Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar

Dr. Jeff Masters

@drjeffmasters.bsky.social

1262 followers 188 following 298 posts

Extreme weather and climate change expert writing for Yale Climate Connections. Co-founder, Weather Underground; former hurricane hunter.

Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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After widespread rains of 2-3” in SE Michigan from Beryl’s remnants moving through, we got a flaming sunset over Ford Lake in Ypsilanti.

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Bob Henson's avatar Bob Henson @bhensonweather.bsky.social
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After the second hottest June in US history, the burners aren't exactly being turned down this month. Las Vegas is having the hottest week in its history, and heat advisories now stretch from Boston to Birmingham. Many more records will fall.

yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/07/reco...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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More questions than answers on if managed retreat from wildfire zones makes sense, but the risk is huge. “44 million houses are in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) across the US. For comparison, there are 9-15 million housing units in high flood risk zones.” www.ppic.org/blog/does-ma...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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This is going to get expensive: If climate change has increased the outside temperature from 96F to 100F, the energy your air conditioner consumes increases by 42%, since the power consumed varies by the square of the temperature difference between the outside and inside.

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Beryl maintained its hurricane-force strength as its stronger right-hand side moved directly over central Houston, bringing the city some of its strongest winds since Hurricane Ike in 2008. The final post Bob Henson and I have planned for Beryl:

yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/07/hous...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Yes, that low-level outflow shows that a downdraft induced by dry air robbed Beryl of moisture.

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Bottom line from the latest Beryl discussion from Bob Henson and I: It is likely that Beryl will make landfall in Texas on Monday as a rapidly intensifying hurricane, most likely as a Cat 1 or Cat 2, but landfall as a major Cat 3 is looking less likely.
yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/07/trop...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included funds to elevate 19 single-family homes in the Florida Keys. I love the Keys, but the cruel math says that our limited adaptation dollars are better spent elsewhere.

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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The intensity forecast is very uncertain, but the Gulf of Mexico is notorious for breeding rapidly intensifiers, and we should not be surprised if Beryl overachieves (again!) and makes landfall in Texas on Monday as a rapidly intensifying Cat 2+ hurricane.
yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/07/hurr...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Beryl's long tour of the Atlantic has two more stops to go--Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the Texas/Mexico border region--after making unwelcome visits to the Windward Islands, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. The July 4th update from Bob Henson and I: yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/07/hurr...

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

WeatherTiger's avatar WeatherTiger @weathertiger.bsky.social
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With #HurricaneBeryl, 2024 is the 11th hurricane season in last 150 years in which a hurricane developed south of 20N, east of 80W prior to Aug 1.

The other 10 seasons went on to average twice or more the normal number of U.S./Florida hurricane and major hurricane landfalls.

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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The top five most damaging Jamaican hurricanes (in 2023 USD, according to EM-DAT): 1) Gilbert, 1988, $2.5 billion 2) Ivan, 2004, $920 million 3) Charlie, 1951, $630 million 4) Charley, 2004, $470 million 5) Dean, 2007, $420 million Below is a photo I took in the eye of Cat 5 Gilbert:

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Beryl is the second strongest hurricane ever to make a landfall in the Windward Islands. Only Hurricane Maria’s September 19, 2017 landfall on Dominica as a category 5 storm with 165 mph winds was stronger.

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Nature Portfolio's avatar Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.bsky.social
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A study in Nature Ecology & Evolution reports that the frequency and magnitude of extreme wildfires appear to have doubled over the past 20 years, and the six most extreme years for these events have occurred since 2017. go.nature.com/3RFYBPW 🧪

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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“The worst heat waves are more like neutron bombs: They kill people while leaving buildings standing. And most of the deaths occur beyond the gaze of observers, including photographers.”

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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“In years like the 2022–23 winter, I expected that the record amount of snowfall would really help to replenish the groundwater supply…but as the population increases, so does water use. The ultimate solution will have to include wiser water management.”

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/15297...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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When disaster strikes in the form of a major flood, hurricane, or the like, we merely give the equivalent of a blood transfusion to the injured, without stopping the bleeding. My latest on U.S. climate adaptation efforts:
yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/06/the-...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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My latest post: consider the bipartisan National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security Act of 2023, to produce a national climate adaptation and resilience strategy, with a chief resilience officer appointed by the president. yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/06/the-...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Impressive research to “back out” how much people are paying for property insurance. Remarkable that “US property catastrophe reinsurance prices doubled between 2018 and 2023.”

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Great to have Kait Parker writing for Yale Climate Connections! Her first post discusses drought, which is #1 on my list of climate change impacts I’m most concerned about, and one that gets far too little attention. yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/06/a-st...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Potential Tropical Cyclone 1 has already killed 13 people in Central America, and is expected to become Tropical Storm Alberto on Wednesday and make landfall in NE Mexico on Wednesday night. The lastest from Bob Henson and I: yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/06/trop...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Only an inch of rain predicted for Mexico City this week, so this storm will not help much.

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Heavy rains in excess of 10 inches in 24 hours have already fallen in El Salvador from the large Central American Gyre. This system is expected to spawn the season's first tropical depression in the Atlantic this week. Bob Henson and I give the details: yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/06/gulf...

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Let housing market "slowly acclimate" to climate risk, Fannie Mae exec says. “If we go 20 or 30 years without taking real climate action, then I think you have built up a real challenge.” Sorry, this won’t work. The housing market is vulnerable THIS YEAR to a rude shock; at most, we have 15 years.

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Excellent choice, great to see your expertise serving NOAA!

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Dave Burt of “The Big Short” fame thinks the market is due for another correction “over the next three to five years, like a full reckoning of these new costs for 15 or 20% of the homes in the US”, as homeowners in places with growing risk of flooding and wildfire have to pay more for insurance.

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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The waterfalls were gushing and the pink lady slipper orchids were at peak bloom at Pictured Rocks this week!

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Bob Henson's avatar Bob Henson @bhensonweather.bsky.social
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Powerful T-storm winds on Tues – 75 mph (Dallas Love Field) and 88 mph (Houston Bush Intercontinental) – cut power to roughly a million TX customers.

That's on top of the destructive & deadly severe weather that pockmarked the US holiday weekend.

yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/05/at-l...

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Great resource, Kim! I plan on using it for my blogs.

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Michael Lowry on the insanely hot Atlantic temperatures: "Whether hurricane season lives up to this year’s hype is to be seen, but with 90% of the tropical belt immersed in record or near record warm waters, the Atlantic powder keg awaits its first spark." yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/05/what...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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The $35 billion Galveston/Houston storm surge barrier may take up to 20 years to complete. Let’s hope the next major hurricane to hit the area is gracious enough to accomosate that scedule! www.chron.com/gulf-coast/a...

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Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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I’ve been suffering through writing a long post about how I see the climate crisis playing out in the U.S., and it was very therapeutic and spiritually inspiring last night to hear Beethoven’s 9th at Hill Auditorium! Humans are wonderfully creative; we will endure.

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Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters

Dr. Jeff Masters's avatar Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social
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Some great views: “individuals engaging with and advocating for change where they live, work, study, worship and play has driven massive societal shifts in the past and can do so again.” And: “As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”

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