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Category Archives: Severe Weather
What is an atmospheric river?
The extreme and persistent drought that has plagued parts of California for several years will be at least slightly remedied by the torrential rains that fell over the weekend over much of the central and northern part of the state.
These rains were associated with a phenomenon called an “atmospheric river.”
Atmospheric rivers are organized flows of deep, moist air from the subtropics and tropics that bring many locations in California a large portion of their annual precipitation. Continue reading
Why do tornadoes happen in hurricanes?
When hurricanes make landfall, they can spawn tornadoes.
The friction over land is much stronger than friction over water, where the hurricanes form. Frictional force quickly weakens the farther you get from the ground. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Severe Weather, Tropical
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Is hurricane forecasting improving?
There are two important components of hurricane forecasting: the hurricane track (where it is going) and hurricane intensity (how and if its winds are increasing).
Hurricane forecasts are becoming more accurate and are extending further out in time. Accurate forecasts provide needed information to make sound decisions and effective risk communication. In addition to improved hurricane forecasts, technological advances, such as smart phone apps, are making the information more accessible and can alert those in harm’s way. Continue reading
How often does New England deal with hurricanes?
New England dealt with Tropical Storm Henri over the past weekend — nearly the first hurricane to make landfall in New England in 30 years.
As it turns out, that long interval between landfalling hurricanes in that region is unusually long. Continue reading
Category: History, Meteorology, Severe Weather, Tropical
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Are heat waves and droughts related?
The ongoing heat wave in the western states is shattering hundreds of high temperature records.
The extreme heat has now moved into the Pacific Northwest and threatens some all-time records in Seattle and Portland. Seattle has only ever recorded three days over 100 degrees in the last 76 years, but stood a decent chance of seeing three in a row over the weekend. Continue reading
