Remarkable journey: Tally the turtle makes it back home to Houston after washing up on shore in Wales in 2021
Tally the turtle arrived in Houston,Texas, and officials determined on Thursday that she is healthy after she travelled more than 4,000 miles from the United Kingdom to make it back home, according to the Houston Zoo.
EPA funding for clean water in Gulf communities at center of virtual listening sessions: How you can take part
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it is holding two virtual opportunities for the public to share input on a grant program being developed to support clean water in underserved Gulf of Mexico communities.
Those rising tides are OUR tides
This one is making the rounds today---several new studies not only point to sea levels rising but specifically along the Gulf Coast states and southeastern U.S. The Washington Post article, which has plenty of Houston and Galveston mentions, points to one study in particular from the University of Arizona.
Oil drilling in Gulf safer, but concerns linger, report says
A new National Academy of Science study says that 13 years after a massive BP oil spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico, regulators and industry have reduced some risks in deep water exploration in the gulf but some troublesome safety issues persist.
Move along, nothing to see here
For a week now, weโve been watching the potential of a Caribbean cloud or two to develop into a monster Gulf hurricane--one that by the American model threatened anywhere from Destin, Florida to New Orleans to Houston to Corpus and, as of Friday and the weekend, Mexico. Here is the Friday forecast with that big storm moving in just south of Brownsville over Labor Day weekend:
La Nina equals triple tropical trouble!
Iโve been talking all year about La Nina, that cooler-than-normal water in the Pacific, which basically means dry weather for Texas and a lack of upper level winds across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Its opposite, El Nino, is warmer than normal Pacific water which creates those upper level winds and those winds can shear apart developing tropical systems. So El Nino is El Amigo in that regard! La Nina not so much.
The Gulf is ready for action
As I write this and check my pool water, itโs an amazing 88ยฐ! Totally ready for swimming, but the pool is a shallow body of water and easy to heat up when weโre having record heat! The Gulf of Mexico water is still hovering in the upper 70s to low 80s near shore, but 80ยฐ is that magical threshold where the water is warm enough to sustain tropical storms and hurricanes. And that number, which calculates to 26ยฐ Celsius, is abundant and even higher goes to 28ยฐC right now:
What to Know about this August Front
August fronts do happen, but rarely, and one is slated to limp through here next Tuesday/Wednesday. The models both push this through although the American seems to be a bit more optimistic. Hereโs the latest from the American model--just follow that green precipitation line going through here and into the Gulf. Thatโs the front!