. It is not actually a hole, but the appearance of very low values of ozone in the stratosphere. Typically, the Antarctic ozone hole has its largest area in early September and lowest values in late September to early October. Continue reading →

As the one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy approaches, we have news to report regarding current understanding of that tremendous storm.

One of the major questions confronting atmospheric scientists in the face of that unusual event was whether Sandy was a direct result of a warmer climate. This is a difficult question because there are so many elements that conspire to produce major storms. Continue reading →

It is wrong to think that a “100-year flood” happens only once every 100 years. The phrase “100-year flood” describes the estimated probability of a flood event happening in any given year.

A 100-year event has a 1 percent chance (or 1-in-100) of occurring in any given year. Continue reading →