THE 2011 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON IS UNDERWAY
The Atlantic hurricane season kicks off today. And considering what’s happened meteorologically so far this year, the advent of the season may be viewed with trepidation by many, especially those who live and vacation along the Gulf and East Coasts. Typically, the season doesn’t offer much of excitement or danger until August. June storms, what…
Read MoreTHE DOG DAYS OF JUNE COMETH
It’s been a rough spring so far. The Grim Reaper in the guise of EF-4 and EF-5 twisters stalking the southern Plains and Deep South; a flood worthy of Biblical times washing down the Mississippi Valley; and Texans fearing the appearance of Bedouins on camels as the landscape withers under unprecedented drought. But wait, there’s…
Read MoreEYEWALL NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON’S KINDLE
EYEWALL is now available in e-book format from Amazon, which my publisher’s PR person refers to as the “800-pound gorilla” in the business. Amazon accounts for about two-thirds of all e-book sales. The company announced last week that it now sells more e-books than printed books. Since the first of April Amazon has sold 105…
Read MoreNOAA’s 2011 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON OUTLOOK
NOAA today issued its outlook for the upcoming hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin, and it isn’t substantially different from two previous predictions from other sources. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service, expects 12 to 18 named storms (including hurricanes) to develop this year. Earlier forecasts from Colorado State University…
Read MoreTHE 2011 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON—WILL OUR LUCK RUN OUT?
In addition to Colorado State University’s (CSU) outlook for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, Weather Services International (WSI), a Weather Channel company, recently issued its own forecast. WSI’s expectation for the rapidly approaching season is virtually the same as CSU’s: 15 named storms (16 for CSU); 8 hurricanes (9 for CSU); and 4 major hurricanes…
Read MoreBipolar Meteorologists
To meteorologists, the Great Tornado Swarm of last week was something breathtaking to behold. It fascinated us, it stunned us, it frightened us. Nature on a rampage. Horrific science fiction come to reality. And yet, as always, we were torn between the dichotomy of being awestruck voyeurs of nature’s power and distressed witnesses to human…
Read MoreWhy?
I’m appalled at the loss of life–the death toll stands near 300 as I write this–in this week’s devastating tornado swarm. The meteorological killing fields extended from the Deep South into Virginia. The number of twisters and dead rivals those of the great Super Outbreak of April 1974. In fact, to find tornado fatality lists…
Read MoreThe 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Prediction–what’s it mean for you?
The researchers at Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project have updated their outlook for the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season. They’ve been issuing such predictions for over two decades and have earned some credibility in the field. They expect this season to be an active one with 16 named storms (hurricanes and tropical storms). Of the…
Read MoreCoolest golf shirt ever!
Okay, the shirt–I actually had four of them embroidered: two for me, one for my brother and one for my grandson–is not the most cost-effective way to promote a book, but I thought it would be kind of a fun to wear a shirt proclaiming I’m a novelist. Yeah, I know. It’s an ego trip,…
Read MoreFearless Peerless
I sat with George Scott in his brand new facility on a rainy Tuesday this week and wondered aloud what possessed a man to open a book store while so many others are going the way of eight-track stereo players. Independents are shuttering their doors left and right, Borders is in Chapter 11, and Barnes…
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