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Category Archives: Climate
What is a polar vortex
The term “polar vortex” was popularized by media outlets in 2014, when the country experienced a brutal January cold snap.
The polar vortex is a band of strong winds, high up in the atmosphere that spins counter-clockwise around the North Pole. Continue reading
Why should we be concerned about the Arctic climate?
Changes in the Arctic have global implications. The global average temperature is warming but the air temperatures in the Arctic are increasing twice as fast or possibly faster.
The year 2019 will go down as the second-lowest minimum extent of sea ice. Sea ice is bright and reflects about 80% of the sunlight that falls on it, helping to keep the surface cold. Continue reading
Did the moon landing influence weather forecasting?
On Saturday, we will mark the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first-ever footsteps on a different world, the lunar landing of Apollo 11.
The moon landing represented the peak of the Cold War’s space race and, though motivated by martial competition between geopolitical adversaries, the drive to reach the moon produced a large number of technical advances which most of us take for granted today. Continue reading
Has this been an unusually dreary spring?
With astrological summer set to begin on Friday morning at 10:54 a.m., it seems like a good time to consider the nature of this seemingly dreary and cold spring that we have just endured.
Almost no one will disagree that this year has had a memorably bad spring, not only locally but around the nation as widespread flooding has put elements of the agricultural sector well behind their normal schedules. Continue reading
Is there a windiest time of year in Madison?
Given our recent weather, and with the pollen season dawning in southern Wisconsin, one may wonder if there actually is a windiest time of year in Madison.
Of course, a windy day can come along just about any time of year (the record gust of 83 mph in Madison occurred in June 1975) but the climatology suggests that March and April are the windiest months of the year with average wind speeds of 11.3 and 11.4 mph, respectively. November through February are not far behind, logging a four-month average of 10.5 mph. Continue reading
Category: Climate, Seasons, Weather Dangers
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