Volatile

November 17, 2025

It seems hard to believe that last week I was protecting the pipes in our RV from a hard freeze. The temps dropped to 28F (-2C) on consecutive nights. While it did warm up to the mid 40’sF (7C) on both afternoons it was still a cause for concern. I did not winterize the water lines and tanks since we are still hoping to take a trip around Christmas. Our mechanic told us the lines in our Sunseeker are contained inside the compartment and there are water heaters to keep the tanks warm. I turned on the water heater, set the tanks to Arctic mode, and turned the inside furnace to 60F (15.5C), its lowest setting. After a brief spell, the temperatures warmed again. Two days later it climbed back to 80F (26.6C) and our unit had survived its first test. The temps have stayed in the 70’s+F (21+C) this week, although they will dip just as we leave for another extended trip at the end of the week. While the wildflowers in the front bed did not survive the chill, the clematis (Clematis var. “The President”) on the back fence decided to burst into bloom. Is it just me or does the weather seem more volatile?

When I went online, I found the weather is becoming more volatile. This includes rapid temperature swings and increases in atmospheric instability due to a warmer, moister atmosphere. According to climate scientists and studies global warming is a primary driver, making the atmosphere more unstable and extreme events more common. Studies show the frequency and intensity of extreme weather are increasing, and this trend is expected to continue. An increase in low-level moisture content and warmer air temperatures have significantly increased atmospheric instability over the past 40 years. This makes the weather volatile with more frequent and intense “climate whiplash” or rapid temperature changes, which give little time for adaptation. This volatility contributes to a rise in extreme events such as record-breaking heatwaves, more intense rainfall, and more powerful storms. The world’s oceans are at the highest temperatures recorded in the last 1,000 to 2,000 years, which can fuel more extreme weather. A study in Nature noted rapid intensification rates in the Atlantic have resulted in an increase for hurricanes since 1971.

While most changes to address the volatile nature of the weather require systemic shifts, there are some things individuals can do to prepare. Pay attention to local weather forecasts and heed warnings for extreme events like flash floods. Encourage your community to plan for volatility by designing resilient infrastructure will be better equipped to handle extreme events. Understand your local flood risk and take steps to prepare, as weather patterns are changing. Lori Peek, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, said, “Infrastructure is aging in our country and is more vulnerable given the fact that there are just simply . . . more people living in harm’s way.” This is true for the wildfires of California, the floods of the Midwest, and the hurricanes of the east coast. None are going to go away on their own.

THOUGHTS: The US is responding to this volatile weather with mass layoffs and cuts to the agencies that study climate and help warn and deal with disasters. Workers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Weather Service, and research labs at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the US Geological Survey are also leaving and taking their expertise with them. It could take years to make up for this brain drain. The country needs to plan for worst case scenarios and build infrastructure to lessen the effect. The dinosaurs did not know the comet was going to strike. We know but need to act. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Cloud Seeding

September 09, 2025

I thought it was appropriate after a recent blog on planting my second set of seeds that yesterday’s local newspaper carried a USA Today article responding to the July storm that dumped 20 inches (50.8 cm) of rain in parts of central Texas. This was the equivalent of a month’s worth of rain and swelled the Guadalupe River over its banks, resulting in the death of 130 people. As is typical for most disasters, people sought to place the blame in a variety of places. One unexpected place was on the activity of a small startup called Rainmaker two days prior and 100 miles (160 km) away. The flight had lasted 20 minutes and released 2.5 ounces (70 grams) of silver iodide into a set of clouds, resulting in a drizzle of less than 0.2 inches (1/2 cm) of rain on farmlands struggling with drought. Scientists said the distance made it scientifically impossible for this cloud seeding to have played a role in the flooding.

When I went online, I found cloud seeding is a type of weather modification that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation, mitigate hail, or disperse fog. The usual objective is to increase rain or snow. Cloud seeding involves dispersing particulate substances into the atmosphere to serve are the center (nuclei) that water vapor or ice condenses on. Common agents include silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice, but water attracting (hygroscopic) materials like table salt are gaining popularity. Techniques include a static seed which encourages ice particle formation in supercooled clouds to increase precipitation or dynamic seeding which enhances cloud development through the release of latent heat. The substance is usually dispersed by aircraft or ground-based generators, but newer approaches involve drones delivering electric charges to stimulate rainfall or infrared laser pulses aimed at inducing particle formation. The effectiveness of cloud seeding remains a subject of debate among scientists despite decades of research. Environmental and health impacts are considered minimal due to the low concentrations of substances used, but concerns persist.

Cloud seeding has been used as far back as the 1940’s for various purposes, including agricultural benefits, water supply augmentation, and event planning. Eric Betterton, professor emeritus in atmospheric sciences at the University of Arizona, said “people have been worried about using silver iodide in the past, but the amounts are so small it’s insignificant . . . there are no known effects on the environment.” The technique also has limitations. You cannot create a storm or control the climate. Seeding simply speeds up the natural process that causes rain or snow to fall. As extreme weather events increase along with climate change, so do explanations offered by conspiracy theorists, including possible military involvement. Lawmakers in several states have introduced bills to ban or restrict cloud seeding and other forms of weather modification. Legal frameworks primarily focus on prohibiting the military or hostile use of weather modification techniques, leaving the ownership and regulation of cloud-seeding activities to national discretion. Despite skepticism and debate over its efficacy and environmental impact, cloud seeding continues to be explored and applied worldwide as a tool for weather modification.

THOUGHTS: Rainmaker’s 20-minute cloud seeding flight was part of a local program and these are usually funded by a water district or utility. While it did not fuel the distant flooding disaster it did produce fear and legislation to ban or restrict weather modification. As global warming increases, understanding how clouds behave and interact with our warming and ever more polluted atmosphere is why scientists want to study cloud seeding and not ban it. Information is critical in understanding how our planet works. The article closed, “You can’t engineer a flood.” Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Shovel

January 13, 2025

We are now well into recovery from the snowstorm that dumped 9 inches (23 cm) of snow on our town before the weekend. That gave me a day to recoup as I had no intention of getting out in the snow. I did take time Saturday afternoon to shovel the portion of the patio that was being trampled by the kids at play and myself as I stocked the feeders. It was in the 30’sF (0’sC) during the day and I knew if I did not remove the snow, it would become a sheet of ice. That would make it harder to remove and slicker as I walked (it did not seem to bother the kids either way). I always had a snow shovel when I lived in Kansas and used it several times over the winter. The shovel was something I did not bring when we moved to Arkansas. While it usually snows once over the winter, it is rarely deep enough to worry about shoveling. Since we got deep snow, that meant I got to dig out using a square 8-inch (20cm) shovel rather than the 18-inch (46 cm) snow shovel I am used to. If you do the math, you know it took twice as long to shovel my patio than if I had the proper equipment.

When I looked online, I found whether to shovel the snow or not is one of the biggest questions for homeowners. Questions arise about who is responsible, how much you should shovel, and what to do with the snow you shovel. This was a moot point as I began to shovel my patio. The city could care less if I shoveled my back yard or not, but the front yard is a different situation. The news stations all suggested you move your vehicles off the street to allow access for the street crews. They also suggested if you did not move them you may end up buried in the drift the plows create as they scoop the snow onto the easement. I knew I had responsibility for my sidewalk when we lived in Kansas, but we do not have a sidewalk in our cul-de-sac, so I was free from any responsibility there. Like my patio, I knew clearing my drive was more for my personal convenience than for others. What I found online is that the rules and regulations on whether you shovel snow vary from state to state, and some cities, towns, and homeowners’ associations (HOA) have their own rules about how to shovel snow. Like most US states in the south, Arkansas currently has no laws on snow removal.

Knowing it was not my responsibility to shovel snow did not help with maneuvering my driveway and front walk. We had several packages delivered after the snow let up and the mail and delivery people had forced their way through the snow. On Sunday I took on the larger task and prepared to shovel the front of our house. The winds had died down and the temperatures were now comfortably in the high 30’sF (0’sC) so it was ideal weather to shovel. I took my little flat shovel and scooped the snow into my yard on both sides of the sidewalk and driveway. I was glad I decided to shovel when I did because the snow was sitting on an inch (2.5 cm) of slush. The temperatures were predicted to again drop into the low 20’sF (-0’sC) and the slush was going to freeze. This would be compounded by the footsteps that compact the snow and aid in the freezing. When I woke up this morning the snow was completely gone and the cement dry. I am glad I decided to shovel.

Thoughts: As I continued to shovel my driveway, I noticed I was the only one on my cul-de-sac who was doing so. The snow was only on their drives and streets, and once you got out of our subdivision the roads were clear. I was not required to shovel, but I felt better knowing I was protecting myself and any delivery people that might venture onto our property. Every time I shovel snow (Kansas or Arkansas) the same thing happens. As my neighbor struggled to get out of the cul-de-sac, he stopped and jokingly asked if I would shovel his drive next. I declined. While major climate events can be devastating, they seem to bring people together. Surviving a climate event gives humans a sense of camaraderie that may not have been there previously. It would be better to connect prior to an event rather than because of one. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Snowstorm

January 10, 2025

Our first snowstorm of the new year started yesterday and continues this morning. The kids have come a long way since their first snowstorm 2 years ago. Zena had moved tenuously through the flakes giving them their sniff evaluation before finally deciding they were ok to play in. Loki missed that storm, and this was his first real opportunity to snuffle. We let them outside as the flakes were coming down yesterday. Zena immediately went on patrol prancing up and down the perimeter of the fence. Loki was more discriminating. Sensing “something” beneath the inches of snow he began to snuffle and dig. This morning brought on the “zummies”. Both dogs raced through the snow, only stopping long enough to get into a quick fight before getting back to zooming. Since it is below freezing (32F or 0C) I did not keep them outside too long. I also felt obligated to stand and watch to see how they were doing. That probably limited their time, as I get cold fast.

When I looked online, I found the snowstorm that moved through Arkansas overnight dumped nearly 15 inches (38 cm) of snow in some parts of Arkansas, roughly 8 inches (20 cm) across the Little Rock metro area, and 7 to 10 inches (18 to 25 cm) in the areas around my town, according to the National Weather Service in Little Rock. We average around 1 inch (2.5 cm) of snow annually. Entergy reported 8,496 customers without power as of 7:30 am, with most outages in southwest Arkansas. The Electric Cooperative of Arkansas reported 5,390 customers without power. Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (east of Little Rock) reported there had been 36 flight cancellations as of 8:30 am Friday. Airlines are challenged by deicing planes in the snowfall, delaying morning departures. Airfield crews worked all night and into the morning to plow and sweep the snow from the main runway, taxiways, and air carrier ramp, airport spokesman Shane Carter said in Friday’s news release. Other parts of north-central Arkansas are expected to receive 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30.5 cm) and Northern Arkansas is forecast for 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) of snow, and some in the area could get more. We still have flurries expected to last until the afternoon.

Another reason to let the kids out in the snowstorm this morning is the combined group of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), and a few brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) that descended. I do not mind feeding these birds, but when they descend, they quickly devour everything and drive the smaller passerines off by their presence. The blackbirds are skittish and just letting the kids into the yard makes them retreat to the surrounding trees. The smaller birds return despite the kids’ presence. Collectively, blackbirds may be described as a “murder” when they are seen flying together or perched on a tree branch. A “cloud” is a poetic term used as they fly together in formation. A “merle” is an older term used to describe the group as they forage for food on the ground while a “colony” is used to describe a group nesting together. Finally, a “congregation” is used to describe a group of blackbirds gathered in one area. The different names indicate the level of human interest in their various activities.

Thoughts: As the snowstorm winds down, I begin to reflect on getting out. Tad Sours, director of communications for Washington County said, “All that we really ask from the public is if you don’t have to get out in it, don’t . . . give plenty of room to our road crews.” Still, I did not make the pre-snowstorm dash for milk, bread, and toilet paper like most of the area’s residents. Global warming means extremes of both heat and cold, and opposite events at the same time (like a snowstorm and wildfire). Make a difference NOW, not later. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.