Category Archives: Weather Dangers

Why do thunderstorms scare dogs?

Posted on July 5, 2016 by WeatherGuys Editor

Some dogs seem to have a great fear of thunderstorms, as do some humans.

Their fear can drive them through closed doors or windows, or send them cowering to an isolated spot in the house. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Weather Dangers

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How does weather impact forest fires?

Posted on May 9, 2016 by WeatherGuys Editor

Fires require fuel to burn, heat to ignite and oxygen to feed the chemical reaction. Weather plays a key role in all of these requirements to start and spread a forest fire. Weather and climate are important in making fuel … Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena, Weather Dangers

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What is “black ice?”

Posted on February 22, 2016 by WeatherGuys Editor

The term “black ice” refers to one of two conditions: a new layer of ice on water, which appears dark in color because the ice is transparent and so we see the deep water below, or a layer of clear ice on a roadway, which makes for hazardous driving conditions.

In both cases the ice is not black, but transparent, and therefore shows the color of the underlying surface. Continue reading →

Category: Seasons, Weather Dangers

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Was the Blizzard of 2016 forecasted well in advance?

Posted on January 27, 2016 by WeatherGuys Editor

The blizzard that affected over 80 million Americans from the Deep South to New England over the weekend was a historic storm in many ways.

Perhaps most obviously, the snowfall totals that it delivered in the so-called Megalopolis (the stretch of cities from Washington, D.C., northeast to Boston) equaled or surpassed records in many locations. Continue reading →

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather, Weather Dangers

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How unusual was the rapid intensification of Hurricane Patricia?

Posted on November 9, 2015 by WeatherGuys Editor

The recent extremely powerful Hurricane Patricia off the west coast of Mexico, the most intense hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere, was noteworthy for a number of reasons.

Perhaps primarily, it was characterized by the incredible fact that its central minimum pressure decreased by 100 millibars in 24 hours from Oct. 22-23. Since the average sea-level pressure is just over 1,000 millibars, that means that 10 percent of the atmospheric column over the center of Patricia was somehow evacuated in only one day. Continue reading →

Category: Tropical, Weather Dangers

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