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Category Archives: Meteorology
What does the State of the Climate Report tell us?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its 27th annual State of the Climate report Thursday, and it was full of attention-grabbing news.
Topping the list was the fact that analysis of global temperature measurements revealed that 2016 bumped 2015 as the warmest year in 137 years of record keeping. In fact, 2016 was the third consecutive year of record warmth. Continue reading
Category: Climate, Meteorology, Seasons
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Was July a record wet month?
It seems likely that most of us would consider this month of July to be an exceptionally wet one and, in many ways, that is true.
First of all, we have received measurable rain on 11 days this month and a trace of rain on six other days. Thus, well over half of the days this month have involved precipitation. Continue reading
Why does the sun melt ice on sidewalks even when the temperature is below freezing?
All objects exchange energy with their environment. They do this via conduction, advection, convection and radiation. If water is involved, a change in the water phase (liquid, solid or gas) also will involve an exchange of energy.
Conduction moves energy by physical contact. Convection results from hot air rising. Advection by the wind moves heat horizontally. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Seasons
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Is moist air lighter than dry air?
Yes. Our air is primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen, but it always has some water molecules.
The weight of an individual atom is represented by its atomic weight. The (rounded) atomic weight of hydrogen (H) is 1, oxygen (O) is 16, nitrogen (N) is 14, and carbon (C) is 12. Continue reading
Can weather fan the flames of revolution?
July was the month of revolution in both America and France in the late 18th century as we declared independence from Britain on July 4, 1776, and the French Revolution began with the assault on the Bastille in Paris on July 14, 1789. It is interesting to examine the extent to which weather may have influenced the passions that led to these seismic events.
The author of our Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, was such an avid weather observer that he brought his instruments with him from Monticello to Philadelphia that summer. He recorded a mild day on July 4 with a high temperature of 76 degrees. Phineas Pemberton, a prominent citizen, independently recorded the same high temperature – nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal. Pemberton also noted a wind shift from northerly to southwesterly with a falling pressure as often accompanies passage of a surface high-pressure system. Thus, the great revolutionary act in America was birthed in benevolent weather conditions. Continue reading
