Archive: Government
Goals of Major U.N. Climate Meeting Unclear
* Staying Warm: Full Forecast | Obama Should Make a Climate Speech * In a sign of determination mixed with desperation, world leaders will gather in New York tomorrow for a United Nations-sponsored forum on climate change that is aimed...
By Andrew Freedman | September 21, 2009; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (6)
New Tool for Hurricane Forecasting: WISDOM
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...
By Steve Tracton | September 11, 2009; 12:30 PM ET | Comments (0)
Climate Change & National Security: A Tough Sell
* Heat to Depart, Storms Possible: Full Forecast * Marine amphibious landing vehicle participating in a recent exercise in the Pacific. (Defense Department photo) Climate change is rarely featured on the front pages of top U.S. newspapers, such as...
By Andrew Freedman | August 11, 2009; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (12)
NOAA Says No to DHS Hurricane Modification
* 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...
By Steve Tracton | August 7, 2009; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (3)
Hearing Today on Controversial Flight Safety Plan
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....
By Andrew Freedman | July 16, 2009; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (4)
Congress Ponders National Climate Service
A significant shakeup may soon take place within the federal government's weather and climate programs, as the House Science and Technology Committee is scheduled to consider legislation on June 3 that would establish a "National Climate Service" within the National...
By Andrew Freedman | May 26, 2009; 11:50 AM ET | Comments (2)
DHS Rebuffed by NOAA on Hurricane Modification
* Sunny Full Forecast | NatCast | Renaming Climate Change * Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as it approaches the Gulf Coast on Aug. 28, 2005. Courtesy NOAA. The field of hurricane modification research has been largely silent since 1983,...
By Steve Tracton | May 19, 2009; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (5)
Inside the National Weather Service
* 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...
By Jason Samenow | February 24, 2009; 01:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Treasure Trove of U.S. Weather Records
Climate Warming Reveals Itself on Web Site * Calm Before the Cold: Full Forecast | InaugurationCast * By Robert Henson If you're a climatology connoisseur like me, and you haven't yet seen the "U.S. Records" site provided by NOAA's National...
By Jason Samenow | January 12, 2009; 11:30 AM ET | Comments (5)
Flurry of Fed Science News
NOAA chief and presidential science adviser named * Latest on Weekend Storm: Express & Detailed Forecast * The Post reports that Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco will be the next head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,...
By Capital Weather Gang | December 19, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
Ex-Bush Official Lautenbacher Joins AccuWeather
* Full Forecast | Weekend Winter Weather Cancel? * Former NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher Jr. The Bush administration's longtime point person on weather and ocean issues, Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., has joined the board of directors at AccuWeather...
By Andrew Freedman | December 18, 2008; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (13)
Where Will Obama Lead NOAA?
Weather and oceans agency awaits new head * Late-Week Storm? Full Forecast * Given the incoming Obama administration's emphasis on tackling global climate change and restoring scientific integrity in policymaking, federal science agencies that had taken a back seat under...
By Andrew Freedman | December 8, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (12)
Freedman: Warming up to Adaptation
When he takes the oath of office on January 20th, President-elect Barack Obama will inherit a sobering climate change and energy challenge. Global emissions of greenhouse gases continue to increase, driving up global average surface temperatures and leading to widespread...
By Andrew Freedman | November 10, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (11)
New NOAA Administrator
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...
By Ann Posegate | November 6, 2008; 07:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
Obama's Long, Stormy Journey
Riding the winds of change to victory Emerging from the political storm of the campaign. Background photo by Kevin Ambrose (CWG). Obama photo by Paul Beaty (AP) The "stressathon'' (as dubbed by Andrew Freedman to describe the nearly two years...
By Steve Tracton | November 5, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (7)
Election and Weather Analogies
Wx and the City Like many Washingtonians this week, I have two major things on my mind: the changing weather and the election. In fact, there are many similarities between the two. Here are some comparisons (please feel free to...
By Ann Posegate | October 29, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (4)
This Weekend: Weather Service Open House
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...
By Jason Samenow | October 18, 2008; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
Freedman: Candidates May Shift Climate Research
In an article last week, I explored the climate science positions of the Republican and Democratic tickets. The story made clear that both presidential candidates agree with the consensus view of the scientific community that recent climate change is mainly...
By Andrew Freedman | October 13, 2008; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (31)
Weather Service Open House Two Weeks Away
The inside of the new National Weather Service (NWS) Office in Sterling, Va. It is over 10,000 square feet with a spacious forecast and warning operations area, offices for managers, and a large separate cubicle work area for forecasters. Courtesy...
By Jason Samenow | October 4, 2008; 02:00 PM ET | Comments (4)
NOAA Administrator Resigns
Yesterday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher announced his resignation, effective Oct. 31. The agency has made many contributions to weather and climate science, monitoring, and warnings during the retired Navy vice admiral's seven-year term, including:...
By Ann Posegate | September 24, 2008; 02:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
Freedman: Climate News from the Arctic to Texas
This was a busy week in climate-related news, so let's get right to it, shall we? First up was the finding that the Arctic summer melt season of 2008 has ended without breaking a new sea ice loss record. Instead,...
By Andrew Freedman | September 22, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (19)
Freedman: Coalition Advises Candidates on Climate
A coalition of earth science organizations representing thousands of scientists recently did something that you don't often see scientists do: they publicly united to deliver a challenge to political leaders in the midst of a heated political season. By calling...
By Andrew Freedman | August 25, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (4)
Who's Against Life-Saving Weather Radios?
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...
By Dan Stillman | July 18, 2008; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (0)
A Trigger-Happy Weather Service?
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....
By Jason Samenow | July 15, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
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...
By Andrew Freedman | March 3, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Avoiding the Hype Trap
In an interview in Parade magazine, National Weather Service (NWS) Director Dr. Jack Hayes was asked "Is there too much hype in weather forecasting?" His response: I think meteorologists are sensitive to overhyping the weather and creating a lack of...
By Jason Samenow | February 26, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Lessons Learned: Road Crews Prepped and Ready?
On my drive around the area this morning, including the Beltway and I-66, I saw numerous sand and salt trucks prepped and ready to go -- around overpasses, on ramps, and other road surfaces in Northern Virginia. Heck, the Virginia...
By Jamie Jones | February 20, 2008; 03:00 PM ET | Comments (3)
Political Science: Debate 2008
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...
By Steve Scolnik | February 11, 2008; 06:30 PM ET | Comments (0)
Climate Corner: Acting Locally
100-year flood plain, from Maryland Department of the Environment. Click on image to enlarge. A working group of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change met today in Reisterstown, as reported by AP (via Baltimore's WJZ-TV), to work on its...
By Steve Scolnik | February 8, 2008; 06:00 PM ET | Comments (11)
Crashing 'Canes and New Chief
The Discovery Channel program "Smash Lab" will air a new episode all about hurricanes. The Smash Lab teams test whether a special type of carbon fiber used to reinforce tunnels can also be used to hurricane-proof homes. The episode will...
By Jason Samenow | January 26, 2008; 04:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
