Melissa Piper
@melissapiper.bsky.social
SUNY Albany PhD Candidate | BS Iowa State 2020 | Interested in TCs, extreme precip, forecast verification, predictability & my kitties Rory & Gus 🧶 🌧
Reposted by Melissa Piper
While most attention is rightfully on Jamaica with Cat. 5 Melissa...note also the trailing bands of heavy rain pumping into southwestern Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula.
Likely rainfall rates of several inches per hour into an extremely flash flood, mudslide prone area.
Likely rainfall rates of several inches per hour into an extremely flash flood, mudslide prone area.
October 28, 2025 at 11:42 AM
While most attention is rightfully on Jamaica with Cat. 5 Melissa...note also the trailing bands of heavy rain pumping into southwestern Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula.
Likely rainfall rates of several inches per hour into an extremely flash flood, mudslide prone area.
Likely rainfall rates of several inches per hour into an extremely flash flood, mudslide prone area.
Reposted by Melissa Piper
Lightning flashes within the powerful eye wall of Hurricane Melissa.
Incredible imagery this morning of Melissa, a Category 5 storm, south of Jamaica.
Incredible imagery this morning of Melissa, a Category 5 storm, south of Jamaica.
October 27, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Lightning flashes within the powerful eye wall of Hurricane Melissa.
Incredible imagery this morning of Melissa, a Category 5 storm, south of Jamaica.
Incredible imagery this morning of Melissa, a Category 5 storm, south of Jamaica.
Reposted by Melissa Piper
Heartbreaking visible image of a potentially generational storm, and a likely reflection of broader trends—greater ocean warmth and depth of warmth, faster intensification rates, slower forward speeds, and greater rainfall rates.
October 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Heartbreaking visible image of a potentially generational storm, and a likely reflection of broader trends—greater ocean warmth and depth of warmth, faster intensification rates, slower forward speeds, and greater rainfall rates.
I've been waiting 6 years for this!
October 21, 2025 at 2:28 PM
I've been waiting 6 years for this!
How I feel working on the results section for chapter 1 of my dissertation.
Writing fatigue is so real!! I'd love to hear some tips for mitigating it (especially the eye strain and headaches)
Writing fatigue is so real!! I'd love to hear some tips for mitigating it (especially the eye strain and headaches)
a black and white cat is typing on a laptop
ALT: a black and white cat is typing on a laptop
media.tenor.com
October 9, 2025 at 6:21 PM
How I feel working on the results section for chapter 1 of my dissertation.
Writing fatigue is so real!! I'd love to hear some tips for mitigating it (especially the eye strain and headaches)
Writing fatigue is so real!! I'd love to hear some tips for mitigating it (especially the eye strain and headaches)
I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this department! I highly encourage any prospective students to attend this webinar. I am also always happy to answer any questions about DAES/Albany and graduate school in general. 😃
Interested in learning more about graduate school in atmospheric and climate climate sciences at the University at Albany? Please join our virtual information session on 4 November to hear from faculty and students about our Master's and PhD programs!
October 8, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this department! I highly encourage any prospective students to attend this webinar. I am also always happy to answer any questions about DAES/Albany and graduate school in general. 😃
Reposted by Melissa Piper
Yesterday my advisor went on Fox Weather to talk about our paper that was recently published in AMS Weather and Forecasting!
I'm very honored that my work is being shared so broadly, and that Ryan was willing to go on TV when I was too nervous. 😅
I'm very honored that my work is being shared so broadly, and that Ryan was willing to go on TV when I was too nervous. 😅
While most pilots try to avoid flying into severe weather, NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters fly directly into the storm to collect atmospheric data.
A #UAlbany study found these missions significantly increase hurricane forecast accuracy.
@foxweather.bsky.social story: www.foxweather.com/watch/fmc-z0...
A #UAlbany study found these missions significantly increase hurricane forecast accuracy.
@foxweather.bsky.social story: www.foxweather.com/watch/fmc-z0...
July 19, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Yesterday my advisor went on Fox Weather to talk about our paper that was recently published in AMS Weather and Forecasting!
I'm very honored that my work is being shared so broadly, and that Ryan was willing to go on TV when I was too nervous. 😅
I'm very honored that my work is being shared so broadly, and that Ryan was willing to go on TV when I was too nervous. 😅
Reposted by Melissa Piper
New paper: NOAA research flights are important for improving hurricane forecasts. Wind data from NOAA flights improved forecasts of a storm’s path by up to 24% on average, found Melissa Piper @melissapiper.bsky.social & Ryan Torn.
Read more in AMS journal #WeaForecasting: doi.org/10.1175/WAF-...
Read more in AMS journal #WeaForecasting: doi.org/10.1175/WAF-...
June 25, 2025 at 7:22 PM
New paper: NOAA research flights are important for improving hurricane forecasts. Wind data from NOAA flights improved forecasts of a storm’s path by up to 24% on average, found Melissa Piper @melissapiper.bsky.social & Ryan Torn.
Read more in AMS journal #WeaForecasting: doi.org/10.1175/WAF-...
Read more in AMS journal #WeaForecasting: doi.org/10.1175/WAF-...
I've now entered the one year countdown to my (goal) PhD defense! I find cooking to be a fun stress reliever, so I'm going to start sharing things I cook over the next year.
If anything, I hope this breaks up the sea of frustrating news that is common these days.
Feel free to ask for recipes! 👩🏻🍳😊
If anything, I hope this breaks up the sea of frustrating news that is common these days.
Feel free to ask for recipes! 👩🏻🍳😊
June 22, 2025 at 10:49 PM
I've now entered the one year countdown to my (goal) PhD defense! I find cooking to be a fun stress reliever, so I'm going to start sharing things I cook over the next year.
If anything, I hope this breaks up the sea of frustrating news that is common these days.
Feel free to ask for recipes! 👩🏻🍳😊
If anything, I hope this breaks up the sea of frustrating news that is common these days.
Feel free to ask for recipes! 👩🏻🍳😊
I'm thrilled to share that my first paper has been published in @ametsoc.org's Weather & Forecasting! This paper is the result of my MS thesis work at @ualbanydaes.bsky.social. I'm very proud of the lessons I learned during the writing & revision process!
Link: journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
Link: journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
journals.ametsoc.org
May 29, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I'm thrilled to share that my first paper has been published in @ametsoc.org's Weather & Forecasting! This paper is the result of my MS thesis work at @ualbanydaes.bsky.social. I'm very proud of the lessons I learned during the writing & revision process!
Link: journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
Link: journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
Reposted by Melissa Piper
The situation in the weather world is bad right now.
-Large private sector company badgering NWS
-NWS under direct assault by current government
-GOP members of Congress in high weather risk areas believing AI and apps work better than NWS.
All of this makes us less safe. Full stop.
-Large private sector company badgering NWS
-NWS under direct assault by current government
-GOP members of Congress in high weather risk areas believing AI and apps work better than NWS.
All of this makes us less safe. Full stop.
May 21, 2025 at 11:48 PM
The situation in the weather world is bad right now.
-Large private sector company badgering NWS
-NWS under direct assault by current government
-GOP members of Congress in high weather risk areas believing AI and apps work better than NWS.
All of this makes us less safe. Full stop.
-Large private sector company badgering NWS
-NWS under direct assault by current government
-GOP members of Congress in high weather risk areas believing AI and apps work better than NWS.
All of this makes us less safe. Full stop.
Reposted by Melissa Piper
Does anyone find themselves stuck in a skill/intellectual/etc gray zone, as in “too smart for the amateurs, not smart enough for the experts”? And debating if it’s an imposter syndrome in their head vs. a real situation?
May 19, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Does anyone find themselves stuck in a skill/intellectual/etc gray zone, as in “too smart for the amateurs, not smart enough for the experts”? And debating if it’s an imposter syndrome in their head vs. a real situation?
Reposted by Melissa Piper
RIP Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR) 😞
Many of my colleagues and friends worked on this technology. I had hoped to use it someday.
www.eol.ucar.edu/airborne-pha...
Many of my colleagues and friends worked on this technology. I had hoped to use it someday.
www.eol.ucar.edu/airborne-pha...
April 14, 2025 at 11:08 PM
RIP Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR) 😞
Many of my colleagues and friends worked on this technology. I had hoped to use it someday.
www.eol.ucar.edu/airborne-pha...
Many of my colleagues and friends worked on this technology. I had hoped to use it someday.
www.eol.ucar.edu/airborne-pha...
Reposted by Melissa Piper
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 Melissa Piper
“It was a bust”
Nope. Multiple significant tors and fatalities occurred with at least 37 tornado reports so far.
Just because you didn’t get your disaster porn in a heavily populated area doesn’t mean the forecast was a bust. Some of y’all need therapy.
Nope. Multiple significant tors and fatalities occurred with at least 37 tornado reports so far.
Just because you didn’t get your disaster porn in a heavily populated area doesn’t mean the forecast was a bust. Some of y’all need therapy.
March 16, 2025 at 1:56 PM
“It was a bust”
Nope. Multiple significant tors and fatalities occurred with at least 37 tornado reports so far.
Just because you didn’t get your disaster porn in a heavily populated area doesn’t mean the forecast was a bust. Some of y’all need therapy.
Nope. Multiple significant tors and fatalities occurred with at least 37 tornado reports so far.
Just because you didn’t get your disaster porn in a heavily populated area doesn’t mean the forecast was a bust. Some of y’all need therapy.
Reposted by Melissa Piper
A statement from our department regarding the recent NOAA/NWS cuts.
March 7, 2025 at 9:57 PM
A statement from our department regarding the recent NOAA/NWS cuts.
Reposted by Melissa Piper
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 8:40 PM
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...
Reposted by Melissa Piper
NOAA is the backbone of the US weather enterprise.
The rest of the enterprise needs to step up.
Support the folks who lost their jobs.
Support the communities who lost NOAA personnel.
Boost the efforts of the NWS that remains as we get into severe and hurricane season.
The rest of the enterprise needs to step up.
Support the folks who lost their jobs.
Support the communities who lost NOAA personnel.
Boost the efforts of the NWS that remains as we get into severe and hurricane season.
I want to be clear: the private sector, as it presently exists, *cannot* quickly spin up to fill any void left by substantial dismantling of #NOAA. Full stop. If that were to happen, people would die in extreme weather events who would not have otherwise, & economy would suffer.
February 27, 2025 at 9:59 PM
NOAA is the backbone of the US weather enterprise.
The rest of the enterprise needs to step up.
Support the folks who lost their jobs.
Support the communities who lost NOAA personnel.
Boost the efforts of the NWS that remains as we get into severe and hurricane season.
The rest of the enterprise needs to step up.
Support the folks who lost their jobs.
Support the communities who lost NOAA personnel.
Boost the efforts of the NWS that remains as we get into severe and hurricane season.
Reposted by Melissa Piper
The NWS is already short-staffed, making it much harder for the meteorologists who do crucial work to keep us all safe. NWS mets already work long shifts at all hours of the day. We will all be less safe because of this.
Firings of probationary workers at NOAA thoughout the agency -- climate offices, yes, but also meteorologists at the National Weather Service.
I just got fired from NWS . This email is all I know. Read if you want.
February 27, 2025 at 9:36 PM
The NWS is already short-staffed, making it much harder for the meteorologists who do crucial work to keep us all safe. NWS mets already work long shifts at all hours of the day. We will all be less safe because of this.