Attention all gardeners! ACM consulting member and past-president Dr. Alicia Wasula has published an exciting new book combining her passions for meteorology and gardening, titled Gardening with Your Head in the Clouds: A Weather Primer for Gardeners. Dr. Wasula said she wrote this book because “there just isn't a book out there on the market which explains meteorology in a way which is interesting and applicable to home gardeners,” and because she loves to read.

Describing the book and her motivations to write it in more detail on the blog for her consulting firm, STM Weather. Dr. Wasula says, “Gardening with Your Head in the Clouds is an educational book about weather for people like me who consider themselves hobby gardeners. This book ties together my two passions of weather and gardening in an interesting, engaging way. It is not intended to be a textbook, or even a reference book, but rather one that a person would pick up and read from cover to cover for general interest. It is my hope that this is a book which a gardener will return to time and again over the years as they observe interesting phenomena and want to dig in (pun intended) and learn more.”

As anyone who's written (or even tried to write) a book knows, this is an impressive accomplishment that represents many (many... many...) hours of deep and creative work. ACM extends its congratulations to Dr. Wasula and welcomes you to check out her new book and discover or hone your own passion for weather-wise gardening! Gardening with Your Head in the Clouds can be ordered online from TBM Books and Amazon as well as from local bookstores and garden centers in upstate New York.

Here at ACM, we know it's important to exercise and train our bodies as well as our minds (although, admittedly, that's sometimes easier said than done)! ACM Associate Member Aaron Mentkowski - president of Weather in Detail, LLC and chief meteorologist at WKBW in Buffalo, New York - recently showed us how it's done. After several months of training, Mr. Mentkowski completed the 2024 Lake Placid Ironman in July!

For those who aren't familiar, an Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride and is topped off by a marathon (26.2-mile run). It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. Completing such a challenge requires not only a strong body, but a strong, dedicated, and focused mind. ACM congratulates Mr. Mentkowski on this formidable accomplishment!

ACM Consulting Member David Moran recently published a new peer-reviewed paper with his colleagues from the PACRITEX (Pressure Acoustics Recordings Inside Tornadoes Experiment) research team that describes exciting observations and insight gained from the deployment of meteorological probes inside three EF-2 tornadoes. The probes measured temperature, humidity, and pressure near or inside all three tornadoes. By correlating the probe data with visual observations, the team were able to resolve a number of unique attributes of these tornadoes. Read the full article here: Pressure Measurements and Video Observations Near and Inside Three EF2 Tornadoes

ACM member Dan Schreiber, Vice President of J.S. Held's forensic meteorology service line, has published an article in the Claims Journal discussing the financial toll of unforeseen weather events. You can read the article on the Claims Journal website: Viewpoint: The Financial Toll of Unforseen Weather Events

ACM Member Kaj O'Mara recently published an article in the Claims Journal that discusses the use of forensic meteorology in winter weather analyses. Please visit the following link to read the full article: The Role of Forensic Meteorologists in Winter Weather Analysis (claimsjournal.com).