Author Archives: WeatherGuys Editor

What caused the recent weather extremes?

The National Weather Service in Milwaukee confirms that three separate tornadoes occurred in our state on Tuesday.

EF-1 tornadoes, with winds estimated at up to 110 mph, struck Lake Geneva and a location just outside of Big Bend. An EF-0 tornado, with winds estimated at up to 80 mph, struck southwest Waukesha. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Seasons, Severe Weather

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Are presidential candidates’ views on climate change correct?

The observational evidence that the Earth is warming is overwhelming and unmistakable.

Surface observations of temperature over land and ocean have shown that all but one of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000. the average length of the ice season on a collection of widely distributed Northern Hemisphere lakes, each with at least 150 years of continuous record, has decreased by over two weeks. The areal extent of the Northern Hemisphere’s wintertime cold pool has systematically shrunk in the last two winters recording the smallest seasonal average cold pool areas since records began in 1948-1949. Continue reading

Category: Climate, Uncategorized

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Are thunderstorms dangerous to aircraft?

Aircraft avoid thunderstorms to avoid potential threats or dangers. But encountering severe weather occasionally happens.

Jet aircraft carry weather radars to detect and thus avoid the violent updrafts of storms. These updrafts have strong, turbulent winds and can carry hail. You probably have experiences with hail falling on the ground, but hail can also cause damage to planes flying at 10,000 or even 30,000 feet. Continue reading

Category: Uncategorized

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What is the hydrologic cycle?

Sitting nearly in the middle of the vast North American continent, Madison has what is known as a continental climate.

Continental climates are characterized by large annual extremes in temperature and humidity as well as very distinct seasons. The continental nature of Madison’s climate is what makes a year’s worth of weather in Madison usually a lot more varied than a year’s worth in Seattle, for instance. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Seasons

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Can we predict tornadoes?

A tornado is a powerful, narrow column of winds that rotate around a center of low pressure. The winds inside a tornado spiral inward and upward, often exceeding speeds of 300 mph.

We cannot always tell if a developing storm will produce a tornado. Advances in radar technologies have helped to identify storms that are producing a tornadoes, or about to produce a tornado. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Severe Weather, Weather Dangers

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