Category Archives: Meteorology

Did the moon landing influence weather forecasting?

Posted on July 15, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

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 →

Category: Climate, Meteorology

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Can large cities generate their own weather?

Posted on July 8, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

The “urban heat island effect” refers to the increased temperatures of urban areas compared with their rural surroundings. The urban heat island is a well-documented example of inadvertent modification of climate by human activities. It is a classic example of … Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena

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Has this been an unusually dreary spring?

Posted on June 17, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

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 →

Category: Climate, Meteorology, Seasons

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Is that photo of circular lightning?

Posted on June 10, 2019 by WeatherGuys Editor

When we see a flash of lightning, it looks as though it forms all at once.

However, a lightning bolt is actually produced in many steps. The bolt occurs so quickly that it looks like a single brilliant flash, but high-speed photography can reveal several distinct bolts. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Severe Weather

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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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