Monthly Archives: June 2020

What is the longest lightning bolt?

The World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, investigates and certifies meteorological records.

On Friday, a WMO committee of experts confirmed a new world record for the longest single lightning flash. The single flash occurred on Oct. 31, 2018 and covered a horizontal distance of 440.6 miles, plus or minus 5 miles, across parts of southern Brazil. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Severe Weather

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Does the sunset last longer around the summer solstice?

Yes. The summer solstice — in Latin, “sol,” or “sun,” and “stice,” or “come to a stop” — is the day of the year with the most daylight.

The first day of the astronomical Northern Hemisphere summer is the day of the year when the sun is farthest north. In 2020, this occurred at 4:44 p.m. Saturday. Continue reading

Category: Seasons

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Was that a tropical storm last week?

The western Great Lakes region was visited by a rare tropical storm Tuesday when Cristobal made its way into southern Wisconsin.

Rainfall from eastern Iowa to central Wisconsin was intense, with Madison, La Crosse, Wausau and Rhinelander all recording just under 2 inches of rainfall overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. Even more impressive rainfalls were recorded in eastern Iowa, as Dubuque got 2.16 inches, Cedar Rapids got 2.35 inches and Iowa City was hit with 3.47 inches. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Seasons, Severe Weather

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How important were weather forecasts for D-Day?

Saturday marked the 76th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe and the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

The assault was enormous and relied on mobilization of a far-flung naval armada to deliver the necessary men and machines to the beaches at the appointed time. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather

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When is hurricane season?

The peak of hurricane activity in the tropical waters south and southeast of the United States is typically in early to mid-September.

But hurricanes can occur any month of the year; the calendar isn’t the important thing — the ocean temperatures and the lack of wind shear are. Continue reading

Category: Seasons, Severe Weather, Tropical

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