OU Meteorology shares cause for extreme August heat, buffs up research

Sep. 14—Last month's heatwave that affected the Southern and Central Plains was caused by blocking events, according to scientists at the National Weather Center.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the global average temperature rose, making it the hottest August in the organization's 174-year global climate record. The event capped a sweltering summer, including July, which was the hottest of any month on record.

Jason Furtado, associate professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, said a blocking event, or a large pocket of stagnant air in the atmosphere, clogged up airways throughout much of the U.S., and caused August's warming events.

"There was also another block over the last couple of weeks in Europe," Furtado said. "There were stories about flooding in Greece and Libya amid record heat. London, Germany, Belgium and France were just facing record heat."

Furtado compared blocking events to the omega [Ω] symbol wherein a large pocket or cone of stagnant air forms with low pressure points on the sides. He said while high temperatures build within the pocket, extreme storms form on its tails.

"Those lows bring inclement weather. That's why we had the big rain from Hurricane Hillary that hit California about a month and a half ago. And then we had big rains to the east as well. And so these blocks form these extreme weather patterns that last for days," Furtado said.

He said wildfires, flooding and droughts stem from blocking events.

"The weather we experienced was the direct result of a block," he said.

Furtado is spearheading a project, "Toward Improving the Simulation and Prediction of Extratropical Northern Hemisphere Blocking Patterns and Extreme Weather," which will receive $673,938 over the next three years from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

The money will be used to purchase equipment and hire workers at OU. A portion of the money will also go to OU's partner, Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico.

Furtado compared a blocking event to a rock blocking the flow of a stream. He said not all air is the same and that depending on heat, humidity, and other factors, certain air currents don't mix.

"So air doesn't just mix readily," he said. "Once you get a bubble of air, it's going to stick around, it's going to act like that rock because it's completely different from its surrounding atmosphere," he said.

Furtado said blocking events can take place in the winter and can cause extreme cold, such as the event that took place in Oklahoma and Texas from Feb. 11-20, 2021.

Blocking events can also cause warm weather in the winter, which is what Taylor Grace, a third-year Ph.D. Candidate is studying.

"I'm looking at a case study, specifically in the Southern Great Plains, where Oklahoma is included," Grace said. "I think this grant is going to bring awareness to these extreme weather events."

Furtado said his study is not meant to be hypothetical, but his team is looking for answers that can be applied to meteorologists to improve human response to extreme weather events.

"That cold wave back in February of 2021, that was an example of a block in the atmosphere that forced extreme weather," he said. "What we are trying to do is help people to prepare for that. If utilities had a warning, two, three, even four weeks ahead of time, they could prepare differently."

Oliver Millin, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate, said he is looking forward to working with Furtado on the project.

"A lot of my research on extreme cold in the central U.S. relies on blocking patterns in the atmosphere, especially those in Alaska and Greenland. They really help drive those sorts of events," he said. "If we can hone in on those particular blocking patterns in relation to other extremes, not just the cold, but the extreme heat, it will help our understanding."

Katie Giannakopoulos, second year master's student, said her team's research will help students to land better jobs and make better contributions to the field after they graduate.

"This opportunity will only increase the skill set that students will have coming out of grad school and to hopefully be successful in their careers," Giannakopoulos said.

Grace said meteorologists predict more blocking patterns in the future, which means more extreme weather.

"The frequency of these blocking events are increasing, and the predictability is getting there, but we are not where we want to be," she said.

Cameron R. Homeyer, interim director and associate professor of OU's School of Meteorology, said the grant reflects the growth of the department to promote applicable research.

"This project is a reflection of the unique expertise our faculty and students provide to identify and solve critical weather and climate problems," he said. "This grant supports the School's mission to provide a world-class academic experience that promotes collaborative, innovative, and inclusive education and research opportunities in the atmospheric sciences."

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at bking@normantranscript.com.