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Category Archives: Meteorology
Can we see satellites at night?
Yes, we can see satellites in particular orbits as they pass overhead at night. Viewing is best away from city lights and in cloud-free skies. The satellite will look like a star steadily moving across the sky for a few minutes. Continue reading
Is the recent Alaska heat wave setting us (Madison, WI) up for a warm late June?
We have not been subjected to extreme heat this summer. In fact, through June 18, we are about 0.2 degrees below normal for the month. That appears to be about to change as a massive ridge of high pressure will be in place over the central United States by the time you read this. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology
Comments Off on Is the recent Alaska heat wave setting us (Madison, WI) up for a warm late June?
Comments Off on Is the recent Alaska heat wave setting us (Madison, WI) up for a warm late June?
Which is older: rock ’n’roll or computerized weather forecasting?
Rock ’n’ roll is older, although not by much.
On May 6, 1955, a revolution that continues to this day began with little fanfare: the first daily weather forecasts made by a computer were issued. This was the result of nearly a year of collaborative effort between the United States Weather Bureau, the Air Force and the Navy in what was called the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit, or JNWPU. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology
Tags Forecasting, Measurement, Meteorology
Comments Off on Which is older: rock ’n’roll or computerized weather forecasting?
Tags Forecasting, Measurement, Meteorology
Comments Off on Which is older: rock ’n’roll or computerized weather forecasting?
Can humans control the weather?
We are not sure we can, but we have always wanted to do so! In the past, people rang bells or fired cannons to prevent lightning or cause rain — producing sound and fury but nothing in the way of success.
The scientific era of weather modification took hold in the 1940s and ’50s with the advent of cloud-seeding experiments. In cloud seeding, airplanes drop particles of dry ice or silver iodide into clouds with temperatures below freezing. These particles are very effective in generating ice particles, with the hope of increasing the amount of rainfall or snowfall. Continue reading
What is the jet stream all about?
The jet stream is a ribbon of high wind speeds near the top of the troposphere (about 6 miles above the surface of the Earth). The major jet streams flow west to east. The existence of fast winds moving from west to east was long suspected because of the movement of storms, cloud systems and volcanic debris high in the atmosphere. Continue reading
