Buresh Blog: N.W.S. tropical training... Record highs... Tornado warnings... JU’s Dr. White retires

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Become a part of the First Alert Neighborhood Weather Network. Scan below &/or click * here *:

Tropics updates every day - “Talking the Tropics With Mike”.

Our Jacksonville N.WS. will be participating in a tropics online tutorial of sorts:

Your National Weather Service (NWS) offices that serve the state of Florida team up July 29 through August 1, 2024, to offer daily virtual tropical training sessions geared toward the general public. Each day will focus on a specific topic, and we will be offering 4 sessions each day; 2 midday and 2 evening classes.

Our goals are to reach and teach the public on not just NWS and National Hurricane Center (NHC) products, but HOW to properly interpret this information and WHEN and HOW to properly respond, from pre-season preparedness to the post-tropical impact recovery stage. We will also showcase Florida Department of Emergency Management, FEMA and Ready.gov tools and resources. Although there will be a focus on Florida, most of the material applies to all who live in the path of tropical cyclones. Anyone, from any state, can attend.

There is NO restriction on who can attend these online classes. We can host up to 1,000 virtually each session.

Here is the training website which includes registration links: https://www.weather.gov/jax/FloridaTropicalTrainingWeek2024

Our wet season continues to be sluggish with a few periods of heavy downpours but the consistency has been lacking. So - turn on the heat! Every day in July - through the 15th - has hit at least 90 degrees at JIA. For the year, we’re well above avg. considering the 55 90+ degree days through July 15th is more two-thirds of the way to the avg. for the entire of 82 days. Last year we didn’t have 55 80-degree days until Aug. 2nd.

We’ve had only a couple of record highs but there has been an upward trend in record highs per year.

Between Jan. 1 & the 10th of July - the number of tornado warnings issued by N.W.S. offices. A relatively quiet year for parts of the deep south & Southeast U.S. from Mississippi to Alabama, Georgia & the Carolna’s.

News from Jacksonville University:

Dr. Quinton White is retiring after 48 years(!) as the director of the Marine Science Research Institute. I met Dr. White for the first time shortly after arriving in Jacksonville, & I’ve been lucky to work with him on a variety of environmental stories ever since. Dr. White was kind enough to offer then show my oldest daughter all around the JU campus marine institute when I told him she was interested in any & all science. These are big shoes to fill but Dr. Bryan Franks is certainly up to the task! Congratulations to both men. The full JU story * here *.