KOLD Climate Community Blog

Trick or Treat Forecasts for Southern Arizona

The ghost, goblins...but more often these days, Harry Potter and the Power Rangers will be out in full force tonight.  And Mother Nature is giving us a treat when it comes to the weather! 

The Tucson Metro area will be in the low 80s by sunset at 5:35 and then cooling into the mid 70s by 7 o'clock and low 70s by 8 o'clock.  You can get away with short sleeves on the desert floor. 

Go up in elevation a bit and a long sleeve t-shirt or a light jacket would be a good idea for the costumed kids.  In places like Sierra Vista, Douglas, Nogales, and Willcox temperatures as sunset will be in the upper 70s dropping into the mid 60s by 8 o'clock. 

You can also check out what the temperature is outside on KOLD NOW.  It's our digital weather channel on Cox and Comcast cable. Check your listing for the channel number.  You can also pick up the signal if you have a digital receiver on 13.2. 

Have a safe Halloween. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Worldwide Photos of Comet Holmes

See photos on an interactive map.

 

http://spaceweather.com/submissions/map.php?cat=comets&limit=30

Free Viewing of Holmes with the Experts!

Flandrau Science Center… flandrau.org Tonight!

Starizona… Starizona.com Wed, Fri, Sat nights.

Tropical Storm Noel

Hurricane season isn't over yet!  The Atlantic season runs through November.  Right now we just have Tropical Storm Noel moving north of Cuba towards the Bahamas. 

The biggest problem with tropical storms is not the wind but the rain.  As Noel moved over Hispaniola, the pouring rain causes some major flooding and mudslides.  Quite a few people were killed and the death toll will likely rise.  The photo at left shows what happens when pouring rains overwhelm villages in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.  The island is small and densely populated.  Much of it has been deforested. That means the soil isn't anchored by the roots of mature trees and plants. So the rain comes down, mixes with the mud, and creates a slurry.  People scramble to get out of the way. 

As the storm moves towards the Bahamas, it is possible it will strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane.  The waters are very warm between Florida and the Bahamas.  The warmer the water, the more energy available for the storm. 

We will be tracking this storm over the next few days as it skirts the east coast of the United States.  For the latest updates on the track check out the National Hurricane Center.  - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

SEEING COMET HOLMES (“It will look fuzzy”!)

Latest HIRISE Images

The University of Arizona's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment made big news when it started sending images back from Mars. Even though the limelight has faded, that doesn't mean the project isn't still going forward.  You can check out the latest images on the HIRISE website. 

Have a good week! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Haze over Eastern China

The conspicuous haze over China in mid- to late October 2007

not only obscured the view of the land surface. It also contained

substances harder to detect but just as troublesome. Odorless, colorless,

and still toxic, carbon monoxide can be lethal in large amounts.

Smaller amounts can cause fatigue, impaired vision, and nausea.

Carbon monoxide additionally acts as a precursor smog and

ground-level ozone.

From October 16 to 22, 2007, Measurements of Pollution in the

Troposphere (MOPITT) measured carbon monoxide over China and

Southeast Asia. In this image, dark red indicates the highest levels of

carbon monoxide while pale yellow indicates the smallest. Areas of

insufficient data due to clouds appear as light gray (over land) or

dark gray (over water). The heaviest concentrations of carbon monoxide

appear along the coast, extending from Southeast Asia northward into China,

forming a roughly diagonal band in this image. Carbon monoxide also

reaches across the water to Japan and beyond, although the concentrations

diminish in the southeast.

NASA MOPITT image created by Jesse Allen using data courtesy the

NCAR/UCAR MOPITT Instrument Team.

Recommend this Image to a Friend

Dust & Smoke: Topic Home | Archive | Related Links

SATURDAY October 27,2007: The Livin' La Vida Verde Festival

WEBCAM OF THE FIRES

This one is updated about every 15 minutes.  Cucamonga South

This map will take you to other air quality cams.  CAMS

This is an interesting fire map that is totally user friendly and interactive.  FIRE MAP

SPACE SHUTTLE FLYOVER

The next chance to view Space Shuttle Discovery is Wednesday night from 6:16 to 6:21.  Look NW and follow it to the SE sky.  Look for a steady object that's about as bright as a typical star.

Enjoy!

Here's a link for more info:  CLICK HERE