Andrew Westgate

We are going through what looks like a leisure novel in my intro to college class and before each discussion period I reread the chapter myself. This is exactly what goes through my mind when I do so. 😅

🚨 Recruiting Two PhD/MS Students 🚨

I am looking to bring on at least two GRAs (M.S. or Ph.D. Level) beginning Spring or Fall 2026 to join our CHAOS research group. Research projects will be related to artificial intelligence and machine learning applications for extreme temperatures and rainfall

3…2…1…ACTION!

College students! Get ready for The Climate Consensus Video Contest!

From Sept 1st through Oct 31st, you can submit a video for a chance to win up to $100!

This year’s theme: Climate Feedback Loops.

Learn more by visiting theclimateconsensus.org/2025-video-c...

Day 4: This was our big field trip day to Burlington! GIV students got to see the operations area at NWS Burlington and watch a live broadcast @wcax.com. We had lunch at Oakledge Park before heading back to the Lyndon campus for a Twisters movie night! #Burlington #NWS #WCAX #Twisters

Day 3: We had a fantastic time with Mark Breen during our tour of the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. GIV students learned about climate change and its impacts on local farms like Chandler Pond Farm. Students also heard from Solphi Veltrop at the Vermont Climate Action Office. #climateaction

Fun Fact Friday Did you know coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor but support about 25% of all marine species? They’re crucial for fisheries, tourism, and offer valuable data on sea surface temperatures and ocean history. However, coral reefs are highly vulnerable to climate change. When ocean temps rise, coral bleaching may occur, making them more susceptible to disease. Efforts to protect reefs include reducing pollution, limiting overfishing, and restoring reefs.

As we wrap up the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere, this week’s Fun Fact Friday focuses on corals. Coral reefs are not only a fun vacation destination, but are also one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems.

I'm planning to incorporate this book into my intro to climate course next spring!

Day 2: VT high schoolers at the GIV Weather & Climate Science Institute discussed midlatitude cyclones, contoured weather maps, learned about severe weather and storm chasing with a tornado chamber demonstration, and enjoyed a fun Kahoot review session. #severewx #tornadoes

We are excited to share pictures of our week-long GIV Weather & Climate Science Institute!

Day 1: Move-in day! After unpacking, VT high schoolers played icebreaker games, toured the Lyndon campus, learned about recent flooding events, and attended a “Meet your RAs” panel. #vermontsummer

Student storm chasers learn about forecasting Some Vermont students went storm chasing in parts of the Midwest. Our Cam Smith found out how they're applying their forecasting skills in the real world.

Check out the @wcax.com news story about the Lyndon crew’s recent storm chasing trip! 🚐⛈️🌪️📸 #greatplains #supercells #tornadoes #vtsulyndon

High school students connect with climate experts for credit The next generation of meteorologists recently got to visit WCAX and get a glimpse of where the magic happens.

Love this! 🙌

Students from GIV's Weather & Climate Science Institute learning from VTSU Lyndon's Atmospheric Sciences Professor Ari Preston and our awesome alums at WCAX!

Such a cool way to connect science, media, and mentorship!

Just in: U.S. just saw it's 2nd-warmest #spring on record.

Find summary and stats + map images from our report at: www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/nationa...

via NOAA's NCEI

Read our full statement at: theclimateconsensus.org/tcc-statement

Congratulations to the Lyndon Atmospheric Sciences Class of 2025! Bravo! We will miss you! 👏🎉🎓

Staff cuts forced this forecast office to shut overnight. Then a tornado hit. The Jackson, Kentucky office is one of a growing number of forecast offices unable to cover an overnight shift since the Trump administration cut staffing levels through buyouts and firings.

What we feared is now happening. This isn’t hypothetical anymore. This is real.

Cuts to NOAA are putting American lives at risk, plain and simple. We’re witnessing the consequences in real time. 📢 Call on Congress to immediately restore NOAA's full funding and staffing. #SaveNOAA

With climate change, drought and overuse have left the Colorado River system in crisis, since the need for water far exceeds availability, with more than 40 million people across the United States and Mexico relying on it.

@noaa.gov's hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever, with 3-day forecasts now as precise as 1-day forecasts were in 2002. But funding cuts threaten this progress, just ahead of hurricane season. buff.ly/Oo51kTp
@coweatherman.bsky.social. University of Wisconsin-Madison

Politics is not a game. It involves people's lives. And those making political decisions are not merely in power, they have an obligation to serve. You do not recklessly experiment using power you only steward. Many political decisions cannot be simply reversed.

I don't care how different our worldviews are, I will never wish a tragedy on someone else.

Seeing posts about people deserving a tornado or a flood because they voted a certain way makes me want to rage.

That's not how we build community. That's how we get more divided than we already are.

Over the last decade, 90% of American counties have been impacted by extreme weather disasters. Without the data, tools, and expertise from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), proactive mitigation of the worst extreme weather events would not be possible.

“The kind of biblical worldview Jesus wants you to have is inseparable from the kind of heart Jesus wants you to have.”
—Michael Wear, The Spirit of Our Politics

I wouldn't be surprised if one of Musk's lackeys used a Monte Carlo resampling approach to determine the optimal set of meteorological whose removal maximally decreases NWS forecasting skill.

Map of all black dots showing the location of NWS Upper Air Sites.

Map of black, red, and orange dots showing where soundings have been suspended or degraded because of staffing and helium shortages.

NOUS41 KWBC 202015 PNSWSH Public Information Statement 25-17 National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD 415 PM EDT Thu March 20, 2025 To: From: Subscribers: -NOAA Weather Wire Service -Emergency Manager Weather Information Network -NOAAPORT Other NWS Partners and Employees Mike Hopkins, Director Surface and Upper Air Division Office of Observations Subject: Suspension of Radiosonde Observations at Omaha, Nebraska, and Rapid City, South Dakota, Effective March 20, 2025. Effective immediately, and until further notice, the National Weather Service (NWS) is temporarily suspending weather balloon observations at Omaha, NE and Rapid City, SD, due to a lack of Weather Forecast Office (WFO) staffing. Offices will perform special observations as needed. The stations have the following NWS Upper Air site identifier and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Upper Air site number: UPPER AIR SITE Omaha, NE Rapid City, SD WMO ID 72558 72662 NWS ID KOAX KUNR The NWS launches weather balloons twice daily from 100 upper air sites throughout the United States, Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. Radiosondes are instruments attached to weather balloons that send back a wide range of upper atmospheric data to support weather forecasts, including temperature, dew point, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Radiosondes are one of many technologies that collect earth observation data for weather modeling and forecasting. Data is also collected from instruments aboard commercial aircraft, surface observing stations, satellites, radars, and buoys. If you or your organization have any questions about these changes, please contact: Susan Buchanan Director of Public Affairs National Weather Service Phone: 202-834-5235 E-mail: susan.buchanan@noaa.gov National Public Information Statements are online at: https://www.weather.gov/notification/

Two more NWS Upper Air Sites have suspended upper air launches - Omaha and Rapid City.

Here are two maps that show the degradation of our upper air network because of helium or staff shortages (or in the case of Chatham, because of coastal erosion).

www.weather.gov/media/notifi...

Shoutout to the @lyndonamsnwa.bsky.social executive board for all their hard work this weekend for #NESC2025!!!!!!