Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.

Poetry and Pictures - Weather

This painting of The Grand Canal, Venice by British artist Joseph Mallord William Turner shows clouds in the sky above the canal and city that are elongate ripples of white. This is a type of altocumulus cloud sometimes called a mackerel sky because it is like the markings of a mackerel.
Corel

February

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But just what words?

We'd like to invite you to submit your own poem about this month's featured Weather image. Be as creative and expressive as you can! And check back next month to write another wonderful poem about a weather image.

Cloud
by Sally, age 68, England

If in
another space
our two minds
could interlace
like loving
legs on
sprawling beds
of sparkling
lights
and moonbeam flights,
we could float
till dawn
on clouds
new born
just touched
with sun
like earth begun.
You and I
in another sky.

Sally Plumb
Haverhill Suffolk

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