Very cold air was becoming established across the interior of Alaska during the last few days of December 2008. AWIPS images of the 4-km resolution GOES-11 10.7 µm IR channel (above) showed large areas exhibiting very cold IR brightness temperatures (colder than -40º C, darker blue color enhancement) which were... Read More

A potent shortwave trough was propagating eastward across the Upper Midwest region on 29 December 2008, and AWIPS images of the GOES-13 6.5 µm “water vapor channel” (above) showed a well-defined signature of mid-level dry air (yellow colors) moving rapidly east-southeastward over... Read More

A strong thunderstorm which produced heavy rain and frequent lightning was apparently a factor in triggering a power blackout that affected the Hawaiian island of Oahu for at least 12 hours, beginning on the evening of 26 December 2008 — in fact,... Read More

Unusually cold temperatures were experienced across much of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region during  the month of December 2008 — as of 21 December, monthly temperatures were 6.4º F below normal at Milwaukee WI (their low that morning was -5º F), 7.2º F below normal at Chicago IL... Read More