Fine Late Summer Weather

Now

Improving. This morning's gloomy haze and mist have yielded to mainly sunny skies and temperatures in the pleasant mid 70s with only marginally muggy dewpoints in the low 60s. Radar at mid afternoon showed some very isolated showers from near Charlottesville to the Annapolis vicinity.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Very fine. Lows tonight under partly cloudy skies will be in the low 60s downtown to the mid and upper 50s in the 'burbs. Tomorrow will be sunny and pleasant with seasonable highs in the low 80s.

Tropical Topics

Florence was looking more organized today, and the storm's strength increased to maximum winds of 50 mph this morning. It is still expected to become a hurricane, possibly by tomorrow, but the forecast track turns it northward near longitude 67W (southwest of Bermuda) this weekend.

Mediarology

Capitalweather.com's Andrew Freedman reports that The Weather Channel is starting a broadband climate channel called One°. You can display a preview with Dr. Heidi Cullen at their web site. The online channel is part of TWC's new "initiative to disseminate information on climate change and global warming", as described by Broadcasting & Cable's web site.

As part of this initiative, a new program called "The Climate Code" hosted by Dr. Cullen will begin broadcasting October 1. It will air at 5pm ET on Sundays.

In addition to weekly interviews with other scientists, policy makers, and opinion leaders, The Climate Code will feature segments highlighting different aspects of the world's climate. The features will examine what people can do to help the environment; debunk some of the popular myths around the climate; look at how scientific understanding has changed in recent decades; and explore technological advances that can benefit everyone.

Cullen's recent presentation to the National Association of Black Journalists in Indianapolis was reviewed by Boston Globe columnist Derrick Z. Jackson.

Photo of Heidi Cullen from climate.weather.com