Vince Agard
@vinceagard.com
Weather and climate prediction for renewable energy. MIT EAPS alumnus. Sports fan.
Reposted by Vince Agard
For the non-meteorologists, this is showing some of the strongest winds down to the surface we've ever measured in a hurricane. The average wind speed from 150 meters (~500 ft) to the ground is 215 mph.
This is hands down the most extraordinary dropsonde in Atlantic recon history.
October 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM
For the non-meteorologists, this is showing some of the strongest winds down to the surface we've ever measured in a hurricane. The average wind speed from 150 meters (~500 ft) to the ground is 215 mph.
Reposted by Vince Agard
The Python Software Foundation was recommended for a $1.5M grant from the National Science Foundation. The terms of the award said PSF could not work on DEI, whether or not the grant funding was used for it.
PSF therefore declined the funding.
Science suffers, but commitment to core values remains
PSF therefore declined the funding.
Science suffers, but commitment to core values remains
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
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The official home of the Python Programming Language
www.python.org
October 27, 2025 at 5:31 PM
The Python Software Foundation was recommended for a $1.5M grant from the National Science Foundation. The terms of the award said PSF could not work on DEI, whether or not the grant funding was used for it.
PSF therefore declined the funding.
Science suffers, but commitment to core values remains
PSF therefore declined the funding.
Science suffers, but commitment to core values remains
Reposted by Vince Agard
This 150M cat bond for Jamaica has a trigger design that uses hurricane central pressure and location.
That data is being collected by NOAA Hurricane Hunters who are currently working without pay.
www.artemis.bm/news/jamaica...
That data is being collected by NOAA Hurricane Hunters who are currently working without pay.
www.artemis.bm/news/jamaica...
October 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM
This 150M cat bond for Jamaica has a trigger design that uses hurricane central pressure and location.
That data is being collected by NOAA Hurricane Hunters who are currently working without pay.
www.artemis.bm/news/jamaica...
That data is being collected by NOAA Hurricane Hunters who are currently working without pay.
www.artemis.bm/news/jamaica...
Reposted by Vince Agard
From a crewmember on yesterday's Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.
October 27, 2025 at 4:11 PM
From a crewmember on yesterday's Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.
Reposted by Vince Agard
Waking up to Category 5 monster. Hurricane Melissa begins its move toward Jamaica today.
October 27, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Waking up to Category 5 monster. Hurricane Melissa begins its move toward Jamaica today.
Reposted by Vince Agard
Sometimes, you perfectly capture West Virginia mountain fog.
October 16, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Sometimes, you perfectly capture West Virginia mountain fog.
Reposted by Vince Agard
Grid scale batteries are changing our electricity system. Excellent new visual story on batteries in FT today shows just how far this technology has evolved.
Fasten your seatbelts, this is just the beginning.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
Fasten your seatbelts, this is just the beginning.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
October 13, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Grid scale batteries are changing our electricity system. Excellent new visual story on batteries in FT today shows just how far this technology has evolved.
Fasten your seatbelts, this is just the beginning.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
Fasten your seatbelts, this is just the beginning.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
Reposted by Vince Agard
"Spain’s rapid renewables build-out means its power prices were set by fossil generation just 19% of the time, down from 75% in 2019. As a result, wholesale electricity was almost a third cheaper than the EU average"
Imagine having cheaper power
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Imagine having cheaper power
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Spain’s Renewable-Energy Boom Loosens Gas’s Grip on Power Prices
Soaring renewables output in Spain is weakening gas’s grip on electricity prices, setting the country apart from much of Europe where fossil fuels still dictate the cost of power.
www.bloomberg.com
October 2, 2025 at 7:15 PM
"Spain’s rapid renewables build-out means its power prices were set by fossil generation just 19% of the time, down from 75% in 2019. As a result, wholesale electricity was almost a third cheaper than the EU average"
Imagine having cheaper power
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Imagine having cheaper power
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Vince Agard
Many things are terrible, but try the slider on this map to see how much the share of electricity generated by solar has changed in recent years #climate #energy
Share of electricity production from solar
An interactive visualization from Our World in Data.
ourworldindata.org
September 18, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Need the Mike Tirico lecture on boundary layer fluxes and SBCAPE
September 5, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Need the Mike Tirico lecture on boundary layer fluxes and SBCAPE
Reposted by Vince Agard
Cancelling the next PAR R&D phase is nonsensical. PAR technology is our best candidate to replace our aging fleet of WSR-88Ds.
Weather radar is one of the most lifesaving and highest-ROI technologies our gov’t has ever supported. Scrapping next gen radar is pound-foolish w/o the penny-wise part.
Weather radar is one of the most lifesaving and highest-ROI technologies our gov’t has ever supported. Scrapping next gen radar is pound-foolish w/o the penny-wise part.
Important weather science news tonight: NOAA has canceled procurement of the next phased array weather radar R&D instrument. Along with the obvious blow to PAR weather research, it is consistent with other moves by admin to push forward quickly with NOAA cuts. More: https://tinyurl.com/my8hx8j6
NOAA cancels procurement of new phased array weather radar test article
Further stalls important weather research program
tinyurl.com
August 27, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Cancelling the next PAR R&D phase is nonsensical. PAR technology is our best candidate to replace our aging fleet of WSR-88Ds.
Weather radar is one of the most lifesaving and highest-ROI technologies our gov’t has ever supported. Scrapping next gen radar is pound-foolish w/o the penny-wise part.
Weather radar is one of the most lifesaving and highest-ROI technologies our gov’t has ever supported. Scrapping next gen radar is pound-foolish w/o the penny-wise part.
Reposted by Vince Agard
NOAA has released their official animation of the propagation of this week's tsunami. It took almost exactly one day to reach Antarctica and was reported at 0.6 feet high.
July 31, 2025 at 4:29 PM
NOAA has released their official animation of the propagation of this week's tsunami. It took almost exactly one day to reach Antarctica and was reported at 0.6 feet high.
Reposted by Vince Agard
There have been claims that NOAA/NWS did not foresee catastrophic TX floods--but that's simply not true. This was undoubtedly an extreme event, but messaging rapidly escalated beginning ~12 hrs prior. Flood Watch mid PM, "heads up" outlook late PM, flash flood warnings ~1am.
WPC issued as many as six MPDs for the deadly flash flooding in the TX Hill Country starting yesterday evening and lasting through much of today. The first MPD generally set the stage for what was to come, while the next three shown were as the event unfolded.
July 5, 2025 at 3:50 PM
There have been claims that NOAA/NWS did not foresee catastrophic TX floods--but that's simply not true. This was undoubtedly an extreme event, but messaging rapidly escalated beginning ~12 hrs prior. Flood Watch mid PM, "heads up" outlook late PM, flash flood warnings ~1am.
Reposted by Vince Agard
The "Alt NOAA" account is currently spreading misinformation about weather alerts and claiming that cell phone alerts don't exist and you have to have a weather radio. Cell phone alerts absolutely do exist, check your settings to make sure you didn't turn them off.
www.fcc.gov/public-safet...
www.fcc.gov/public-safet...
www.fcc.gov
July 5, 2025 at 7:23 PM
The "Alt NOAA" account is currently spreading misinformation about weather alerts and claiming that cell phone alerts don't exist and you have to have a weather radio. Cell phone alerts absolutely do exist, check your settings to make sure you didn't turn them off.
www.fcc.gov/public-safet...
www.fcc.gov/public-safet...
Reposted by Vince Agard
For context: $30bn is roughly the insured loss of Hurricane Harvey (or Irma, or Maria).
"Whoops we inflicted an economic self-own equal to a catastrophic hurricane hitting Houston every year" is not a good look.
"Whoops we inflicted an economic self-own equal to a catastrophic hurricane hitting Houston every year" is not a good look.
International students make up about 5% of the university student population in the US.
The entire university sector is worth about $600B
Kicking out all the foreign students will cost the US $30B a year in foregone revenue.
The entire university sector is worth about $600B
Kicking out all the foreign students will cost the US $30B a year in foregone revenue.
May 29, 2025 at 6:26 AM
For context: $30bn is roughly the insured loss of Hurricane Harvey (or Irma, or Maria).
"Whoops we inflicted an economic self-own equal to a catastrophic hurricane hitting Houston every year" is not a good look.
"Whoops we inflicted an economic self-own equal to a catastrophic hurricane hitting Houston every year" is not a good look.
Reposted by Vince Agard
New statement from @ametsoc.org.
Without a Strong Weather Enterprise, America's Economic Leadership is at Risk.
Federal agencies support all other sectors.
Full report: www.ametsoc.org/ams/policy/s...
Without a Strong Weather Enterprise, America's Economic Leadership is at Risk.
Federal agencies support all other sectors.
Full report: www.ametsoc.org/ams/policy/s...
April 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
New statement from @ametsoc.org.
Without a Strong Weather Enterprise, America's Economic Leadership is at Risk.
Federal agencies support all other sectors.
Full report: www.ametsoc.org/ams/policy/s...
Without a Strong Weather Enterprise, America's Economic Leadership is at Risk.
Federal agencies support all other sectors.
Full report: www.ametsoc.org/ams/policy/s...
Reposted by Vince Agard
The current Day 5 30% risk for Iowa is the furthest north of such a risk on record (since 2015). It is also the first such risk for most of the state.
April 24, 2025 at 11:47 AM
The current Day 5 30% risk for Iowa is the furthest north of such a risk on record (since 2015). It is also the first such risk for most of the state.
Reposted by Vince Agard
"Without NOAA research, National Weather Service (NWS) weather models and products will stagnate, observational data collection will be reduced, public outreach will decrease, undergraduate and graduate student support will drop, and NOAA funding for universities will plummet."
The 2026 budget passback plan calls for eliminating NOAA Research, the scientific backbone that keeps weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings accurate and effective. This would have disastrous consequences.
Read the AMS statement, in partnership w/ @nwas.org: bit.ly/4cz2RtC
Read the AMS statement, in partnership w/ @nwas.org: bit.ly/4cz2RtC
Stand Up for NOAA Research – The Time to Act is Now
The AMS is a global community committed to advancing weather, water, and climate science and service.
bit.ly
April 17, 2025 at 7:24 PM
"Without NOAA research, National Weather Service (NWS) weather models and products will stagnate, observational data collection will be reduced, public outreach will decrease, undergraduate and graduate student support will drop, and NOAA funding for universities will plummet."
Reposted by Vince Agard
This would kill all weather model development - RRFS, HAFS, and WoFS - in NOAA. These are activities that the private sector can’t support; they leverage these models to train & benchmark their own.
I wish the headline didn’t just focus on climate as it limits the audience who will listen.
I wish the headline didn’t just focus on climate as it limits the audience who will listen.
BREAKING from @science.org: The Trump admin is seeking to kill nearly all climate research at NOAA, its climate science agency.
Its near-final budget proposal would end all NOAA research labs, academic institutes, and regional climate centers. And it wants to fully end the NOAA Research division.
Its near-final budget proposal would end all NOAA research labs, academic institutes, and regional climate centers. And it wants to fully end the NOAA Research division.
Trump seeks to end climate research at premier U.S. climate agency
White House aims to end NOAA’s research office; NASA also targeted
www.science.org
April 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
This would kill all weather model development - RRFS, HAFS, and WoFS - in NOAA. These are activities that the private sector can’t support; they leverage these models to train & benchmark their own.
I wish the headline didn’t just focus on climate as it limits the audience who will listen.
I wish the headline didn’t just focus on climate as it limits the audience who will listen.
Reposted by Vince Agard
BREAKING from @science.org: The Trump admin is seeking to kill nearly all climate research at NOAA, its climate science agency.
Its near-final budget proposal would end all NOAA research labs, academic institutes, and regional climate centers. And it wants to fully end the NOAA Research division.
Its near-final budget proposal would end all NOAA research labs, academic institutes, and regional climate centers. And it wants to fully end the NOAA Research division.
Trump seeks to end climate research at premier U.S. climate agency
White House aims to end NOAA’s research office; NASA also targeted
www.science.org
April 11, 2025 at 3:20 PM
BREAKING from @science.org: The Trump admin is seeking to kill nearly all climate research at NOAA, its climate science agency.
Its near-final budget proposal would end all NOAA research labs, academic institutes, and regional climate centers. And it wants to fully end the NOAA Research division.
Its near-final budget proposal would end all NOAA research labs, academic institutes, and regional climate centers. And it wants to fully end the NOAA Research division.
Reposted by Vince Agard
2 additional radiosonde sites are temporarily suspending launches, while 6 others are reducing to one launch a day. 14 out of 83 sites now have partial or no launches.
The more radiosondes are reduced or suspended, the more noticeable the forecast skill reduction becomes.
The more radiosondes are reduced or suspended, the more noticeable the forecast skill reduction becomes.
Up-to-date NWS upper air network map
March 20, 2025 at 9:29 PM
2 additional radiosonde sites are temporarily suspending launches, while 6 others are reducing to one launch a day. 14 out of 83 sites now have partial or no launches.
The more radiosondes are reduced or suspended, the more noticeable the forecast skill reduction becomes.
The more radiosondes are reduced or suspended, the more noticeable the forecast skill reduction becomes.
Reposted by Vince Agard
I don't how those of us in the meteorology field can be any more clear: This would be catastrophic if it comes to pass.
The private sector simply CAN NOT do what NOAA and the National Weather Service do for our country every day. Forecasting would suffer and all of us would suffer for this.
The private sector simply CAN NOT do what NOAA and the National Weather Service do for our country every day. Forecasting would suffer and all of us would suffer for this.
NEW: The Trump admin has informed NOAA that two buildings that are critical for weather forecasting will have their leases canceled. If this comes to pass, it's a really big deal. Includes weather fcst nerve center in College Park, Md.: www.axios.com/2025/03/03/d...
DOGE moves to cancel NOAA leases at critical forecasting centers
NOAA's nerve center of national weather forecasting is on a lease cancellation list.
www.axios.com
March 3, 2025 at 10:35 PM
I don't how those of us in the meteorology field can be any more clear: This would be catastrophic if it comes to pass.
The private sector simply CAN NOT do what NOAA and the National Weather Service do for our country every day. Forecasting would suffer and all of us would suffer for this.
The private sector simply CAN NOT do what NOAA and the National Weather Service do for our country every day. Forecasting would suffer and all of us would suffer for this.
Reposted by Vince Agard
$1.38 billion spent on NWS.
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)
NOAA’s budget is too small. That’s costing the US billions of dollars
Opinion: With a fiscal year 2024 budget of $6.3 billion, the nation’s leading weather and climate agency remains significantly underfunded.
www.federaltimes.com
February 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
$1.38 billion spent on NWS.
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)