A Repeat of Hurricane Sandy?

Science-fiction-ish for now, but the 12z Canadian shows #Erika w/ a Sandy-esque hook into NYC. http://t.co/E4x5q8m32K pic.twitter.com/vxPsvZn60L

— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 27, 2015

DON'T PANIC YET! Before everyone freaks out, just remember this is one run of one computer model. Is there a possibility that it would happen...yes. Is that possibility high, not at all!!! 

I found the Canadian model's forecast for current Tropical Storm Erika very interesting. As you can see in the GIF above, tweeted out by Eric Holthaus of Slate, the weather model from our neighbors to the north, takes Erika right up the coast, then a hard left into New Jersey. This is the exact path Hurricane Sandy took in 2012. Its amazing that a path like that would show up on a computer model again. 

Is it possible? Yes. Likely? Not really. Sure the pattern supports blocking to the north, preventing a storm from going out to sea like most do but will Tropical Storm Erika live through the wind shear in the Caribbean or the high mountains of Hispaniola? We'll have to wait to find out. Most models have the storm emerging into the Bahamas by the end of the weekend and giving Florida a close encounter or even a hit (Florida hasn't been hit by a hurricane in 10 years!!!) 

Right now the storm will hopefully give Puerto Rico some beneficial, drought busting rain. For everyone else, its a good time to keep an eye on it but that's it. No panicking just yet! 

Below are images from the Canadian computer model, showing Erika off the coast of North Carolina with a 932 millibar low! That would be an extremely dangerous storm. Below is also an image from the model, showing the storm off the coast of New Jersey by September 4th.  

Funny Blizzard Memes for Juno!

One of internet's greatest accomplishments is the creative outlet of memes. Memes and cartoons online can easily go viral as well as expose the craziness of any situation. Perfect example is the impending bBlizzard Check out these funny cartoons and memes i've seen online! 

The first cartoon is from The New Yorker and was posted on Twitter. The forecast is totally correct, we do expect large amounts of snow pictures to accumulate on Instagram! 

The next one is only funny if you understand the differences between the weather forecast models and are also a Simpsons fan! To briefly explain, the character on the right is Ralph, a student that goes to school with Lisa and Bart Simpson. He's not quite all there and definitely not the most intelligent character. 

Now notice the names on the front of the desk...ECMWF (Euro model), GFS, and NAM (North American Model). Ever since the Euro predicted Superstorm Sandy a week out, it has been the most reliable computer model of them all, hence the more diligent student. The GFS is known for it's inconsistencies, especially in the first few weeks of 2015 when the model was upgraded. So it's correct sometimes but usually ends up following what the Euro says. Finally, the NAM, which seems to always be showing something interesting but not always correct. The model is best used within 48 hours of a storm and even then it's not always right! 

The next one is just hilarious and was sent to me via text message! The forecast seems pretty correct!

Final one for now is actually the one I made for this storm! Based on what The Weather Channel is calling the storm, here's my meme! Feel free to add more you find to the comments! 

Climate Model Turned Into Stamp! (video)

This is pretty cool! On Earth Day, April 22, 2014, "the U.S. Postal Service officially unveiled a new Forever international-rate stamp inspired by a simulation of sea surface temperatures from a NOAA model of the Earth's climate."

I'm no stamp collector but this would be something cool to have! Turning computer models, and science into art is always interesting! Maps themselves are really part art and part science! Visual representation is great for sharing information but also allows for readers interpretation, which can result in art!  

Check out the video below of how the computer model was transformed into the stamp! 

Crazy Computer Models

These were from the other day showing the Blizzard I'm expecting today here in CT. When these came out they were the outliers (which means one of the extreme solutions) but looks like it might come true! They show snow accumulations, which show over two feet!!