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Is Dane County wind affected by Lake Superior ice?
A reader wondered whether his perception that it has become windier in southern Wisconsin over the past couple of decades has anything to do with the shorter Lake Superior ice season during the same time. Continue reading
How does our recent heat wave stack up against past events?
With another wave of dangerous heat upon us, it is of interest to consider how the last heat wave rates alongside other memorable heat waves. First of all, each day from July 4-6, Madison’s high temperature was more than 100 degrees with the 104 on July 5 ranking as third highest of all time. Moreover, we set record high temperatures for five consecutive days from July 2-6. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Dangers, Heat, Heat index, Summer, Temperature
Comments Off on How does our recent heat wave stack up against past events?
Tags Climate, Dangers, Heat, Heat index, Summer, Temperature
Comments Off on How does our recent heat wave stack up against past events?
What is a derecho?
A derecho (pronounced deh-RAY-cho, a Spanish word meaning “straight ahead”) is an hours-long windstorm associated with a line of severe thunderstorms. It is a result of straight-line winds, not the rotary winds of a tornado — hence its name. Derechos in the United States are most common in the late spring and summer (May through August). Continue reading
Category: Severe Weather
Tags Meteorology, Phenomena, Severe Weather, Wind
Comments Off on What is a derecho?
Tags Meteorology, Phenomena, Severe Weather, Wind
Comments Off on What is a derecho?
How much energy does it take to produce a torrential downpour?
Recently, the Duluth-Superior metro area had devastating flooding a result of rainfall totals of 10 inches or more in some locations. You may have seen photographs of the damage wrought by the flood waters — washed-out roads, flooded homes, ruined crops, etc.
Even in the face of such dramatic damage it is easy to overlook the enormous amount of energy that is involved in simply processing the water involved in such enormous amounts of precipitation. Continue reading
Category: Phenomena
Tags Dangers, Meteorology, Phenomena
Comments Off on How much energy does it take to produce a torrential downpour?
Tags Dangers, Meteorology, Phenomena
Comments Off on How much energy does it take to produce a torrential downpour?
What is a flash flood?
A flood occurs when water flows into a region faster than it can be absorbed into the soil, stored in a lake or reservoir or removed in runoff or a waterway into a drainage basin.
A flash flood is a sudden local flood characterized by a great volume of water and a short duration. It occurs within minutes or hours of heavy rainfall or because of a sudden release of water from the breakup of an ice dam or constructed dam. Continue reading
