"Buresh Blog": How hail forms + storm photos - July 14th

July 14, 2016 — Read daily updates on the tropics: "Talking the Tropics With Mike"..... the "Buresh Blog" is updated about once per week.

Our so-called wet season continues to sputter while temps. soar. As of Wed., July 13th, Jax was tied at 8th longest on record for a high temp. at or above 95 degrees & the avg. high temp. of 96+ degrees was the 2nd hottest start to July on record. The map below shows the rather unseasonable dryness that has developed across the region. Pan evaporation this time of year can be extreme with long days full of sun with temps. well into the 90s.

But it's not like we haven't had some big thunderstorm days. The combination of hot temps., plenty of low level moisture, relatively dry upper level moisture + the sea breeze has made for a most unstable atmosphere. When & if storms break through the "cap" of warm temps. aloft, ** BANG ** the storms will "take off". Case & point would be Tue., July 12th when severe storms blossomed near downtown & shifted south & west with time. Unusually large hail -- up to 1.5" in diameter -- fell in Duval Co. near downtown with a number of instances of wind damage from the Northside to the Southside then through Clay & parts of Colombia Co. The images below detail how hail forms (helpful graphics by the one & only First Alert Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh!) then check out some of the photos (also @mikefirstalert) [see videos on my FB fan page]:

Garrett Chappell, Emerson St.:

Carport just southeast of downtown Jax:

Downtown Jax:

Doug Applebaugh, Jax Beach looking west toward supercell-like storm structure over Jax:

Trevor Charpentier, St. Augustine - anvil mammatus emanating from the intense storms to the west & northwest:

Fleming Island:

Loretto & Flynn, Mandarin:

Jaime Brock, Lake City + 2nd pic w/ lightning:

Victor Jackson, Colee Cove:

Lake City:

Downtown Jax flooding at the peak of the storm:

EARTH GAUGE (NEEF):

CITIZEN SCIENCE CAN BE A WALK IN THE PARK (SARAH BLOUNT)...........

As we settle into summer, take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days to get out to your local public lands. State and local parks can be treasure troves of diverse wildlife, cultural heritage, and unique landscape features—all right in your backyard! These areas are also prime locations to try your hand at citizen science and other educational opportunities, as you hone your observation skills and begin to identify some of your feathered, scaled, or leafy neighbors.

By participating in citizen science at your local and state parks, you’re helping highlight the natural marvels of your community. You don’t need a scientific degree to take part—just a strong interest in your surroundings. No one knows your home better than you do, and you can help share that information with scientists and researchers, so that everyone knows what makes your area special!

Here are a few projects you can participate in as a citizen scientist in state and local parks:

Observe Wildlife: All you need is a smartphone or a computer to participate in iNaturalist, a crowdsourced species identification and organism occurrence recording tool. Take photos of plants, animals, fungi, and more that you come across in your park, and log your findings for scientists and your peers to help identify, contributing to the base of knowledge about our planet's biodiversity. Participate in missions run by other iNaturalist users, or help out a fellow citizen scientist by suggesting an ID for their spotting! - click ** here **.
Record Bird Sightings: In the birding world, July is sometimes overlooked for birding coverage, meaning that there is even more to discover at this time of year when other ornithologists are taking a break. Swoop in to this opportunity to help collect clues about your region's avian population with eBird, a real-time, online checklist that feeds into one of the world's largest and fastest-growing biodiversity data resources. Your contributions will help scientists map the abundance and distribution of bird species across the world.
Document Changes in Plants and Animals: Did the park's wildflower fields bloom quite so early last year? You can contribute to climate change research by documenting phenological changes in flora and fauna in your area's parks, thereby helping policy makers, land managers, and scientists who want to learn more about seasonal changes observed in plants and animals across the country. This program is called Nature's Notebook, and it's managed by the USA National Phenology Network.

CITIZENS TRACKING CHANGES IN OUR ENVIRONMENT (NICK BRADFORD)........

To track environmental changes, researchers require numerous observations, measurements, monitoring, and data sets to be collected. Engaging non-professional volunteers in scientific investigations allows researchers to collect such information on a larger scale. This approach to data collection, known as citizen science, has been useful in tracking trends associated with a changing climate such as alterations in bird behaviors, earlier and longer allergy seasons, and shifting habitats of frogs, pollinators, marine species, and other US wildlife.

Using citizen science to collect more information allows scientists to better understand what is needed to develop management plans to adapt to a changing climate. For example, managers at Saguaro National Park in Arizona use citizen science to collect data on plant populations, such as the iconic saguaro cactus, that helps the National Park Service plan for the future of the park as the climate of the Southwest changes.

GET INVOLVED:

Register and/or participate in a National Public Lands Day event near you (September 24).

Participate in the citizen science projects below to take part in tracking environmental and climate change.

Nature's Notebook aims to record two million citizen science records this year to track key seasonal changes in plants and animals.
Humingbirds@Home seeks to observe how climate change may be affecting hummingbirds by having participants document feeding patterns.
Bee-Friend your Garden asks participants to record the insects that visit their garden to build an understanding of which plants are most attractive to different insects.
The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project uses citizen science data to conserve monarch butterflies and advance knowledge on butterfly ecology.
FrogWatch USA encourages participants to examine frog distribution, timing of calls, and other data.
JellyWatch records sigthings of jellyfish and other marine organisms to help marine biologists better understand the ocean ecosystem.
YardMap asks individuals to draw maps of their backyards, parks, farms, favorite birding locations, schools, and gardens to gain a better understanding of US bird habitat.
The North American Bird Phenology Program has a collection of six million handwritten migration observer cards that date back to the 19^th century. Participants input this data into an online database for analysis.

LEARN MORE:

Explore the Surrounded by Science infographic.
Learn more about how the scientific community benefits from citizen science in the Citizen Science is Blooming infographic.

Sources: