Category Archives: Meteorology

What causes urban flooding?

Posted on June 4, 2014 by WeatherGuys Editor

Urban flooding occurs when water flows into an urban region faster than it can be absorbed into the soil or moved to and stored in a lake or reservoir. It can be caused by flash flooding, coastal flooding, river floods or rapid snow melt.

On Tuesday, the Madison area experienced urban flooding caused by an intense rainfall. On that day, a daily record rainfall of 1.46 inches fell at Dane County Regional Airport, breaking the city’s previous May 27 record of 1.27 inches. The city sewage system and draining canals did not have the necessary capacity to drain away the large amounts of rain that fell in a short period of time. Continue reading →

Category: Climate, Meteorology, Phenomena

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Do wind farms modify climate?

Posted on May 27, 2014 by WeatherGuys Editor

The turbines on wind farms convert the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity. So, we might expect to see some changes in the region due to this energy conversion. The impact will be a function of how big the wind farm is and how long the turbines operate.

One way to estimate changes is through observations. The best method is to compare the observation of a region before and after wind farms are installed. Unfortunately, there are rarely enough observations before the wind farm installation to make strong conclusions about any observed relationships. Continue reading →

Category: Climate, Meteorology

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How does carbon dioxide affect global warming?

Posted on May 14, 2014 by WeatherGuys Editor

Since 1958, a continuous measurement of the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere has been made at Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. These observations were initiated by Charles Keeling, who died in 2005, and have been maintained by his son Ralph ever since.

Sunshine is a manifestation of solar radiation and when it is absorbed by the surface of the Earth, the surface heats up and emits a different kind of radiation, known as infrared radiation. Carbon dioxide is a special chemical in that it is transparent to solar radiation and yet it absorbs infrared radiation. Thus, the presence of carbon dioxode in our atmosphere allows sunshine to penetrate to the surface but inhibits the emission of infrared radiation to space.
Continue reading →

Category: Climate, Meteorology

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Ask the Weather Guys: Like it or not, numerical technique vastly improved forecasting

Posted on May 6, 2014 by WeatherGuys Editor

Pretty good forecast last week, wasn’t it? Though last week’s persistent cloudiness and intermittent rain was almost surely met with derision by all, it is hard to imagine that many people were surprised by it, as the forecasts very accurately … Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology

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Who controls the tornado sirens?

Posted on April 9, 2014 by WeatherGuys Editor

The sirens around Dane County are not just for warning about tornadoes.

Although tornado warnings are by far the most common cause for the sounding of the alarm, the sirens are used for other hazards. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather, Weather Dangers

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