Climate Change Curriculum: Teachers on the Front Lines

The PBS News Hour reports on science teachers' attempts to present the subject of climate change without political interference. Teachers share their stories in an online extension of the story.

Watch Teachers Endure Balancing Act Over Climate Change Curriculum on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Norfolk VA: High Cost of Adaptation to Sea-Level Rise

"Need to Know" on PBS explores the high cost of adaptation to sea-level rise in Norfolk, Virginia:

When the presidential candidates talk about the long-term economic security of the US, they often talk about the national debt, the viability of Medicare and Social Security, and the rise of China.

But there’s another issue that could have major implications for the nation’s economy, and it’s barely mentioned at all: the soaring costs America might face in generations to come from climate change. More specifically, the very damaging and very costly effects of sea level rise. . .

Watch Rising tide on PBS. See more from Need To Know.

Spring Super-Soaker Update: More Rainfall Records Set Across New England, New York

Image (click to enlarge): 24-hour precipitation ending 8 am EDT, April 23, 2012, from National Weather Service

April 24, 1 PM Update: Added Burlington VT, Massena NY, and Rochester NY.

Original Post:
In addition to the many daily rainfall records set on Sunday, April 22, more records were set on April 23 (old record in parentheses):

Providence RI  1.60"  (1.44" 2006)  [second consecutive day] 
Boston MA      1.48"  (1.14" 1998)
Burlington VT  1.08"  (0.92" 1977)
Portland ME    3.13"  (1.53" 1921)
Bangor ME      2.32"  (1.39" 2000) 
Houlton ME     1.32"  (0.86" 1993)
Caribou ME     1.42"  (1.31" 1958)
Massena NY     0.83"  (0.74" 1993)
Rochester NY   1.58"  (0.81" 1996)   

Spring Super-Soaker Sets Rainfall Records; Century-Old Mark Nearly Doubled at Norfolk

April 24 Update: See next post for more records set on April 23.

April 23, 10 AM Update:
Updated preliminary record daily precipitation reports from the National Weather Service:

Cape Hatteras NC  3.18"  (2.04" 2008) 
Elizabeth City NC 1.22"  (1.10" 1959)
Norfolk VA        2.24"  (1.18" 1912)
Salisbury MD      1.93"  (1.32" 2006)
Georgetown DE     1.67"  (1.32" 1993) 
Philadelphia PA   1.87"  (1.67" 2006)
Allentown PA      1.66"  (1.24" 1937)
Avoca PA          1.27"  (1.16" 2006)
Atlantic City NJ  1.71"  (1.63" 2006)
Trenton NJ        2.06"  (1.77" 2006)
Newark NJ         2.64"  (1.21" 2006)  
Islip NY          2.66"  (0.77" 2003)
LaGuardia NY      1.90"  (1.53" 1969)
Kennedy Airpt NY  2.14"  (1.79" 1969) 
Central Park NY   2.45"  (1.80" 1969) 
Bridgeport CT     1.72"  (1.64" 1969)
Providence RI     1.59"  (1.43" 2000) 

Richmond missed by just 0.01".

In addition to the first-order (ASOS) stations listed, at least 28 cooperative stations from Florida to Maine reported record daily rainfall.

2 AM Update: The Providence record is confirmed at 1.59".

1 AM Update: The following unofficial rainfall totals will also be new records if confirmed:

Philadelphia PA  1.86" (1.67", 2006)
Trenton NJ       2.06" (1.77", 2006)
Newark NJ        2.61" (1.21", 2006)
Central Park NY  2.43" (1.80", 1969)
Bridgeport CT    1.69" (1.64", 1969)
Providence RI    1.53" (1.43", 2000)  

9 PM Update: Salisbury has picked up slightly more than half an inch more of precipitation since 5 pm, bringing the total so far to 1.91". Rain has ended at Norfolk.

7:30 PM Update: With light rain continuing, Richmond has now had 0.27" more rainfall since 5 pm; 0.04" additional will tie the record.

Original Post:
The rapidly intensifying storm system moving up the East Coast has already set some daily precipitation records as of 5 pm EDT at several coastal and near-coastal locations (old record in parentheses):

Cape Hatteras NC   3.18" (2.04", 2008)
Norfolk VA         2.20" (1.18", 1912) 
Salisbury MD       1.40" (1.32", 2006) 

With 1.29" already recorded at Richmond, the 1.60" record set in 1984 is within reach.

Deluge Douses Des Moines: Earliest 3" Rainfall by 2 Weeks

Image (click to enlarge): Iowa 24-hour precipitation ending 7 am CDT, April 15, 2012, from National Weather Service.

April 15, AM Update: An additional 0.17" of rainfall in the 2 hours before midnight local time brings the daily record total to 3.43". The National Weather Service reports that Des Moines climate records date back to 1878.

Original post:
The 3.26" of rainfall at Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday not only smashes the record for April 14 of 2" in 1987, but it is only the second time that a daily rainfall has exceeded 3" in the first 4 months of the year at Des Moines. The 2.35" which fell in the hour ending at 6 pm CDT was enough by itself to break the old daily record. The all-time record daily rainfall for April occurred on a date 2 weeks later, 3.80" on April 28 in 1974.

Des Moines climate records began in 1896.

Snowiest Season in Anchorage

Image (click to enlarge): Anchorage snowfall through April 9, 2012, from National Weather Service

9 PM Update: Updated chart through April 9.

Original post:
As of Saturday evening, Anchorage, Alaska set a new seasonal snowfall record with 134.5". From the National Weather Service:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
740 PM AKDT SAT APR 7 2012

UPDATED WITH LATEST SNOW TOTAL

...ANCHORAGE SETS NEW SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD...

SNOW HAS TAPERED OFF TO FLURRIES AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE AND NO ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED FROM 
THIS STORM. AN ADDITIONAL 0.9 INCHES OF SNOW FELL BETWEEN 4 PM 
AND 7 PM WHICH BRINGS THE TOTAL FOR THE DAY TO 4.3 INCHES. 

THIS MAKES THE 2011-2012 WINTER SEASON THE SNOWIEST EVER WITH 
A TOTAL OF 134.5 INCHES. THE PREVIOUS SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD 
WAS 132.6 INCHES SET IN 1954-1955.  

Warmest March, Warmest 1st Quarter, Warmest 12 Months Apr-Mar, 2nd Warmest Oct-Mar in U.S.

April 9, AM Update: The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) posted the preliminary U.S. climate summary for March this morning. The report confirmed that this was the warmest March for the contiguous 48 states since the beginning of official national climate statistics in 1895. The average temperature of 51.1° was 8.6° above the long-term March average and a significant 0.5° above the previous record in March 1910. The only previous month in 118 years of data with a greater departure from average was January 2006.

The extent of the record breaking was truly astonishing. Among the highlights:

• 25 states had their warmest March on record
• 15 other states had top-10 warmest Marches
• The only state with below-average temeperatures was Washington.
• Every state had a record daily warm temperature
• Hundreds of all-time March temperature records were set
• 21 low temperatures were equal to or higher than the previous daily high temperature record

The average temperature of 42.0° for January-March in the contiguous U.S. was also the warmest on record at 6.0° above the long-term average. For the 3 months, 25 states had their warmest first quarter, and 16 more had top-10 temperatures.

For the 6-month cold season (October-March), it was the second warmest on record (3.8° above average) for the contiguous U.S., behind 1999-2000. There were 21 states across most of the Northeast and Midwest with record warm cold seasons.

Original post:

After the warmest March in both the Northeast and Midwest it was to be expected that the extreme heat of March 2012 exceeded even the previous record March of 1910 in the contiguous U.S. From Stu Ostro of The Weather Channel:

NOAA (who'll post full analysis at 11a ET): Record warmest March (warmer than 1910), & Jan-Mar, &12-mo Apr-Mar period in 48 contig. #weather

— Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) April 9, 2012

Details to be posted as they are available.