The storm will bring heavy snow and blizzard conditions to those areas, and temperatures could drop to 10 or 20 degrees below average. Snowfall rates of up to two to three inches per hour are predicted for some areas of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Wind gusts of up to 60 or 75 miles per hour could also present an additional headache for the transportation and power industries.

A statement from the National Weather Service in Massachusetts read: “A potential historic winter storm and Blizzrd is expected to drop 1 to 2 feet of snow across much of the region Friday into Saturday.” Winter storm watches are in effect through Saturday afternoon for much of the Northeast.

In Boston the winter storm watch has been upgraded to a blizzard watch, meaning whiteout conditions are possible. A blizzard watch has also been issued for some parts of New York, though the city is still under a winter storm watch. Six to ten inches of snow are expected in the city along with “a trace of ice” and temperatures in the lower 30s.

“The ability for NASA to quickly reuse this hardware and launch it to the space station is a great example of a low-cost approach that will have high benefits to science and life here on Earth,” said Mike Suffredini, NASA’s International Space Station program manager.

Scatterometers measure the scattering effect produced when scanning the Earth’s surface using a microwave radar sensor. The previous wind data instrument, the QuikScat, stopped collecting ocean wind data in 2009 after operating for 10 years. No replacement will be available soon, which is why NASA adapted existing QuikScat hardware.

“ISS-RapidScat represents a low-cost approach to acquiring valuable wind vector data for improving global monitoring of hurricanes and other high-intensity storms,” said Howard Eisen, ISS-RapidScat project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “By leveraging the capabilities of the International Space Station and recycling leftover hardware, we will acquire good science data at a fraction of the investment needed to launch a new satellite.”

The ISS-RapidScat will be launched to the ISS on a SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. It will be installed on the end of the ISS’s Columbus laboratory and have measurement accuracy “similar” to QuikScat. The instrument is expected operate for two years.

(Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/JSC)

The Weather Channel has just announced that their family of apps has crossed this threshold. That includes iOS, Android and Windows Phone. The iOS app was first launched in 2007, and the Android app followed in 2008. Last July is when it finally landed on the Windows Phone on the Nokia Lumia.

“This is a huge achievement for us – only a very small, select number of companies can say they have this reach and consumer loyalty – and I want to thank our users and our employees,” said Cameron Clayton, digital division president, The Weather Company. “Reaching this milestone is a testament not only to our amazing users who continue to seek out – and use – The Weather Channel on their devices, but also to our hard-working team, which continues its efforts to create the best app available on every screen.”

According to their stats, the apps register 38 million users per month on mobile, and six million on tablets. Over the past year, which has been a pretty crazy year for weather, Hurricane Sandy and Christmas were the two events that drove the most app use. On December 26th, the Weather Channel family of apps saw 137.5 million views, which is an all-time record.

Back in May, The Weather Channel app v5.0 launched in the App Store as a pretty significant redesign, both in the UI and the features. Apart from changes to the way the app looks (for the better, I might add), the new app added social integration from Facebook and Twitter – so users could see the weather chatter in their area. It also added improved severe weather alerts, something that I’m sure came in handy for plenty of users in 2012.

The prototype system provides eight-hour forecasts that are designed for air traffic controllers and pilots. The system combines satellite data and computer weather models to map storms over the world’s oceans. The technology is based on NCAR systems that alert pilots and air traffic controllers of storms over the continental United States. The new system’s creation was inspired in part by the crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009 when it encountered thunderstorms over the Atlantic Ocean.

“These new forecasts can help fill an important gap in our aviation system,” said Cathy Kessinger, lead researcher on the project at NCAR. “Pilots have had limited information about atmospheric conditions as they fly over the ocean, where conditions can be severe. By providing them with a picture of where significant storms will be during an eight-hour period, the system can contribute to both the safety and comfort of passengers on flights.”

Predicting the turbulence associated with storms over oceans is somewhat harder than storms over land. Geostationary satellites in orbit are unable to see within clouds the way ground-based radar can. Pilots often have to choose between massive detours or flying directly through an area that may contain storms associated with windshear, icing conditions, lightning, hail, or severe turbulence.

Currently, pilots on transoceanic flights get preflight briefings, with weather updates every four hours in the case of extreme storms. The planes used for such flights also have an onboard radar, which is of little use for planning while in-flight.

“Turbulence is the leading cause of injuries in commercial aviation,” said John Haynes, Applied Sciences program manager at NASA Headquarters. “This prototype system is of crucial importance to pilots and is another demonstration of the practical benefit of NASA’s Earth observations.”

(Image courtesy NASA/NCAR Research Applications Laboratory)

It uses Wi-fi to obtain weather data, and then puts on a show for you that matches nature’s show outside. When it’s sunny, it’s yellow. Overcast? Well, that’s when it gets fun. The Nebula 12 uses liquid hydrogen and water to produce a cloud.

“In the standard mode, Nebula 12 predicts the weather for the next 48 hours. A threatening low-pressure area is announced by a red cloud, and sunshine is shown in yellow. At the same time, the user can adjust the settings and define the source of information themselves.”

According to Micasa Lab, Nubula 12′s creators, “the light but stable creation can be used in many ways: Nebula 12 can, like a natural cloud, change in colour and brightness and thus can be used as a variable source of light for romantic evening meals, when doing homework, when reading or just chatting.”

Don’t worry, the Nebula 12 won’t precipitate. And that cloud won’t spread all over your house, the device’s vacuuming system makes sure of that.

“With Nebula 12, Micasa wants to expand the definition of what a lamp is. It is important for us that we not only challenge ourselves, but also our customers. And Nebula 12 is something completely new which should stimulate people to think beyond the boundaries of conventional lighting systems”, says Matthias Wunderlin, manager of Micasa.

Of course, it’s only a concept right now. And it only works via weather data sent to the Nokia Lumia 920. You’d think that if they ever mass-produced the fixture, they would open it up to be compatible with a wider range of devices. Aside from having to constantly refill the liquid hydrogen and water (its life is only 72 hours), I don’t see many other nuisances. All I see is my friends coming over on cloudy day and exclaiming, “Holy shit, you have a cloud in your living room!” Awesome.

[DVICE via Sync]