Archives
Categories
WeatherGuys Links
Category Archives: Phenomena
What is a stratospheric sudden warming?
The region of the atmosphere closest to Earth, where the temperature decreases as you go up, is called the troposphere. The top ranges from about 6 miles over the cold poles to 10 miles over the tropics. Above the tropopause … Continue reading
Are there rivers in the atmosphere?
The term “atmospheric river” has been in the news recently due to the flooding along the West Coast.
An atmospheric river is a narrow band of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere. It is a narrow moisture plume that is a few thousand miles long and only about 250 to 375 miles wide. The term was coined in the early 1990s. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Severe Weather
Comments Off on Are there rivers in the atmosphere?
Comments Off on Are there rivers in the atmosphere?
How remarkable was the recent winter storm?
The recent winter storm that affected large portions of the United States just days before the Christmas holiday was remarkable in a number of dimensions.
It was an example of a “bomb cyclone” which simply means that the rate at which its central pressure dropped — about 2.5% in a single day — was extremely unusual. Even though a 2.5% change in central pressure does not sound like very much, it was responsible for revving up the extreme winds that brought wind chills into the minus 30s and ground blizzard conditions to a large portion of the Great Lakes states on Dec. 23. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Seasons, Severe Weather
Comments Off on How remarkable was the recent winter storm?
Comments Off on How remarkable was the recent winter storm?
Can a snowstorm have lightning?
Yes, and if you were awake late Wednesday night you might have observed lightning and heard thunder with the snowstorm.
It is not a common occurrence, but when lightning and thunder occur during a snowstorm, the event is reported as “thundersnow.” Continue reading
What makes the wind blow?
Southern Wisconsin has certainly experienced some windy days this past week. Wind is defined as the horizontal movement of air from one place to another. Wind exists because of differences in air pressure. Any movement requires a force, and in … Continue reading
