Today I’m borrowing from The Houston Chronicle’s esteemed Science Editor Eric Berger who, earlier this morning, borrowed from ImpactWeather StormWatch Manager Fred Schmude to share the very high probability that the winter of 2011-2012 along the Gulf Coast is pretty much over.  At least as far as the region getting any more substantial freezes and/or frozen precip.  Click through for details:

To many this comes as good news but to just as many – those who love winter – it’s a bummer.   I like the cold but I don’t like being cold so I’m either way on the issue, although I wouldn’t have minded a few nights in the low 20s to reduce this summer’s mosquito population if only by a bit.  Along with tens of millions of others, I just hope the summer of 2012 doesn’t bring a return of the drought we had last year.  We’ll have more on what we think about the possibility is of that happening in a week or two.

As this week’s U.S. severe weather event made its way through Houston yesterday, ImpactWeather TropicsWatch Manager Chris Hebert took a few moments every ¼-hour or so to check one of the local bayou cams – the “Harris Gully Box Culvert” cam – and to trap the occasional image.   Here’s a 20-second compilation that spans a little over three hours:

The culvert is exactly where the water is designed to go so it’s definitely a focused concentration but impressive nonetheless.  Especially after the drought we’ve suffered over the last year, or continue to endure depending on who you ask.  For those of you interested in the mechanics, the diagonal line in the immediate foreground of the video is a Braes Bayou bike path that Chris and I both ride often.  The cam  is mounted at the Ronald McDonald House Houston (an excellent cause – donate if you can) and it’s aimed due NW across Braes Bayou and right up the gully, past which is Ben Taub Hospital and the rest of the Texas Medical Center, the organization responsible for installing the camera.  Just to the north is the Hermann Park Golf Course and the Houston Zoo and museum district.  The bayou itself feeds into the Houston Ship Channel, Galveston Bay and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo: Google

This is my favorite kind of Google satellite image:  notice the tall, shadow-throwing building on the left side compared with the even taller one on the right.  You can see the west side of the one on the left/west and the east side of the building on the right/east because the image is two satellite passes stitched together.  Sometimes excellent technology can give you a bit of a headache.

The storm continues to the east today leaving lots of rain, pockets of destruction and cooler temps in its wake:

The front continues eastward today. Graphic: ImpactWeather, Inc.

Every once in a while an idea comes along and we all wonder why no one thought of it before.

Over the last couple of hours the immediate region has been under all manner of watches and warnings for heavy rainfall, lightning, hail, potential straight-line wind damage and tornadoes.  Feeder roads and underpasses have filled up with water just from the sheer volume in such a short time and news reports are coming in of wind and possible tornado damage from all over this part of the state.

Radar and a tornado warning a few hours ago. Click to enlarge. Image: ImpactWeather, Inc.

Southeast Texas doesn’t get many tornadoes compared to many other parts of the country but it’s still a concern.  Now the University of Alabama at Birmingham is proposing that citizens who live in areas of the country that are either prone to experience tornadoes, or even where they’re merely just possible, should consider keeping safety helmets at home for use during a tornado.  “It’s such a common sense idea that we wonder why it hasn’t caught on,” said Scott Crawford, an epidemiologist and one of authors of “Safety Helmets: A Practical Inexpensive Solution for Reducing the Risk of Head Injuries Resulting from Tornadoes.”

It may not have been common sense before but it makes absolute sense now that the idea is getting around.  We’ve all read the countless “when we were kids” internet memes about how we survived the latter half of the last century despite the fact that we drank water from garden hoses, played on monkey bars and didn’t wear bicycle helmets.  And some of the newer safety trends that today’s parents engage in do seem a little ridiculous sometimes.  But with the majority of tornado-related injuries and fatalities resulting from head and neck injuries, why not spend 50 or 60 dollars on a helmet for each of your family members?

I’ve seen several tornadoes but I’ve never been in one.  I have, however, suffered a few concussions from various accidents and one thing I’ve learned is that your brain is the most expensive thing you own and it’s very difficult and very expensive to fix if it gets broken.  Just riding your bike down the block without a helmet is dumb.  If I ever am in a tornado, I sure want a helmet nearby to put on.  Why not spend a little extra just the one time to have a helmet handy?

Midland® WR-100B All-Hazard SAME Weather Alert Radio, just thirty bucks. Photo: RadioShack

In related news, authorities are also stepping up the campaign to motivate people to get a NOAA weather radio.  (In case you missed my point, if you don’t own one, go and get a NOAA weather radio.  Not all tornado-‘possible’ towns have warning sirens and even if yours does, in your sound-proofed bedroom you could easily sleep through it.)  Get one that has a battery backup in case the power goes out.  NOAA also provides a Specific Area Encoder Alarm (SAME) option so that you can receive alerts specific to your county and not have to listen to – or be awakened by – alerts that don’t pertain to you.  SAME-equipped receivers run about $50-100 but I just found one on sale for $29.99.  Learn more about SAME coding and find out what the codes are for your state, county or territory.

Two songs are going ’round and ’round in my head on this Monday morning. First, “Stormy Monday” (written by T-Bone Walker, performed by The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton and many more). The other one floating around is “Monday, Monday” by the Mamas and the Papas.

Specifically, these are the lyrics I can’t shake: “They call it Stormy Monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad. Wednesday’s even worse; Thursday’s awful sad.” (This video from 2009 features the Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton – go ahead and watch; I’ll see you back here in 11min 08sec.) And the other lyric is “Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day. Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way. Whenever Monday comes you can find me cryin’ all of the time.”

Long Duration M3.2 Class Solar Flare and CME. Click image to be directed to NASA.gov for more information including the video of this solar flare recorded the past Thursday. Image: NASA

Of course it is Monday. And we do have storms brewing. Significant storms, actually. This coming Wednesday a Texas low pressure center will tap into the Gulf of Mexico humidity bank and make a significant withdrawal — three to five inches of rainfall may be, remarkably, quite common across eastern and southeastern Texas. That, and the threat of tornadoes, too. ImpactWeather’s StormWatch supervisor Mike Venske posted details on this growing concern earlier this morning and you can read it here.

But there’s another storm brewing — already underway, actually, and it’s the strongest of its type since 2005. However, you probably won’t hear it when your favorite TV meteorologist steps in front of the weather graphics. This one comes from a solar storm near the surface of the sun and the associated coronal mass ejection (CME) and is expected to reach Earth at 8 AM CST Wednesday — about the same time the upper Texas Coast is being pounded by heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms.

A solar flare recorded on August 1, 2011 obscures almost the entire Earth-facing hemisphere of the sun. Click for larger image. Image: NASA

CME’s are waves of electromagnetic radiation ejected from the surface of the sun into space. When these waves are directed toward Earth they can disrupt radio transmissions and cause damage to satellites, electrical transmission lines and other electrical equipment resulting in potentially massive and long-lasting power outages.

The sun goes through regular solar cycles approximately every 11 years and CMEs are nothing new. However, not until the use of electricity became more common did man begin to relate flares on the sun to disruptions in the power grid. In 1859 the largest geomagnetic perturbation was observed and it was thought to be associated with a CME. In 1971 the first CME was detected, and more recently on August 1, 2010, four large CMEs were detected which triggered large-scale aurorae three days later. The 11-year solar cycle is expected to peak next year and some are calling it the worst case scenario.

Worst solar storms in history.

What can you do? Not much. First, if you live on the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, allow some extra time for your Wednesday morning commute, and don’t forget your umbrella — the weather looks nasty. As for the CME, be aware and be ready. You should expect possible power disruptions as this sort of occurrence may damage transformers. Your cell phone may experience technical difficulties. If you rely on satellite data, be prepared for disruptions there, too. Navigation systems may be effected, especially HF radio propagation which can fade at higher latitudes. The aurora may be seen as low as New York, Idaho and the mid-Aleutians, so maybe make plans to step outside after dark (and look up!).

Of course, these disruptions will not be the game-changers some expect the CME in 2013 to be. However, ImpactWeather strongly believes in being prepared — not just for severe weather, but for anything that might move you out of your day-to-day comfort zone. We’ve also written before about the importance of an emergency kit and a go bag (and what to put in them). With awareness of the potential, with your emergency plan crafted and with your emergency kit/go bag stocked and ready, you’re already more prepared than nearly everybody else in the country.

Writing this blog has gone a long way to move those song lyrics out of my head, and I feel like songs about Wednesday should now be waiting “on deck” for my Wednesday blog. Tori Amos has a song called “Wednesday,” and it opens with “Nothing here to fear, I’m just sitting around” — maybe that’s a good one for us wishful thinkers.

ImpactWeather StormWatch Domestic Supervisor Mike Venske weighs in on what we can expect from Mother Nature.

The primary threats this week will be centered over the Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley and Deep South as a slow-moving area of upper-level low pressure interacts with increasing Gulf moisture producing areas of locally heavy rainfall which will likely be measured in inches over many regions, and isolated severe storms which may include hail, frequent lightning, strong, gusty winds and, though unlikely, even isolated tornadoes are possible. This activity will begin in Texas late Tuesday and slowly progress eastward before pushing off the coastal Carolinas by Friday.  Moisture is not expected to surge far enough northward for any type of significant winter weather threat over the Eastern U.S., however light rain showers will be possible as far north as the Ohio River Valley and Mid-Atlantic with the potential for a light wintry mix over coastal New England by the second half of the week.

The PacNW will see another series of Pacific disturbances bringing coastal/lowland rain and mountain snow from Tuesday through Thursday, but nothing close to what was seen in that region last week.  Otherwise, snowfall will be contained to the Sierras and Northern/Central Rockies.

After some light accumulations of snow and freezing drizzle exit the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast today, quieter conditions will be seen in these regions as well as the Northern/Central Plains.

Here’s a look at who will be most affected:

Predicted rainfall totals for the week. Click to enlarge. Graphic: NOAA

Above-normal precipitation forecast. Click to enlarge. Graphic: GFS

In the age-old battle of iPad vs. the nighttime sky, the nighttime sky is losing. OK, so maybe it’s not an age-old battle. The seemingly ubiquitous iPad after all, has only been around for barely two years (it debuted in April of 2010). However, astronomers are worried that the current generation (and we assume future generations, too) of young people will grow up unable to identify basic constellations in the nighttime sky.  To blame? iPads, texting, XBox 360 and PlayStation, 500 cable channels, the ever-busier family all play a part. Could there be an inversely proportional ratio that tracks childhood obesity and time spent outside stargazing?

We shouldn’t be surprised. Many teens can’t identify a newspaper (it’s true, if you believe this article), and although this study is now six years old, it showed how two-thirds of young Americans aged 18-24 couldn’t find Iraq on a map. With that in mind, not being able to find the Milky Way seems to be par for the course.

You'll never find the world's best telescopes in New York City. Light pollution would render them ineffective and a tremendous waste of money. Click for larger image. Image: Wikipedia

But it’s not just video games, smart phones and iPads that are obscuring the nighttime sky — there’s something else to blame, as well: light pollution. Light pollution is a growing problem for not only young Americans but for people around the world. Whether it’s because more people have left (and are leaving) rural regions for the suburbs and cities, or whether suburbanites find little reason to look up into the sky, more and more people are unable to experience a truly dark sky. Without a dark sky, stargazing becomes difficult for the devoted astronomer but downright unappealing (and perhaps impossible) for the junior hobbyist. This is why you won’t find the world’s most advanced telescopes in the cities — telescopes need to be far removed from population centers so as to eliminate as much extraneous light as possible from the view skyward. This is also why GLOBE at Night was founded.

Without light pollution, the Milky Way is easy to find in a dark sky. Photo: astropix

Globe at Night wants to bring attention to light pollution and the fact that so many young people around the world are growing up without a basic knowledge or even an interest in the constellations. From their website: “The GLOBE at Night program is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations to a website from a computer or smart phone. Light pollution threatens not only our ‘right to starlight,’ but can affect energy consumption, wildlife and health. The GLOBE at Night campaign has run for two weeks each winter/spring for the last six years. People in 115 countries have contributed 66,000 measurements, making GLOBE at Night one of the most successful light pollution awareness campaigns.”

(The world’s five most powerful telescopes.)

The McDonald Observatory in Ft. Davis, Texas takes advantage of its location far removed from sources of light pollution. Click for larger image. Image: Wikipedia

The 2012 GLOBE at Night campaign begins this Saturday, January 21 and concludes in April. Data collected from international GLOBE at Night participants will be used so that dark-sky advocates can push for changes in lighting ordinances. For every new sporting facility (from Little League to Super Dome), for every new airport expansion or shopping mall, for every new parking complex or suburban neighborhood there is more light pollution and fewer people able to experience a truly dark sky. Additionally, light pollution effects the natural rhythms of wildlife and some believe it can even effect our own biological clock.

GLOBE at Night and organizations such as the International Dark-Sky Association don’t want to turn all your lights off, or make your favorite sporting facility daytime-only. However, by making the public aware of the growing issues of light pollution as well as supporting efficient, energy- and cost-saving lighting, their hope is to make changes to lighting appealing and desired by populations around the world.

What can you do? Visit GLOBE at Night and fill out their webapp. You’ll need to know your latitude and longitude (to do that, click here). Then you’ll need to find the constellation Orion, Leo or Crux at least one hour after dark. Match your observations to one of GLOBE at Night’s magnitude charts and report your findings. You’re done! You can also check the findings from observers around the globe.

But all is not dark, even if you can’t bare to part with your beloved iPad. There are many apps like this one that let you not only find your own latitude and longitude, but help you find constellations while stargazing outside. So fill out GLOBE at Night’s webapp, grab your iPad, download the stargazing app of your choice,  grab your favorite deck chair and a blanket, head outside and look up. Easy! (Or should I say, it’s easy if you live in the country. It’s going to requite a hour or two drive out to the country if you live in or near a city.)

Photo: scoutstuff.org

An alarming report publicized last week by Chatham House, a London-based policy institute for international affairs, declares that the global economy would survive only up to a week if it were the victim of a major disruption as a result of either an attack by terrorists or a sufficient natural disaster.  That’s a jarring but logical assessment and all the more reason to consider how resilient your organization is and how well prepared you are personally.

The report itself really struck a chord with me because although I’m very much not a fan of thriller/horror stories – life itself is full of enough scary stuff – I recently read One Second After.  At the beginning of the novel, somebodies set off a series of EMPs.  No blinding light or mushroom cloud, no shock wave destroying city skylines, not even any lingering radiation.  Just a silent, invisible pulse of electromagnetic radiation – harmless to humans and other animals but deadly for any machine that has micro-circuitry which, of course, these days means everything.

The story is fictional but the author provides a brilliant, analytical dissection of a variety of scenarios resulting from the almost complete loss of electricity and the total shutdown of freight transport.  Without giving too much away, one of the more sobering plotlines revolves around the sudden, long-term inability to either make or transport insulin, a drug that’s so ubiquitous that it’s practically taken for granted (25.8 million Americans have diabetes and that number continues to grow each year).

The scenario in the book is chilling and extreme but it begs the question, especially in light of the Chatham House report:  what could you or your organization not go more than a week without?  It seems like such a short period of time but not when you start to consider consumables, fuel, refrigeration, sanitation . . . medication.

There’s a difference between fear-mongering and urging reasonable preparation, the whole point of which is to minimize the fear should anything ever interrupt the productivity of your organization or day-to-day life.  This rings true especially in the era of FEMA doing it’s level-headed best to minimize the post-disaster expectations of citizens.  (Just last Friday morning, Citizen Corps tweeted, “In case of a major emergency… we may not be able to come out as quickly as you’d like. Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed fema.gov/medialibrary/m…”) Have you prepared as much as you can?

It’s been an interesting weather pattern for the past few weeks. Gone are the “plunges” of Arctic or, for the most part, even Canadian air that bring snow storms to the ski resorts of Colorado and southern ski regions like North Carolina. Since well before Christmas we’ve been witnessing an elevated storm track that’s taken storms farther north than usual, and this continues today. Storms that would normally sweep across the Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, have instead been skirting along the U.S./Canadian border. Even there, storms were moving uncharacteristically fast preventing significant snowfall accumulations. In the U.S., most of us fell into one of two camps — either, “Where’s the snow?” Or, “I can’t believe how warm it is!” A third camp was far-reaching in that it has affected so many of us for so long, “Man, is it windy, or what?”

One area however, is a camp unto itself. Unless you’re living in the Pacific Northwest, you’re probably not aware that many of these fast-moving storms moved right through that region before moving along the border to the Great Lakes and then northern New England. As we head into the middle of the week, another Pacific storm system is taking aim on Oregon, Washington and the northern California coastline. This one will likely be the strongest yet and may perhaps be the strongest this season.

A series of Pacific disturbances will move onshore over the next several days and interact with a deep pool of Arctic air resulting in a strong chance of heavy snow and mixed freezing rain — on top of what’s already been falling. Be advised that this is a classic heavy snow pattern for those coastal areas along the Pacific Northwest where the combination of shallow Arctic air interacts with Pacific moisture to produce heavy wintry weather.

Wednesday's ImpactWeather map shows the low just off the coast of Washington and Oregon. Click for larger image. Image: ImpactWeather

Snow is expected to increase in coverage and intensity over much of Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana today and tonight, shifting east and south across northern Utah, Wyoming and central Montana on Wednesday. Even the lower elevations, including Seattle and Portland, will likely see more snow and even heavy bursts of snow over the next 24 to 48 hours as moisture continues to surge inland. Portland will see their heaviest snow later tonight through tomorrow morning where as much as 4-18 inches may accumulate before the transition to mainly rain occurs tomorrow afternoon. Seattle snow (snow, not the more typical rain) will increase in coverage and intensity tomorrow morning and continue into Thursday morning before a transition to mainly rain (back to normal!) occurs during the afternoon. Total snow accumulations in the Seattle area are forecast to average from 6-12 inches with locally higher amounts up to 15 inches or more.

By Thursday, the storm system is centered over the Panhandle of Idaho. Click for larger image. Image: ImpactWeather

In addition to the snow, local areas of freezing rain will be possible over broad regions of both Portland and Seattle before the transition to mainly rain occurs. Areas east of Portland and Seattle along the Columbia Gorge, where subfreezing air will likely remain trapped, may see heavy accumulations of freezing rain through Thursday which will result in very hazardous driving conditions. Total snow accumulations will likely be measured in feet across the higher elevations of the Pacific Northwest including the Cascades, Olympics,  Sawtooths and Bitterroot Mountains from this afternoon through Saturday.

Though a strong storm system can certainly be considered as one with only a high moisture content (and this one certainly is), a truly strong storm system will also pack a walloping punch from the wind, as well. This one has the moisture and this one indeed has the wind: sustained wind speeds of 30-40 miles per hour, with higher gusts, will accompany this storm with some higher elevations and mountain tops experiencing winds nearing 90-100 mph. This is the type of wind that can easily down trees, topple high profile vehicles and disrupt power supplies, while the significant rainfall will bring area rivers and streams to flood stage and perhaps beyond. The National Weather Service has issued High Surf Warnings and Advisories for coastal communities and beaches, along with Hurricane-force Wind Warnings that may drive offshore seas to 35 feet.

ImpactWeather updates its 30-day outlooks by the 15th of each month. As that was yesterday, YourWeatherBlog asked ImpactWeather’s long-range meteorologist Fred Schmude for his thoughts.

The latest long-range data favors a continued elevated (more northerly) flow pattern as we move into February. Additionally, the faster flow pattern will not be on the same scale as compared to December and early January, though it should remain above normal — meaning the main flow pattern will be from the Pacific rather than from Canada with a lack of any feature that would drive the cold air significantly southward. Therefore, though the risk of a severe freeze along the Gulf Coast remains quite low, a large part of Canada will likely remain below normal for most of the month and only a brief buckle in the storm track could bring a significantly colder air mass southward.  Another factor that does not favor a severe Gulf Coast freeze is the lack of snow cover over the majority of the U.S.  A cold air mass moving across snow and/or ice will retain more of its coldest air for a longer period of time, whereas the same air mass moving across bare earth will lose more of its cold properties more quickly.

ImpactWeather's February temperature outlook. Click for larger image. Image: ImpactWeather

For the later part of January through February, the main areas of unsettled and potentially stormy weather will be across the Pacific NW due to the same elevated polar storm track over that region. From Arkansas to Ohio, where the collision of Gulf and Canadian air should be most prominent, enhanced rain and/or snow will result. Note that soil moisture remains well above normal over this region and this will again be a prime spot for spring flooding, especially if snow totals start to increase over the Ohio Valley.  It’s doubtful we’ll see anything like last year, but additional flooding over the Ohio and Mid-Mississippi River Basin is certainly possible.

ImpactWeather's February precipitation outlook. Click for larger image. Image: ImpactWeather

A weaker-than-normal storm track will result in a higher frequency of dry and tranquil weather, especially for southern states. This is typical, by the way, of a La Niña pattern which remains in place in a weak-to-moderate condition. Wind and sea conditions will remain below seasonal norms.  Additionally, we may see more of an enhanced low pressure trough developing over West Texas later in February which could result in stronger onshore breezes along the northwest Gulf/Texas Coast, as well as relatively warm Texas and Gulf Coast air being pushed farther north than usual.

As mentioned above, the main hazard for the month will be a risk of a strong Arctic front and northerly gales yet the chance of this remains quite low.

There are two significant aviation anniversaries occurring today and another one this coming Monday. On January 13, 1960 United Flight 826 and TWA Flight 266 collided in midair, showering a neighborhood in Brooklyn and lesser-populated area of Staten Island with twisted aircraft parts and other things that I need not explain. All souls (134), including six on the ground, were lost. On this day in 1982, the Air Florida crash of Flight 90 killed 78 as it was unable to overcome accumulated ice on its wings and plunged into the Potomac River. And this coming Monday, January 16 is the three-year anniversary of the Miracle on the Hudson. Each of these three events can be attributed, at least in part, to weather. And each has lead to advances in aviation safety.

The surreal image of the Brooklyn crash site involving United Airlines Flight 826. Click for larger image. Photo: Time/Life/Getty

I just learned of the Brooklyn crash today. 30 years in the aviation industry and this is a new one to me, and I’m fascinated. First, this was a major, major crash of two airliners over one of the most populated places in the country. Second, I grew up just 20 miles (as the Google flies) away. And third, this was a weather-related incident. At the time, it was the deadliest commercial aviation disaster in the U.S. Though this happened before I was born, and I certainly don’t know of every weather-related aviation catastrophe, I’m surprised this one got away from me. Read more of the story and see more of the amazing pictures from 52 years ago here.

Air Florida's Flight 90 rests in the Potomac River. Ice at the top of the tail is visible. Image: Wikipedia

Today’s other anniversary also happened just a few miles away from where I was living at the time: Air Florida’s crash in 1982 onto the 14th Street bridge in Washington, D.C. Of this one, however, I was well aware and it struck close to home in more than one way: not only was I a U.S. Air Force meteorologist at Andrews Air Force Base just 15 miles from the crash site, but it took the life of the husband of my supervisor who had the misfortune of being in his car on the bridge. Weather-related, the crash occurred during a moderate snow storm. I briefly mentioned this two years ago with an early YourWeatherBlog posting which you can read here and, as usual Wikipedia has many more details here.

Monday’s anniversary is a happier one. January 15, 2009 is when United Airlines Flight 1549 struck a flock of Canadian Geese shortly after departure from New York’s LaGuardia Airport and then successfully landed, powerless, on the Hudson River. Called the Miracle on the Hudson, Captain Sully Sullenberger was recognized as a hero for the perfect water landing that saved the lives of all 155 persons aboard the Airbus A320. He’s since come to represent everything that’s right with airline captains and modern aviation. In 2009, Captain Sullenberger was #2 on Time magazine’s list of Top 100 Most Influential and Iconic People of 2009.

Quiet waters of the Hudson River helped keep casualties to a minimum, but under the controlled environment of computer simulations, NTSB tests revealed four out of four pilots were unable to return to LaGuardia and crashed under the conditions leading to the successful water landing of Flight 1549. No doubt, Captain Sullenberger is a hero. Photo: Wikipedia

What has come from these fateful crashes in the last 50 years? The collision of Flights 826 and 266 over Brooklyn brought about tighter controls and new procedures related to air traffic control when it was revealed that Flight 826 was 12 miles off course in its holding pattern. Though not a direct contributor to the crash, the earlier snow and then-current rainfall limited visibility, while a malfunctioning beacon at the holding point was also held as a contributing factor. This crash also brought the term “black box” to the public lexicon as it was the first time the flight recorder was used so extensively in a post-crash investigation. With fault of the crash reading like numbers from an actuary, investigators attributed 61% of the blame to United Airlines, 24% to the U.S. Government (the F.A.A. had been founded just 16 months earlier) and 15% to TWA.

The crash of Air Florida’s Flight 90 brought about significant changes to pilot training and aircraft deicing procedures. Interestingly, developments and improvements in rescue harnesses used in helicopter recoveries is directly attributed to this tragedy.

Anyone who has seen the pictures of United’s 1549 resting peacefully on the Hudson River would surely guess that weather was not an issue in the crash and technically, it wasn’t. However, investigations into the crash have lead to a surprise: seasonal migratory patterns of Canadian Geese. Once it was confirmed that the plane was brought down by bird strikes, authorities began studying migratory patterns of transitory birds with the hope that better understanding these migration patterns can help prevent future bird-strike accidents. In the case of LaGuardia Airport and the surrounding bird habitats, it’s been determined the resident birds can be managed by various methods including population reduction and harassment, but migratory birds require more technical involvement. Long Island is also well known as desirable wetlands for not only Canadian Geese but large groups of other resident and migratory bird species. This area near LaGuardia Airport, sitting on the edge of Long Island’s North Shore, is well-known among pilots and bird watchers as both a significant hazard to aviation and as a pristine birding paradise near the heart of New York City. And in an odd twist to this situation, the F.A.A has approved plans to build a massive trash facility near the airport, though the battle over the trash facility continues. We all know nothing attracts birds like large piles of garbage.

So that others may live, each mistake involving human life should be analyzed and understood and then procedures, training and actions should be put into place to prevent such mistakes in the future. Aviation mishaps are no different. These three key aircraft accidents have each contributed to furthering aviation safety so that each time you step on-board an aircraft you know you are being transported by the world’s safest means of transportation.