Archives
Categories
WeatherGuys Links
Category Archives: Severe Weather
Is it dangerous to fly through a thunderstorm?
Thunderstorms pose several hazards, whether you are on the ground or in the air, namely lightning, hail, turbulence, icing, downbursts and even tornadoes. Because of these potential hazards, planes don’t fly through thunderstorms. Instead, they fly around them.
Pilots have onboard weather radar and air traffic control support to steer around thunderstorms rather than fly straight through them. In addition to pilots being trained to avoid thunderstorms, modern engineering has led to commercial aircraft designs that can withstand many of these threats. Continue reading
Category: Severe Weather, Weather Dangers
Comments Off on Is it dangerous to fly through a thunderstorm?
Comments Off on Is it dangerous to fly through a thunderstorm?
Why is wildfire smoke unhealthy?
The smoke from wildfires can linger in the air and often travels long distances carrying unhealthy matter.
Depending on how hot the fire is and what’s burning — trees, grasslands, or buildings — wildfire smoke can contain toxic chemical substances, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene and metals. The smoke can also change over time and become more toxic. Continue reading
Has 2026 been an active tornado year?
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of Earth and the storm above. The 30-year normal (1981-2010) for Wisconsin is 23 tornadoes per year.
As of mid-July, the National Weather Service has confirmed that our state has experienced 39 documented tornadoes, which ties it with 2025 for the 6th most tornadoes in an entire year. These tornadoes were distributed over 10 different days. Twenty-seven of those tornadoes were spawned between April 13 and April 17, with 16 on April 17 alone. Continue reading
Is wildfire season getting longer?
Wildfires are an important part of many ecosystems and an essential part of forest and rangeland health.
Fires require fuel to burn, heat to ignite and oxygen to burn. Wildfire season is defined as the time of year when wildfires are most likely to ignite and spread. A combination of high temperatures, low humidity, lack of precipitation days and high winds make wildfires more likely to spread and lengthen fire seasons. Continue reading
Does NOAA conduct fire weather forecasting?
Wildfire outbreaks require the alignment of several factors, including temperature, humidity, winds and the lack of moisture in fuels such as trees, shrubs and grasses. These factors have strong direct or indirect ties to current weather, climate variability and climate change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration supports weather forecasting throughout a wildfire’s lifecycle: before, during and after the wildfire.
Drought conditions can set the stage for wildfires. Continue reading
Category: Seasons, Severe Weather, Weather Dangers
Comments Off on Does NOAA conduct fire weather forecasting?
Comments Off on Does NOAA conduct fire weather forecasting?
