As the name suggests, climate studies are a specialty area in meteorology. A climatologist will focus on mesoscale or synoptic scale meteorology gathering data and analyzing long-term weather patterns. Learn more about climatology and climatologists.

The 2008 hurricane season is over, but not forgotten. The intense storms and record-breaking events of the 2008 season were unique. In contrast, the 2009 season has been fairly quiet. Why the difference? In 2008, lingering La Nina effects were in place as well as abnormally high ocean temperatures which are required for hurricane formation.

To summarize the 2008 hurricane season, NASA has produced a video in cooperation with NOAA to show satellite imagery of all the tropical storms from Arthur to Paloma. You may also want to check out the 2008 hurricane tracking chart. Or start tracking the 2009 season yourself with a blank hurricane tracking chart. All the resources are below.

• NASA hurricane video
• Blank hurricane tracking charts
• Possible 2009 hurricane names
• Online tropical cyclone tracker
• 2008 hurricane tracking chart

This stunning image is of the launch of the GOES weather satellite aboard a Delta IV rocket. The new satellite, temporarily called GOES-O, lifted off at 6:51 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday night from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The initial target date for the launch was on Friday, but a threat of a thunderstorm enacted the NASA thunderstorm rule for the launch. NASA contracted Boeing to build the satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Each of the GOES satellites continuously provides observations of 60 percent of the Earth. The wealth of data available from the GOES satellites proves technology has come a long way since the grainy images of the world's first weather satellite, TIROS. NOAA has two operational GOES satellites hovering 22,300 miles above the equator – GOES-12, in the east, and GOES-11, in the west – each provide continuous observations of environmental conditions of North, Central and South America and surrounding oceans. While these two are operational, another GOES satellite, GOES-13, is in orbital storage and can be activated if one of the other satellites experiences trouble.

With the launch of the latest GOES satellite, NOAA will have another backup. Approximately 24 days after launch, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems will turn engineering control over to NASA. About five months later, NASA will transfer operational control of GOES-14 to NOAA. The satellite will be checked out, stored in orbit and available for activation should one of the operational GOES satellites degrade or exhaust its fuel.

Photo Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

A heat wave with temperatures well into the 90s is gripping the Midwest and the East coast this week. Many people have been prompted to research the signs of heat illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion as result of the high temperatures. Summer heat can kill because it reduces the ability of your body to remain at a normal temperature through evaporation. Each year, 175 people on average in the United States lose their lives to heat. According to the National Weather Service, from 1936 to 975, nearly 20,000 people were killed in the United States by heat. In the heat wave of 1980, more than 1,250 people died.

Being aware of the signs of summer illnesses can keep you and your family safe. When the heat index soars, there are certain key symptoms you need to recognize. Remember heat stroke or sunstroke has different symptoms than heat exhaustion.