Colorado Trip in Pictures

The conference came to a close Sunday morning and many broadcasters (myself included) left with some new information on a changing climate. We hear so much about global warming and it is very controversial, now that politics are involved. It is a bit alarming to see how much carbon we are putting into the atmosphere, and that's likely helping to warm the Earth a bit. It is a sensitive subject and to really discuss it in detail is beyond the scope of my blog, but we should do what we can to help reduce our waste and be smarter with our resources.

My trip to UCAR (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) was very informative and that's where we had a chance to discuss one on one with climate researchers. As their name suggests, much of the work they do is directly involved with universities to research and better understand how our atmosphere works. The more we continue to learn about the envelope of gasses that surround us, the better we will be at predicting weather and climate. It's just another part of weather that I love. UCAR is located just outside of Boulder and is located up on a mesa. The view is spectacular and by the way, UCAR has nothing to do with NASCAR!

Friday afternoon was time devoted to NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) where more government research takes place. We even had a chance to visit the Space Weather Prediction Center where they monitor the sun very closely for sunspot activity, geomagnetic and solar radiation storms. My favorite was the "science on a sphere" lab where researchers can pull up full satellite information and place it on this model globe. Words and pictures can't describe how cool it is, but with a remote, they can spin the globe side to side, or up and down to view satellite and weather model data. The cost of one of these labs: $165,000. If I had extra cash, I'd help put one in right here in Wichita because it would give you a new appreciation for weather data that we look at almost everyday. Very cool stuff.

Sorry for the extreme number of acronyms... I could put more on here but I'll spare you.

Where did the month of June go?? Crazy!

Hello from Colorado

I see Kansas had another bout with severe weather last night. It looks like heavy rain fell in many areas of the state, which will probably stall the wheat harvest for a day or two. We do have a cold front coming in for Friday night, so expect to find some more storms in the area later this evening and especially overnight. Hopefully there will not be widespread severe storms, but it is possible.

As I write this, the buses are pulling up to take the group of meteorologists to Boulder, CO for a tour of NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) There is a great deal of research conducted on climate and atmospheric modeling at this facility. There are many different kinds of models that we look at in the weather office and as they improve, our forecasts will also get better. Of course, we will still miss a storm or two, but we are on the right track for sure. If you are reading this at work today and get bored, here is the website for NCAR: http://www.ncar.ucar.edu/

I was in some interesting climate discussions yesterday. Needless to say, each meteorologist has a little different viewpoint on the whole climate change topic, but more research is underway to see exactly what is going on with our planet.
Have a great Friday. Ayna will be covering the weather for me this weekend. Look for more updates later in the weekend.

Summertime Weather

I really hope you had a nice weekend and it was nice to have some dry weather (at least in eastern Kansas). I know there are several areas in the west that could use more moisture, and you'll have a chance this week. We are still in an active weather pattern that will bring some scattered activity to the area in the next few days.

I did drive back to see my parents on Thursday. The wheat is looking good between Wichita and Ellsworth, but I understand that when you get north of there, most of the wheat has been destroyed. The hail has been significant this year and it has left a mark on our state. I know some area farmers were cutting Sunday afternoon... you have to make hay when the sun shines and the chances for more storms this week have several people concerned.

I'm gearing up for a big weather conference in Denver this week. I'll try and post an entry or two while I'm taking in more weather knowledge, but I can't make any promises. We are touring a research facility in Boulder on Friday called UCAR (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) Broadcasters from across the country will be learning about new discoveries in the world of weather and will be doing some training on new technology that we use almost everyday.