First Day Of Spring – National Weather Outlook For March 20, 2021

First Day Of Spring Saturday!

We have made it to Spring! The Spring Equinox – marking the astronomical start to Spring – occurs at 4:37 AM CT Saturday morning.

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National Weather Forecast

On Saturday, a system in the western United States will produce showers and snow. A few showers will be possible with a trough of low pressure in the Southeastern U.S. Most of the rest of the nation should be quiet.

The heaviest rain through Sunday will fall in coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, where a few inches will be possible. Some of the mountain ranges out west could see a foot or two of snow.

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Climate Change Website Deleted by Trump Is Rebooted Under Biden

More from Bloomberg Green: “The latest sign the U.S. government is back in the fight against climate change? The EPA just resurrected a website chock full of data, background and science about global warming that the Trump administration had deleted. The Environmental Protection Agency’s dedicated climate change portal had gone dormant under Trump, though some information and data were still maintained across other EPA web pages. Now, the climate page is back, complete with the proclamation “An EPA Priority” at the top and links to emissions data, efficiency program info and other climate resources. “Climate facts are back on EPA’s website where they should be,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in an emailed statement.”

The U.S. Leads The Way in Citywide Fossil Fuel Bans

More from Earther: “In a cool and rare moment for the U.S., it’s a leader in something that may actually do some good for the planet. A new report shows that the U.S. currently has the most cities in the world that have enacted some sort of ban on fossil fuels at the local level. The report, issued Thursday by the green energy policy network REN21, focuses on the changing energy landscape at a city level. Per the analysis, more than 1 billion people worldwide now live in a city or town with a renewable energy target. But it also shows how cities are working to ban fossil fuels at the local level, with various types of bans jumping fivefold in 2020—including bans on fossil fuel use in buildings.”

White House appoints former NOAA leader Jane Lubchenco to key climate change role

More from the Capital Weather Gang: “The White House has appointed Jane Lubchenco, a well-known marine scientist at Oregon State University and former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to a high-level position coordinating climate and environmental issues within its Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The announcement scheduled for Friday marks another step in the Biden administration’s all-of-government approach to tackling climate change. Lubchenco is serving in the renamed position of deputy director for climate and the environment, which in previous administrations had been known as the head of “energy and the environment.” Her portfolio encompasses a broad set of issues that President Biden asked OSTP officials to address in a letter on Jan. 15.”

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).

– D.J. Kayser