Weather

How weather prediction models can be used to forecast flu outbreaks

The complex computer models we use to predict the weather be used to predict illness, too. According to a new paper, these models could help us know weeks in advance just how bad this flu season will be. The technique uses data taken from Google flu trends. This is near real-time data of people’s searches…

io9 Tim Barribeau Nov 29

What Is an Atmospheric River?

A gigantic storm is set to hit the West Coast later today, bringing with it over a foot of rain. It’s what meteorologists call an Atmospheric River—but what is that, exactly? An atmospheric river is a meteorological phenomenon… You guessed it! It’s not a river at all. It’s a weather event, a serious one, that…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

This lamp tells you the weather by recreating it inside your house

Another weird habit instilled in us by modern technology is the tendency to check the current weather on our smartphones when there’s a perfectly good window not three feet directly to the right. It is with this illogical behavior in mind that we present to you the Nebula 12 (a lamp, designed by Micasa LAB,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Nov 26

An Extra Grip Helps This Umbrella Battle Gale-Force Winds

Who would have thought that with just the simple addition of a second grip an umbrella could become more than just a frustrating mess of metal and nylon during a windy rainstorm? But from the looks of it the sublimely genius Grip2 umbrella could make maelstroms easier to manage. Besides a double-layer canopy that helps…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Nov 15

The National Weather Service Refuses to Acknowledge Dumb Winter Storm Names

Last month, The Weather Channel proclaimed that it would start naming winter storms in the manner of tropical storms and hurricanes in hopes that people would pay more attention to them. The National Weather Service—the official government agency in charge of all of this—just laid the smack down on that plan. https://gizmodo.com/all-hail-xerxes-the-weather-channel-will-name-this-yea-5948204 As the first…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Nov 7

Can New York Handle Another Big Storm Right Now? (UPDATED)

Just a week after Hurricane Sandy plunged New York and New Jersey into a state of emergency from which they have yet to recover, another storm is on its way. A Nor’easter, and a big, nasty one by the looks of it. The question on everybody’s mind is can these storm-ravaged areas take another one,…

Tech News Brent Rose Nov 6

Why Can’t We Stop a Hurricane Before It Hits Us?

Hurricane Sandy has caused untold billions of dollars in damage and insane casualties. And we saw the “Frankenstorm” coming, for days in advance. We can send people into space and put vehicles on Mars – why can’t we stop a hurricane in its tracks, before it comes to our major population centers and starts rolling…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 31

Sandy’s attack and disintegration

The latest video from NASA/NOAA GOES-13 satellite shows Sandy from Monday, October 29 at 9:55am EDT-as it was ramping up to attack New Jersey and New York-to October 31, 10:02am EDT, just a few minutes ago. You can clearly see all its fury and how it’s been disintegrating during the past hours. Check out the…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Oct 31

Mesmerizing map shows wind currents in the U.S. in real time

Mesmerizing map shows wind currents in the U.S. in real time [hint.fm]

io9 Annalee Newitz Oct 30

Governor Cuomo says New York may have to build a levee in the harbor

The New York Times is reporting that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo raised the possibility today of building a levee in New York in the aftermath of major flooding in Lower Manhattan and other parts of the city. “It is something we’re going to have to start thinking about,” Mr. Cuomo said. “The construction of this…

io9 George Dvorsky Oct 30

Will scientists now be more inclined to admit that climate change is causing extreme weather?

Now that the damage inflicted by Sandy is becoming apparent, the blame game has begun – and the finger is being pointed directly at climate change. And in fact, as Mark Fischetti writes in SciAm today, the disaster is finally emboldening scientists to standup and call it like it is. Scientists have been cautious when…

io9 George Dvorsky Oct 30

Superstorm cuts a swath through the northeast

Well, that was intense; Superstorm Sandy cut a swath through the North East last night and is now making its way through the interior states and up into Canada. Twitter was absolutely abuzz last night with news coming in from the various networks, first-hand accounts, and the FDNY first-response scanner. But while the Twitterverse was…

io9 George Dvorsky Oct 30

Check out this NOAA project that lets you track 3 decades of tropical storms

Has Hurricane Sandy sent your running for bottled water and bread? Find yourself mesmerized by the Weather Channel during tropical storm season? You can put your weather fetish to work with Cyclone Center, a new citizen scientist project. Cyclone Center allows users to view and help classify three decades of tracked tropical storm data. This…

io9 Keith Veronese Oct 29

The Six Most Extreme Hurricanes of All Time

Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the east coast. The storm is massive—but will she be among the most extreme hurricanes of all time? https://gizmodo.com/the-complete-story-of-sandy-a-timeline-of-horror-and-r-5955575 A lot of criteria factors in when ranking the severity of a storm, like the total death toll, maximum wind speeds, and the staggering costs of damage. Here’s a look…

Tech News Leslie Horn Oct 29

Here’s How Much Worse Hurricane Sandy Is Than Irene (Hint: Much, Much Worse)

Even though this summer’s Hurricane Irene left dozens dead and caused billions of dollars of damage, there was an inescapable consensus that it didn’t quite live up to the hype. As you can see above, meeting expectations appears to be the one thing we don’t have to worry about with Sandy. https://gizmodo.com/hurricane-irene-mostly-a-storm-of-hype-updated-5835173 We’ll continue updating…

Tech News Brian Barrett Oct 29

Google’s Crisis Map Rolls Together All the Hurricane Sandy Data You Need

If you look set to be affected by Hurricane Sandy, there’s plenty you can do to prepare. While we’re updating live about the storm’s progress, Google’s Crisis Map is also worth keeping open in a tab. https://gizmodo.com/everything-you-need-to-ride-out-a-serious-storm-5955519 The map provides layers and layers of detail, tying together data from a bunch of separate sources. It’s…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Oct 29

Incredible footage of what happened when a massive hurricane hit New England in 1938

While the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and Canada hunker down and wait for the fury of Frankenstorm to abate, you can rest assured that we’ve survived worse. In this footage of some of the most terrifying storms ever to hit New England, you can find out what it looks like when major American cities…

io9 Annalee Newitz Oct 29

Google Maps predict the future of Frankenstorm in real time

If you want to track potential damage from Frankenstorm in real time, or find the nearest shelters, Google has put together a fantastic crisis map for the New York City area. It’s a constantly-updating record not of where the storm has gone, but of where it’s likely to go based on the data that’s coming…

io9 Annalee Newitz Oct 28

Is Frankenstorm the result of climate change? Scientists weigh in.

“Frankenstorm” is the most popular name for the upcoming super-storm due to hit the eastern seaboard with floods tomorrow. As Dot Earth’s Andrew Revkin points out, this nickname makes it sound like the storm was created by humans and our climate-changing ways. It’s also a reference to the fact that this storm is actually the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Oct 28

Why is Lake Roopkund full of skeletons?

World War II was one of the first truly global wars, and soldiers in every country were told to be on the look-out for evidence of strange goings on. Even forest guards in Roopkund, India in 1942 were making long treks around the Himalayas and keeping their eyes peeled for anything sinister. One man, walking…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Oct 25

How weather prediction models can be used to forecast flu outbreaks

What Is an Atmospheric River?

This lamp tells you the weather by recreating it inside your house

An Extra Grip Helps This Umbrella Battle Gale-Force Winds

The National Weather Service Refuses to Acknowledge Dumb Winter Storm Names

Can New York Handle Another Big Storm Right Now? (UPDATED)

Why Can’t We Stop a Hurricane Before It Hits Us?

Sandy’s attack and disintegration

Mesmerizing map shows wind currents in the U.S. in real time

Governor Cuomo says New York may have to build a levee in the harbor

Will scientists now be more inclined to admit that climate change is causing extreme weather?

Superstorm cuts a swath through the northeast

Check out this NOAA project that lets you track 3 decades of tropical storms

The Six Most Extreme Hurricanes of All Time

Here’s How Much Worse Hurricane Sandy Is Than Irene (Hint: Much, Much Worse)

Google’s Crisis Map Rolls Together All the Hurricane Sandy Data You Need

Incredible footage of what happened when a massive hurricane hit New England in 1938

Google Maps predict the future of Frankenstorm in real time

Is Frankenstorm the result of climate change? Scientists weigh in.

Why is Lake Roopkund full of skeletons?

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