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Category Archives: Meteorology
What are gravity waves?
Picture a rock thrown into a lake on a calm day. That is an excellent example of what a gravity wave looks like.
Ripples migrate from where the rock hits the water, causing an up and down motion along the water’s surface. As we get farther away from the point where the rock hit the water, the waves dampen, becoming less defined. Continue reading
What causes April showers?
The weather this past week in Madison has been very interesting.
On at least three occasions we experienced a mix of precipitation types — with snow, hail, graupel and rain in various combinations. Continue reading
How is air pollution measured?
There are different sources of air pollution, including human-generated emissions from the burning of fossil fuel, as well as natural sources such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions and dust storms.
Particle pollution is referred to particulate matter (PM) and is made up of small, suspended solid or liquid particles. The amount and density of pollutants in the air are converted into an Air Quality Index (AQI). An AQI of less than 50 is considered safe, while unhealthy conditions have an AQI above 100. The chemical composition of the pollutant can also be a health concern. Continue reading
Is March weather susceptible to being unusual?
The adage about March weather coming “in like a lion, out like a lamb” was far off the mark for southern Wisconsin this year.
In Madison, it was not a particularly cold month as the average temperature was only 0.8 degrees below normal. However, we had the second-snowiest March ever — and snowiest since the record was set in 1959 — with 25.3 inches of accumulated snow. In addition, it snowed on 16 of the 31 days in the past month, so winter was unusually reluctant to loosen its grip. Continue reading
Category: Climate, Meteorology, Seasons
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Comments Off on Is March weather susceptible to being unusual?
How did Madison get a foot of snow on Saturday?
The 12.1 inches of snow that fell over Madison in the first nine hours of Saturday morning was surely a surprise to many residents while setting the all-time monthly record. Forecasts made through the late afternoon on Friday, consistent with … Continue reading
