iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I finished up a project this morning documenting tropical storm and hurricane peak wind gusts in Wilmington back to 1871, and in Myrtle Beach back to 1941: www.weather.gov/ilm/Tropical...

List of hurricanes and tropical storms to affect Wilmington, NC

190

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Lots of different bird species are stopping in my yard this morning as fall migration is peaking

A young Gray Catbird sitting in a American Beautyberry bush

A Veery (a migratory thrush) in a Camellia bush

050

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

NASA | ESA Space Updates @nasaupdates.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Did you know a Moon impact creates thermal 'cold spots'? Data from NASA's LRO reveals a 4-mile-wide zone around the new McGetchin crater that is 16°F cooler at night. The crash fluffed up the lunar soil, making it less dense and less able to hold heat! 🌡️🌕

1121

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Went with a friend for the Pokemon 30th Anniversary card release this morning.

Pokemon 30th Anniversary cards bought from Target this morning

010

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Record highs were broken today in Wilmington (95 degrees) and in Myrtle Beach (94 degrees)

000

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

At this point the EPA should just change their name. They've certainly abandoned their mission...

011

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This turbolift exchange between Mark Twain and Counselor Troi sums up what Star Trek means for me: one day humanity really will leave our medieval past behind us and figure out how to build a better tomorrow for all people. #StarTrek #StarTrek60

1133

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

A portion of Carolina Beach Pier has collapsed in the surf.

231

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

4.31" of rain from Sunday's thunderstorms made yesterday the wettest day in my backyard since Hurricane Dorian dumped nearly 8" back on September 5, 2019. Shown here: MRMS average return interval and radar precipitation estimates.

MRMS analysis images showing average return interval in years for precipitation on the left, and radar-estimated precipitation on the right.

140

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Facts that make me feel positively ancient

030

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

My Fall climate outlook for eastern NC/SC. El Nino has practically shut down the tropics for Atlantic hurricanes this season, but we still need to watch the nearby subtropics. And I'm hopeful November rain will help end this year's persistent Carolinas drought. www.weather.gov/ilm/FallOutl...

youtu.be

Fall 2026 Climate Outlook from NWS Wilmington, NC

YouTube video by NWSWilmingtonNC

081

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

scott topics™️ @scottpb.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I love R.E.M., I love R.E.M.-related content, and I love librarians 💜

714040

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

We're coming up on the 30th anniversary of Hurricane #Fran, the last major (cat 3+) hurricane to directly strike this portion of North Carolina. My office is hosting a free webinar with audience Q&A Tuesday September 1 at 7:30 pm EDT. Sign up here: register.gotowebinar.com/register/778...

062

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

This morning's Roman telescope launch wasn't visible from here (bright sky, too late after sunrise) but watching NASA's livestream reminded of this January 2023 Falcon Heavy launch I did get to see from Wrightsville Beach. This launch happened just after sunset and had perfect illumination

050

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Our local newspaper (Wilmington Star-News) printed this awesome photoshop on September 8, 2016

A humorous headline from the Wilmington Star-News: "The USS Enterprise was caught on camera by a drone photographer moments before crashing into the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge following a deadly raid by a squadron of Klingon fighters Wednesday evening"

171

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Almost every NWS office across the southern U.S. has issued an extreme number of Heat Advisories this year relative to normal. This year's departure from 2005-2026 is shown here.

040

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Big storms east of Cape Fear are putting on a spectacular lightning show tonight. The view from Wrightsville Beach is memorable.

051

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

No cheating. Share the last photo of the sky from your camera roll (if you feel like it).

Growing cumulonimbus cloud with a small pileus cap

020

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Anywhere from 4-6 inches of thunderstorm rain earlier this weekend kicked Wilmington's drought in the teeth, but also washed out at least one road in town www.wwaytv3.com/flooding-was... Plenty of runoff cleaned out all the hot, salty water from Smith Creek as measured by UNCW's gauges wl.cormp.org

MRMS precipitation estimates of 4-6 inches across across a good portion of northern New Hanover County in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina. Gauge measurements confirmed these totals.

Water level, water temperature, and salinity measurements from UNC-Wilmington's river gauge on Smith Creek at North Kerr Avenue in Wilmington

070

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Little bonus thunderstorm just before sunset gave us a nice rainbow

Rainbow on the west side of a decaying thunderstorm

Radar image of a thunderstorm over Wrightsville Beach

030

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

Climatologist49 @climatologist49.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

🚨🚨🚨According to NOAA NCEI, July 2026 was the warmest month on record for the Contiguous U.S. - beating out July 1936. This is devastating for climate deniers, who love July 1936 as a faux counterfactual. More importantly, it is devastating for all of us. 🔥🔥🔥

618382

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Six years separate these two pics of Longleaf Pines I planted in my yard back in 2019. Over 90 percent of the historic Longleaf population has been lost across the Southeast US due to pressures from logging, suburban sprawl, and fire suppression.

Rapidly growing Longleaf Pines with an expanding understory of Sago palms.

090

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Look at all that dust coming off the African coast.

040

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Hurricane Melissa 2025 IR satellite painting #wxArt

020

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 05/08/2026

The rise in Niño 3.4 region sea surface temperatures over the past few weeks has been nothing short of astonishing. We are now hotter than any days during the 1997/1998 super El Niño event, and we are still many months from the peak.

23473302

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I spent 18 hours on Amtrak on the Northeast corridor over the past week and loved watching the scenery. In addition to avoiding the stress of I-95, trains are electric from Washington DC northward making it a low-carbon way to travel.

050

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

"a chance of severe thunderstorms with golf ball sized hail"

020

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

Star Trek Corrected Captions @startrekcc.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

The fact that we're celebrating Star Trek 60 means that these beloved episodes are 30 years old already. You know, just for those of you who love to be reminded of the ceaseless march of time. 😉

A scene from the Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" depicts Sisko, Bashir, and O'Brien in TOS-era uniforms (gold, blue, and red, respectively). They are all looking at the same point off screen.

A scene from the Voyager episode "Flashback" depicts Captain Janeway standing behind the captain's chair of the U.S.S. Excelsior commanded by Captain Hikaru Sulu. Sulu is lifting up his cup of tea. Standing in front of him, serving the tea, is Tuvok in the "monster maroon" uniform.

39601110

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

On my last visit to Atlanta I got to watch a powerline destroy itself outside my hotel window

150

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Its bark is much worse than its bite, for now. NHC has a 30 percent chance of development on this disturbance with model expectations that anything that develops would drift north or northwestward next week.

030

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

From the article referencing EV registrations: "North Carolina now records 581 EVs per 10,000 residents – second only to New Hampshire..."

001

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Really interesting PBS NC featurette about how a ground fire burned through peat soil for 16 weeks in the Great Dismal Swamp in NE North Carolina... video.pbsnc.org/video/why-do...

video.pbsnc.org

Overview | Why Does This Swamp Keep Catching Fire? | Season 3 | Episode 5

Why did a fire in the Great Dismal Swamp burn for 111 days? And what can we learn from it?

140

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 10/07/2026

lmao. Meteorologist bluesky, this one's for you!

524826

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Wilmington just recorded its third consecutive day with 100 degree high temperatures. This has only happened three times previously since 1874: 6/29/2012 to 7/1/2012, 7/7/1977 to 7/9/1977, and 6/25/1952 to 6/27/1952. #climate #heat #Wilmington

142

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

It just hit 100 degrees again today in Wilmington. Since records began in 1874 there have only 12 times with multiple days of 100+ heat here, most recently (prior to today) July 7 and 8, 2012.

072

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Early morning rocket launch viewed from Wrightsville Beach, NC

1113

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

101°F high temperature in Wilmington, NC this afternoon is the hottest here since May 29, 2019 #ncwx

051

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Upwelling caused by offshore winds has knocked water temperatures at Duck, NC down by 13°F in the past few days www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page... #ncwx

NDBC 5-day plot of water temperatures at Duck, NC

Windy.com ECMWF 10-meter wind showing southwesterly (offshore) winds across the NC Outer Banks

270

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Watered plants before work this morning and unintentionally gave this little Squirrel Tree Frog a tour of the yard

Squirrel Tree frog (Dryophytes squirellus)

210

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

A very well-defined #landbreeze front pushed off the North and South Carolina coast early this morning, triggering a thin line of shallow cumulus clouds. #ncwx

020

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Admiral Fitzroy, 1st Chief of the English Weather service, tried forecasting the weather for a few years and then committed suicide. Mark Harrington, 1st Chief of the U.S. Weather Bureau lost his mind after a few years of service.

A excerpt from former Wilmington Weather Bureau meteorologist-in-charge Reuben Frost about the concerning fates of early meteorologists.

321

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I guess it shouldn't be surprising, but until this morning I'd never seen a rabbit eat flowers from a Trumpet Creeper vine

020

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Europe's heat wave becomes our own this week. The NBM mean forecast high temperature for July 4 is 101°F in Wilmington, NC. If we reach that, it will be the hottest here since 2019. The ensemble 75th percentile is 104°F which also happens to be the all-time record high for Wilmington. #ncwx

NBM ensemble forecast meteogram for Wilmington, NC showing intense heat building for the July 4th holiday

151

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

An M5.7 earthquake centered west of Tokyo this morning was discernible on a railway cam in Fuefuki City I often watch. Watch the overhead lines sway at 22:29:11 on the clock. #earthquake #japan

041

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Drought, hurricane season, and the rapidly developing El Niño all get mentions in my climate outlook for eastern North and South Carolina: www.weather.gov/ilm/SummerOu...

weather.gov

Summer Climate Outlook 2026 from NWS Wilmington, NC

050

Tim Armstrong @ilmthunderstorm.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Working on the forecast and beginning to think parts of the Carolina sandhills and interior coastal plain may approach 100 degree heat this Friday.

470

Reposted by Tim Armstrong

Jeff Berardelli @weatherprof.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

The new ENSO Euro Plumes were released this morning. Hard to believe, but they are even stronger! Some members are even above 4°C! Remarkable. To be helpful I added color bars to distinguish between strong vs historic events. Almost all members are historical! Now here’s the relative… 1/2

716678