Articles

Federal Meteorological Activities Set to Improve Services
Better Coordination of Federal Meteorological Activities Set to Improve Services to Nation

It is generally pretty hard to get excited about the nuances of government bureaucracies and how they may, or may not, coordinate activities across various Federal agencies. But a major change has been underway over the past two years related to how meteorological services are coordinated in the government and how they interact with the academic and private sectors, as well that has the potential to make a real difference. It represents the first major administrative restructuring of the U.S. meteorological services enterprise in over five decades, and it elevates meteorological services to the highest levels of government, including the White House.

Improving Forecasts With Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
Improving Forecasts With Uncrewed Aircraft Systems

An important key to improving weather forecasts, especially short-term forecasts on regional scales, is increasing the amount of observational data that can be assimilated into the computer forecast models. While remote sensing from satellite and radars continues to be enormously important, direct measurements from instruments such as those making up a weather station, called in-situ measurements, add great value.

Safe Place Selfie Day
Safe Place Selfie Day
Weather Risk Communication for Professional Golf
Weather Risk Communication for Professional Golf
Author Interview Series: Dr. Robert Atlas
Author Interview Series: Dr. Robert Atlas
Numerical Weather Prediction & Model Performance: What Everyone Should Know
Numerical Weather Prediction & Model Performance: What Everyone Should Know
The Heat is On: Summer Safety Webinar with Melissa Griffin
The Heat is On: Summer Safety Webinar with Melissa Griffin
Understanding and Predicting Tornadoes
Understanding and Predicting Tornadoes

Distinguished Professor of Meteorology Paul Markowski of Penn State University provides a special inside look and first hand stories about how scientific “storm chasing” and state-of-the-art computer simulations have helped us better understand and predict tornadoes. 

AMS Councilmember, Policy Fellow, and Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Erica Grow leads the conversation following Professor Markowski's presentation. 

Weather Maps by Radio
Weather Maps by Radio

In the photograph file of the U. S. Weather Bureau at Washington is an odd-appearing weather map, as big as an ordinary letter head, done in pale blue-green ink on white paper, and carefully preserved under a celluloid "glass." Someday this rather crude little map will possess great historic interest. If you examine it carefully you see that its every line is made up of many short lines, running parallel to each other and very close together, in the top-to-bottom direction on the paper.

By Dr. B.M. Varney
Think and Act Like a Lifeguard – Where Weather, Water and Waves Meet
Think and Act Like a Lifeguard – Where Weather, Water and Waves Meet

Any beachgoer could find themselves in trouble or see someone else in danger. For our own safety, we can learn how to think like a lifeguard. 

By Bruckner Chase
Airborne Science and NASA Mission Support
Airborne Science and NASA Mission Support

Join the AMS Weather Band for a webinar series on weather related careers! We are learning from a variety of professionals how they use meteorology in their jobs, and what type of weather knowledge matters most for them. 

This webinar features Ryan Bennett, who is the Data Manager at NASA's National Suborbital Research Center, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute. 

Inside the Hurricane Hunters
Inside the Hurricane Hunters

Lt. Col. Nicole Mitchell takes the AMS Weather Band inside the missions and experiences of the renowned Hurricane Hunters! This special event also features discussion with Bryan Norcross as moderator.

Tags: cruising
Winter Weather: Forecasting Snow and the Challenges That Come With It
Winter Weather: Forecasting Snow and the Challenges That Come With It

Millersville University Weather Information Center (WIC) Director Kyle Elliott shows how to recognize and analyze the large-scale weather patterns that are favorable for winter storm formation.

The Past, Present, and Future of the Northeastern Storm Conference
The Past, Present, and Future of the Northeastern Storm Conference

The Northeastern Storm Conference is the largest and longest running student led conference in the nation. What once was a small meeting of students on the Lyndon State College campus has grown into a three-day conference with hundreds of attendees from across the country.

By Gabrielle Brown
The 1938 Hurricane
1938 Hurricane

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 undoubtedly IS the one to which all other New England hurricanes are sooner or later compared. There have only been three others of comparable combined strength and widespread devastation since the colonization of the region.

By Dr. Lourdes Avilés
Submit Your Photos to the AMS Weather Band Photo Contest
Submit Your Photos to the AMS Weather Band Photo Contest

It's official! We're inviting you to share your love of weather and photography in our very first AMS Weather Band photo contest!

The contest runs from May 31, 2021 to August 20, 2021. We're seeking photos of weather, water, and climate from the subtle to the extreme; think clouds, waves, storms, and other atmospheric, oceanic, or hydrologic conditions. We can't wait to see the weather moments and stories you've captured. 

2022 AMS Weather Band Photo Contest
2022 AMS Weather Band Photo Contest
Tags: photography
Thunderstorm Photography Webinar: Capturing the Storm One "Flash" at a Time
Thunderstorm Photography Webinar: Capturing the Storm One "Flash" at a Time

Featuring Jeremy Bower of JRBStorm Photography and Paul Smith of Paul M. Smith Photography, it covers tips and tricks for thunderstorm photography as well as the larger role that photography plays in education and safety messaging. 

Join Us For the 2023 Weather Band Jamposium
Join Us For the 2023 Weather Band Jamposium

Unleash the passion you feel for the weather – the raw power of water, the fragility of our climate, and the vulnerability that exists within our communities. Expert speakers. Interactive discussions. The latest science. The most impactful topics.

Moving Hail Forecasting Forward
December 20, 2020
Moving Hail Forecasting Forward

How do we predict the size of hail? What environmental parameters should forecasters be looking at in order to predict hail? These are just some of the questions driving the meteorological research of Professor John Allen and his team at Central Michigan University (CMU).

By AMS Staff
Twister History
April 14, 2021
Twister History
Tags: story map
The Forgotten Hurricane
June 11, 2021
The Forgotten Hurricane
Tags: story map
The Curse of the One Rabbit
July 12, 2021
The Curse of the One Rabbit
Tags: story map
How Ancient Greece Created Our Climate Zones
August 4, 2021
How Ancient Greece Created Our Climate Zones

What do we plant? What do we wear? What weather hazards do we prepare for?

Climate classifications make it easier to provide answers to all of those questions. As a framework for identifying the general weather patterns and climate characteristics of a region, classifications are not just for researchers. They also create a shorthand that helps take effort out of day to day activities, long term planning, and travel and vacation plans. 

Tags: story map
Chasing Weather with Matthew Cappucci
August 6, 2021
Chasing Weather with Matthew Cappucci

Join Matthew Cappucci of the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang as he describes his path to success, offers advice for building your career your way, and reflects on what the meteorologist of the future will be like.