By Andy Newman for The New York Times: The ideal city snowstorm, meteorological Platonists say, blankets the landscape without burying it, beautifies but does not burden, transforms and cocoons without paralyzing or even particularly inconveniencing. Such an event is expected to come our way on Saturday. Flakes should begin falling around 11 a.m., as a low pressure … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday Lewis Fry Richardson
Thanks to the Writer's Almanac: It's the birthday of physicist and psychologist Lewis Fry Richardson, born in Northumberland, England (1881), who was the first to apply mathematical techniques to predict the weather accurately. During WWI, Richardson served as a driver for the Friends' Ambulance Unit in France. During the intervals between transporting wounded soldiers … [Read more...]
Out Now: ‘The Weather Observer’s Handbook’
From the Cloud Appreciation Society: We are very pleased to announce that ‘The Weather Observer’s Handbook’ by Stephen Burt is published today. The handbook provides a comprehensive, practical and independent guide to all aspects of making weather observations. It is ideal for both amateur observers looking for help in choosing their first weather instruments on a tight … [Read more...]
Big News Merger in the PWS World
After 17 years of aggregating data from Personal Weather Stations as an independent company, Weather Underground has been acquired by the Weather Channel. Some reactions... Slate.com "Whether [The Weather Channel] will entirely replace its own forecasts with Weather Underground’s BestForecast is not immediately clear. The predicitions are often substantially different. … [Read more...]
weather forecasters threatened with jail time for bad predictions
Weather forecasters in South Africa could be forced to pay a heavy fine for getting predictions wrong - even up to a decade of imprisonment. They have been threatened with imprisonment and fines of up to R10,000 if they issue incorrect weather warnings without official permission. The proposed new law has been created to prevent panic and economic damage in the community … [Read more...]