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AAA projects that more than 92 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the year-end holidays – and nine out of ten will make that trip in a car. If you are hitting the road, make sure you aren’t one of the 1.4 million stranded motorists AAA expects to service during the Christmas [...]

Michael Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society were the featured speakers of Earth Gauge’s December webinar. Halpert discussed the 2010-2011 Winter Outlook, how seasonal forecasts are made and the influence of La Niña [...]

Rob Eicher, weekend meteorologist at FOX 35 in Orlando, describes his role as Station Scientist. Visit FOX 35 Weather and check out Rob’s bio for more information about his work.

About 15,000 emergency room visits and 500 deaths occur each year because of unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. As a matter of fact, this colorless, odorless gas is the most common cause of poisoning deaths in the U.S. CO is produced when a fuel (natural gas, propane, oil, kerosene, wood, charcoal) is burned. During cold [...]

Ah-choo! As the mercury drops outside, cold and flu season arrives. Flushing facial tissues down the toilet can waste three to seven gallons per flush with older toilet models. Eliminating just one flush per day could save nearly 1,300 gallons per year, or enough water to wash about 32 loads of laundry! Viewer Tip:  Don’t use your toilet [...]

Holiday dinner guests often mean extra food and dirty dishes—which can mean extra water used in your home. But if every household dropped their daily water use by 10 gallons this holiday season, it would save more than one billion gallons of water—enough for one million households with dishwashers to wash their dishes for a year. Viewer [...]

When winter storms come through the Chesapeake, they can be spectacular, with howling winds, cold rain and occasionally, heavy snow.  In between, though, the weather is often quiet.  With water temperatures dipping into the 30s, cold-blooded Bay creatures slow way down and usually seek the warmest, most stable conditions they can find.  Most blue crabs, [...]

Even after the lightest snowfall, the activity of our unseen neighbors can be found the next day by observing their tracks. Squirrels, rabbits, voles, fox, owls, coyotes, deer and neighborhood pets are all active in the dead of winter and leave evidence of their travels. Often the trails criss-cross and stories can abound in the [...]

Just as humans put on extra layers during the cooler months, some plants need extra protection once colder weather hits. For plants to over-winter, their best protection is the earth around them that insulates against cold air. Soil protects plants’ roots. Organic matter decomposes in the soil year-round, generating warmth while providing nutrients that are [...]

As Florida’s coastal waters begin to cool, a “quiet migration” gets underway. Florida’s manatees start their long swim toward warmer waters in south Florida. From roughly November through March, manatees cluster around warm-water sources, including shallow bays, estuaries, springs and even warm-water discharges from power plants like the Tampa Electric Company and Florida Power and [...]

Rain keeps our forests in the Pacific Northwest green. Raindrops also wash off our roofs, across lawns and down onto streets and parking lots, carrying chemicals from our yards and automobiles to local waterways. These chemicals are absorbed by small organisms that are eaten by fish, birds and animals and can disrupt reproduction and ability to fight [...]

Mid-latitude regions in the Northern Hemisphere, like the United States, are now experiencing short days and cold temperatures. In Australia, in the Southern Hemisphere, days are long and temperatures are warm. The farther away from the poles you go, the less difference there is between winter and summer. At the equator there are about 12 [...]

Like humans, birds can freeze when temperatures get too low – but unlike people, birds can’t go inside and turn the thermostat up during the winter. Once food starts to disappear and temperatures drop in the fall, many birds travel to someplace warmer with more food. Some birds fly thousands of miles from their summer [...]

Some winters are colder than others and some winters are wetter and snowier than others. Trivia Question: What is the best way to predict what kind of winter you will have? a) Look at how intense the Sun is right now b) Look at how much ice there is in the Arctic c) Look at [...]

Earth has warmed over the last few decades. But this warming is more noticeable in certain seasons than it is in others. Trivia Question: In the United States, which season is warming the most? a) Spring b) Summer c) Fall d) Winter The correct answer is d. While the United States is warming at a [...]

December 14 marks the beginning of Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count. The Count runs through January 5, 2011. The first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on December 25, 1900 – 27 participants counted and identified about 18,500 birds, mostly in the northeastern U.S. Today, CBC volunteers brave snow and chilly temperatures to identify and [...]

Floods and flash floods occur in all 50 states and average annual flood losses in the United States from 1994-2004 were more than 2.4 billion dollars!  Just one-inch of flood water can cause damage to your home, but most homeowners insurance policies do not cover damage from floods.  Properties that are located in areas at [...]