Remember the nuttery surrounding President Trump, his erroneous warning that Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama, and his Sharpie-adjusted hurricane map? That was two whole months ago. It all put NOAA and the National Weather Service in an awkward spot. Mother Jones put in a Freedom of Information Act request for their internal emails and found out just how uncomfortable things were inside NOAA during that period.
Previously: Trump, Maps and Manipulation; ‘A Defilement of a Sacred Trust’.
Also from last week: someone on Facebook circulated a map showing the path of Hurricane Irma hitting Houston, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a warning on Twitter about fake forecasts (real forecasts only go out five days). Media factchecking service PolitiFact has the details. Fun fact: making a counterfeit or false weather forecast is an offense in the United States.
'Tis the season for Mayflies (Fishflies) to give us something to watch on radar each night as they hatch. #miwx pic.twitter.com/9QxPss2w0g
— NWS Detroit (@NWSDetroit) June 19, 2016
When mayflies “hatch”—that is to say, moult into their final, adult “imago” form—they emerge in truly enormous numbers. Numerous enough to turn up on the National Weather Service’s radar earlier this month. [CBC News]
The National Weather Service’s National Mosaic provides an uninterrupted look at the Doppler weather radar for the 48 contiguous U.S. states. Full-size version. [via]
