Category Archives: Meteorology

What were those flying saucer-shaped clouds?

Posted on May 20, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

Thunderstorms rolled through Madison between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Thursday May 16th. Stunning “flying-saucer” clouds accompanied the dark skies of the leading edge of the storm. These dark, protruding clouds are “shelf clouds.” The clouds look like a shelf and … Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Uncategorized

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What is the Beaufort scale?

Posted on May 13, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

The Beaufort scale is a method of estimating wind speed based on the general condition of the surface of a large body of water with respect to wind waves and swell.

It is based on observation of sea state rather than accurate wind measurements. This scale allows sailors to estimate the wind speed just by observing the state of the sea surface. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather

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What is a cyclone?

Posted on April 29, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

A cyclone is a general term for a weather system in which winds rotate inwardly to an area of low atmospheric pressure.

For large weather systems, the circulation pattern is in a counterclockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and a clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather

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Why was there a reddish tint in the snow this month?

Posted on April 22, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

On April 11, there were widespread reports and photos of dust residue on vehicles and tan/brown-colored snow in parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.

The origins of these residues can be traced back hundreds of miles to Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather

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When does winter really end?

Posted on April 8, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

Last year’s 7 inches of snow on April 18 provided vivid evidence that, though early April often brings the first string of nice spring days to southern Wisconsin, we are not truly out of the woods until the end of the month.

Despite the possibility of such an outlier event, recent research at UW-Madison has considered the variability of the end of winter based purely on temperatures above the surface. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Seasons

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