Hunga Tonga volcano pressure wave

The 15 January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano had some interesting effects felt thousands of miles away

Early in the morning of 15 January 2022 (Phoenix time), the Hunga Tonga volcano erupted in the south Pacific Ocean. Tsunami warnings were issued for the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. As of the time of this writing (Sunday morning, 16 January 2022), there’s no word yet on damages to nearby Tonga.

Of considerable interest is that the eruption created a giant atmospheric pressure wave that traveled around the world. That pressure anomaly hit the weather station I have perched atop a building in midtown Phoenix, which you can see in the image. I believe the time of the +0.02 inHg anomaly matches up with when other sensors in the area saw that pressure wave.

Daryl Herzmann, who maintains the impeccable Iowa Environmental Mesonet (which I’ve written about before), tweeted out this graphic showing the pressure wave marching across the United States (EDIT, Sunday evening: a second graphic is below, and is objectively awesome):

The National Weather Service office in Phoenix noted the pressure anomaly as well. Their instruments, working in concert with other NWS offices, found two different pressure waves.

And finally, for a good overview of the entire event, Scott Manley offers this video:

February 2021 Weather Almanac

With February 2021 now in the books, it’s time to rewind on the past twenty-eight days to see what weather we had in midtown Phoenix.

With February 2021 now in the books, it’s time to rewind on the past twenty-eight days to see what weather we had in midtown Phoenix. From the roof of a tower in Midtown Phoenix, here are the weather statistics from a dry and average month:

HIGH TEMPERATURES

  • Highest: 84.6º F / 29.2º C, February 2nd 3:59pm
  • Lowest: 63.3º F / 17.4º C, February 28th
  • High temperatures above 75º F / 23.9º C: 9 days
  • High temperatures above 80º F / 26.7º C: 4 days

LOW TEMPERATURES

  • Highest: 64.0º F / 17.8º C, February 3rd
  • Lowest: 43.5º F / 6.4º C, February 15th 6:51am
  • Low temperatures below 50º F / 10º C: 18 days

RAINFALL, WIND, and SUCH

  • Total February 2021 rainfall: 0.00 inches
  • Cumulative 2021 rainfall: 0.84 inches / 2.1 cm
  • Peak wind gust: 25.1 mph / 34.6 kph, February 15th 7:14pm

Please note that these data are not the official Phoenix weather statistics. The official Phoenix weather is taken at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by the Phoenix office of the National Weather Service.

For all the latest weather from Midtown Phoenix, visit midtownweather.com.

August 2020 Weather Almanac

With August 2020 in the books, here’s a snapshot of the month in weather from a weather station perched in midtown Phoenix.

As many of you may know, I maintain (in conjunction with Tapestry on Central) a weather station on the rooftop of one of our buildings. Since the books have closed on August, here’s a look at the August 2020 weather statistics:

HIGH TEMPERATURES

  • HIGHEST: 118.4º F / 48.0º C (August 14 at 4:19pm)
  • LOWEST: 101.1º F / 38.4º C (August 31)
  • HIGH TEMPERATURES ABOVE 110º F / 43.3º C: 25 days (of 31)
  • HIGH TEMPERATURES ABOVE 112º F / 44.4º C: 19 days
  • HIGH TEMPERATURES ABOVE 115º F / 46.1º C: 8 days
  • AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE: 112.2º F / 44.6º C

LOW TEMPERATURES

  • LOWEST: 76.5º F / 24.7º C (August 30 at 10:29pm)
  • HIGHEST: 92.7º F / 33.7º C (August 2)
  • LOW TEMPERATURES ABOVE 90º F / 32.2º C: 10 days
  • LOW TEMPERATURES BELOW 80º F / 26.7º C: 2 days
  • AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE: 87.3º F / 30.7º C

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

  • AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE: 112.2º F / 44.6º C
  • AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE: 87.3º F / 30.7º C
  • AVERAGE TEMPERATURE: 99.7º F / 37.6º C

RAINFALL, WIND, AND SUCH

  • TOTAL AUGUST RAINFALL: 0.04 inches / 1.02 mm (1 day of measurable rainfall)
  • DAYS WITH STORMS IN THE AREA: 8 days
  • SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ISSUED FOR MIDTOWN PHX: 2 (August 17 and 20)
  • PEAK WIND GUST: 42.1 mph / 67.8 kph (August 20)
  • AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND GUST: 2.4 mph gusting to 4.5 mph (3.9 kph – 7.2 kph)
  • AVERAGE WIND DIRECTION: from the WNW

NOTES FROM THE NOTEBOOK

  • Saturday August 1: Dew Point peaked at 71.4º F at 12:22pm, heat index was 121.9º F an hour later
  • Friday August 14: hot!
  • Sunday August 30: Lowest temp of 76.5º F was lowest temperature recorded since July 1

Please note that these data are not the official Phoenix weather statistics. The official Phoenix weather is taken at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by the Phoenix office of the National Weather Service.

For all the latest weather from Midtown Phoenix, visit midtownweather.com.

On the Air: KJZZ interview on ASU Downtown Phoenix

Mark Brodie of KJZZ-FM in Phoenix sat down with me to ask some questions on ASU’s expansions into downtown Phoenix.

KJZZ logoIf you thought you heard a familiar voice on KJZZ-FM’s The Show this afternoon, I offered some commentary on ASU’s expansions into downtown Phoenix.

The audio is here: http://kjzz.org/content/66891/asu-expands-downtown-phoenix-new-law-school.

My thanks to Mark Brodie for his excellent questions.

A note: Be back here tomorrow morning for a different take on The Friday Five.

In Conversation with Phoenix City Council Candidates

Downtown Voices Coalition is hosting a series of one-on-one online conversations with the four remaining candidates for Phoenix City Council.

Downtown Voices Coalition, downtown Phoenix’s only grassroots stakeholder group that champions issues of urban excellence, like small and locally owned business, historic preservation, sustainability in a broader perspective, and good government, is hosting a series of one-on-one online conversations with the four remaining candidates for Phoenix City Council. The four candidates will be in conversation with our Edward Jensen, our group’s Secretary as well as an ardent observer in Phoenix politics and governance.

Leading off the conversations will be Laura Pastor, a program director at South Mountain Community College and the daughter of U.S. Congressman Ed Pastor, on Friday, October 4, from 7:00-8:00pm. Justin Johnson, running against Pastor for the District 4 seat, will be in conversation with Jensen on Monday, October 7, also from 7:00-8:00pm. Johnson is a real estate developer and the son of former Phoenix mayor Paul Johnson. Conversations with Kate Gallego and Warren Stewart are being scheduled for the week of October 7.

The conversations will be hosted on DVC’s Google+ page  as a Google+ Hangout On Air, an innovative platform to allow many observers from Phoenix to watch and participate in the conversation. Twitter users can send in their questions and comments using the hashtag #DVC4 and #DVC8 (depending on the district represented). Participants who do not have Google+ can watch on DVC’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/DVCPhoenix. The conversation will then be available on the DVC YouTube channel for watching after the live event has concluded.

“I am pleased to be hosting these one-on-one conversations,” said Jensen. “This is a unique, first-of-its-kind way to engage with the candidates and the questions that will be asked are not the conventional questions asked in debates and fora. It gives the candidates an opportunity to envision that they are in their respective City Council seat and working to accomplish their agenda.”

The questions are focused around the central theme of governance and how the candidates plan to accomplish their policy proposals while they are in office.  The four subthemes are “City Hall and the Next City Manager,” “Governance and Intergovernmental Relations,” “Downtown / Urban Phoenix and Urban Living Infrastructure,” and “Sustainability and the Environment in a Broader Context.” The one-on-one conversation format will allow Jensen to pursue different lines of questioning based on the answers given, allowing for tremendous flexibility. About 15-20 minutes at the end will be reserved for audience questions.

Downtown Voices Coalition is a coalition of stakeholder organizations that embrace growth in downtown Phoenix, but is mindful that healthy growth should be based upon existing downtown resources — the vibrancy of neighborhoods, the strength of the arts community, the uniqueness of historic properties, and the wonderful small businesses that dot downtown. For more information, visit downtownvoices.org.

in memoriam boston marathon

Multiple media outlets have reported that two explosions have rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Multiple media outlets have reported that two explosions have rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The NYTimes reports that when the explosions happened, several thousand runners were still on the race course.  At press time, 2 people were dead and 22 injured. My thoughts are with the participants and volunteers of the race as well as the first responders who fearlessly run into the line of danger for our safety.

On a day like today, Leonard Bernstein’s quote on replying to violence is extremely poignant:

We musicians, like everyone else, are numb with sorrow at this murder, and with rage at the senselessness of the crime. But this sorrow and rage will not inflame us to seek retribution; rather they will inflame our art. Our music will never again be quite the same. This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.

Peace.

Downtown Technology Company to rebrand, relaunch as techstudioworks

Continuing the tradition of excellence of Downtown Technology Company, it was announced today that the firm has begun its next chapter as techstudioworks, a full-service technology studio, consulting service, and education resource based in central Phoenix, Arizona.

tsw-interimLogoPHOENIX, ARIZONA (1 April 2013) — Continuing the tradition of excellence of Downtown Technology Company, it was announced today that the firm is going to begin its next chapter as techstudioworks, a full-service technology studio, consulting service, and education resource based in central Phoenix.  The new firm will maintain its commitment to all existing contracts and business.

The firm will continue the celebrated tradition of Edward Jensen’s unique hands-on approach to technology support, design, and education.  He returns fully to the private sector after working for Arizona School for the Arts, a performing arts charter school just outside downtown Phoenix, where he helped craft the school’s technology aspirations alongside helping the school’s 80 faculty and staff with daily technology needs.

“I have always taken pride in my hands-on approach with my clients: be they successful nonprofits, individuals in our community, or faculty at a school,” said Jensen.  “It has struck me as odd that there are people in many disciplines who do not recognize the value of a hands-on approach.  The new firm with the new name really emphasizes that we’re not a technology company; instead, we are a technology studio.  And I strongly believe that it’s a very important difference.”

Like Downtown Technology Company, techstudioworks will continue to provide a wide array of solutions for its clients across diverse disciplines.  Central to the firm’s mission is hands-on research-guided education on various technology themes, including owner Edward Jensen’s popular series of introductory and intermediate lectures on computer use geared toward K-12 students and senior citizens.  In addition to its strong education component, the firm will collaborate with its clients to provide, maintain, and strategically plan an online and digital presence, including social media.  All of the firm’s services are guided by a continuous emphasis on technology research, including emerging technology, new media, and technology policy.

about Edward Jensen: Edward Jensen is the owner and president at techstudioworks, a technology studio in central Phoenix.  He brings a celebrated hands-on approach to his work in advancing clients’ and organizations’ technology needs through education and research.  A lifelong Phoenix resident, he serves on the boards of several prominent local organizations.  For details, visit edwardjensen.net.

about techstudioworks: The result of years of study into technology education, techstudioworks is a new approach in providing technology services to clients across diverse disciplines.  Not your ordinary technology consultancy company, it is a technology studio where owner Edward Jensen collaborates with his clients to find the best technology solutions and provide comprehensive technology education, all guided by relevant research.  For details, visit techstudioworks.com.