Pat Spoden
@wxspo.bsky.social
Retired NWS SOO (Paducah, KY). Also worked at what is now WDTD, EVV WSO, and private meteorology company in Chicago. BS from NIU. NWA/AMS. Still a weather enthusiast.
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Just in - "According to @climatecentral.org, 2025 ranks as the third-highest year (after 2023 and 2024) for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters..."
+ Interactive graphics/data: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
+ Climate Matters article: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...
+ Interactive graphics/data: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
+ Climate Matters article: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...
January 8, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Just in - "According to @climatecentral.org, 2025 ranks as the third-highest year (after 2023 and 2024) for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters..."
+ Interactive graphics/data: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
+ Climate Matters article: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...
+ Interactive graphics/data: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
+ Climate Matters article: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...
Reposted by Pat Spoden
New AMS Statement: Dismantling NSF’s National Center for Atmospheric Research would weaken U.S. leadership in weather, water, and climate science, putting public safety at risk.
For more than 60 years, NSF NCAR has improved forecasts and early warnings that save lives. More: https://bit.ly/4q6eChn
For more than 60 years, NSF NCAR has improved forecasts and early warnings that save lives. More: https://bit.ly/4q6eChn
December 19, 2025 at 10:54 PM
New AMS Statement: Dismantling NSF’s National Center for Atmospheric Research would weaken U.S. leadership in weather, water, and climate science, putting public safety at risk.
For more than 60 years, NSF NCAR has improved forecasts and early warnings that save lives. More: https://bit.ly/4q6eChn
For more than 60 years, NSF NCAR has improved forecasts and early warnings that save lives. More: https://bit.ly/4q6eChn
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Information on the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Japan, including an animation showing the seismic waves as they were detected by seismometers across North America. 🧪
December 8, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Information on the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Japan, including an animation showing the seismic waves as they were detected by seismometers across North America. 🧪
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Washington, IL EF4 #Tornado – November 17, 2013! A devastating EF4 tore through Washington, destroying more than 600 homes and damaging hundreds more. The path continued across four counties, causing 125 injuries and three deaths. The strongest November tornado on record in Illinois. buff.ly/KcG7bQX
November 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Washington, IL EF4 #Tornado – November 17, 2013! A devastating EF4 tore through Washington, destroying more than 600 homes and damaging hundreds more. The path continued across four counties, causing 125 injuries and three deaths. The strongest November tornado on record in Illinois. buff.ly/KcG7bQX
Reposted by Pat Spoden
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Temperatures have warmed across the contiguous United States over the last five decades or so during the months of December through February (a rapidly warming season)...
Check out @climatecentral.org's winter package for more information and graphics: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt... ❄️🥵
Check out @climatecentral.org's winter package for more information and graphics: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt... ❄️🥵
November 15, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Temperatures have warmed across the contiguous United States over the last five decades or so during the months of December through February (a rapidly warming season)...
Check out @climatecentral.org's winter package for more information and graphics: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt... ❄️🥵
Check out @climatecentral.org's winter package for more information and graphics: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt... ❄️🥵
Reposted by Pat Spoden
"World's first potential trillionaire has killed 600,000 people, including 400,000 children" is the only headline that anyone should ever read about Elon Musk
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 1:33 AM
"World's first potential trillionaire has killed 600,000 people, including 400,000 children" is the only headline that anyone should ever read about Elon Musk
Reposted by Pat Spoden
8 months ago I had a vision: what if we had a unified, track-based dataset of all severe events?
Still a lot of improvements I can make to the algorithm itself, but otherwise, looks like we have one now. I can't wait to see what we can do with this 👀
Still a lot of improvements I can make to the algorithm itself, but otherwise, looks like we have one now. I can't wait to see what we can do with this 👀
November 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
8 months ago I had a vision: what if we had a unified, track-based dataset of all severe events?
Still a lot of improvements I can make to the algorithm itself, but otherwise, looks like we have one now. I can't wait to see what we can do with this 👀
Still a lot of improvements I can make to the algorithm itself, but otherwise, looks like we have one now. I can't wait to see what we can do with this 👀
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Trump just continually shooting our country in the face. This unwarranted (and likely illegal) destruction of Goddard is madness. It jeopardizes the next several decades of space exploration.
November 5, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Trump just continually shooting our country in the face. This unwarranted (and likely illegal) destruction of Goddard is madness. It jeopardizes the next several decades of space exploration.
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of workers who rely on food stamps.
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
November 4, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of workers who rely on food stamps.
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
A little late with the October 2025 rain numbers for NE Foley, AL.
Total for the month: 15.37 inches (more like a June total)
Highest rainfall rate: 16.00 per hour on the 16th
-highest I recall ever recorded in my 3 years here.
#nwsmob
Total for the month: 15.37 inches (more like a June total)
Highest rainfall rate: 16.00 per hour on the 16th
-highest I recall ever recorded in my 3 years here.
#nwsmob
November 3, 2025 at 7:52 PM
A little late with the October 2025 rain numbers for NE Foley, AL.
Total for the month: 15.37 inches (more like a June total)
Highest rainfall rate: 16.00 per hour on the 16th
-highest I recall ever recorded in my 3 years here.
#nwsmob
Total for the month: 15.37 inches (more like a June total)
Highest rainfall rate: 16.00 per hour on the 16th
-highest I recall ever recorded in my 3 years here.
#nwsmob
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Let's check in and see how November temperatures in the Contiguous U.S. have changed over the last 75 years. 🔥
November 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Let's check in and see how November temperatures in the Contiguous U.S. have changed over the last 75 years. 🔥
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Unidata had issued a public notice regarding the change in bucket name in August 2025:
www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/news/e...
www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/news/e...
Important: Changes to NOAA NEXRAD AWS Archive | NSF UnidataImportant: Changes to NOAA NEXRAD AWS Archive | NSF Unidata
www.unidata.ucar.edu
November 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Unidata had issued a public notice regarding the change in bucket name in August 2025:
www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/news/e...
www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/news/e...
Reposted by Pat Spoden
1-minute #GOES19/#GOESEast Visible images showed that soon after making landfall, the eye of Hurricane #Melissa became cloud-filled as the storm interacted with higher terrain on the western edge of Jamaica.
October 28, 2025 at 8:58 PM
1-minute #GOES19/#GOESEast Visible images showed that soon after making landfall, the eye of Hurricane #Melissa became cloud-filled as the storm interacted with higher terrain on the western edge of Jamaica.
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Per NOAA/AOML/HRD’s Sim Aberson, the 219 kt reading will be the fastest wind ever measured by a dropsonde if it passes final quality-control checks.
This is hands down the most extraordinary dropsonde in Atlantic recon history.
October 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Per NOAA/AOML/HRD’s Sim Aberson, the 219 kt reading will be the fastest wind ever measured by a dropsonde if it passes final quality-control checks.
Reposted by Pat Spoden
This meso loop of #Melissa from CIRA is absolutely stunning at it makes its closes in on landfall in southwestern Jamaica.
rammb-data.cira.colostate.edu/tc_realtime/...
#hurricanemelissa
rammb-data.cira.colostate.edu/tc_realtime/...
#hurricanemelissa
October 28, 2025 at 12:52 PM
This meso loop of #Melissa from CIRA is absolutely stunning at it makes its closes in on landfall in southwestern Jamaica.
rammb-data.cira.colostate.edu/tc_realtime/...
#hurricanemelissa
rammb-data.cira.colostate.edu/tc_realtime/...
#hurricanemelissa
Reposted by Pat Spoden
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 Pat Spoden
My Sunday update on explosive intensification of #HurricaneMelissa and why I fear a generational disaster is emerging
www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...
www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...
Hurricane Melissa Approaches Rare Category 5 — Four Things To Know
Hurricane Melissa is on its way to Category 5 status after explosively intensifying. Here are 4 things you need to know right now about its strength, track, and impacts.
www.forbes.com
October 26, 2025 at 12:04 PM
My Sunday update on explosive intensification of #HurricaneMelissa and why I fear a generational disaster is emerging
www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...
www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...
Reposted by Pat Spoden
This evening's update from the U.S. National Hurricane Center on #Melissa is ominous, and explicitly mentions: "catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding...extensive infrastructural damage...and potentially prolonged isolation of communities" in both Jamaica & Haiti.
October 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
This evening's update from the U.S. National Hurricane Center on #Melissa is ominous, and explicitly mentions: "catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding...extensive infrastructural damage...and potentially prolonged isolation of communities" in both Jamaica & Haiti.
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Folks, this is why slow moving storms near Haiti and the DR can be so very dangerous. The mountains force air to rise rapidly and squeeze out copious moisture. The runoff often inundates villages. If this track verifies, it’s extremely dangerous. #Melissa
October 21, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Folks, this is why slow moving storms near Haiti and the DR can be so very dangerous. The mountains force air to rise rapidly and squeeze out copious moisture. The runoff often inundates villages. If this track verifies, it’s extremely dangerous. #Melissa
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...
Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.
apnews.com
October 8, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Pope Leo XIV denounced people who deny climate change today, arguing that they are contributing to the destruction of God's creation.
Pope Leo rebukes climate skeptics after Trump calls warming a ‘con job’
The Illinois native’s comments come a week after the U.S. president derided the fight against climate change.
www.politico.eu
October 1, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Pope Leo XIV denounced people who deny climate change today, arguing that they are contributing to the destruction of God's creation.
Reposted by Pat Spoden
Republicans don’t need a single democratic vote to fund their regime. Here’s why. Please share widely.
September 30, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Republicans don’t need a single democratic vote to fund their regime. Here’s why. Please share widely.