Continuing with our education on weather we begin this week with a study on the jet stream. Most of the sources for the series I have posted come from NOAA and the NWS. Jet streams are relatively narrow bands of strong wind in the upper levels of the atmosphere. The winds blow from west to […]
This is finally the time of year when we can dig out the lawn and garden implements and beat the ground into submission to make room for all the delicious edibles which will become the fruits of our labors. There is nothing better than a homegrown tomato or any other crop one tends over the […]
The Storm Prediction Center at the National Weather Center located in Norman Oklahoma is where the potential for severe weather is monitored in the lower 48 states. Norman lies within Tornado Alley, a geographic region where tornadic activity is particularly frequent and intense. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area, including Norman, is the most tornado-prone area […]
I believe it was Slim who brought up the topic of lake shadows (or lake breezes) making or breaking storms in SW Michigan. Here is an explanation of what that is all about. As incoming solar radiation reaches the earth, air over land areas heats up much faster than air over adjacent bodies of water […]
We now continue on with our series on storms: First off, some fun facts: One inch of rain over one square mile equals 17.4 million gallons of water weighing 143 million pounds (about 72,000 tons), or the weight of a train with 40 boxcars. Mount Waialeale, Hawaii, is the rainiest place in the world, with […]
We have some exciting times coming into the area today thus the winter storm warning. This is the type of warning which precludes any use of the word or words using the ‘s’ word for the next seven months. So, as befitting the gist of Aprils fools day this proclamation of the usage of the […]
Hail is precipitation that is formed when updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops upward into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere. Hail can damage aircraft, homes and cars, and can be deadly to livestock and people. One of the people killed during the March 28, 2000 tornado in Fort Worth was killed when struck by grapefruit-size […]
On the thunderstorm spectrum, supercells are the least common type of thunderstorm, but they have a high propensity to produce severe weather, including damaging winds, very large hail, and sometimes weak to violent tornadoes. What makes a supercell unique from all other thunderstorm types is that it contains a deep and persistent rotating updraft called […]
Though a bit late I am continuing on with my posts on storms – we covered tornadoes last week. I will muddle through, though I still feel I am floundering about on the crap wagon. Once again thanks for your thoughts and prayers and for Slim filling in during my absence. As children we may […]
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers from the loyal bloggers here for my wife and myself. There is nothing like a bad case of the flu to sweep one off their feet. My wife should be coming home today from Borgess which should give me the opportunity to get some much needed rest. We […]