I love the weather and have always been interested in it. To me, the creation of incredible storms and the patterns of heat, wind, fronts, and pressure systems in absolutely incredible, especially since many of these things still baffle humans!
I want to know: does anybody share my interest? Any other weather buffs out there? Or, some interesting story or fact about the weather?
I mostly agree with you, jeol! My philosophy is that if it's cloudy, it better storm, and if it's not, it better be either a comfortable 75 with a slight breeze or record-breaking temperatures. As you can see I'm not one for average. :P
Okay, HahiHa, here are the answers to the quiz (p3):
1. What is the difference between a gustnado and a tornado? Short answer: Tornadoes are caused by a rotating thunderstorm and are connected to a thundercloud, whereas gustnadoes are created by strong turbulent winds at ground level and are not connected to a thunderstorm, and are typically weaker. [/b]Explanation: A tornado is a violent, rotating column of air spawned typically by powerful, individual thunderstorms (these storms can rotate more easily). Tornadoes develop well in these storms because in addition to the tornado, there is a large chunk of the storm that also rotates, called the mesocyclone (mesocyclones can be 10 miles wide!). Tornadoes also require upper level instability; that is, winds above the cloud bases must be rapidly travelling at different directions. On the other hand, gustnadoes have far fewer formation requirements, and are generally weaker. Gustnadoes are generally weaker, and most commonly develop when a storm is dying (the storm's outflow has become its dominant feature). They are cause by non-cyclonic wind powers due to eddies (spirals) of winds at lower levels, and are most often not connected to the clouds above them at all. The most common causes of these spirals are gust fronts (lines of strong wind at the beginning of thunderstorms) and outflow (air rapidly flowing downward and outward from a thunderstorm).
[b]2. What type of front forces warm air to rise violently, often causing severe storms? Short answer: A cold front. Explanation: Cold fronts are advances of cold air (surprise!). Cold air is more dense than warm air, so when the shelf of cold air advances, it forces warm air to rise rapidly. Warm air is a good container of moisture, so when it is forced up, it brings a lot of water with it. Once the warm air reaches the troposphere (the layer of the atmosphere in which most weather occurs), it cools, and the water vapor it was holding condenses into clouds. This process, occurring rapidly, results in thunderstorms that are often severe.
3. Individual (single-cell), powerful, often damaging thunderstorms are called... Short answer: Supercells Explanation: Four types of thunderstorms exist: single cell, multi-cell clusters, multi-cell lines, and supercells. Single cell storms are just what the name suggests - individual storms that are often not too powerful. Multi-cell clusters are groups of storms that have merged together in a messy, disorganized pattern. They can lead to repetitive rain. Multi-cell lines are groups of storms that have organized into a line. These lines are capable of producing powerful straight-line winds. Finally, supercells are single cell storms that have become dangerously powerful. They are capable of producing large hail, rushing winds, and deadly tornadoes.
4. What are the starting and ending dates of the Atlantic hurricane season? Answer: June 1 to November 30.
5. The name for a higher-feeling temperature due to humidity is... Heat index. and the name for a colder-feeling temperature due to wind is... Wind chill.
And that's it! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I can be unclear sometimes.
The weather is being so awesome right now! I woke up last night at 3am and there was a huge thunderstorm going on. When I woke up this morning at 7am, it was still pouring! Now, at 9am, the rain is still heavy on and off, and the radar shows more coming! Not only that, all these storms contain thunder and lightning! I've been waiting for storms like this for weeks!
I'm sorry for the doublepost, but speaking of dust devils I've come across an interesting phenomenon, dust devils on Mars^^ I mean they must have the same cause than ours, but are several times bigger, and the photos look nice
Dust devils are closely related to gustnadoes, but not exactly the same. Dust devils are caused when warm columns of rising air are made to rotate by breezy winds. They normally occur over hot pavement, fields, and deserts (during hot, sunny days with a slight breeze).
As to the Mars link, thanks that was cool! I would presume that the dust devils on Mars have similar origins to the ones on Earth. However, I can't be completely sure so don't take my word as fact!
It rained from 2am to 12pm, 10 hours! We received about 3.5 inches of rain, and 1 to 2 more inches are forecasted.
I wish I could provide a radar, but obviously the images would cease to exist once we got into tomorrow (and few would have seen by then). If you are interested in seeing, try AccuWeather and check out the radar over central Iowa for the past 12 hours. It's pretty incredible.
What happened: A cold front associated with a nearby low pressure center slowed over the southern part of the state, triggering storms to its north (in central Iowa). Numerous times, it appeared that the storms were done, but new storms continuously redeveloped behind the passing storms, resulting in a prolonged period of heavy rain. This process is called training; the storms literally trained behind one another over the same area. This caused many interesting things to happen. First, a stream formed in my backyard. At times, this stream was over 5 feet wide behind my house, and over 10 feet wide at some points. During especially heavy periods of rain, a streak of brown, presumably dirt, would flow down the middle of the stream. Another interesting occurrence was the fact that the sewer in my backyard actually backed up for a couple minutes. The stream described above leads into the sewer, and at one point the stream was so vigorous that the sewer filled up. Of course, the water from the stream kept flowing, so a shield of water built up around the sewer. However, the rain soon slowed (temporarily), giving the sewer time to catch up. Also, some pretty incredible lightning accompanied these storms. Multiple times I was blinded for a short time as a bolt struck nearby, and the thunder was often sharp and loud.
Now, the rain has stopped, but more is predicted! :P
