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How are climates classified?
There are a few ways to classify climates. The plant hardiness zones often published with seed packages are one way to group climates. That approach is based on minimum wintertime temperatures but is limited in its usefulness because a good climate map should include reference to more than one weather variable. Continue reading
Why has it snowed nearly every day recently?
Lately our fair city has been the recipient of continuous dustings of light snow evoking images of a Brueghel painting. In fact, Thursday was the ninth consecutive day with measurable snow, tying a record set only one other time (Feb. 23-March 3, 2007) in Madison’s history. Continue reading
What are ice pellets?
Ice pellets are a form of precipitation. They are small, translucent or clear balls of ice. Ice pellets are rain drops that have frozen before they hit the ground. When they hit the ground, they bounce. Ice pellets are also called sleet and can be accompanied by freezing rain. Continue reading
How cold has this winter been, historically?
Wednesday is the 62nd anniversary of the coldest day ever in Madison — Jan. 30, 1951 — when the temperature dropped to minus 37 F.
As we described in a column a couple of years ago, to get the air that desperately cold in Madison a healthy snow cover is necessary. This January, we had a warm spell near mid-month that effectively melted most of the snow remaining from our December snowstorm. Thus, even though last week’s cold was the worst of the season thus far, it was a lot less cold than it might have been had it occurred while we had a deep, fresh snow cover. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Temperature, Winter
Comments Off on How cold has this winter been, historically?
Tags Climate, Temperature, Winter
Comments Off on How cold has this winter been, historically?
What is clear air turbulence?
Clear-air turbulence, abbreviated “CAT,” occurs high in the atmosphere at the cruising altitude of passenger jets. CAT happens in clear sky conditions and where the wind direction and speed changes quickly with height. If you flew on a plane that experiences a jarring bumpiness and yet there are blue skies out the window, then you’ve experienced CAT. It is most common over mountains, near fronts and around the jet stream. It is also more common in winter than summer. Continue reading
