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NOAA: Atlantic hurricane season still expected to be above-normal

August 8, 2013 - 12:00am -- Dave Robinson

Hurricane Sandy satellite image

With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) releasing its latest outlook expecting an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season and with Sandy and Irene fresh in our memories, NJ residents may wonder what's in store for this tropical season.

These outlooks are quite general, but are based on some legitimate indicators. For example, there are those that correlate to an active season, such as warm sea surface temperatures or a wet west Africa, or the absence of things, such as shearing winds in the Atlantic from an El Nino event or dust in the atmosphere over the formative regions. More "suspect" are predictions of storm severity, though such numbers are just proportionately ramped up or down versus climatology based on the overall prediction. And of course, where the storms may develop and move is not something NOAA attempts to predict, at least not publicly. And with good reason, as the atmospheric steering currents vary from week to week, with no good means of predicting patterns well in advance.

What do climatologists think about during a heat wave?

July 26, 2013 - 12:00am -- Dan Manzo

There are two important things to know about me. The first is I have an intense passion for the climate and weather. The other is that I’m from New Jersey and appreciate everything about it. The combination of these two facts gives me good reason to think about different perspectives of “extreme” in our state. Certainly, New Jersey is not the hottest or coldest place in the world, but The Garden State does have its own “ingredients” to make a heat wave fascinating to track.

Climate and the Fourth of July in Jersey

July 3, 2013 - 12:00am -- Dan Manzo

Fireworks

If you are like me, you cannot wait until the Fourth of July. It’s a time when you are able to join the rest of the Garden State and celebrate everything New Jersey and American! This year I plan on spending my holiday with many fellow meteorologists down the shore, firing up the BBQ, and catching the Macy's Fireworks in Weehawken. These activities are not uncommon during July amongst Jersey residents and I wanted to take a look back at how well the weather “cooperated” the last few years.

Our tour of the state begins along the Jersey shore. On July 4, 2010, during the midst of a heat wave across the whole state, Point Pleasant reached a scorching 99°. 2011 was relatively cooler with temperatures only surmounting to a high of 87°. However, temperatures once again made it to the low 90’s in 2012. Further down the Parkway, Independence Day 2010 had Toms River and Seaside recording 99° and 97° (respectively). Both locations were cooler both in 2011 and 2012. Atlantic City was much cooler than rest of the state during three years of Independence Day celebrations, with a high temperature of 91° in 2010, and temperatures not making it out of the 80’s in 2011 and 2012. Will our shore towns make it to the 90 degree mark this year?

Central Jersey snow frustration

March 22, 2013 - 12:18pm -- Dave Robinson

While winter snow has almost accumulated to the seasonal average here in central New Jersey, time and time again it seems as if our area has been left short in the snow department. This atmospheric nickel and diming has included a number of times when areas to the south accumulated more snow, and occasions, as often expected, when locations to the north were the "winners".

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