A gravity wave forms when crests and troughs align in the upper levels, interacting with the atmosphere and the ocean. An undular bore is a gravity wave where the frontal boundary bumps and lifts a shallow layer of air at the surface. With these confusing items noted, flying over the Gulf of Mexico may be safer. … Continue reading →

It’s the season for baseballs, tennis balls, softballs, golf balls and especially an ice-cold snowball. Years ago, a Georgia company created “reef balls.” Eternal Reefs secures the ashes of the deceased, adds them to concrete and places them in artificial reefs. Owners of the company claim their “reef balls” help repair environmental damage by creating a … Continue reading →

Japanese Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu hurled the first ceremonial “first pitch” in 1908 in Koshien, Japan, a baseball tradition that has since honored 22 presidents. Unless the game is rained out, the ceremony always occurs. The “first pitch” also designates the completion of pregame festivities and … Continue reading →

Recent lightning storms left a batch of nitrogen on our vegetation. An archived item from Nature Geoscience said scientists challenged a commonly held theory in 2011 about rainfall’s activity after reaching the ground. It was previously believed rainfall entering the soil would mix with additional “ensuing” rain until transportation into the plant. Oregon State University researchers … Continue reading →

An Hawaii monitoring station tracks the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide and on Thursday that amount hit a record. The publication Atlantic reports in 1988, NASA scientist James Hansen predicted carbon dioxide would reach 350 parts per million by 2013 and last week’s 400 ppm posted the highest daily mean concentration in human history. The environmental … Continue reading →

Ice streams have been compared with taps that would fill a bath tub, and Nature Geoscience adds that ice streams are arteries in ice that move faster than the surrounding ice. Researchers at Durham University report the shape of channels within ice sheets transporting ice to the sea influences this delivery process and adds to rising … Continue reading →

To watch ice melt, go to http://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/. The Nenana Ice Classic began in 1917 by bridge builders crossing the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska. As noted in a previous column, when the river froze, work stopped and speculation as to an ice break began the wagering. Cash prizes are awarded to those who could … Continue reading →

She lives in the house where she was born and won’t relocate to where her children reside. Her oldest, Denis, was born in the spring, Mike in the summer, Patrick and Kevin in winter, Maureen and Mark in the fall. Whether a snowstorm or thunderstorm, she refers to IT by … Continue reading →

Our grandfather, Bert Price, lived with us in the same home that his children were born. A retired “railroader” at U.S. Steel, he chewed Mailpouch tobacco, gardened and read two newspapers every day from front to back. He watched only two television shows: “Lawrence Welk” and “Studio Wrestling.” As noted previously, he never had a driver’s … Continue reading →

A survey conducted by another publication found Ivar’s Sports Bar and Grill serves the coldest beer in Baton Rouge. Researchers at the University of Washington Atmospheric Science Department believe water condensing on the outside edge of a can increases the beverage temperature. Pat Quigley, a noted petroleum engineer and Ivar’s owner, advanced this theory years ago … Continue reading →

The Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune reports experts at Montana State University determined that over the past 58 years, an annual mean temperature increase during springtime has affected the performance of hard red spring wheat. Because of the warmup, spring wheat seeding is 12 days earlier than 60 years ago. In addition to the increase, wheat breeders … Continue reading →

On this date in 2011, hydrologists monitored the record rise of the Mississippi River. As noted in a previous column, The National Weather Service Forecast Center’s Mississippi River Flood History posted a timely item. In 1543, Hernando De Soto experienced a 40-day flood near what is now Memphis. In 1788, a hurricane caused severe flooding, which … Continue reading →

We are 27 days away from the official start of Hurricane Season 2013. Since 2008, The Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project engaged the tropical community in hopes of longer lead times and greater accuracy in warnings. Their goals include reducing average track errors and intensity errors by 20 percent in five years with 50 percent reductions in 10 years for … Continue reading →

We are 27 days away from the official start of Hurricane Season 2013. Since 2008, The Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project engaged the tropical community in hopes of longer lead times and greater accuracy in warnings. Their goals include reducing average track errors and intensity errors by 20 percent in five years with 50 percent reductions in 10 years … Continue reading →

A vague, outlined swath of countryside, extending from the Deep South through the Plains and the Midwest, formerly was a loose definition of “Tornado Alley.” As noted in a previous column, Discovery magazine reported two traditional alleys have been identified from Oklahoma and Texas through Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri into the Ohio Valley. Another alley … Continue reading →

The American Lung Association monitors air pollution at numerous field offices, posting its State of the Air Report each year, identifing ozone levels and particle pollutants throughout the U.S. The assocation has given Baton Rouge a passing grade for annual particle pollutants, a “B” for particle pollution and an “F” for ozone. Los … Continue reading →

Discarded liners used to encase offshore oil rig piping were recognized as a model of “green” engineering and are being recycled for another important use. In tornado prone areas, storm shelters provide valuable protection. The National Storms Shelter Association tests products to improve storm shelters. Recently, the Texas Tech Debris Impact Test Facility fired 15-pound two-by-fours … Continue reading →

In addition to tides, sunny warm days are the key ingredients in salt farming. Continuing our Saturday column, salt farmers, known as paludiers, collect the gourmet of all salts for use in renowned restaurants worldwide. Once a wooden gate traps the sea water, a collection of clay walls promotes slow evaporation. Seepage leads to shallow pools and the … Continue reading →

Two things that can’t be denied to a nuclear reactor are power and water. Electric Light and Power reports the 9.0 earthquake at the Fukushima plant in Japan, causing three meltdowns in 2011, was a game changer. Last month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission charged the Tennessee Valley Authority had failed to adequately protect the Sequoyah and Watts Bar … Continue reading →

Social media provides an excellent addition to our weather presentations. Wednesday’s super cell threw down 2 inches of rain in less than an hour, initiating flash flooding. Our weather watchers responded with shots of the storm’s impact. As noted in a previous column, photo technology increased after the Civil War. On Aug. 28, 1884, F.N. Robinson, … Continue reading →

Thursday marks the 105th anniversary of the “1908 Tornado.” As noted in a previous column, this tornado qualified for The Tornado Project, hitting the community of Weiss in northwest Livingston Parish, ranking seventh on the Top 10 List of Killer Tornadoes. Investigators verified the tornado was approximately 2 miles wide, moved east-northeast into St. Helena Parish … Continue reading →

Earthquakes have made headlines from Anchorage to Mexico City. On April 22, 2009, a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded near Centreville, Ala., about 40 miles southwest of Birmingham. Another quake shook Birmingham on April 23, 2003, measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale. Louisiana has experienced earthquakes. On Oct. 19, 1930, one rattled Napoleonville with effects reported … Continue reading →

Continuing our column from Sunday, engineer James Francis found success in canal construction and recommended implementing a massive gate to deflect floodwaters from Lowell, Mass. Closing off the feeder canals to the Merrimack River, the design was similar to gates defending castles against invaders in medieval Europe. His contemporaries ridiculed the idea but in April 1852, … Continue reading →

On April 18, 1927, inundation from the Great Flood of Louisiana drove creation of the existing levee system. Imperfect engineering and shoddy construction has caused the collapse of dams, such as the Johnstown Flood of 1889. As noted in a previous column, on May 16, 1874, 138 people died due to poor construction and a dam … Continue reading →

South Louisiana suffers numerous episodes of fog that often result in dense-fog advisories. Max-Planck-Gesselschaft reports a difference between navigating with a fogged windshield and driving in real fog. Researchers at the Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, Germany, report that contrary to previous beliefs, drivers overestimate speed during foglike conditions. Virtual reality simulations determined drivers increase … Continue reading →

Water is the most widely used material and second on the list is concrete. Concrete cannot be fully recycled; however a resurrected solution includes the use of lightning. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics in Holzkirchen, Germany, have revived a method, developed by Russian scientists in the 1940s, called electrodynamic fragmentation. The problem with … Continue reading →

Years ago, we would purchase rain insurance for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. In 1788, Benjamin Franklin first proposed crop insurance for storms, blight and insects; the first tornado insurance policy was issued in 1865. The Tobacco Growers’ Mutual Insurance Co., of North Canaan, Conn., wrote the first hail insurance policy in 1887. As noted in … Continue reading →

Alum contains aluminum sulfate and is found in styptic pencils and as astringents. As noted in a previous column, alum is used as a skin soothing agent. My mother had a “medicine drawer” containing every medicinal substance invented from the 1900s to the present. Years ago, Andy Ezell and … Continue reading →

Years ago, Claire Major requested a weather live shot at the Bogan Fire Station on Laurel Street for what was then identified as “Lollapalooza,” benefiting the Arts Council. Folks in Chicago informed the council the naming of their event was in conflict with a registered trademark. The council changed it to “Laurel Street Palooza.” In August, … Continue reading →

Our azaleas have bloomed and when you watch The Masters this week, they’ll be in full bloom. Groundskeepers and horticulturists at Augusta control their blooming by covering the bushes in ice in time for this event. Spring ends for us when the purple martins return as signs of the season will be experienced elsewhere. I reviewed … Continue reading →

Meteorologists do more than prepare and forecast the weather. Experts from the National Center for Atmospheric Research met recently in Washington, D.C., to advance ideas to prevent fatal car crashes in severe weather. “NBC Nightly News” reports of all deadly atmospheric events, getting into your car and hitting the road, before severe weather episodes, causes the … Continue reading →

Whether it’s a hurricane or intense thunderstorms, flooding in south Louisiana is expected. Parish representatives follow a potential flooding procedure to assist residents that includes sand bagging. In Fargo, N.D., April includes a “rite of spring” for the flooding of the Red River. The Red River forms the state line between North Dakota and Minnesota. Following the … Continue reading →

Welcome to April and April Fools’ Day. If you receive a text message to contact Mr. Fox, Mr. Lion or even Mr. Hebert, you may want to cross-check the number with the Baton Rouge Zoo. Spring weather can bring storms that are no joking matter. Stations in the “alley” have crews trained to get as close … Continue reading →

Passover began Monday at sunset, 7:20 p.m., however the official “full” moon rose at 7:58 p.m. Wednesday. Astronomers determine a full moon by calculating the percentage of illumination, as tonight’s full moon will have 94 percent illumination. One school of thought suggests “light” was needed for the Israelites to leave Egypt, in darkness, and continue their … Continue reading →

“Wind setdown” occurs when strong winds blow over water for an extended period of time, shifting the water body downward. As noted in a previous column, this shift causes a low-angle tilt and the upwind, shore water level drops. “As the sun sank over the Nile Delta, a man stood onshore … … Continue reading →

Years ago, our friend the late Price Leblanc and I would wager as to when the last freeze of the season would occur. I would select a date in mid- to late March and Price would occasionally pick days after the first of April. Price monitored the weather closely for his cattle and … Continue reading →

Windermere, Fla., experienced tornado damage this weekend. Sixty years ago, Capt. Robert Miller and Maj. Ernest Fawbush believed a tornado was going to hit Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. As noted in Monday’s column, the latter incident marked the first time in weather forecasting that a tornado warning was issued. By the time the two … Continue reading →

Research professor Jennifer Francis from the Rutgers Institute of Coastal and Marine Science has offered another alarming example of global warming that has contributed to cold persistent winters. Her research team believes the loss of Arctic ice affects the jet stream and pushes it farther south, creating an avenue for Arctic air to follow. She contends that the … Continue reading →

Today is a special anniversary in the annals of weather forecasting. As noted in a previous column, it was this date in 1948 that two U.S. Air Force weathermen, Capt. Robert Miller and Maj. Ernest Fawbush, proved with a certain degree of accuracy that a prediction could be issued determining when a tornado would hit. With … Continue reading →

On April 11, 1991, a canceled check was sucked up by a tornado in Stockton, Kansas. It was carried 223 miles to Robert Melcher’s farm near Winnetoon, Neb. John Knox, an associate professor of geography at the University of Georgia, is conducting research on how debris is carried by twisters to better understand the intricacies of … Continue reading →

A resident bird watcher convinced me when we experience our last robin in south Louisiana, get ready for the heat. The traditional swallows have returned to Capistrano, the buzzards have arrived in Hinckley, Ohio, and we’re on the lookout for purple martins. As noted in a previous column, it was once believed homing pigeons relied on … Continue reading →

Mother Nature set the alarm clock for 6:02 this morning, officially launching spring. The start of spring introduces windy weather in many sections of the U.S. and more kite flying. Another tradition for the National Weather Service includes informing and preparing the public for flooding. This week is Flood Safety Awareness Week and the Weather Service … Continue reading →

Italian violin makers in the 17th and 18th centuries created instruments known for their superior quality. Those crafted by Antonio Stradivari are the most sought-after violins of all time. Stradivari lived in Cremona, Italy, from 1644 to 1737, an era designated as the Little Ice Age. It is also known as Maunder Minimum due to reduced … Continue reading →

Cold weather in Baton Rouge is not popular for some. As noted in a previous column, International Falls, Minn., holds its position as the official “Icebox of the Nation.” A battle for bragging rights as to which town is the coldest continues as Fraser, Idaho, was attempting to grab the title. Jerry Thompson and his wife, … Continue reading →

I named this parade “The Wearin’ of the Green” in tribute to its anonymous author during the Irish Rebellion in 1798 and to further the beauty of the color green. If you can’t join us on the route, join us on WBRZ.com and ParadeGroup.com as we “stream” the ceremonies at 9:40 a.m. For many years, the … Continue reading →