Is the smoke from western forest fires affecting our weather?

Posted on September 11, 2015 by WeatherGuys Editor

This year there have been many fires on the west coast of the U.S. and Canada.

Most of these fires are in remote regions and were started by lightning strikes. This smoke has drifted over our region. It will not have much of an effect on our temperature or precipitation. However, official weather reports include observations on sky conditions and visibility.

The smoke can cause the sky to appear hazy, even if the smoke is high above the ground. When the smoke is thick it can cause brilliant red sunsets and sunrises. When light beams interact with particles suspended in air, the light can be scattered or absorbed.

The amount of light that is being scattered is a function of the number of particles and the size of the particle relative to the wavelength of the light falling on the particle. Small particles, like those smoke is composed of, scatter blue light. So, as the sun sets and its rays pass through the smoke plume, all the blue lights are scattered out of the path between the setting sun and your eyes, leaving just the red and orange colors.

This results in the sun having a bright red color when it is low on the horizon. Recently, the smoke above us has been thick enough that the red sun disappeared from view before it set below the horizon.

If the winds are right, the smoke can be transported down to the ground. This can cause a reduction in air quality. The small particles that make up the smoke can cause respiratory problems, particularly for children, the elderly and people with asthma.

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena

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How was our summer weather?

Posted on August 31, 2015 by WeatherGuys Editor

The average global temperature of July set highs — it was the warmest month on record since record keeping began in 1880.

The observed ocean surface temperature was the highest for any month in the 1880-2015 record period. The average temperatures over land were also above the average for the 20th century, ranking as the sixth-warmest July since 1880.

The July globally averaged land surface temperature was 1.73 degrees above normal. And so far, 2015 (the months of January through July) is at the all-time record warm temperature for the globe.

Regionally, however, southern Wisconsin’s mean temperature for July 2015 was about 2 degrees below the average for the 1971-2000 record period.

Our August temperature and precipitation is also below the average for the past 30 years.

Preliminary analysis looks like our summer mean temperature for this year will be below normal. We had five days with the temperature at or above 90. The outlook for September is for continued cool temperatures in our region.

The summertime precipitation for southern Wisconsin was below normal. There were four days in Madison when the precipitation was more than 1 inch. Though Madison is not in drought conditions, there is a short-term drought across southwestern Wisconsin and along the shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin.

Category: Climate, Seasons

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What caused the recent weather extremes?

Posted on August 24, 2015 by WeatherGuys Editor

The National Weather Service in Milwaukee confirms that three separate tornadoes occurred in our state on Tuesday.

EF-1 tornadoes, with winds estimated at up to 110 mph, struck Lake Geneva and a location just outside of Big Bend. An EF-0 tornado, with winds estimated at up to 80 mph, struck southwest Waukesha.

These storms occurred at the end of the most prolonged heat wave of the summer. From Aug. 14-16, we had high temperatures in Madison of 92, 91, and 88, respectively – marking the only time yet this summer where we had consecutive days above 90.

By Wednesday, our high temperature was only 70 — our lowest high since July 8 — and the weather had turned astonishingly autumnal.

What was responsible for the fairly rapid fall of temperature? The first fall-like cyclone of the year raced across the Great Lakes states Tuesday night and Wednesday dragging the first fall-like cold front along with it. Behind the front the air is substantially colder and, perhaps most noticeably, much drier. At this time of year, the path along which such storms progress from west to east, the so-called storm track, begins to migrate southward as the northern latitudes cool in response to diminished daylight.

The good news, for now, is that the return of southerly winds and warmer temperatures is also quick when the storm track is right over Wisconsin. Later in the fall and winter, when the storm track is well to our south, the passage of storms leaves us in the cold air for much longer.

Category: Meteorology, Seasons, Severe Weather

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Are presidential candidates’ views on climate change correct?

Posted on August 20, 2015 by WeatherGuys Editor

The observational evidence that the Earth is warming is overwhelming and unmistakable.

Surface observations of temperature over land and ocean have shown that all but one of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000.  the average length of the ice season on a collection of widely distributed Northern Hemisphere lakes, each with at least 150 years of continuous record, has decreased by over two weeks.  The areal extent of the Northern Hemisphere’s wintertime cold pool has systematically shrunk in the last two winters recording the smallest seasonal average cold pool areas since records began in 1948-1949.

Lurking behind the curtain on all of these observations of warming and its effects is the additional observation that the carbon dioxide fraction in the atmosphere – which has a well understood physical relationship to global physical temperature – has grown to levels not seen in at least the last 800,000 years.  This increase is demonstrably related to the combustion of carbon-based fossil fuels, a global business enterprise in which careful accounting of the extraction, sale and use of this valuable commodity leaves no ambiguity about the amount of CO2 that has been added to the atmosphere through its usage.

In spite of this clear evidence, only one of the Republicans seeking the nomination for president, Sen. Lindsey Graham, unequivocally accepts the scientific consensus on this issue.

Sen. Ted Cruz accuses scientists of “cooking the books” while asserting no warming has occurred over the past two decades.  Our own Gov. Walker agrees, as stated clearly by his spokesperson on Aug. 3:  “Gove. Walker believes facts have shown that there has not been any measurable warming in the last 15 or 20 years.”  This is patently false.

A healthy debate regarding what actions to take in response to the reality of global warming is entirely appropriate.  Continuing to argue over whether or not a problem exists is irresponsible.

Category: Climate, Uncategorized

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Are thunderstorms dangerous to aircraft?

Posted on August 17, 2015 by WeatherGuys Editor

Crews work to de-ice a plane at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Feb. 1, when a snowstorm forced the cancellation of about 2,000 flights in the Midwest, most of them at O'Hare. Ice on the wings can disrupt the lift of the plane causing it to lose altitude.

Crews work to de-ice a plane at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Feb. 1, when a snowstorm forced the cancellation of about 2,000 flights in the Midwest, most of them at O’Hare. Ice on the wings can disrupt the lift of the plane causing it to lose altitude.

On Aug. 7, an Airbus A320 carrying 138 people encountered hail within a rapidly developing thunderstorm that could not be avoided. No one was injured although the pilot made an emergency landing at Denver airport and the nose of the plane suffered hail damage.

Turbulence is also a danger to high-flying jets. Turbulence generated by a thunderstorm can cause the aircraft to violently shake even if only flying close to a storm. Lightning can strike a plane, but generally doesn’t do damage as the bolt enters the aircraft extremities, such as the nose, tail or wing tips.

Icing is particularly dangerous to planes. When the plane is flying in temperatures below freezing while inside a cloud, very cold liquid water drops freeze onto the aircraft as soon as they strike the plane. Ice on the wings can disrupt the lift of the plane, causing it to lose altitude.

The downdrafts of a storm can be very dangerous to aircraft on take-off or landing. A downdraft can result in rapid wind shift from a tail wind to a head wind causing the aircraft to rapidly lose altitude. Fortunately, airports are equipped with instruments that can detect hazardous conditions and send warnings that keep the planes from encountering these dangerous conditions.

Category: Uncategorized

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