In some cases, nature fights back! The Quino Checkerspot, native to Mexico and California, has shifted to higher altitude and chosen a new species of plant for laying eggs. The butterfly species whose population collapsed because of habitat loss has defied predictions of extinction by migrating to cooler climes. Found in Mexico and California, the insect has shifted to higher altitudes and surprisingly chosen a completely different species of plant on which to lay its eggs, according to research presented at the Butterfly Conservation's recent international symposium in Southampton. The Quino was once abundant in southern California but the expansion of Los Angeles and San Diego saw it reduced to just two small colonies. Other populations in Mexico began declining sharply as conditions became too hot and dry for its caterpillars' food plant, a species of plantain. Years ago, scientists suggested that the endangered Quino be moved by humans to cooler, unspoiled habitat north of Los Angeles. Instead, to the amazement of scientists, the butterfly did not need human help and reappeared on higher ground to the east where its caterpillars are feeding on a flowering plant it has never eaten before. Several other butterfly species have been changing habitat or diet but the Quino is the first butterfly known to science to change both so rapidly. However, scientists say this case showed that linking together unspoiled habitat was more important than ever to enable species to survive changes in weather. Without undeveloped land to the east of Los Angeles and San Diego, the Quino would have had nowhere to go and thus, become extinct.In some cases, nature fights back! The Quino Checkerspot, native to Mexico and California, has shifted to higher altitude and chosen a new species of plant for laying eggs. The butterfly species whose population collapsed because of habitat loss has defied predictions of extinction by migrating to cooler climes. Found in Mexico and California, the insect has shifted to higher altitudes and surprisingly chosen a completely different species of plant on which to lay its eggs, according to research presented at the Butterfly Conservation's recent international symposium in Southampton. The Quino was once abundant in southern California but the expansion of Los Angeles and San Diego saw it reduced to just two small colonies. Other populations in Mexico began declining sharply as conditions became too hot and dry for its caterpillars' food plant, a species of plantain. Years ago, scientists suggested that the endangered Quino be moved by humans to cooler, unspoiled habitat north of Los Angeles. Instead, to the amazement of scientists, the butterfly did not need human help and reappeared on higher ground to the east where its caterpillars are feeding on a flowering plant it has never eaten before. Several other butterfly species have been changing habitat or diet but the Quino is the first butterfly known to science to change both so rapidly. However, scientists say this case showed that linking together unspoiled habitat was more important than ever to enable species to survive changes in weather. Without undeveloped land to the east of Los Angeles and San Diego, the Quino would have had nowhere to go and thus, become extinct.

Source, San Diego County Government

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, offer an entrancing, dramatic, magical display that fascinates all who see it — but just what causes this dazzling natural phenomenon? At the center of our solar system lies the sun, the yellow star that sustains life on our planet. The sun's many magnetic fields distort and twist as our parent star rotates on its axis. When these fields become knotted together, they burst and create so-called sunspots. Usually, these sunspots occur in pairs; the largest can be several times the size of Earth's diameter. At the center of the sun, the temperature is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius). As the temperature on its surface rises and falls, the sun boils and bubbles. Particles escape from the star from the sunspot regions on the surface, hurtling particles of plasma, known as solar wind, into space. It takes these winds around 40 hours to reach Earth. When they do, they can cause the dramatic displays known as the aurora borealis. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, offer an entrancing, dramatic, magical display that fascinates all who see it — but just what causes this dazzling natural phenomenon? At the center of our solar system lies the sun, the yellow star that sustains life on our planet. The sun's many magnetic fields distort and twist as our parent star rotates on its axis. When these fields become knotted together, they burst and create so-called sunspots. Usually, these sunspots occur in pairs; the largest can be several times the size of Earth's diameter. At the center of the sun, the temperature is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius). As the temperature on its surface rises and falls, the sun boils and bubbles. Particles escape from the star from the sunspot regions on the surface, hurtling particles of plasma, known as solar wind, into space. It takes these winds around 40 hours to reach Earth. When they do, they can cause the dramatic displays known as the aurora borealis.

Source, Space.com

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multi colored circular arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun. Rainbows can be full circles. However, the observer normally sees only an arc formed by illuminated droplets above the ground,[1] and centered on a line from the sun to the observer's eye. In a primary rainbow, the arc shows red on the outer part and violet on the inner side. This rainbow is caused by light being refracted when entering a droplet of water, then reflected inside on the back of the droplet and refracted again when leaving it.In a double rainbow, a second arc is seen outside the primary arc, and has the order of its colors reversed, with red on the inner side of the arc. This is caused by the light being reflected twice on the inside of the droplet before leaving it. A rainbow is not located at a specific distance from the observer but comes from an optical illusion caused by any water droplets viewed from a certain angle relative to a light source. Thus, a rainbow is not an object and cannot be physically approached. Indeed, it is impossible for an observer to see a rainbow from water droplets at any angle other than the customary one of 42 degrees from the direction opposite the light source. Even if an observer sees another observer who seems "under" or "at the end of" a rainbow, the second observer will see a different rainbow—farther off—at the same angle as seen by the first observer. Rainbows span a continuous spectrum of colors. Any distinct bands perceived are an artefact of human color vision, and no banding of any type is seen in a black-and-white photo of a rainbow, only a smooth gradation of intensity to a maximum, then fading towards the other side. For colors seen by the human eye, the most commonly cited and remembered sequence is Newton's sevenfold red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Rainbows can be caused by many forms of airborne water. These include not only rain, but also mist, spray, and airborne dew. A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multi colored circular arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun. Rainbows can be full circles. However, the observer normally sees only an arc formed by illuminated droplets above the ground,[1] and centered on a line from the sun to the observer's eye. In a primary rainbow, the arc shows red on the outer part and violet on the inner side. This rainbow is caused by light being refracted when entering a droplet of water, then reflected inside on the back of the droplet and refracted again when leaving it.In a double rainbow, a second arc is seen outside the primary arc, and has the order of its colors reversed, with red on the inner side of the arc. This is caused by the light being reflected twice on the inside of the droplet before leaving it. A rainbow is not located at a specific distance from the observer but comes from an optical illusion caused by any water droplets viewed from a certain angle relative to a light source. Thus, a rainbow is not an object and cannot be physically approached. Indeed, it is impossible for an observer to see a rainbow from water droplets at any angle other than the customary one of 42 degrees from the direction opposite the light source. Even if an observer sees another observer who seems "under" or "at the end of" a rainbow, the second observer will see a different rainbow—farther off—at the same angle as seen by the first observer. Rainbows span a continuous spectrum of colors. Any distinct bands perceived are an artefact of human color vision, and no banding of any type is seen in a black-and-white photo of a rainbow, only a smooth gradation of intensity to a maximum, then fading towards the other side. For colors seen by the human eye, the most commonly cited and remembered sequence is Newton's sevenfold red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Rainbows can be caused by many forms of airborne water. These include not only rain, but also mist, spray, and airborne dew. 

Source, Wikipedia

The Saharan Air Layer, or known more commonly as Saharan Dust, is a layer of tiny aerosols like sand, dirt, and dust that occasionally push from east to west across the tropical Atlantic Ocean during hurricane season. These aerosols originate over the very hot and dry deserts of Africa, like the Saharan Desert, and sometimes get picked up by African Easterly Waves which push westward from Africa into the Atlantic Ocean.The Saharan Air Layer, or known more commonly as Saharan Dust, is a layer of tiny aerosols like sand, dirt, and dust that occasionally push from east to west across the tropical Atlantic Ocean during hurricane season. These aerosols originate over the very hot and dry deserts of Africa, like the Saharan Desert, and sometimes get picked up by African Easterly Waves which push westward from Africa into the Atlantic Ocean.The Saharan Air Layer is a well-mixed dry pocket of air that usually resides between 5,000 and 15,000 feet above sea level. Since one of the key ingredients for tropical cyclone development is a deep feed of moisture, Saharan Dust often acts to inhibit tropical development. Research suggests that there are three primary reasons Saharan Dust has a negative impact on tropical development:1) A surge in the mid-level African Easterly Jet increases the vertical wind shear. 2) The inclusion, or drawing in, of dry air into a tropical system 3) An enhanced trade wind inversion which acts to stabilizes the atmosphere. A stable atmosphere will make it more difficult for deep convection to develop.Once a pocket of Saharan Dust begins moving westward over the Atlantic Ocean, it is relatively easy to track by using certain infrared satellite products. The algorithm in some infrared products is sensitive to dry, dusty air and, therefore, can track when pockets of this kind of air move from place to place.Many factors go into forecasting the track and strength of a tropical system. Knowing whether a tropical cyclone will have Saharan Dust in its vicinity is one factor that can determine the cyclone's intensity.

Source, AccuWeather

Mitigation is a word that applies to more than disaster preparedness. By taking aspirin to lessen a headache, you are “mitigating” by lessening the force or intensity of something unpleasant. There are a range of potential mitigation actions for reducing risk to family, home and business during a severe weather event or earthquake.  There are mitigation actions covering all these events, but specific mitigation is applied to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and flashfloods, lightning, tornados, severe winter weather, storm surge, and wildfires. Mitigation actions are summarized into four types: (1) local Planning and regulations, (2) structure and infrastructure projects, (3) natural systems protection, and (4) education and awareness programs. To learn more about mitigation, visit http://www.fema.gov/plan-prepare-mitigate.

Buffalo, N.Y. residents will long remember the blizzard of 2014. In fact, known for its epic snows, this November blizzard may be the one residents tell their grandchildren about., an extreme lake-effect storm dumped as much as 65 inches of snow — more than five feet — just south of Buffalo, claiming six lives across the region and trapping hundreds of people in their homes and cars, then trapping the ambulances and emergency vehicles trying to help them. And the monster storm isn’t over yet. Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor, which freezes and is deposited on the leeward shores. Snow accumulations rivaled the deepest snowfall on record in Buffalo, 81.6 inches in 2001, or about seven feet. The spokesman for the Buffalo Bills told the Associated Press that the National Football League team had an estimated 220,000 tons of snow to remove from Ralph Wilson Stadium before the 11/23/14 game against the Jets. The game was cancelled. “This is an historic event. When all is said and done, this snowstorm will break all sorts of records, and that’s saying something in Buffalo,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said during a visit to the city, according to the Associated Press.Buffalo, N.Y. residents will long remember the blizzard of 2014. In fact, known for its epic snows, this November blizzard may be the one residents tell their grandchildren about., an extreme lake-effect storm dumped as much as 65 inches of snow — more than five feet — just south of Buffalo, claiming six lives across the region and trapping hundreds of people in their homes and cars, then trapping the ambulances and emergency vehicles trying to help them. And the monster storm isn’t over yet. Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor, which freezes and is deposited on the leeward shores. Snow accumulations rivaled the deepest snowfall on record in Buffalo, 81.6 inches in 2001, or about seven feet. The spokesman for the Buffalo Bills told the Associated Press that the National Football League team had an estimated 220,000 tons of snow to remove from Ralph Wilson Stadium before the 11/23/14 game against the Jets. The game was cancelled. “This is an historic event. When all is said and done, this snowstorm will break all sorts of records, and that’s saying something in Buffalo,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said during a visit to the city, according to the Associated Press.

Source, AP

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the highest temperature ever recorded was 134.1 Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913 in Furnace Creek California. According to the WMO, this temperature may have been the result of a sandstorm that occurred at the time. The former highest official temperature on Earth (held for 90 years by ‘Aziziya, Libya) was reassessed in July, 2012 by the WMO which published a report that invalidated the record. There have been other unconfirmed reports of high temperatures, with readings as high as 152.2  Fahrenheit in the Flaming Mountains of China in 2008. However, these temperatures have never been confirmed, and are currently considered to have been recorder's errors, thus not being recognized as world records.

Source, WMO

Should you have to evacuate, take your pets with you or board them at a reputable animal shelter. If it is not safe for you to stay in your home, it is not safe for them either. There is no way to predict what will happen to your home while you are gone, and you may not be able to return for weeks. Should you take them with you, find animal friendly accommodations. Most evacuation shelters do not accept pets. Many hotels and motels lift “no pet” policies during emergencies. Call in advance and ask about restrictions on number, size, and species and make your reservation as soon as you think you might need to leave your home. Plan for safety and stress reduction. Take sturdy leashes, or carriers to safely transport your pets. Carriers should be large enough for your companions to stand up, lie down, and turn around comfortably. Make sure to include bedding and if possible special items such as a favorite toy to reduce stress. Take supplies for at least five days. Supplies should include dry food, bottled water, food and water bowls, cat litter and a small litter tray. Store medications and medical records in a waterproof container and don’t forget a first aid kit. Make sure your pets are wearing collars with secure tags and that the contact information is legible in case they become separated from you. If you have absolutely no choice but to leave your pets, please take the following precautions to protect them: Never turn your pets loose. It is best to leave them in a secure space inside your home where they can freely roam. Provide at least ten days’ supply of food and water. Fill several bowls with water and place them on the floor throughout the house. It is also a good idea to fill sinks with water and leave the toilet seat up if your toilet bowl is free of chemical disinfectants. Make sure to use dry food, as canned food will go bad quickly.

Source, SPCA

The winter of 1978-1979 was the coldest on record for the contiguous United States, says Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Conditions that winter (December through February) allowed the jet stream to dip further south, bringing prolonged cold air outbreaks across large portions of the nation. The coldest month of that coldest winter saw record low temperatures across much of the lower 48 states. January 1979 saw colder than normal temperatures everywhere but California and New England. A large swath of the country — from the northern Rocky Mountains to the central Mississippi Valley — suffered average temperatures 12-16 degrees below normal. Topeka, Kansas, had a record total of 14 days in which the low dropped below 0. January 1979 was the coldest month on record for Pueblo, Colo., Grand Island, Neb., and St. Joseph, Mo. The coldest winter on record was also one of the wettest. Precipitation was well above normal across most of the country during January 1979. Jackson, Miss., got more than 14 inches of rain, making it the wettest January ever. Topeka got just over 20 inches of snow, a record for the month.

 

Source, NOOA

You may have heard of waterspouts in the Florida Keys and the Gulf Coast, even over the Great Lakes. But how about over a mile high? On May 31, 2014, the National Weather Service office in Riverton, Wyoming, reported a waterspout briefly producing a spray ring on Dollar Lake at an elevation of 7,782 feet above sea level on. This is believed to be the highest elevation waterspout witnessed, according to the International Centre for Waterspout Research. Dr. Greg Forbes, severe weather expert for The Weather Channel, says there have been other higher-elevation tornadoes, including a tornado over Rockwell Pass, California in 2004, which is believed to have touched down at least 12,000 feet. But that didn't happen over a lake. You may have heard of waterspouts in the Florida Keys and the Gulf Coast, even over the Great Lakes. But how about over a mile high? On May 31, 2014, the National Weather Service office in Riverton, Wyoming, reported a waterspout briefly producing a spray ring on Dollar Lake at an elevation of 7,782 feet above sea level on. This is believed to be the highest elevation waterspout witnessed, according to the International Centre for Waterspout Research. Dr. Greg Forbes, severe weather expert for The Weather Channel, says there have been other higher-elevation tornadoes, including a tornado over Rockwell Pass, California in 2004, which is believed to have touched down at least 12,000 feet. But that didn't happen over a lake. 

Source, International Centre for Waterspout Research