Category Archives: Meteorology

What happens on the winter solstice?

Astronomical winter begins at the winter solstice, which happened this year for the Northern Hemisphere at 9:27 p.m. Central Standard Time on Thursday, Dec. 21. Winter south of the equator begins in June.

The Northern Hemisphere winter solstice occurs at the time the sun is at its southernmost point in the sky. At this time, the sun is overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn, approximately 23.4 degrees south of the equator. Continue reading

Category: Climate, Meteorology, Seasons

Comments Off on What happens on the winter solstice?

Why is the wind often calmer at night than during the day?

The cycle of daytime heating and night time cooling explains why, under most circumstances, calm winds are near the surface at night.

The wind usually increases with height above Earth’s surface. The wind several thousand feet above the ground is almost always stronger than that experienced near the ground. Friction causes the wind close to the ground to move more slowly. Friction decelerates the wind in the same way a rough road surface slows down a bicycle. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena

Comments Off on Why is the wind often calmer at night than during the day?

How can there be frost on the ground when my thermometer reads 36 degrees?

This set of circumstances does not mean that her thermometer is faulty and in need of replacement. Instead, it reflects a nearly daily reality that goes undetected for most of the year until the cold season. It turns out that the air does not radiate heat away nearly as well as the solid ground beneath it. As a consequence of this difference, given 13 hours of nighttime with clear skies, the ground radiates a lot more energy away (and cools rapidly) while the air above struggles to cool as efficiently. Over those many hours, this difference results in a big difference between the ground temperature and the air temperature even as little as 5 or 6 feet above the ground. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena

Comments Off on How can there be frost on the ground when my thermometer reads 36 degrees?

What is a gale wind?

A gale is a strong, sustained wind impacting maritime weather.

Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather

Comments Off on What is a gale wind?

Are hurricanes intensifying more quickly?

Hurricane intensities are classified using the Saffir–Simpson scale, which rates hurricanes on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the damage their winds would cause upon landfall. Major hurricanes are those classified as Category 3 and higher on this … Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Tropical

Comments Off on Are hurricanes intensifying more quickly?