It is hot and humid once again and showers and thunderstorms are developing ahead of a cold front. Temperatures are well into the 80s and 90s... Back into the Dakotas "cooler" air has started to move in behind this front. But out ahead of it there is a lot of moisture and instability. CAPE (convective available potential energy), which measures instability, is very, very high this afternoon. 1,000 to 2,000 is enough for thunderstorms to get going. Because of the incredibly ho

The heat was no joke on Friday across the Midwest. Temperatures weren't record breaking, but they were well above normal. It wasn't the temperatures, but it was the humidity that really made the difference. Dew points, which measure the moisture in the atmosphere, were well into the 70s. The combination of the very warm temperatures and very high humidity made for dangerous heat index values. Yiiikes! And the heat rolls on into the start of the weekend. Expected high temperat

The 2018 American Meteorological Society convention is over here in Santa Fe. It's amazing what I've learned despite 41 years working in the field. I thank my station KGAN CBS2 and FOX 28 for allowing me the opportunity to attend. Now I get to explore the city a bit before flying home Saturday night. Also I was reminded that there are now more than 13,000 members of the AMS. When I got my seal in the early 80s I was admitted as member 300. I'm getting a little long in the tee

My daughter, Eden, wants to move. To an Earthship. No, she isn't planning on making reservations for interplanetary travel. She's a good ole Earth girl to be sure. Eden is currently trying to convince her dad to move into an environmentally friendly home called earth ships that offer a self-sustaining lifestyle. In our travels to Taos, New Mexico, we stopped at an earth ship community and toured one of the homes. Earth ships are built from recyclable materials such as tir

Today I experienced something I have not, or have not in quite some time. The high temperature in Santa Fe, New Mexico hit 100. I've been there done that plenty of times in my life but its been about 7 years since my last experience with the century mark. Here's the official Santa Fe hourly observation for 3pm local time. Now, what I've never experienced before is a humidity level of 3%. Dudes that's lower than a snakes belly! (look above, the dew point 8 and the humidity 3%)