University of Sydney: Google adds health tips to extreme heat warnings based on latest research. “Important health and safety tips are being made available to millions around the world, thanks to a new Google search feature developed in collaboration with the Global Heat Health Information Network and informed by University of Sydney research.”
US Department of Health and Human Services: Biden-Harris Administration Launches National Dashboard to Track Heat-Related Illness. “The EMS HeatTracker will be used to help state, regional, and local government officials, such as city and regional planners, determine where to prioritize heat mitigation strategies, like street trees, parks, and cool roofs. It will also be used to help mayors and public health officials prioritize interventions like cooling centers and outreach to at-risk populations during periods of extreme heat.”
NOAA: Biden Administration launches Heat.gov with tools for communities facing extreme heat. “Heat.gov will provide a one-stop hub on heat and health for the nation and is a priority of President Biden’s National Climate Task Force and its Interagency Working Group on Extreme Heat.”
Mercer University: Professor creates accessible weather device for visually impaired students. “Physics professor Dr. Matt Marone created the accessible technology — which converts data measurements to speech — for Georgia Academy for the Blind in the spring, and students used it in May to take their first temperature and humidity measurements for NASA’s Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program.”
Lifehacker: Use This Phone Number to Find a Cooling Center Near You. “Most cooling centers are operated by state, county, or municipal governments. To find the one nearest you, call 2-1-1, text your ZIP code to TXT211 (898211), or visit the 2-1-1 website and enter your ZIP code.”
National Center for Atmospheric Research: Scientists Nationwide Launch First Projects On New NCAR Supercomputer. “The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has launched operations of its newest supercomputer, providing scientists across the country with a major new tool to advance understanding of the atmosphere and other Earth system processes.”
Reuters: Twitter not suited for emergency communications, Dutch say after storm. “Twitter is not the right place to seek information during an emergency, Dutch politicians and a prominent online group said on Wednesday, following an incident in which citizens were directed to the platform for updates during a large storm.”
Canada’s National Observer: Wildfire conspiracy theories spread faster than flames. “Emergency responders and some politicians are exasperated and say this kind of disinformation hinders efforts to keep people safe during extreme weather events like the fires and to deal with climate change, which climate researchers say has fuelled the fires.”
ABC News (Australia): Meteorologists are the new targets in global social media misinformation. “Once trusted faces on the news, meteorologists now brave threats, insults and slander online from conspiracy theorists and climate change deniers who accuse them of faking or even fixing the weather.”
Mashable: National Weather Service accounts were not granted API exemptions by Twitter. “The NWS tells Mashable that Twitter’s API policy changes will limit its accounts to 50 automated tweets per 24-hour period. It expects that Twitter will officially switch its accounts to the new API limits on April 29, based on what the company has previously communicated(opens in a new tab) to developers.” If you’ve ever followed weather alerts on Twitter, you know that 50 tweets in 24 hours is nothing. A drop in the bucket depending on what’s happening.
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Umass Amherst Research Professor Teams With National Weather Service To Build Database On Public Response To Severe Weather Hazards. “University of Massachusetts Amherst research professor Brenda Philips has received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to work with National Weather Service forecast offices across the country to ascertain the factors that influence people’s responses to severe weather events. The goal of the two-year, $396,855 grant is to build a national multi-year database on human reactions to four types of weather hazards: flash floods, tornados, severe thunderstorms and winter weather events.”
Inverness Courier: Highland Archive staff rescue records after heavy snow falls. “Staff with the Highland Archive service sprang to the rescue after a leak was spotted at one of its records stores due to heavy snow falls. The incident happened on Friday after the Inverness area was hit by wintry weather and freezing temperatures.”
Texas Tech Today: Texas Tech’s Ardon-Dryer Receives National Science Foundation Grant. “Karin Ardon-Dryer, an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences, has received a $480,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will augment research into helping society better understand the causes and impacts of dust storms. Ardon-Dryer, an atmospheric scientist who has been part of the faculty in Texas Tech’s College of Arts and Sciences for six years, received the grant to investigate dust events across the nation during the past 20 years and build out an accessible, centralized database for researchers and communities alike.”
Lifehacker: The 7 Best Weather Apps to Replace Dark Sky on iPhone and Android. “Dark Sky, one of the best weather apps on Android and iOS, officially discontinued service at the end of 2022. Apple bought Dark Sky in 2020 and slowly ported some (but not all) of its features to the Apple Weather app, but its closure means users have to find a replacement. Luckily, there are several great apps on Android and iOS with hyper-localized weather tracking, accurate forecasts, and user-friendly interfaces that can fill the Dark Sky-shaped hole in your app launcher.” Slideshow.
Denver Post: CDOT snowplow driver offers a glimpse behind the wheel. “The online COtrip map, which already gave users highway information from around the state, including camera images, construction information, electronic signs, road conditions and road closures, is now tracking CDOT snowplows in real-time. It’s the first season that the public is able to track snowplow locations and work areas on the map, and it includes the plows’ names, such as Darth Blader, Snowtorious B.I.G., and Eisenplower, which were submitted and voted on by Colorado kids from across the state in 2021.”
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