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Category Archives: Meteorology
Can a snowstorm have lightning?
Yes, and if you were awake late Wednesday night you might have observed lightning and heard thunder with the snowstorm.
It is not a common occurrence, but when lightning and thunder occur during a snowstorm, the event is reported as “thundersnow.” Continue reading
Was our recent snowfall typical for a Madison winter?
Our first substantial snowfall of the season visited Madison on Friday morning as a period of moderate to heavy snow fell from around 7 to 9:45 a.m.
In the end, we accumulated 4.4 inches of heavy wet snow timed perfectly to snarl the morning commute. Continue reading
Category: Climate, Meteorology, Seasons
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Was our weather this week related to the record event in Buffalo, New York?
It has been a fairly wintry week across the Great Lakes states, including here in southern Wisconsin.
Through Saturday night, it had snowed on five straight days in Madison, a total of 4.4 inches. The same pool of cold air above the ground that led to Madison’s intermittent snow showers stretched all the way across the Great Lakes. In fact, the Saturday morning temperature at 1.5km above the surface at Buffalo, New York, was minus 14 Celsius (about 7 degrees Fahrenheit). Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather
Comments Off on Was our weather this week related to the record event in Buffalo, New York?
Comments Off on Was our weather this week related to the record event in Buffalo, New York?
What makes the wind blow?
Southern Wisconsin has certainly experienced some windy days this past week. Wind is defined as the horizontal movement of air from one place to another. Wind exists because of differences in air pressure. Any movement requires a force, and in … Continue reading
What is graupel?
Graupel is a type of frozen precipitation. Southern Wisconsin experienced this on Thursday afternoon.
Most clouds outside the tropical regions have temperatures that are below freezing somewhere in the cloud. These cold clouds are likely to have frozen cloud particles. They are also likely to include supercooled water drops, drops made of water that are below the freezing point. Continue reading
