Category Archives: Climatology and Meteorology

Study: Expect Southwest U.S. Monsoon Storms to Intensify

Arizona monsoon storm near Carefree Highway. Photo by Shredex.

The most extreme monsoon storms are growing more intense in central and southwestern Arizona, according to a study by the University of Arizona and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

The findings conform to patterns expected under climate change conditions. Indeed, experts have already observed this effect.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Study Shows More Intense Monsoon Storms on the Horizon

Taking the Mystery Out of Microbursts

Microburst near Amarillo, Texas. Image from the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Credit: Jason Boggs.

Phoenix, Arizona, is not known for strong winds, but that all changes when monsoons annually deliver destructive downdrafts like the one that damaged its five-story Burton Barr Central Library. In this piece, and in the interview that follows it, I clear up some of the confusion that still  whirls around these blasts.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Understanding How Microbursts Are Formed

Or listen to my interview on KJZZ’s The Show.

We’re Not in Phoenix Anymore: How Radio Signals “Skipped” All the Way to Kansas

Yes, it’s that exciting.

Unlike AM signals, FM is confined to line-of-sight, so Phoenix’s KBAQ radio station doesn’t typically reach much beyond the Valley of the Sun, let alone to a Volkswagen Beetle 875 miles away. So it’s no wonder that Ken Baker of the Radio Kansas Network was surprised to see what resolved on his HD tuner that day.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
How Phoenix-Area Radio Signals Can Bounce All The Way To Kansas

Take Summer Headaches Seriously, Warns Neurologist

“The Headache” by George Cruikshank.

Between the heat, dehydration, air quality and July 4 fireworks, many Arizonans shrug off headaches as just another symptom of summer.

But Kerry Knievel, director of headache neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute, said we need to start taking headaches more seriously.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Neurologist: Don’t Shrug Off Summer Headaches

Mt. Graham Telescopes Observe Frye Fire Up Close

Firefighters monitor Frye fire from atop Mount Graham’s Large Binocular telescope (photo courtesy LBTO).

The Frye Fire has burned tens of thousands of acres southwest of Safford, some of them uncomfortably close to Mount Graham International Observatory.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Frye Fire Has Close Encounter With Mt. Graham Telescopes