Those who have been following my blog for the last ten days have been reading about the unprecedented personal  attacks on climate scientists who do not toe the line on the climate "consensus." While I wish for this blog to be non-political, I would not be a good reporter if I did not point out that this began with postings linked to the White House  this past weekend and then, Monday, continued with letters from Congress and press releases from Big Environment .  This event brought a most-welcome letter from the American Meteorological Society . I have wanted to post a single article that summarizes these events but the silence from the mainstream media is absolutely deafening. So, I am linking to this column from Mark Steyn which, in spite of snark, some hyperbole and political comments is factually accurate. 

Here is the freezing rain forecast accumulation: The odd boundaries are a quirk of the way the NWS forecasts these things. Regardless, this will make travel very hazardous.

These are up to 6pm. Click to enlarge.

Here is the forecast snow from 3pm today to 3pm Sunday for Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and the Arkansas Ozarks. While our new model is excellent with positions, please keep in mind these narrow bands could easily be ±20 mi. displaced north or south. Here is a forecast of the new snowfall from now until 7pm EST Sunday. Dr. Ryan Maue ADDITION: While not as detailed as the fine-grained models presented above, here is a general U.S. map of additional  snow from 4pm CST this afternoon through Monday afternoon. NWS data via Johnny Kelly. Click to enlarge. 

Sports Illustrated Final: #11 Wichita State 74;  #10 Northern Iowa 60.    WSU wins the Missouri Valley Championship.

I just received a question about why I am not writing about the strongly pro-catastrophic global warming scientist who allegedly has a conflict-of-interest issue to the skeptical scientist who was under strong attack a week ago. The answer is that I do not believe any scientist should be under personal attack for their scientific conclusions.  Science should be about the scientific method and the results derived therefrom. Clear?

(scroll down for the accumulation forecasts) Below is the AccuWeather Regional Radar: Darker blues indicate heavier rates of falling snow. Note the areas of sleet in purple. Here in Wichita, the snow has ended for the time being with 4 to 5 inches on the ground.  Here (thanks, Ryan Maue) is the forecast radar for midnight CST. The area of snow now centered over Kansas and Missouri moves to the northern Ohio Valley. Meanwhile the Sunday storm for the Plains gathers over the Rockies and southern High Plains. UPDATE: I-44 in Phelps Co., Missouri (between St. Louis and Springfield). Extreme caution indicated if you are traveling in the region.

Moderate snow falling in northeast Wichita. Really enjoyed GameDay from Wichita State and hope the ESPN crew's drive to Lawrence is safe. We have 3-4" on the ground in northeast Wichita. I'm expecting total accumulation (including what fell yesterday) of 4-7" in southeast Wichita and 2-5" in northwest Wichita.

ESPN's College GameDay is at The Roundhouse -- Wichita State's fantastic basketball facility. It runs until 10 on ESPNU and then runs from 10 to 11 on ESPN. The plan is for the crew to jump in their bus and drive from Wichita to Lawrence in time for a 2pm telecast. Good luck with that. Here is the latest AccuWeather radar with the two locations circled. The Kansas Turnpike Authority, the road they will take, just tweeted: They may have the janitor broadcasting from Lawrence right at 2pm. UPDATE: The first hour is pre-taped. The live show starts momentarily.

This is the latest AccuWeather regional radar. The darker shades of blues indicate heavier rates of falling snow. Here are the expected snow accumulations. In Kansas, the snow will provided much needed moisture and cover for the dormant winter wheat crop.

The American Meteorological Society has helpfully chimed in on the unprecedented personal attacks on scientists that disagree with the global warming "consensus." Of course, the AMS as an institution and I (personally and as an AMS Fellow) support the freedom of scientists to research and present their results without fear of personal attack. It is time for the White House and the Congressional Democrats that launched this attack to withdraw their letters and reaffirm their support of scientific integrity. AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY 45 BEACON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02108-3693 U.S.A. 27 February 2015 The Honorable Raúl M. Grijalva Minority Leader Committee on Natural Resources U. S. House of Representatives Dear Representative Grijalva: Science and jurisprudence have in common the practice of the careful and critical evaluation of ideas, facts, asse...

For those that like snow, a rapidly decreasing number, you'll love this weekend. AccuWeather has the details.

Update on the unprecedented attack on genuine science that commenced this week: The current atmosphere of  McCarthyism directed toward dissenting (from the "consensus") scientists like Dr. Judith Curry  and seven others that  originated at the White House  and has  spread to the Democrats in Congress  will not only discourage alternative and creative lines of research into climate but will keep young scientists "in line."As  Dr .  Roger Pielke, Jr. wrote yesterday , The incessant attacks and smears are effective, no doubt, I have already shifted all of my academic work away from climate issues. I am simply not initiating any new research or papers on the topic and I have ring-fenced my slowly diminishing blogging on the subject. I am a full professor with tenure, so no one need worry about me — I’ll be just fine as there are plenty of interesting, research-able policy issues to occupy my time. But I can’t imagine the message being sent...

Dr. Judy Curry is a climate professor at Georgia Tech University. Two days ago, she published a summary of what we know and don't know about the state of the climate. The article appeared on her blog and, with permission, I am reproducing it for my readers. What you see in blue type are her words. I inserted the phrase in brackets. Climate science is complicated and can be confusing. But the confusion is exacerbated by politicization of the science and also misleading communication by the media. The recent Sense of the Senate Resolution illustrates the problem. “Climate change is real and not a hoax” (98-1) “Climate change is real; and human activity significantly contributes to climate change.” (50-49) The senate resolutions highlight the differences and confusion between the scientific versus the political definitions of climate change. The scientific definition states that climate change can be due to natural processes OR persistent human caused changes. The political ...

Thanks, John. And, there is another 5-Star Review up at Amazon: Want great reading while watching the snow and ice fall? Just pick up a copy of Warnings  at the nearest book store or from B&N or Amazon . As the most recent review at B&N says, It's a smart, fascinating, and highly accessible read.

Atlanta's airport has 1.6 hour delays, on average. In the area shown, snowfall rates into the evening could reach 1 inch per hour.

There is a slight tornado risk later today and tonight, especially in the 5% area.

Here is the latest AccuWeather Regional Radar: According to news reports, more than 1,000 flights have already been cancelled today. Check your airline's web site (even if outside of this immediate region) if you are flying today or this evening.

This really does get more surreal by the week. This article  promotes the awful idea of geoengineering to cure global warming. That means to put things, for example, into space to block the sunlight reaching earth. The 'science' behind this notion is validated by the same climate models that can't get their forecast temperatures correct. But, it would be a HUGE government program with lots of money for scientists and contractors.

Here is AccuWeather's latest snow forecast map. Note the 1-3" forecast in the DFW Metroplex. There is also a risk of freezing rain and ice storm conditions in the darkest green area. In terms of watches and warnings, here is the latest set: Starting in the South, medium blue = winter weather advisories. Pink is winter storm warnings. The bright green (around Mississippi) are flood warnings. The dark green is a winter storm watch. The deep purple is an ice storm warning. The medium purple (Charleston) is a freezing rain advisory. Farther north, the band from South Dakota to Missouri is a winter weather advisory (blue) and a winter storm warning (pink) for as much as 4 to 9 inches of snow. Another, perhaps larger, winter storm may develop late in the weekend. Stay tuned.

Note: This is the last of a series of climate-related articles I am publishing today.  From Judy Curry's blog, a fascinating article : The more I think of it, the project to decarbonise the world economy is a modern version of the biblical Tower of Babel in engineering project terms... The most important and urgent exercise to undertake now is to scope and cost adaptation actions on the basis of the possible future climates. The Dutch have lived with sea level rise for centuries and they should be our guide. If I live to 100 and see in 2050, I will look back on this time as a modern equivalent of previous manias, such as the South Sea Bubble or the Tulip scam. If the climate has got more dangerous, we will be better able to tackle the challenges. If not more dangerous, we will have nothing but scorn for this period in history. Place you bets. Every time that someone comes up with a neo-Malthusian scare (over population, resource exhaustion, …. ), I quote my hero in this...

Now, after telling parents not to feed peanuts to young children, science has come full circle. Details here . Amazing how global warming is the only absolutely Settled Science™, isn't it??

It wasn't rats that spread Black Death, it was (no kidding) Giant Gerbils. Gruesome details, here .

Wichita Eagle More airplanes are built in Wichita than any other city. We had an engineering expo this past weekend to help get children interested in engineering and science. The story is here .

Via Twitter and Kurt Kelsey this afternoon:

Apparently, I should be expecting a phone call from Barack Obama. According to his web site , People are supposed to be filling in the blanks at the bottom of the form (they can do so anonymously, if they wish) with the names of global warming deniers so they can be "called out" by the President. Of course, this is nothing but McCarthyism. Regardless, I look forward to my phone call from Mr. Obama. Yes, this is McCarthyism but as a commenter below points out, I had part of it wrong. I mis-read a line of the form. I'm happy to correct the record. And, I'm still awaiting my call from Mr. Obama. 

After years of telling us coffee was bad, now we are supposed to drink more of it . But, I thought the science was settled!

Thunder and sleet reported in the DFW Metroplex this evening. A winter storm warning continues in effect.

Here is the radar as of 2:52pm PST: The approximate location of the Dolby Theatre, the venue for the awards, is the red oval. The cluster of showers at the bottom of the screen is moving NNE. So, it looks like scattered showers, some with heavy rains, between now and the start for the ceremony.

Showers are scattered across the Southland as indicated on AccuWeather Regional Radar. As I type this, tents are being erected over parts of the "Red Carpet." More showers could move in later this afternoon.

I just watched Sec. of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, tell John Roberts it was "essential to fund FEMA during a cold winter." Hmmm. I keep up on these things and I am not aware of anything FEMA is doing to fight the suffering caused by the cold winter. So, I googled "news" and "fema in winter." Here are the first few hits of what I got. I did see many, "FEMA says 'stay warm in winter'" headlines father down. As longtime readers know, I am not a fan of FEMA. If the Democrats' Senate filibuster causes them to shut down Friday, I don't think we'll be missing much.

Much, much going on this morning. Green = flood advisories. Dark gray = dense fog. The light purple in Mississippi and adjacent areas is a freezing rain watch. Pink is a winter storm warning. Blue is a winter weather advisory. The brown in the West is a high wind situation.

Bet you didn't think customer service would be a big part of it.

As of this moment, a winter storm watch is out for this region although it may be upgraded as new data arrives. The orange area is forecast to have enough ice to make travel very hazardous. There is also a chance of some isolated electrical interruptions.

This is pretty remarkable map. Everything from flood watches (green) to ice storm warnings (deep purple). The dull blue color in north Texas is a winter storm watch for ice. AccuWeather has full details and your local forecast.

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I know a number of the players and this posting by Matt Briggs has the ring of truth to it .

Let's begin with the freezing rain threat. An ice storm warning (see below) has been issued for central Tennessee, including Nashville. Now, the eastern part of the snow storm. Finally, the snow from the second low pressure system. Here is a summary of the NWS warnings: Deep purple is the ice storm warning. Pink is a winter storm warning. Blue is a winter weather advisory (lesser condition). Dark greens are winter storm watches, including the on in Texas which is for a potential freezing rain situation.