The arrival of spring might not bring happiness for everyone. Spring’s early arrival this year has been causing some serious problems for those suffering from allergies. The warm winter didn’t help at all; trees and plants around the country are blooming two to three weeks earlier than ever. Some allergists are reporting record-breaking amounts of pollen particles by cubic meter, the way the pollen count is measured. Recently, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its 2012 list of Top 10 Spring Allergy Cities. Cities are rated depending on pollen scores, the number of allergy medications per patients and the number of allergy specialists per patient. Included in the top 10 are: Knoxville, TN; McAllen, TX; Louisville, KY; Jackson, MS; Wichita, KS; Oklahoma City, OK; Chattanooga, TN; Memphis, TN; San Antonia, TX; and Dayton, OH.
Over 50 million people in the United States suffer from allergies. If you’re one of those (or even if you’re one of the lucky ones) use your WeatherBlink toolbar to look at conditions and weather forecasts in your area. Download it for free today!
If you thought last winter was warm, get ready for this spring. Cities across the country this week are experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures following one the fourth-warmest winters on record. Meteorologists across the country are predicting that numerous temperature records will be broken in the coming days. A handful of cities have already broken previously recorded high temperatures, including New York City, Boston, Albany, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. As of now, it appears that Friday could be the biggest record-breaking day, when meteorologists expect nearly 80 cities to exceed high-temperature records. Predictions say that the warm weather could stick around for the next two weeks at least.
One downfall to the warmer temperatures is an early onset of bugs, including beetles, ants, termites, stink bugs and wasps.
“Many insects hibernate during the cold winter months, but as this winter has been anything but typical, they may be emerging from their hiding places much earlier than we expect,” said a representative from the National Pest Management Association.
The above-normal temperatures may also trigger more severe weather, especially tornadoes.
Is your town experiencing warmer-than-usual weather? Download the WeatherBlink toolbar for forecasts, radars, weather news and more! Stay cool out there everyone!
This week’s Weather Blink Forecast doesn’t exactly involve an earthly meteorological storm, but, instead, one from space. Today, Earth is being bombarded by one of the largest solar storms in five years. But you won’t be able to tell just by looking out the window.
A solar storm is a normal occurrence that happens as part of the sun’s 11-year solar cycle. The storms themselves occur as a result of events like solar flares or coronal mass ejections. These events generate a “solar wind,” which is a gust of charged particles. When this storm hits the Earth, it can interfere with the planet’s magnetic field. Solar storms are rated on a scale of geomagnetic storm intensity that ranges from G1 to G5. Today’s storm is expected to be a G3.
Solar storms like this one can interrupt satellites that are orbiting the Earth and power grids on the ground. When these systems are affected, airplane flights and GPS systems can be disrupted. The charged particles expelled from the sun gather around the North and South poles, causing what is known as the aurora borealis, or northern lights. Skywatchers in the North will be treated to an amazing display tonight, as the lights are expected to be near peak.
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