John Homenuk

Introducing 33 and Rain: An interactive community

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When our staff sat down to discuss the state of our company and the industry this past Autumn, there was one thing we all agreed was missing: There is no place on the internet for meteorologists, hobbyists, and students in the Northeast US to discuss the weather together in a controlled, fun, and interactive environment. We’ve partnered with some great friends, and worked with some wonderful colleagues, to bring you just that.

Today, we are introducing 33 and Rain, an interactive community where professionals, hobbyists, and students can discuss the weather in one place. With discussion forums, blogs, weather resources and more, the community we have developed will be a place for us all to learn, interact, adapt, and communicate.

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John Homenuk

Please stop using basic weather apps to make decisions

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The sun is shining on a beautiful summer day. Temperatures are in the 90’s, the sky is hazy and the air is humid. You’re enjoying spending time outside with family and friends near the pool. In a matter of 5 minutes, all of this changes. Torrential rain is falling, lightning flashes and thunder cracks, debris flies as high winds gusty. This time, everyone stays safe as you hurry indoors. The conversation once everyone gets inside is always the same:

“That storm came out of nowhere, I had no idea it was supposed to rain like that today!”

Your weather apps probably didn’t tell you so, either.

Stories like these are all too common. While they can generally be taken lightly in the “kids at the pool” scenario, the story has a different ending when the thunderstorms are more severe; or if you are a contractor, or if your landscaping company has employees caught out in the storm, or if you make decisions for a sports team — and just put thousands of people at risk.

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John Homenuk

Central Park Conservancy will take over snowfall measurements

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The National Weather Service announced today that the Central Park Conservancy will take over measuring snowfall during the winter of 2015-2016. This marks and end of a 22-year run for the Central Park Zoo, where snowfall has been measured since 1993. The National Weather Service trained 20 or more individual employees at the Central Park Conservancy over the past several months in order to make the transition as easy as possible, and to improve accuracy of snowfall reporting in New York City.

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John Homenuk

HRRR model goes operational at NOAA

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Our forecasters have used and reference the HRRR model for a number of years now. You’ve likely seen it referenced in our posts, displayed on our graphics, and shared on our social media accounts. Our forecasters have used it for near-term forecasting, even in mesoscale events such as thunderstorms and heavy snow bands. Yesterday, NOAA finally let the HRRR out of its box with the model becoming officially operational. The model will run hourly on the NOAA server from now on, with faster graphic and product production. The model is expected to become a tremendous source of information not only for forecasters, but for hobbyists and public alike.

Known formerly as the High Resolution Rapid Refresh model, the model runs every hour and produces forecasts at 15 minute intervals, extending out to 15 hours. A tremendous amount of forecast products are produced, ranging from simulated radar to frontogenic forcing at multiple levels. The model also is a significant upgrade in resolution when compared to the more popular NAM model, and even increases resolution by four times over it’s closest companion, the Rapid Refresh (RAP) model, which had been the NOAA’s only hourly high resolution model running until yesterday.

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