Weather in the News

Some news clippings from the past few days that relate to my favorite subject:

NOAA Sups Up Its Computers: NOAA announced last week that it has put three of the world’s most powerful supercomputers into operation for forecasting and research. Named Red, White and Blue, the three IBM Supercomputers will move the Weather Service’s calculating capability from 450 billion calculations per second to an amazing 1.3 billion calculations per second. This computing speed is critical for the NWS to run models with higher resolution, making longer range forecasts of significant events possible and giving better guidance for short term forecasts. The computers are part of a nine year, $180 million contract with IBM.

Weak El Niño ending: NOAA reported last week that sea surface temperatures over the Equatorial Pacific continue to dip slightly, indicating that the weak El Niño episode experience we have been experiencing continues to wane toward a neutral situation for the remainder of the year. This could mean a less wet and stormy Spring for us and continued above normal tropical activity in the Atlantic this summer.

British weather forecasters in a dither: English website EDP24 reported last week that veteran TV weather forecaster John Kettley created a stir when he blasted female television weather presenters on air, saying they did not have as much credibility as their male counterparts. Other weather presenters blasted back at Kettley, saying that he was being mean and unfair. One presenter said that, all that mattered to people was whether or not they “needed to take their brolly to the park.” Now if someone would just explain what a “brolly” is.

A Weather Money Scandal? The Australian Associated Press reported last week than an employee of the World Meteorological Organization had embezzled $4 million in training funds from the organization. The employee resigned last year and later faked his death in order to obtain his pension. Interpol has not found him yet. What are people thinking?