Spinning off the coast of Australia, Cyclone Hamish is deciding whether to make landfall or not. Residents along the Queensland coast we preparing for its landfall, which could be the worst storm in 30 years.

Evacuations have already started for many north Queensland islands. On Hamilton Island, 3,000 residents are taking shelter in what is described as “cyclone-proof hotel”.

Maybe the U.S. and Australia don’t communicate, maybe people want to forget or are just very naive, but is any building truly ‘cyclone-proof’. Many people took shelter in hotels and hospitals during Hurricane Katrina when it made landfall as a strong Category 3 storm. Do I have to remind you of the damage that did? Below is the Treasure Bay Hotel, 7 months after Hurricane Katrina hit.

Hopefully nothing like that happens in Australia. We learned our lesson. Apparently we didn’t tell them.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has yet to decide on whether or not to scrap plans consolidating meteorologists from across the country into two giant weather centers.

The plan calls for taking 84 meteorologists from 21 air centers [view a map here] currently serving our nation’s airspace into two locations in Kansas City, MO and College Park, MD.

This plan is designed to cut costs of operating too many centers when only two locations are needed. I understand the idea, and in other situations it may work, but not for forecasting the weather. This is aviation weather forecasting, not a customer service call center.

Should the plan be implemented, those serving at the Kansas City center would be responsible for forecasting weather from the Ohio Valley, south into Texas, northwest into Washington, and even including Hawaii and the Virgin Islands. It is conceivable that those meteorologists could have to forecast a hurricane and blizzard at the same time. What type of expertise does that create?

I think it is important to be able to look out the window and see what is happening. Radar doesn’t always tell the ‘true’ story, and without looking out the window, mistakes will be made.

Air traffic controllers have gone on record saying they don’t like the idea. Craig Boehne, in a recent article by AP, said “I worry whether or not the meteorologists there, not familiar with the local weather nuances in our airspace, will be able to act on our local behalf to the best advantage of the flying public.” He is a representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association in Minneapolis, so he kinda knows what he’s talking about.

In the same article, Dan Sobien, president of National Weather Service Employee Organization and meteorologist for 23 years, brought up a great point. He says he knows the weather nuisances of forecasting in Tampa, FL. “But don’t ask me what’s happening in New Mexico, because a thunderstorm here is completely different from a thunderstorm there,” he said.

If this plan is implemented, it will lead to huge safety concerns. In a time where airline safety can not be compromised, this plan could be disastrous.

To start off my first global warming debate, I want to visit an arguement that I hear all too often. So many people think that, because I’m a meteorologist, I’m not ‘qualified’ to comment on global warming. It’s a climatologist-only club, but I want to break that barrier.

Yes, I am a degreed meteorologist. Meteorologist study weather and the interactions between the earth and atmosphere (also ocean/atmosphere iteraction). Think of meteorologist as studying the present or “now”. Climatologist study past weather events using data from a variety of different sources.

Inherently, we are studying the same thing…. WEATHER.

One of the arguements I hear is would you let a dentist perform open-heart surgery? After all, a dentist is still a doctor. I understand your point. I really do.

Let me ask you this then… would you rather hear the forecast from Dr. Mel Goldstein or Dr. Jack Kevorikian? After all they are both doctors so it shouldn’t really matter right?

That arguement doesn’t hold any water in my book. By creating daily forecasts over a number of years, meteorologists do begin to notice climate changes. Heck, I’ve even taken many classes that have directly involved climate change and global warming. I’m still not qualified to comment?

Regardless of where you stand on this matter (and I hope to hear where it is), this is topic that will be discussed at length.

My forecast for 30 years from now? Dark at night and cold in the South Pole.

I recently came across an article about Dr. Roger Angel and his proposal on how to ‘fix’ global warming. The astronomer from University of Arizona proposes build a massive sun shield in space to stop the sun’s rays from reaching the earth.

At this point, you may be saying “Fair enough… that’s not too crazy.” Well it gets better. Dr. Angel wants this shield to cover 100,000 square miles and consist of trillons of mirrors. “Ok, that’s starting to get a bit much…” He wants these trillons of mirrors to be launched a millon miles into space by a cannon that is half-a-mile wide! Does technology to launch something like that even exist? Regardless, in order to acheive the amount of mirrors needed in space, the cannon would have to be shot at least a ridiculous million times.

To put this into perspective, suppose this project is scheduled to take 10 years. The cannon would have to be fired 274 times a day, which roughly equals once every five minutes. And you thought living next to railroad tracks were bad?

The absolute craziest part of this plan is Dr. Angel says this project could cost up to $350 TRILLON dollars. TRILLON. The entire Gross World Product is $55 trillon. Are we going to do this for free? Are our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandkids going to pay for it?

This plan is so crazy no one would be stupid enough to go for it right?

Dr. Angel has already secured funding from NASA for a pilot project.