Weather Update
April 13, 2014
The Tropical Pacific is thousands of miles away from the chilly Midwest. Despite the distance, the fate of your summer grocery and electrical bills rest on those warming tropical waters.
An El Niño in the Tropical Pacific can shape the weather in the chilly Midwest. Source: Wikipedia
The good news is that the balmy Pacific waters are getting warmer. Our government is on an El Nino watch. If, as most scientists expect, we get an El Nino, the weather will be good for agriculture. If we get one... more
March 30, 2014
Everyone needs a hobby. On March 29, we saw the Sun’s newest hobby. It knit a “Magnetic Crochet” high in our sky.
A giant lacey network of rippling electric currents covered the Earth’s upper atmosphere. None of these currents touched the globe’s surface or threatened our electrical grid. Scientists name this rare and rather beautiful effect a “Magnetic Crochet”.
The Sun knit a magnetic crochet. Source: NASA
On March 29, a large solar flare thrown off by a sunspot caused a surge of electrical... more
March 23, 2014
Most people noticed how hot July was back in 2012, but most people don’t realize how close we came to being really fried. A huge solar storm that could have blasted our electrical grid to ruins barely missed the Earth. Whew!
On July 22 and 23 2013, the Earth was nearly slammed by a huge solar storm. Source: NASA
A recent article in Nature Communications journal reported that the sun, which goes through cycles of storminess, had a particularly violent one during that period in July. The sun is... more
March 16, 2014
♫ “The cold never bothered me anyway.” ♫
If you live near the Great Lakes, “Frozen” is not just something you see in the local theater. On March 6, 92.2% of the Great Lakes were covered with ice. Hopefully, the cold doesn’t bother you—because scientists are warning that the frozen lakes will chill the spring.
Normally the Great Lakes freeze, but this year has been ridiculous. The 40-year average ice coverage each winter is about 51% and recently it has been only 40% or less. However, after the... more
March 8, 2014
Watch overhead! A river may be coming at you.
If you are in California, you will welcome the giant atmospheric river that brings rain to your parched state. In the East, you might not be so grateful. One of those rivers created Snowmageddon in 2010 and, really, who needs more snow?
When cold fronts carry rivers of tropical water vapor north, it brings rain, sometimes too much rain. Source : NOAA
An atmospheric river (AR) is a band of tropical water vapor caught on the edge of a cold front and... more
February 23, 2014
Have you ever noticed your cat intently watching nothing?
No matter how hard you look, there is nothing there. Scientists have recently discovered that there may really be something worth your cat’s attention. It’s that cats can see ultraviolet light and you can’t. He’s seeing into the invisible world.
Your cat really is seeing something—in ultraviolet light. SOURCE: Koshki 13
Most people have seen the science experiment using a prism. When you hold a triangle of glass to sunlight, it breaks... more
February 16, 2014
Having the weather woes?
If you are in the East, you are probably complaining about the cold and snow.
If you are in the West, that complaint probably sounds like bragging.
California is struggling with its worst drought on record and 55% of the lower 48 states have dry or drought weather.
It’s time for a break!
©Browning Newsletter
Here’s the good news. From East to West, a break is coming! Hooray!
It’s just a break, not the end of winter, nor the problems of winter. For a short period of... more
February 2, 2014
Imagine walking out on a cold winter morning and finding the landscape covered with icy snowballs, donuts and jelly rolls.
That’s what happened after the late January blizzard. From Illinois to Pennsylvania, people discovered a playground of snow rollers, rare snow formations normally only found at the South Pole!
Have a donut, complements of the latest blizzard! SOURCE: NOAA
The blizzard brought record-breaking cold – temperatures not seen in a generation. With it, it brought the recipe for... more
January 19, 2014
It’s called the PDO, the long-term weather pattern sucking the Golden State dry.
Think of it as the Pretty Dry Oscillation – the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The official name means Pacific (a Pacific Ocean pattern) Decadal (it lasts more than 10 years) Oscillation (it goes back and forth). It is why California is stuck in a drought.
It’s as simple as hot and cold.
Hot air holds more moisture than dry air. Just think of how steamy and sticky the air can feel during a heat wave.
The Pacific... more
January 13, 2014
An ancient story tells of Damocles and a sword.
Damocles was a nobleman who exclaimed how fortunate his king was. The annoyed king offered to allow the nobleman to sit on his throne. Damocles scrambled onto the throne and found himself surrounded by luxury. Then he looked up. Gulp!
Overhead was a sword, held by the single hair of a horse's tail! With power came great danger and worry. Damocles left the throne and crept away.
The Sword of Damocles by Richard Westall. 1812
Look north. Hanging... more
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Mike Steinberg is Senior Vice President for Special Initiatives at AccuWeather Inc in State College, Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the National Weather Association and the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.
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