Category Archives: Seasons

How do potholes form?

Potholes result from a combination of traffic and water.

Roadways are constructed in layers. The top layer is water resistant and curved to drain water off the road and onto the shoulder. Continue reading

Category: Seasons

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Is this an unusual winter?

There is no doubt that this winter’s prolonged and sometimes desperate cold has been unusual.

Interestingly, for all the talk of the “polar vortex” and our unusually prolonged cold in central North America, it has been a remarkably “warm” winter when considered from the hemispheric perspective. Unusually warm weather in the West has offset the frigid winter across the East and much of the Midwest. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Seasons

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How does this month’s cold and snow stack up?

Winter officially began at 11:11 a.m. on Saturday with the winter solstice, but everyone knows it has felt like winter for quite some time as we have endured a cold (and snowy) first two-thirds of December. Continue reading

Category: Seasons

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Is this early December cold spell unusual?

Though the first really nasty cold snap of the year is already underway, by the middle of this week we should be in the depths of a deep freeze, flirting with a daily high temperature no higher than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue reading

Category: Seasons

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Does a cold end to October signal an early winter?

October ended up to be about normal in terms of temperature despite the chilly last couple of weeks. In fact, 14 of the last 17 days of the month were at or below normal. A natural question arises in the face of this cool spell — namely, does this portend a cold start to the winter? Continue reading

Category: Seasons

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