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AI is starting to outperform meteorologists
A machine learning-based weather prediction program called “GraphCast” can outperform traditional weather pattern prediction technologies at a 90% verification rate.
NYU is building an ultrasonic flood sensor network in New York's Gowanus neighborhood
A team of researchers from NYU and CUNY are working to expand a network of street-level sensors to better protect the city against climate change-induced flooding.
Hitting the Books: How hurricanes work
In his new book, Looking Up: The True Adventures of a Storm-Chasing Weather Nerd, Matthew Cappucci mixes anecdotes from his meteorological career with explanatory science to share with readers his passion for the weather.
NOAA's surfing drone captured footage inside Hurricane Sam
The agency says data collected by saildrones could help improve storm forecasting.
BioLite launches disaster preparedness kits in time for hurricane season
Even though Hurricane Dorian has slowed down, the storm has left behind plenty of damage in its wake. Given that hurricane season lasts until November, it's a wise idea to stock up in the event of another natural disaster. BioLite has launched a set of disaster preparedness bundles for use during a power outage. Each bundle contains solar-powered lights, chargers, headlamps and a water filtration straw. The kits come in three sizes; solo, family and apartment.
GM will offer free OnStar crisis support during Hurricane Dorian
As Hurricane Dorian begins crawling towards Florida's coast, automakers are doing their part to help. GM announced today that they will offer free OnStar Crisis Assist services to all owners of properly equipped Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles who live in the impacted region. The connected car platform can help those fleeing disasters with real-time directions, free calls, routing to shelter, food and water, providing an in-vehicle WiFi hot spot, booking hotel rooms and more.
The US government knows climate change is ravaging the planet
Hurricane Katrina claimed nearly 2,000 lives when it struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005, submerging New Orleans in floodwater and devastating the region for more than a decade. It was the costliest natural disaster in US history, causing more than $160 billion in damage. Hurricane Katrina was the result of human-driven climate change.
UNC Health Care offers free virtual appointments to hurricane victims
UNC Health Care announced that it will give anyone in North Carolina free access to its virtual care service through September 23rd as the state works to recover from Hurricane Florence. Via phone, tablet or computer, UNC Urgent Care 24/7 gives users virtual access to physicians who can then diagnose them, recommend treatments and prescribe medications. The healthcare group initially waived its virtual visit fees over the weekend, but it's extending the free access since many North Carolina residents have been displaced or can't travel because of the storm.
Verizon lifts data speed caps for wildfire responders amid backlash
Earlier this week, Verizon came under fire for throttling a fire department's unlimited data while it was responding to the massive Mendocino Complex Fire that's ravaging California. The department was ultimately pushed into a more expensive plan in order to avoid speed caps. After the incident came to light and stoked widespread criticism of the company, Verizon said in a statement that its response was a "customer support mistake" and that it often lifts speed restrictions for emergency responders. Today in a new statement, Verizon added that it has now lifted speed cap restrictions for first responders on the West Coast and in Hawaii and is set to introduce a new plan for these types of responders soon.
Airbnb is encouraging tourists to visit Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico suffered the worst natural disaster in its history in September last year, when Hurricane Maria tore through the island, causing devastation that's still affecting its inhabitants. But it remains one of the most beautiful destinations in the world, and Airbnb wants to help it back on its feet with an expanded partnership effort to boost tourism to the area.
Mark Zuckerberg apologizes for insensitive VR tour of Puerto Rico
Did Mark Zuckerberg's VR tour of hurricane-struck Puerto Rico come across as callous to you? You're far from alone, and Zuckerberg realizes it... in a manner of speaking. The Facebook chief has apologized for his approach to the tour, arguing that what he intended and what happened didn't quite match. He wanted to show how VR could "raise awareness" of events and simultaneously promote a recovery partnership with the Red Cross, but "this wasn't clear" in the presentation, according to the CEO.
Tesla is shipping hundreds of Powerwall batteries to Puerto Rico
Tesla is sending hundreds of its Powerwall battery systems to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico. The commonwealth has been almost entirely without power since after Hurricane Maria made landfall on September 20th and tore up its energy infrastructure. Once the storm passed, Tesla started sending hundreds of its standalone power banks, and some have already arrived while more are en route.
Univision map offers up-to-date info about damage in Puerto Rico
The news out of Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria is, quite frankly, horrifying. The entire island could be without power for months. A crucial dam, the Guajataca, may be about to burst. Communication with the island is limited at best. There are many people still trying to get in touch with family, to make sure that loved ones living on the devastated island are okay. Now, Univision News is trying to make that a bit easier. They've built a tool (available in Spanish only) where you can choose the region of the country you're concerned about, and Univision will tell you the most recent and up-to-date news about the situation in that area.
Hurricane Maria wreaks havoc on Arecibo radio telescope
Puerto Rico is suffering on an unimaginable scale in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Many have been displaced from their homes, and the entire territory may go without electricity and reliable communication for months. And while the human tragedy is clearly the most important concern, it's also having a terrible effect on the scientific community. Researchers have learned that the Arecibo Observatory and its signature radio telescope took significant damage when the hurricane passed over. All staff members are thankfully safe for now, but an atmospheric radar line feed and a 39-foot dish (used for Very Long Baseline Interferometry) were lost in winds that reached up to 155MPH. The gigantic central dish is intact, although the line feed's collapse punctured it in places.
Tesla extends range on cars to help owners avoid Hurricane Irma
Tesla may have software-limited the battery capacities of some cars to upsell owners to pricier trim levels, but it's now clear that the company is willing to lift that limit during a crisis. The EV maker has confirmed to Electrek that it temporarily unlocked the full battery capacity on 60kWh Model S and Model X cars in Florida to give them the full 75kWh and help them escape Hurricane Irma. As you might guess, the extra range (about 30 to 40 miles) could be vital -- in one case, it helped an owner in a mandatory evacuation area optimize his escape route and get out in a timely fashion.
SoundHound's voice assistant lives inside its own speaker
Alexa and Google Home aren't the only pieces of voice-controlled assistant hardware available this holiday season. Today SoundHound announced the first third-party speaker to harness the power of its Hound platform. Built by Boombotix, the stand-alone device will not only play your music, but can answer your questions about the weather, flights, news, sports scores and more.
ICYMI: Water-repellent coating, elite air travel and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-590267{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-590267, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-590267{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-590267").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Rice University scientists came up with a new kind of water-repellent coating that is modeled on the lotus leaf. Australians have their first ever remotely controlled firefighting robot that is capable of firing a water cannon up to 90 feet. And Windspeed Technologies, an aerospace engineering firm, just upped the luxe travel game by putting a dome at the top of an aircraft with top 'o the plane seating for those you can pay for it.
The Met Office wants you to name UK storms on social media
Thankfully, Britain has never experienced weather conditions on the level of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy. Even so, the island nation is prone to the occasional storm, and to raise awareness the Met Office and Met Eireann, the Irish Meterological Service, is letting the public name some of them. At any point, you can make a suggestion by tweeting the @metoffice Twitter account with the hashtag #nameourstorms or by leaving a post on the Met Office Facebook page. If social media isn't your jam, you can also email pressoffice@metoffice.gov.uk with the subject name "nameourstorms." The suggestions will then be compiled into a master list, presumably with a little bit of curation, and then used in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names. The system is coming into effect this autumn, but it won't be used for just any storm -- only those with "medium" and "high" wind impacts will qualify. Does anyone else like the name "Sue Storm?"
NASA satellites to predict hurricane paths by studying their cores
NASA may soon eliminate much of the uncertainty in predicting the paths of hurricanes and other giant storms. The agency is building CYGNSS (Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System), a flock of eight microsatellites that should track hurricanes more effectively than any one full-size craft can manage. They'll be the first satellites to look at the inner core of a storm, giving them a good estimate of the wind speeds and thus the path of those swirling air currents. They'll also get updated images of the tropics within a few hours instead of a few days, so meteorologists shouldn't be caught off-guard if a hurricane quickly gathers momentum or changes direction. When CYGNSS starts helping out during the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season (between June and November), it could do a lot to help coastal residents prepare for natural disasters.
University of Miami's hurricane tank simulates storms for scientists
Researchers from the University of Miami have started looking more closely into category five hurricanes this month. No, not by chasing them around -- they're thankfully quite rare -- but by simulating their effects inside a huge indoor tank. Oceanographers from the institute built the 66 x 20 foot tank officially called SUSTAIN or Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction Facility on an island off the coast of Florida. The scientists merely have to flip a switch for the paddles inside to start churning the waters and for fans to begin mimicking howling winds -- in just few minutes, it all turns into a small-scale storm.
