Des Moines, Iowa - This has been an unusually mild year in Tornado Alley, which is good news, of course, for the people who live here, but a little frustrating to scientists who planned to chase twisters as part of a $10 million research project.
"You're out there to do the experiment and you're geared up every day and ready. And when there isn't anything happening, that is frustrating," said Don Burgess, a scientist at the University of Oklahoma. But he was quick to add that he is pleased the relative quiet has meant fewer injuries and less damage.
Nationwide, there were 826 tornadoes this year through June 30, compared with an average of 934 for the same period during the previous three years, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla. Most twisters strike in Tornado Alley, which generally extends from Texas and Oklahoma to Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.
During a remarkable 17-day lull from mid-May through early June, there were no tornado watches issued anywhere in the United States. And that is typically the height of the season in Tornado Alley.
Earth Changes
So, where are all of the news stories about the fact we've had no tropical storms yet this year? As can be seen in the following graphic, as of this date in 2005 we already had 8 named storms in the Atlantic basin. And tomorrow, August 4, that number will increase to 9. In 2005 we were even told to expect more active hurricane seasons from now on because of global warming.
Of course, even though it is interesting that the 2009 tropical season is off to such a slow start, it may well have no significance in terms of long-term trends. But the lack of news coverage on the subject does show the importance of unbiased reporting when it comes to global warming. Let me explain.
© weatherstreet.com
Of course, even though it is interesting that the 2009 tropical season is off to such a slow start, it may well have no significance in terms of long-term trends. But the lack of news coverage on the subject does show the importance of unbiased reporting when it comes to global warming. Let me explain.
Across the United States, cities are experiencing low or record low temperatures. Some people are experiencing 48 degree (9 Celsius) weather in the morning and 70 degree (21 Celsius) weather throughout the day.
Many scientists who disagree with man-made global warming say this is another example of the global warming alarmism. Marc Morano, who runs Climate Depot, says that the Earth's temperatures flows from cool to warm and that it is natural climate change. He further discussed, "The reason Climate Depot is covering this is because every heat wave, every extreme storm, everything the media tries to promote when it's the other way -- every hurricane, every drought, flood...they always blame everything on global warming. So, all we are merely doing is pointing out some of the dramatic record low temperatures -- dramatic to the point where some meteorologists have dubbed 2009 the year without a summer."
Many scientists who disagree with man-made global warming say this is another example of the global warming alarmism. Marc Morano, who runs Climate Depot, says that the Earth's temperatures flows from cool to warm and that it is natural climate change. He further discussed, "The reason Climate Depot is covering this is because every heat wave, every extreme storm, everything the media tries to promote when it's the other way -- every hurricane, every drought, flood...they always blame everything on global warming. So, all we are merely doing is pointing out some of the dramatic record low temperatures -- dramatic to the point where some meteorologists have dubbed 2009 the year without a summer."
A strong 6.4-magnitude quake struck Indonesia's remote West Papua Sunday, the country's geophysics agency said.
The quake struck at 3:54 pm (0854 GMT) with an epicentre 127 kilometres (79 miles) northwest of the town of Manokwari in West Papua, the Jakarta Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.
It was measured at a depth of 12 kilometres.
The agency's technical chief Suharjono said there appeared to be no damage or injuries reported yet.
"The tremors, which lasted less than a minute, were strong enough to cause people to panic. They all ran out of their homes," he added.
The quake struck at 3:54 pm (0854 GMT) with an epicentre 127 kilometres (79 miles) northwest of the town of Manokwari in West Papua, the Jakarta Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.
It was measured at a depth of 12 kilometres.
The agency's technical chief Suharjono said there appeared to be no damage or injuries reported yet.
"The tremors, which lasted less than a minute, were strong enough to cause people to panic. They all ran out of their homes," he added.
The U.S. National Earthquake Center says a strong earthquake has shaken Mexico's Gulf of California.
It says the magnitude-6.9 quake struck at 12:59 p.m. (1:59 EDT, 17:59 GMT) and was centered 76 miles (122 kilometers) north-northeast of Santa Isabel in Baja California and 331 miles (533 kilometers) southeast of the border city of Tijuana.
It says the magnitude-6.9 quake struck at 12:59 p.m. (1:59 EDT, 17:59 GMT) and was centered 76 miles (122 kilometers) north-northeast of Santa Isabel in Baja California and 331 miles (533 kilometers) southeast of the border city of Tijuana.
The IPCC's computer models have proved just as wrong in predicting global temperatures as the Met Office has been in forecasting those mild winters and heatwave summers, says Christopher Booker.
Everyone has enjoyed the discomfiture of the Met Office, caught out over its April forecast that we were in for a "barbecue summer" - not least because this is the third year running that our weathermen have got their predictions for both summer and winter hopelessly wrong. In 2007 and 2008 they forecast that summers would be warmer and drier, and winters milder than average - just before temperatures plunged and the heavens opened, deluging us with abnormal rain or snow according to season.
One cause of the blunders that have made the Met Office a laughing stock is less widely appreciated, however. It is that the multi-million pound computer it uses to assist its short-term forecasting for Britain is also one of the four main official sources of data used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to predict global warming. In this respect the IPCC's computer models have proved just as wrong in predicting global temperatures as the Met Office has been in forecasting those mild winters and heatwave summers.
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Sir John Houghton, former head of the Met Office, edited the first three IPCC reports between 1990 and 2001
Sir John Houghton, former head of the Met Office, edited the first three IPCC reports between 1990 and 2001
Everyone has enjoyed the discomfiture of the Met Office, caught out over its April forecast that we were in for a "barbecue summer" - not least because this is the third year running that our weathermen have got their predictions for both summer and winter hopelessly wrong. In 2007 and 2008 they forecast that summers would be warmer and drier, and winters milder than average - just before temperatures plunged and the heavens opened, deluging us with abnormal rain or snow according to season.
One cause of the blunders that have made the Met Office a laughing stock is less widely appreciated, however. It is that the multi-million pound computer it uses to assist its short-term forecasting for Britain is also one of the four main official sources of data used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to predict global warming. In this respect the IPCC's computer models have proved just as wrong in predicting global temperatures as the Met Office has been in forecasting those mild winters and heatwave summers.
On July 31, 2009, the purge of public data at CRU reached levels "unprecedented" in its recorded history. Climate Audit reader Super-Grover said that the data purge was "worse" than we expected.
On Monday, July 27, 2009, as reported in a prior thread, CRU deleted three files pertaining to station data from their public directory ftp.cru.uea.ac.uk/.
The next day, on July 28, Phil Jones deleted data from his public file - see screenshot with timestemp in post here, leaving online a variety of files from the 1990s as shown in the following screenshot taken on July 28, 2009.
On Monday, July 27, 2009, as reported in a prior thread, CRU deleted three files pertaining to station data from their public directory ftp.cru.uea.ac.uk/.
The next day, on July 28, Phil Jones deleted data from his public file - see screenshot with timestemp in post here, leaving online a variety of files from the 1990s as shown in the following screenshot taken on July 28, 2009.
© unknown
As readers know, both myself and various Climate Audit readers have requested CRU station data from both the Met Office and CRU. While my initial request to CRU was refused, I asked for a reconsideration and the matter is still outstanding, as are all the other CRU requests. Under U.K. Freedom of Information Act, once FOI requests have been made for information, public authorities are not permitted to "alter, deface, block, erase, destroy or conceal any record held by the public authority, with the intention of preventing the disclosure by that authority of all, or any part, of the information to the communication of which the applicant would have been entitled." As fordprefect observed the other day, the Computer Misuse Act also prescribes various offences, one of which is the unauthorized modification of the contents of a computer with the intent "to prevent or hinder access to any program or data held in any computer".
I was therefore more than a little surprised that on July 27, at about 2:42 p.m. (UK), CRU deleted three files from their data directory ftp.cru.uea.ac.uk/data/ entitled newcrustnsall.dat.Z, newcruextusall.dat.Z and newcrustnsall.hdr. I have before and after screenshots of the contents of this directory showing the deletion, screenshots that I will show below. I also have a screenshot showing the most recent change of the directory and that no other files were changed. [As readers observed, it is possible and perhaps even likely that the files were moved to a concealed location, rather than totally erased, which would present similar sorts of issues for FOI compliance.]
I was therefore more than a little surprised that on July 27, at about 2:42 p.m. (UK), CRU deleted three files from their data directory ftp.cru.uea.ac.uk/data/ entitled newcrustnsall.dat.Z, newcruextusall.dat.Z and newcrustnsall.hdr. I have before and after screenshots of the contents of this directory showing the deletion, screenshots that I will show below. I also have a screenshot showing the most recent change of the directory and that no other files were changed. [As readers observed, it is possible and perhaps even likely that the files were moved to a concealed location, rather than totally erased, which would present similar sorts of issues for FOI compliance.]
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In case you are just joining us, here is some background on the story below. I know the identity of the mole. The ball is now in CRU's court. Steve McIntyre reports below and throws down the gauntlet.
Met Office/CRU Finds the Mole
by Steve McIntyre on July 28th, 2009
More news on the Met Office/CRU molehunt.
Late yesterday (Eastern time), I learned that the Met Office/CRU had identified the mole. They are now aware that there has in fact been a breach of security. They have confirmed that I am in fact in possession of CRU temperature data, data so sensitive that, according to the UK Met Office, my being in possession of this data would, "damage the trust that scientists have in those scientists who happen to be employed in the public sector", interfere with the "effective conduct of international relations", "hamper the ability to protect and promote United Kingdom interests through international relations" and "seriously affect the relationship between the United Kingdom and other Countries and Institutions."
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As some WUWT readers may have learned from reading Climate Audit, an anonymous source deep within Hadley CRU has provided Steve McIntyre a copy of a data file he has been seeking but has had his FOI requests to Hadley seeking the same file, rebuked.
I've seen the data. As I posted last night on Climate Audit:
You know, not everyone in every organization believes in everything the organization does. This is why we have leaks in the White House and people like "Deep Throat" that provide evidential tidbits with guidance like "follow the money".While the CRU data file is not the most current, it is the most current one the mole could produce for us.
Steve has shared this data and the source with me, as a way of verification, and I can vouch for both the validity of the data and of the source ip address. It truly comes from deep within the organization. - Anthony
Comment: This amazing story provides us once again with an every day real live example of the psychological deviance that pervades all of our reality. Those who run the programs and have foisted the global warming meme into the public consciousness over the last two decades now decide the raw data for which the last two decades' policies and political agendas have been based on are too dangerous for the public of which it serves to examine.
Absolutely amazing!
If the AGW'ers didn't have enough problems already with their failed models, tweaked data, falsified statistical methodologies, their missing tropospheric hot spots, missing ocean heat, extended winters, missing and flooded summers, low solar irradiance, low API, and on and on. Now, heading into the December 2009 Copenhagen Conference the propagandists will have to deal with the lowest of lows so far perpetrated by those in control and in positions of leadership and power in the climate science world. The actual removal and hiding of data and the refusal to allow data to be examined by anyone not in the special, elite, privileged group that is telling the rest of the world what to do.
It is unbelievable that a scientific public service institution would use the draconian state secrets laws and claim that temperature data it has used to beat the public consciousness over the head for the last couple of decades is all the sudden privileged information that the public is not allowed to see.
The Global Warming Political Terrorists strike another blow into the public psyche!
This incredible saga has been followed here on SOTT with the following stories:
British Climatic Research Unit Refuses To Release Data Once Again
"Deep Cool" - the Mole within Hadley CRU
Met Office / Hadley CRU discovers the mole
British Climatic Research Unit Erases Global Temperature Data
"Unprecedented" Data Purge At British Climatic Research Unit