Tag Archives: John Nielsen-Gammon

On the weather and the climate

Good news: The dormant wildfire season — which has produced nearly all of the 30 largest wildfires in Texas — is here, but data from the Texas A&M Forest Service suggest this may be a mild year thanks to El … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On the weather and the climate

Drought 2023

It’s bad. Any questions? A lingering drought affecting more than 80% of Texas is causing wildfires, hurting agriculture and drying up water supplies throughout the state. This year’s drought comes less than a year after Texas experienced one of its … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in a drought

And by “we”, I mean most of the state. About 80% of Texas is currently experiencing some level of drought conditions, ranging from “moderate” to “exceptional.” The drought, which caused wildfires across the state earlier this year and prompted burn bans, is now … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in a drought

This could be a really bad hurricane season

Anytime the year 2005 is used as a point of comparison, it’s bad news. The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1, and the Gulf of Mexico is already warmer than average. Even more worrying is a current of warm tropical … Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ten years after the Bastrop fire

The headline on this story asks whether Texas is ready for the next big fire. I think we know the answer to that. Ten years ago, Texas experienced it’s worst wildfire disaster in the state’s history. Over 31 thousand fires … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Climate change is bad for Texas

In case you were wondering. Climate change has made the Texas heat worse, with less relief as nighttime temperatures warm, a report from the state’s climatologist published Thursday found. Climate data also show that the state is experiencing extreme rainfall … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s the quick intensification of the hurricanes for me

New things to keep you up at night. It’s a nightmare scenario that keeps forecasters up at night: A tropical cyclone strengthens quickly over a 24-hour period. It happened last year close to home with Hurricane Laura, which evolved from Category 1 … Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

When Houston is more like Austin

In a climate sense. Which is to say, drier because of climate change. A new study predicts that Texas’ climate is going to get drastically drier because of climate change. The journal Earth’s Future recently published the study looking at … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on When Houston is more like Austin

Sea levels rise, property values drop

Cool, cool, cool. Sea level rise has cost Texas homeowners $76.4 million in potential property value, with Galveston hit the hardest, a new study released Tuesday found. First Street Foundation and Columbia University analysts examined about 3 million coastal properties … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

From Harvey to drought

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. The Texas Panhandle has become ground zero in a drought that has crept into much of the state just five months after Hurricane Harvey — including areas that suffered massive flooding during the … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The 100-year-storm isn’t what it used to be

They’re bigger. More than three months after Hurricane Harvey battered southeast Texas with unprecedented and costly flooding, an analysis of rainfall trends across Texas suggests the standards used to develop floodplain regulations, map flood zones and design flood control projects … Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can our dams handle the load?

Pretty important question, wouldn’t you say? The state climatologist is warning that Texas dams will become less able to withstand extreme weather events like Hurricane Harvey, which are expected to occur more frequently as the earth’s atmosphere and oceans warm … Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Climate change will not be kind to Houston

It could be even worse, if that’s any consolation, but it will be bad as things are going now. Houston’s brutally hot summers, persistent humidity, floods and hurricanes never have been much of a selling point. It’s been something to … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Climate change will not be kind to Houston

We’re going to get more big rain storms

Better get used to it. The weather is getting worse, says one expert. Torrential rains fall in the Houston area more often than they used to, according to an unpublished analysis from state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon. Heavy precipitation of any … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on We’re going to get more big rain storms

Droughts will always be with us

Remember how wet and rainy it was earlier this year? It ain’t like that now, though we do have some rain coming later this week. After an uncharacteristically wet early-summer across Texas, the Lone Star state’s weather has turned dry … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Good news for Texas lakes

All that rain has had a positive effect. Statewide, estimates from the National Weather Service indicate the first four months of this year have been the fifth wettest since 1895 and the wettest since 1997. So far this year, estimates … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Good news for Texas lakes

The D-word is back

It’s never really gone away since 2009. Locked in a seemingly endless cycle of droughts and brief reprieves, the Houston region has quietly slipped back into yet another drought. Since December Houston has received less than half its normal rainfall. … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The D-word is back

Less drought

Good news. After near-normal rainfall during the spring and summer, this fall a number of drought-ending storm systems began to sweep across Texas, particularly the eastern half of the state. “Drought conditions have ended in most of East and Southeast … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The drought affects the coast, too

Even more reasons to hope for rain. A growing body of research into the effects of the state’s ongoing drought, which began in late 2010 and peaked in 2011, reveal a coast deeply affected by the prolonged dry spell. “Coastal … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The drought affects the coast, too

The drought is back

And we’re gonna be in trouble if it doesn’t rain soon. Since the middle of August, the city has gotten just a foot of rain over a time period when it should get twice that. We also have recorded six … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The drought is back

That drought we’re having? It’s still bad

So says our state climatologist in testimony before the Lege. John Nielsen-Gammon, the state climatologist, said that during the past two years Texas received only 68 percent of its typical rainfall, making it the third driest period on record. If … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on That drought we’re having? It’s still bad

We’re still looking at a drought here

I know we just got a lot of rain this week, but that doesn’t mean that drought conditions are over. The latest seasonal drought outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that for much of Texas and … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on We’re still looking at a drought here

Have I mentioned the that drought is back?

I hate to say it, but it is. A dry winter that’s on track to making the record books has sent portions of Texas, including Houston and Fort Worth, back into severe drought, raising concerns about wildfires and the health … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Have I mentioned the that drought is back?

There’s still a drought out there

Despite the rain, the state of Texas is still mostly in drought conditions, and the threat will remain for the next several years. Most of Central and East Texas beat long odds with heavy rains this winter, but experts warned … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s still a drought out there

Keep that rain coming

The recent rain has been great for mitigating the drought, but we still have a long way to go. During the last week an arc of Texas beset by a historic drought for a year – stretching from San Antonio … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Keep that rain coming

How small does good news have to be before it’s not considered good news any more?

Whatever that threshold is, this has got to be pretty close to it. Christmas came a little early for a small slice of Texas this year. We can now say that part of Texas is no longer in drought. A … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on How small does good news have to be before it’s not considered good news any more?

This drought could last a long time

In case you needed some gloomy news. Texas’ historic and lingering drought has already worn out its welcome, but it could easily stay around for years and there is a chance it might last another five years or even until … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Drought could last a long time

This is by far the scariest thing I’ve read in awhile. As historically bad as this summer’s drought has been, we may not have seen the worst of it. There’s growing concern among some scientists that Texas’ drought could linger … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas State Climatologist on the EPA and greenhouse gases

Did you know that Texas had a State Climatologist? I didn’t. His name is John Nielsen-Gammon, he’s a professor at Texas A&M, and you should read this brief interview in Think Progress about his opinions on carbon dioxide, the Environmental … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas State Climatologist on the EPA and greenhouse gases