NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco was on hand today to mark the start of construction on NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center in Mobile, Ala. The facility will be the regional home to a multi-functional collection of NOAA’s emergency preparedness, response, restoration, and recovery assets and personnel in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Twenty million people living in the Gulf of Mexico’s coastal communities face a number of environmental and economic challenges, ranging from hurricanes and the potential for resulting oil spills to coastal habitat loss and climate change threats,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “To balance competing demands on coastal resources, decision makers need the science, information and decision support tools that NOAA provides.”

The 15,000-square-foot facility will be constructed to withstand a major hurricane and devoted to conserving energy, water and natural resources while reducing impacts on human health and the environment. NOAA acquired the site through a long-term ground lease with Mobile County. A construction contract was awarded in September 2009 to Complete Building Corporation from Charleston, S.C. The building is expected to open in spring 2011.

“We learned during Hurricane Katrina that coordination between agencies and across every level of government is critical,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. “NOAA will be able to consolidate its Gulf region disaster efforts in one location and better address the needs of affected communities following a disaster.”

During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restorationassisted the U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Gulf coast states with nearly 400 reported releases of hazardous materials and 16 significant pollution spills. The office also conducted offshore flights to identify and document sources of spilled oil and helped minimize damage to shoreline habitats during vessel salvage operations.

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration is a federal leader in preparedness, response, damage assessment, and restoration for oil spills, chemical spills and hazardous waste sites. Working with federal, state, local and tribal agencies, its mission is to minimize harm to the environment when responding to an incident and protect and restore coastal ecosystems. OR&R works with federal, state, local and tribal agencies to develop best practices and decision making tools for cleanup and assessment of oil spills and hazardous waste sites. NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

Rendering of NOAA’s new Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center.

High resolution(Credit: NOAA)

Tropical storm watches will be issued when tropical storm conditions are possible along the coast within 48 hours. Tropical storm warnings will be issued when those conditions are expected within 36 hours. This is an increase of 12 hours from those issued in previous years. [image: NHC Director Bill Read provides to the TV audience the latest information on Hurricane Ida, Nov., 2009.]

NHC Director Bill Read provides the TV audience with the latest information on Hurricane Ida, Nov. 2009.

High resolution(Credit: NOAA) Similar increases in lead-time will apply to hurricane watches and warnings. The hurricane watches and warnings will generally be timed to provide 48 and 36 hours notice, respectively, before the onset of tropical storm force winds. That additional time will also allow people preparing for the storm – securing oil rig platforms, getting food and water stockpiled, boarding windows, etc., – enough time to finish preparations and get to safe shelter.

[image: NHC hurricane specialist Dan Brown discusses the watches and warnings in place along the U.S. Gulf coast for Hurricane Ida, Nov. 2009.]

NHC hurricane specialist Dan Brown discusses the watches and warnings in place along the U.S. Gulf coast for Hurricane Ida, Nov. 2009.

High resolution(Credit: NOAA)

“With increases in population and infrastructure along vulnerable U.S. coastlines, emergency managers need more lead time in order to make life-saving decisions regarding evacuations,” said Bill Read, director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center.

These changes will go into effect for the 2010 hurricane season, which begins on May 15 in the Eastern Pacific and on June 1 for the Atlantic Basin.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

*Punch Hole Clouds* may appear as a circular or oval holes in a layer of supercooled clouds; sometimes they assume a form of a perfect circle and persist for quite a long time, drifting together with the cloud layer. One explanation seems to blame the air traffic (the jet contrail intersections) combined with a thermal inversion (a circular motion of a rising warm air).

This strange phenomenon resulted from a combination of cold temperatures, air traffic, and perhaps unusual atmospheric stability. The cloud blanket on January 29 consisted of supercooled clouds. Supercooled clouds contain water droplets that remain liquid even though the temperature is well below freezing, and such clouds are not unusual. According to the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) Satellite Blog,cloud-top temperatures ranged from 20 to 35 degrees Celsius. As aircraft from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport passed through these clouds, tiny particles in the exhaust came into contact with the supercooled water droplets, which froze instantly. The larger ice crystals fell out of the cloud deck, leaving behind the “holes,” while the tiniest ice particles in the center remained aloft.

The people on the ground watching the show these clouds made didn’t have to worry about getting wet or being showered with ice. When the general atmospheric conditions aren’t favorable for rain, the falling ice crystals sublimate—change state directly from a solid to a gas—as they pass through warmer layers of the atmosphere.

(source) http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7362

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center http://www.spc.noaa.gov/, in conjunction with local National Weather Service offices across the country, is now issuing new public severe weather outlooks when forecast conditions are favorable for strong and violent tornadoes to occur overnight. When issued the outlook will be available online http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/.

“Nighttime tornadoes pose a particular challenge since many people are asleep and not aware of watches and warnings,” said Joseph Schaefer, director of NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. “We added this extra outlook to highlight potential threats while people are still awake.”

Following the February 2008 Super Tuesday Tornado outbreak that caused 57 fatalities in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, researchers found most people minimize the threat of tornadoes in winter because it is outside the “traditional” tornado season.

“We know tornadoes can occur anywhere and at any time under the right conditions,” Schaefer said. “Residents across the southern U.S. need to be extra vigilant in watching weather developments during this winter season.”

The strongest winter tornado activity in the United States this winter is expected to be over Florida and the Gulf Coast region due to the current El Niño, Schaefer warned.

Chances of a tornado increase along the Gulf Coast with the current El Niño, a large-scale weather pattern associated with warming of sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. As these waters warm, they force the development of a stronger-than-average jet stream emanating from the eastern Pacific and extending across the southern tier of the United States. The impact of this jet stream is most apparent from January through late March when it enhances severe thunderstorm and tornado potential over coastal states.

Nearly 80 percent of cool-season tornado deaths in Florida occur during El Niños, many after dark. This type of deadly nighttime tornado activity occurred as recently as February 2007 when an outbreak caused 21 fatalities and 76 injuries, and February 1998, when tornadoes killed 42 people and injured 259. Other recent deadly cold season tornado outbreaks have affected parts of Georgia, Texas and Mississippi during El Niño years.

Having a NOAA Weather Radio http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/ at your bedside is the best way to know when a tornado is on the way. These small units receive a special tone that activates the radio alarm before broadcasting emergency announcements, such as a tornado warning issued by NOAA’s National Weather Service. This feature is especially crucial when severe storms or other events occur at night when most people are sound asleep.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

The storm system is a result of a strong trough that helped push arctic air across the U.S. The deepening low pressure system will tighten the pressure gradient and increase winds to blizzard like conditions. Wind chills will get to -10 to -30 degrees. This is an extremely dangerous storm system.

The storm system is a result of a strong trough that helped push arctic air across the U.S. The deepening low pressure system will tighten the pressure gradient and increase winds to blizzard like conditions. Wind chills will get to -10 to -30 degrees. This is an extremely dangerous storm system. [image: us.png]

As you watch the video you will notice that the tornado is actually spinning clockwise.  In the U.S. most tornadoes spin counter-clockwise.  While it is possible to get clockwise spinning storms in the U.S. it is more likely in the southern hemisphere. If you were to look at a radar image of this storm it would likely be a mirror opposite of a supercell in the U.S. The hook echo on this storm would be in the southeast quadrant, not the southwest quadrant.

AROUND THE 36 HOUR PERIOD…THE CYCLONE SHOULD EMERGE OVER THE NORTHWEST
CARIBBEAN SEA AND…ASSUMING THE CIRCULATION IS NOT TOO SEVERELY
DISRUPTED BY ITS PASSAGE OVER LAND…THE SYSTEM SHOULD RESTRENGTHEN
INTO A TROPICAL STORM.  HOWEVER…THE GLOBAL MODELS INDICATE ONLY A
MARGINALLY FAVORABLE UPPER-LEVEL WIND ENVIRONMENT OVER THE
REGION…WHICH SHOULD CURTAIL SIGNIFICANT INTENSIFICATION AS IDA
HEADS IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE YUCATAN CHANNEL.  AFTER IDA
ENTERS THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO….THE INTENSITY FORECAST IS
HIGHLY UNCERTAIN.  THE LARGE-SCALE MODELS ALL AGREE ON AN
INCREASINGLY STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPING OVER THE
GULF OF MEXICO TOWARD THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.  THE GFDL AND
HWRF MODELS…PARTICULARLY THE FORMER…SHOW SIGNIFICANT
INTENSIFICATION OF IDA IN THE LATTER PART OF THE PERIOD.  IT SHOULD
BE RECALLED HOWEVER THAT THESE MODELS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE A
HIGH BIAS IN STRONGLY SHEARED ENVIRONMENTS…AS WAS THE CASE WITH
TROPICAL STORMS DANNY…ERIKA…AND HENRI OF THIS YEAR.
CONSEQUENTLY…THE OFFICIAL WIND SPEED FORECAST LEANS MORE TOWARD
THE WEAKER LGEM AND SHIPS PREDICTIONS.

Ida Forecast Path