CommonWx

Drones have a variety of purposes – from taking gorgeous photos and videos above our heads to even food delivery. And a new project hopes to expand the use of drones – or uncrewed aircraft systems – damage assessment in the wake of tornadoes and hurricanes.

With technology advancing every day, it might be a bit of a surprise to you that the leading weather agency in this country still relies on some very old tech to feed data into its forecasts.

It’s Flood Awareness Week in Virginia – a time blocked out by Governor Glenn Youngkin and other state officials meant to help people understand the risks associated with flooding.

Spoiler alert: most places are behind on snow totals so far this year.

If you’ve lived in Virginia – especially the western part of the state – for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen a scenario like this play out before: the forecast calls for a significant snowstorm and when time comes for the event to happen – you either see very little compared to your neighbor in the next county or nothing at all.If that’s frustrating for you, just know it’s also frustrating for meteorologists as well.

For the second edition of this newsletter in a row, we’re going to be talking about climate change. Obviously, it’s a real problem. But how can scientists, meteorologists and climatologists all relay that message in a way that the general public and decision makers understand?That was the topic of discussion for Marshall Shepherd at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Center in Roanoke.

We’re right, smack-dab in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season – which runs through November 1st. But the peak of the season typically occurs between August and September.So far in this still pretty young season, there have been four named storms, with only minimal impacts to the continental U.S.

The National Weather Service is the go-to government agency for alerting the public about various weather-related hazards. You’re probably most familiar with what they do when they issue a Flash Flood Watch or a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.You’ll likely get an alert on your phone or will see the messaging pop up on your TV when that happens. But do you know the difference between a watch, warning and an advisory?

The calendar now says March, which means Virginia is entering severe weather season. The state’s Department of Emergency Management, known as VDEM, says now is the time to prepare.