Category: Weather Nerd

10th Polar Vortex of the Winter Invades the Country This Week

Road sign reads: Polar Vortex Extreme Cold Take Precautions

The coldest burst of Arctic air this season is coming to put an icy exclamation point on America’s winter of repeated polar vortex invasions, meteorologists warn. And it will stay frozen there all next week. As the Associated Press (AP) reports, different weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that […]

How to Survive a Winter Power Outage

Power outages during frigid winter months can endanger lives. Being prepared can help you and your family stay safe and comfortable. As AccuWeather repots, if your power goes out, first you need to make sure you haven’t blown a circuit by checking the breakers in your home’s electrical panel. Think ahead and unplug electronics and […]

It’s a great time to Gaze upon the Snow Moon

Full moon over winter landscape

There’s more snow expected in February, a snow moon, that is. The second full moon of the year will reach its peak on Wednesday at 8:53 p.m. EDT, according to Space.com. Given the amount of snowfall in February, this full moon is appropriately called the snow moon. Stargazers are encouraged to look for the moon on […]

A “Frenetic Weather Pattern” keeps Persistent Winter Storms Coming in more than 20 states Through the End of February

snowfall around empty California roadway in winter landscape with snow-topped trees

According to AccuWeather, a frenetic weather pattern will send persistent winter storms across more than 20 states through the end of February, disrupting daily routines and causing cascading travel delays. “It’s been a disruptive start to February, and this onslaught of winter storms is expected to stick around for most of the month,” AccuWeather Chief […]

The US just experienced the coldest January since 2011 and More is On the Way

Road sign reads: Polar Vortex Extreme Cold Take Precautions

If you spent much of last month shivering in the United States, you were not alone. A preliminary look at temperature data shows that the U.S. is likely to have experienced its coldest January average mean temperature since at least 2011, with records going back to 1895. As AccuWeather reports, Climate Central’s preliminary findings for […]

The α-Centaurid Meteor Shower Peaks this Weekend

Father and Son sit on dock watch meteor shower in night sky

The α-Centaurid meteor shower will be active from 28 January to 21 February, producing its peak rate of meteors around 8 February. Over this period, there will be a chance of seeing α-Centaurid meteors from anywhere where the shower’s radiant point – in the constellation Centaurus – is above the horizon.  The Origin of the Shower As In-The-Sky reports, […]

A Pineapple Express is Washing Over the Western Region this week. What causes an Atmospheric River?

Storm Clouds

An atmospheric river originating from near Hawaii known as a ‘Pineapple Express,’ will send copious amounts of moisture into a large portion of the Northwest and California into the new week, resulting in heavy rain and waist-deep snow, warn AccuWeather meteorologists. The Pineapple Express, already evident on weather maps this weekend, will bring a variety of hazards to the […]

What did Punxsutawney Phil See on Sunday? What does He (and Meteorologists) say about How Much Winter is Left?

Statue of Punxsutawney Phil outside Phil's Burrow building in Gobbler's Knob

Punxsutawney Phil is predicting six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow at Gobbler’s Knob Sunday morning.  As CBS News reports, thousands of people gather every Feb. 2 to watch Phil make his big prediction at Gobbler’s Knob, about an hour and a half drive from Pittsburgh in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This year’s crowd was […]

How Weather Shaped History: Revisiting the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on Jan. 28, 1986

The chilly morning of Jan. 28, 1986, ended in disaster as the space shuttle Challenger broke apart off the coast of Florida in one of the worst tragedies in the history of NASA. As AccuWeather reports, the mission, known as STS-51-L, was Challenger’s 10th flight and the 25th flight of the space shuttle program. The […]

Ice Shoves are a Hidden Danger along the Great Lakes

Ice Shove along Great Lakes coastline

Residents around the Great Lakes were on notice Monday that a weather phenomenon known as an “ice shove” was possible throughout the night on the eastern shores as whiteout conditions were expected across the Northeast. The Great Lakes are incredibly large bodies of water, used for shipping goods and ores around the world. Their shores are […]