Flagler County officials are starting sandbag operations Sunday as the one certainty about Tropical Storm Ian is that it will bring plenty of rain with it and a high likelihood of flooding in some areas. Two locations will open about noon today – one on the barrier island and the other in western Flagler County.
Weather and Climate
Tropical Storm Ian: Intensity of Coming Hurricane Certain, Landfall Location Less So
The models are in largely in agreement about Tropical Storm Ian’s path over the next three days as it becomes Hurricane Ian: a slight arc around western Cuba and into the Gulf of Mexico. But the models diverge after that, with some projecting a more westerly path and some having Ian strike Florida at Tampa Bay.
As Hurricane Hermine Ian Gestates, King Tide Flooding Is More Immediate Concern in Flagler
What is expected to become Hurricane Hermine is now Tropical Depression 9. But Flagler County residents should be more immediately concerned about the effects of a king tide combining with remnants of Hurricane Fiona and the approach of Hermine, all of which will create significant flooding conditions along the Intracoastal and low-lying areas of Palm Coast and western Flagler.
Arctic Is Warming Nearly 4 Times Faster Than Rest of the Planet
The Arctic is on average around 3℃ warmer than it was in 1980. This is alarming, because the Arctic contains sensitive and delicately balanced climate components that, if pushed too hard, will respond with global consequences.
Mid-Season Update Still Projects Above-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Activity
Atmospheric and oceanic conditions still favor an above-normal 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, according to NOAA’s annual mid-season update issued today by the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service.
How Record-Setting Heat Waves Could Punish Economies Already Reeling from Inflation
Hundreds of millions of people struggled to keep cool amid a sweltering summer heat wave as cities across the U.S. and mainland Europe experienced record-high temperatures. Here are four ways extreme heat hurts the economy.
What the Controversial 1972 ‘Limits to Growth’ Report Got Right
“The Limits to Growth,” an extension of biologist Paul Ehrlich’s bestselling “The Population Bomb,” was way off in some regards, but dead on in this one: Humans must limit and soon reduce their aggregate production of greenhouse gas emissions.
July Rains Relieve Northeast Florida of Abnormally Dry Conditions
Recent rainfall throughout the St. Johns River Water Management District’s 18-county region, which includes Flagler County, has relieved portions of northeast Florida that had been abnormally dry after below-average rainfall in June.
Understanding the Heat Dome: Why America Is Baking
A heat dome occurs when a persistent region of high pressure traps heat over an area. The heat dome can stretch over several states and linger for days to weeks, leaving the people, crops and animals below to suffer through stagnant, hot air that can feel like an oven.
Antarctica’s Riskiest Glacier Is Losing Its Grip
Antarctica is a continent comprising several large islands, one of them the size of Australia, all buried under a 10,000-foot-thick layer of ice. The ice holds enough fresh water to raise sea level by nearly 200 feet. You don’t want its glaciers melting. They are.