The weather could factor into the return of sports and the fans by John RoachAccuWeather•
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| United States’ Katie Ledecky wins the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) |
No American female swimmer has won more individual Olympic gold medals than Katie Ledecky. Her four overall – tied with 1988 star Janet Evans – include one in 2012 and three in a dominating 2016 showing when her winning smile was ever-present during NBC’s coverage of women’s swimming.These days, she is in a significantly less conspicuous setting: a California backyard pool doing laps in one of the few places still available because of the coronavirus shutdown. Living near the Stanford campus, Ledecky and Olympic gold-medal teammate Simone Manuel train with 2020 U.S. Olympic Women’s Swimming coach Greg Meehan to stay in shape for Olympic competition that is currently postponed until July 23-August 8 2021.”We have this little workout every day in a backyard pool and you’ve got two of the greatest athletes in the world next to each other,” Meehan told AccuWeather. „They don’t have access to [a 50-meter Olympic-sized pool] but it’s better than nothing.”
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| United States swimmer Katie Ledecky’s coach Greg Meehan gestures as he talks to reporters at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Tuesday, July 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) |
The sports world figuratively is dipping its toe in the pool trying to determine when, or if, it’s safe to return to action or to start a new season. Major League Baseball is in discussions with its Players Association to start the season perhaps by the Fourth of July. The NFL just released its schedule for the 2020 season after holding a virtual NFL Draft last month. The NBA and NHL seasons are on hold, although a Mixed Martial Arts event was held Saturday with more upcoming this week, and NASCAR will begin its racing season Sunday.
The weather’s role could be a determining factor into whether other sports are held or if fans will be able to attend any events. Fans were not allowed to attend the MMA event and there won’t be any at the NASCAR races.
„Clearly you are more at risk in a basketball arena than you are in an outdoor stadium where the air is circulating,” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers. „Now, it does not circulate perhaps as much, unless it is windy, because the stadium itself provides somewhat of a shell even if it is outside. But the air is mixing more; whether all the air in a stadium is completely replaced every five minutes or every 20 minutes depends on the wind and the turbulence and other things.
„But inside a basketball arena, the replacement of the air depends entirely on the ventilation system,” Myers said. „The ventilation system actually could be recirculating the air – unless it cleanses the air greatly with UV rays that may kill the virus. So it may be doing nothing to prevent the spread.”
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Swimmers have a unique advantage compared to other athletes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced, „There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas or water play areas. Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water.”
The individual nature of swimming also helps. „It’s about as good of an environment athletically as you could have, certainly better than football or basketball where they’re just contacting each other constantly throughout the course of the practice or a game,” Meehan told AccuWeather.
That doesn’t mean Meehan, Ledecky and Manuel haven’t had their own difficulties during their sessions, along with the mental wear of having to put life on hold for another year-plus. Sometimes Mother Nature piles on.
„If it’s just raining, we kind of press ahead,” Meehan told AccuWeather. „But if we’re getting any kind of severe weather, strong winds, any kind of thunderstorms, then that’s when we pause and take time away.”
For athletes – and sports fans – pausing and taking time away has become the new norm.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
The U.S. Will Face a “Hotter-Than-Average” Summer This Year, Experts Say
2020 is on track to be one of the hottest years ever recorded.
- The U.S. can expect a “hotter-than-average” summer, according to the The Weather Channel.
- After the warmest January in 141 years, global temperatures in 2020 are on track to be among the hottest ever recorded.
Don’t be fooled by the random snow and frigid winds that took over Mother’s Day weekend in many parts of the country. The next few months are going to be sizzling. The Weather Channel reports that most of the U.S. can plan on having a “hotter-than-average” summer in 2020.
May will end with “temperatures near average or slightly warmer from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic into the Midwest, as well as along the West Coast,” The Weather Channel reports. The South and interior West can also expect above-average temps through May, while parts of northern North Dakota and Minnesota may see below-average numbers for this month.
But things will heat up quickly. In June and July, temperatures will be nearly or slightly above average in basically every part of the country. And getting into August, most states will experience higher-than-normal heat, with the highest spike hitting various parts of the Northwest, including eastern Washington and Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, western Wyoming, northern Utah, and northeastern Nevada.
A hot summer should come as no surprise. After all, we kicked off 2020 with the warmest January in 141 years. Through March, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that global land and ocean surface temperatures hit a new high since 1880—2.07 degrees Fahrenheit above average, per Scientific American.
Karin Gleason, a climatologist with the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), told The New York Times that they’re “virtually certain that 2020 will rank top 10 years on record,” she said.
In fact, one NCEI analysis concluded that 2020 has a 49% chance of being the warmest year ever, and a 98% chance that it will rank among the top five ever recorded. So, yes, it’s going to be a hot one.
From: Prevention US
First tropical storm of hurricane season may develop near Florida, Bahamas by this weekend
Weeks ahead of schedule, the hurricane season’s first tropical system could develop near Florida and the Bahamas this weekend, forecasters said Tuesday.
As of midday Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said there was a 50% chance of development within the next five days. „An area of low pressure is expected to develop this weekend a couple hundred miles northeast of the Bahamas,” the hurricane center said.
The official start to the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is June 1, although storms often form before that date, as they have in each of the past five years. The peak of the season is usually in September.
If the system gets a name, it would be Tropical (or Subtropical) Storm Arthur. Subtropical storms are those that have characteristics of both tropical and non-tropical weather systems.
Storms get a name when their winds reach 39 mph.
According to AccuWeather, the center of the system and most of its rain should stay east of the U.S. mainland, but there will be some impact from it reaching the beaches of the U.S. and perhaps more significant impact on the islands offshore.
Showers and thunderstorms may also occur over part of South Florida late this week as the system gets organized, AccuWeather said.
Hurricanes in a pandemic: ‘Absolutely that’s our nightmare scenario’
What’s in store for the hurricane season? Forecasters expect ‘above average’ storm activity
Although the system isn’t likely to directly affect the U.S., the developing storm „is certainly a good reminder that hurricane season is around the corner and that preparation is necessary,” wrote University of Georgia meteorologist Marshall Shepherd in Forbes.
Most hurricane forecasters are calling for an unusually active 2020 hurricane season. Top forecasters from Colorado State University said last month that 16 named tropical storms are expected to form, eight of which could become hurricanes.
An average season has 12 tropical storms, six of which are hurricanes.
Reasons for the expected active season include unusually warm seawater in the Atlantic Ocean and also the lack of an El Niño, which tends to suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic.
Federal forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will issue their prediction for the 2020 season next week, the agency announced Tuesday.
More: Are Category 5 hurricanes such as Dorian the ‘new normal’?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane season: Tropical Storm Arthur may hit near Florida, Bahamas
Southern India to Bangladesh still on alert for brewing tropical system
More than a week since it first developed, a slow-moving area of low pressure continues to sit over the Bay of Bengal. However, AccuWeather meteorologists tracking the system say it could take aim at areas from India to Bangladesh by the end of the week.
The low, which has churned at a glacial pace near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands since last week, brought some locations, including Banda Aceh, a total of 11.89 inches of rain (302 mm) from Thursday to Sunday.
As this system drifts west-northwest, away from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the coming days, there remain two possible paths for the lows to follow.
„This is a complicated setup, so the exact track of the low remains unclear,” said AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
With all the uncertainty, locations from Sri Lanka to Myanmar should all be prepared for impacts from this tropical system, especially given the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In the beginning of May, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, extended the world’s largest lockdown until May 18. The country recently experienced its largest single-day spike in COVID-19 related deaths. However, the nation’s recovery rate is improving.
Preparedness plans may take longer than usual to put into place and, should a storm approach during a continued lockdown, shelters may cause residents to huddle in larger groups than what is normally allowed.
„The two most likely scenarios consist of the system tracking to the west toward southern India or curving to the north toward northeastern India and Bangladesh,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
The track that this tropical low takes may ultimately determine how much strengthening is possible.
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As the low drifts over the southern Bay of Bengal early this week, it will be over warm water and in an area of low wind shear. These are two crucial ingredients needed for tropical development.The system may take a more westward track into southern India early next week. Such a scenario will take the system into hostile conditions, allowing the low to remain weak.
Southern India to Bangladesh still on alert for brewing tropical system by Courtney SpamerAccuWeather•More than a week since it first developed, a slow-moving area of low pressure continues to sit over the Bay of Bengal. However, AccuWeather meteorologists tracking the system say it could take aim at areas from India to Bangladesh by the end of the week.The low, which has churned at a glacial pace near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands since last week, brought some locations, including Banda Aceh, a total of 11.89 inches of rain (302 mm) from Thursday to Sunday.As this system drifts west-northwest, away from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the coming days, there remain two possible paths for the lows to follow.”This is a complicated setup, so the exact track of the low remains unclear,” said AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.With all the uncertainty, locations from Sri Lanka to Myanmar should all be prepared for impacts from this tropical system, especially given the global COVID-19 pandemic.In the beginning of May, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, extended the world’s largest lockdown until May 18. The country recently experienced its largest single-day spike in COVID-19 related deaths. However, the nation’s recovery rate is improving.Preparedness plans may take longer than usual to put into place and, should a storm approach during a continued lockdown, shelters may cause residents to huddle in larger groups than what is normally allowed.”The two most likely scenarios consist of the system tracking to the west toward southern India or curving to the north toward northeastern India and Bangladesh,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.The track that this tropical low takes may ultimately determine how much strengthening is possible.
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As the low drifts over the southern Bay of Bengal early this week, it will be over warm water and in an area of low wind shear. These are two crucial ingredients needed for tropical development.The system may take a more westward track into southern India early next week. Such a scenario will take the system into hostile conditions, allowing the low to remain weak.
This westerly track would bring soaking showers and thunderstorms to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. This track would bring a greater threat to coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.
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| Street shops are seen collapsed due to gusty winds ahead of the landfall of cyclone Fani on the outskirts of Puri, in the Indian state of Odisha, Friday, May 3, 2019. Indian authorities have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people along the country’s eastern coast ahead of a cyclone moving through the Bay of Bengal. (Photo/AP) |
Conversely, a turn to the north will give the low more time over water and allow further strengthening, possibly into a deep depression and a cyclonic storm. However, strengthening of the system will not go unchecked.”As the system moves farther to the north, wind shear will increase across the central and northern Bay of Bengal, which should limit how intense the system can get,” Douty explained.A track far enough north could threaten not only the eastern shores of India, but also Bangladesh.In either scenario, AccuWeather meteorologists anticipate that strengthening will be very slow, and a depression is unlikely to form before late week or even this weekend.It is not uncommon for tropical systems to develop in the Bay of Bengal or Andaman Sea during the beginning of May. Tropical activity usually increases before the arrival of India’s southwest monsoon.”The northern Indian Ocean tropical season officially is boundless, meaning tropical cyclones can form any time of year. However, the northern Indian Ocean tropical season has two peaks. The first peak is from April to June, or pre-monsoon, and the second peak spans from September into December, or post-monsoon,” Nicholls said.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
XAG Deploys Drones to Seed Burned Land for Australian Fire Recovery
- XAG joined hands with DELWP and HDLN on the first-ever post-fire drone seeding operation on Cobrico Peat Swamps, Victoria in Australia.
- Drones with intelligent spreading system were used to distribute seeds directly into the fire-ravaged, difficult-to-access areas.
- The trial project in Lake Cobrico demonstrates the best practice of drones to regenerate peat swamps after a wildfire in a safe, cost-effective manner.
COBRICO, Australia, May 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — In a collective effort to restore Australia from wildfire devastation, XAG has joined the first-ever post-fire drone seeding operation on Lake Cobrico, Victoria. This project was funded by Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and managed by Heytesbury District Landcare Network (HDLN). It is the first time that agricultural drones are used to re-establish native vegetation within a fire-ravaged peat swamp in Australia.
Due to the increasingly frequent, large-scale bushfire, Australia has been facing an unprecedented decline in biodiversity as well as substantial increase in greenhouse gas emission. Particularly, as one of the world’s largest terrestrial carbon reserve, peatlands have been experiencing drainage and fires, which contributes to 5% of global carbon emission. Immediate actions should be taken based on partnership to restore the country’s damaged ecosystem.
This April, XAG sent 3 sets of its P Series drones, equipped with JetSeed granule spreading system, to distribute native seeds directly on Lake Cobrico. Within only two days, approximately 40 hectares of burned land was replenished with new plants, using a blend of 12 different seeds. In the next six months, XAG and HDLN will closely monitor the result of drone seeding, which will be compared with that of the other area where plants are going to be natural regrowth. It is expected that the project would be replicated across the region and state, especially within the areas where traditional techniques are inapplicable.
Lake Cobrico is a swamp wildlife reserve located near Warrnambool in Southwest Victoria. Part of the peatland was severely damaged during the 2018 St Patrick’s Day Fire, with the vegetation and deeper soil layers left in ruins. In areas of high burn severity, the ecosystem itself might be unable to regenerate naturally and requires human intervention, such as direct seeding, for fire recovery. Re-establishment of native vegetation can slow down erosion and sedimentation, and suppress invasive weeds after a wildfire.
XAG drones allow seeding to be done on Lake Cobrico, where landowners and managers used to find it difficult to restore the wet, inaccessible fire-impacted areas. During the operation, the drones accurately followed the pre-set flight route, while harnessing high-speed airflows to project seeds from 2-3 metres above the ground. Also, seeding rates could be precisely controlled and adjusted in real time to ensure that the proper amount of seed was distributed evenly into the targeted bare land. This has not only limited the exposure of staffs and ground vehicle to rugged terrain, but also avoided using either too much or too little seeds.
HDLN co-ordinator Geoff Rollinson said in an interview with Cobden Timboon Coast Times that, drone technology provides access to all areas despite the complex landforms. „This project wouldn’t be able to go ahead in the normal manner because some areas of Lake Cobrico are unstable,” he said. XAG is the first business in Australia to obtain swarm flight approval from Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), therefore operation of up to five drones by one pilot is made possible to increase efficiency.
By innovatively using drones for direct seeding, XAG has transformed the way ecosystem restoration works are conducted. Seeding by hand or ground equipment is inapplicable to Lake Cobrico where part of the peat swamp is difficult to access; this approach might also disturb the vulnerable post-fire vegetation and soil. Aerial seeding by plane or helicopter can cover a larger area, but besides costly, it might result in seed drift and uneven distribution that might adversely affect a successful outcome.
The trial project in Lake Cobrico demonstrates the best practice of drones to regenerate fire-impacted peat swamps in a safe, cost-effective manner, without human or mechanical trampling on vegetation cover. XAG’s drone seeding solution is now recommended by DELWP and HDLN as a ‘well-designed and sustainable option for environmental restoration works.’
Bushfires are a natural part of Australia’s ecosystem, in which many plant species develop to become fire-resistant. However, the 2019-20 Australian bushfires, as one of the most severe, has brought devastating, long-lasting impact on the world’s biodiversity. Over 17 million hectares of land was burned across the nation, with an estimated one billion animals killed in the raging fires.
Facing great environmental challenges caused by the fire disaster, Australia has been going through a bumpy pathway to long-term recovery. New technologies can empower government and land managers to restore the fire affected regions under safer operating conditions. XAG’s smart agriculture solutions, including drone surveying, remote sensing, and precision chemical application, have been gradually adopted in Australia. If drone seeding techniques can be scaled up for ecosystem restoration across the states, it would help to accelerate the footstep of Australia’s fire recovery.
About XAG
Founded in 2007, XAG is a world-leading agriculture technology company with 12 years of technical experience in unmanned aerial system (UAS) and 6 years of practical experience in innovative field applications. Up to 1 January, 2020, XAG has over 50,000 agricultural drones in operation, having empowered 7 million farmers with precision crop protection services on 25 million hectares of farmland. With a global mission to advancing agriculture, XAG is devoted to building digital farming infrastructure, developing precision farming equipment, such as robots, drones, AI and IoT, and creating smart agriculture ecosystem.
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SOURCE XAG
Goodbye polar vortex, hello warmth
Typical springtime warmth has been missing in action in parts of the Northeast and Midwest in recent weeks. However, forecasters have good news for the many warm-weather fans that have been left to wonder what season it is anyway amid the unusual chill: much warmer weather is on the way. And this time, a more typical spring and even summerlike pattern is expected to stick around for most areas.
The persistent chilly pattern with a strong southward plunge in the jet stream associated with an extension of the polar vortex is expected to swing away, setting the set the stage for a Bermuda high pressure area over the western Atlantic that will exert more influence on the weather in the eastern United States.
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„When comparing the temperature trend from last weekend to what is in store for this weekend in most areas, daytime highs will be an average of 30 degrees Fahrenheit higher,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
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Even more dramatic, a 40- to 60-degree temperature rise is in store when comparing low temperatures in the teens, 20s and 30s from last weekend to the daytime highs forecast to be in the 60s, 70s and 80s this weekend.
For example, in Bradford, Pennsylvania, the temperature dipped to a record 22 F on Saturday morning. The temperature is forecast to reach near the 70-degree mark this Saturday and could climb into the 70s on Sunday.
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It will be a similar story in Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, where record low temperatures in the mid-30s were recorded this past weekend. Highs in the middle 80s to near 90 are anticipated this weekend.
The uptick in temperatures will reach the Atlantic coast as well and will occur at an even more swift pace.
In New York City, the temperature will challenge a long-standing record low of 39, which was set way back in 1895, on Wednesday morning. A little over 48 hours later, the thermometer may register 80 degrees, which is about 10 degrees above normal, on Friday afternoon in the Big Apple.
