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ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social
NWS meteorologist in Wilmington, North Carolina ⛈️ Environmentalist, retro gamer, gardener, birder and space afficionado🚀 Loves: democracy, decency, empathy, anime, and cuddly housecats 😸
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“Sources within ⁦‪NOAA‬⁩ say that the additional administrative burden, combined with an ongoing federal hiring freeze and additional anticipated staff and budget cuts, will hamper ability of the US to maintain a functioning public weather service.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Listen to Secretary Pete. And remember, these are our funds. These are our courts. And these are our streets.

Twenty-five years supporting one of the best organizations on the planet 🌏 www.nature.org/en-us/about-...

It's southern hemisphere hurricane season

More video of thruster activity on tonight's SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage, then the second stage continuing on into orbit. Video from Wrightsville Beach, NC

My view from Wrightsville Beach, NC of tonight's launch of Worldview satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket. Boostback burns never cease to be amazing!

If he were alive today, Benjamin Franklin would have stood foursquare for science, equality, health, & democracy. As @michaelemann.bsky.social writes, Franklin was one of America's first environmental leaders, arguing for laws to protect people from big polluters. www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Yesterday my rooftop #solar array had it's highest production since mid October. Sun angles are rising and the days are getting longer here in the northern hemisphere.

BREAKING: Donald Trump's executive order that would allow him to replace public servants with unqualified loyalists is illegal. We’re suing on behalf of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, alongside Democracy Forward, to stop his plans from taking effect.

Day four of snowcover in coastal North Carolina. It's melting, but very slowly. #ncwx #snow

Surface weather observations from last night's snowstorm across the eastern portions of North and South Carolina. There was a plotting error for South Carolina radars, but we had a continuous shield of snow and sleet from the Gulf Coast to North Carolina for most of the night.

After 2.5 inches of snow overnight, North College Rd in #Wilmington, NC is snowpacked but traffic is moving smoothly #ncwx #snow

Eagerly watching what could be the biggest winter storm in seven years to affect the eastern portions of North and South Carolina. Tuesday night into early Wednesday (January 21-22) is the period of concern for accumulating snow and ice.

🎉 It is our birthday! On this day in 2001, Wikipedia was launched. Over two decades later, it has become one of the largest and most trusted sources of knowledge on the internet, with 63+ million articles in 300+ languages. Read all about the history of Wikipedia ➡️ w.wiki/KYn

A quick summary I put together of yesterday's sleet and freezing rain across the eastern Carolinas www.weather.gov/ilm/2025Jan1... #ncwx #scwx

Visible and infrared cat soaking up the warm sun this afternoon

Local soil type influences meteorology on calm clear nights. Peat soil in pocosins across eastern North Carolina helps produce exceptionally cold nighttime air measured as low as 13° F in Holly Shelter Gameland in Pender County, NC. More details from NWS Wilmington: www.facebook.com/NWSWilmingto...

From tornado outbreaks to summer and fall drought, to historic flooding with PTC Eight - a lot happened across the eastern Carolinas in 2024. Here's my annual summary of the top ten local weather events at weather.gov/ilm/2024ClimateSummary #ncwx #scwx #climate

Overlooking Hickory, NC from near the top of Baker's Mountain, one of my favorite Catawba County Parks

Wow, a huge influx of likely bot accounts on Bluesky over the past 24 hours. Most have tens of thousands of connections established in just a few days and repost only irrelevant links. Hope Bluesky moderation can combat this!

Wikipedia is being targeted by the political far-right since it's one of the few open reference sources that can't be bought and easily silenced. Make a donation if you can!

Our kitties love lazy sunny afternoons #catsOfBluesky

Ten months of 2024 have had above normal temperatures in Wilmington, but December has not. Four nights in the mid 20s and two nights around 20 (deg F) have damaged my Ambersweet Oranges and Sanbokan Grapefruit trees. Changsha Mandarins are completely unbothered! #NCcitrus

Sunshine and 76°F (24°C) in mid December is hard to beat. Low tide in the saltmarsh with water this clear is a really neat experience

I also saw a lot of the more common local saltmarsh bird species including Dunlin and several species of Egrets

I spent a few hours kayaking through the Wrightsville Beach saltmarshes today. For the first time in years I saw a banded American Oystercatcher - the one the right has a dark green band reading "EMY" You can report these to amoywg.org to assist the researchers protecting this very unique species

I got to enjoy a couple hours paddling along Smith Creek in Wilmington this afternoon. Currents were pulling pretty hard as the tide fell but it was still wonderful for mid December.

METAR xkcd.com/3024

A very breezy day is expected across the Cape Fear region. Wind speeds up to 50 knots (58 mph) are expected less than 2000 feet aloft this afternoon. If high temperatures can make it to 75F or higher we may see this wind down here at the surface in gusts. #ncwx

If you saw the movie Twisters this summer, phased array radar (PAR) was featured prominently. It's a real thing, and a network of them are hopefully coming to life in the next decade: youtu.be/2TkHS-G0LmE

The first 2025 seed catalog has arrived! Optimistically planning next year's garden on this very chilly morning

Short story from our local North Carolina PBS station on how climate change is affecting the timing of fall foliage in the mountains and Piedmont youtu.be/yBVCpjI9g6M