Hello readers!
I recently was asked our first forecasting question! Ah, Alice... is one of my dear friends and she wants to see some serious winter weather; She lives in St. Louis, MO and that really isn’t really the place for serious winter weather. She specifically asked about thunder snow, and how likely it would be for her to see it this year… this is what I said:
For those who may not now, thunder snow is a winter thunderstorm with the precipitation being snow as opposed to rain. Variations could be sleet as opposed to rain.
Thunder snow usually takes place in regions with extremely intense cold fronts causing huge vertical development right at the frontal boundary.
During my research, which you must do to understand and forecast any type of weather, I went back through the last 10 years of November to February periods and retrieved hourly weather data. Here is what I found: St. Louis has not one occurrence of thunder snow in the last decade. Not one in over 29,000 hours of data!
The chance of you seeing thunder snow is highly unlikely. You may want to move to a more mountainous region where cold fronts with large vertical extent are more common place, then you may see some thunder snow. Living in St. Louis with its mild temperatures that can drop quickly to winter weather… you can definitely count on having an icy winter.
Thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to answering more of your questions!
Note:
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Snow Squall? Snow Belt?
Hello,
It’s getting to be that time of year… close to the end… snowy & cold here is some “flakey” information for you. ;)
Just kidding, it’s true.
I was recently asked what causes snow squalls and what are snow belts, here are the answers!
Just to clarify, the Snow Belt is not an event, it is a place. The Snow Belt is a north eastern region of the United States, generalized around the Great Lakes. This is one area where heavy snow is common.
Also in this region, where the reader lived (northeastern Ohio) snow squalls are common. A snow squall (also known as lake effect snow) is sudden heavy snow with strong winds and sometimes referred to as whiteout. Which is obvious why visibility would be poor in this event. It is like a blizzard, but on a smaller scale and localized. These are caused by cold air passing over warmer water. (These bodies of water, usually the Great Lakes, rarely freeze and hold summer heat for a while into winter) The wind picks up moisture and heat from the water, and has to drop it somewhere. The down wind shore… on the shore, it is all of a sudden SNOW.
Now, as far as the snow curtain… precipitation of any kind doesn’t happen everywhere at the same time, not even in the same city. Much like you can see where it is/is not raining in the distance… the same with snow.
Hope you are enjoying the blog! Thanks for reading, and remember, I'm here at your disposal so ask away! It’s as simple as can be! What do you want to know!?
I'm answering WEATHER U LIKE IT OR NOT!
It’s getting to be that time of year… close to the end… snowy & cold here is some “flakey” information for you. ;)
Just kidding, it’s true.
I was recently asked what causes snow squalls and what are snow belts, here are the answers!
Just to clarify, the Snow Belt is not an event, it is a place. The Snow Belt is a north eastern region of the United States, generalized around the Great Lakes. This is one area where heavy snow is common.
Also in this region, where the reader lived (northeastern Ohio) snow squalls are common. A snow squall (also known as lake effect snow) is sudden heavy snow with strong winds and sometimes referred to as whiteout. Which is obvious why visibility would be poor in this event. It is like a blizzard, but on a smaller scale and localized. These are caused by cold air passing over warmer water. (These bodies of water, usually the Great Lakes, rarely freeze and hold summer heat for a while into winter) The wind picks up moisture and heat from the water, and has to drop it somewhere. The down wind shore… on the shore, it is all of a sudden SNOW.
Now, as far as the snow curtain… precipitation of any kind doesn’t happen everywhere at the same time, not even in the same city. Much like you can see where it is/is not raining in the distance… the same with snow.
Hope you are enjoying the blog! Thanks for reading, and remember, I'm here at your disposal so ask away! It’s as simple as can be! What do you want to know!?
I'm answering WEATHER U LIKE IT OR NOT!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tornados!
I was recently asked why tornados tend to take the same path?
We see that tornados do follow similar paths year after year… but they CAN happen any where. They usually happen in the central United States, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Texas. Agricultural areas… WHY?
Tornados need three things to form: moisture in the air, (for thunderstorm development) which those areas have otherwise crops wouldn't grow. They also need heat (for a lifting mechanism) and the change in the temperature, and finally, wind shear (typically a low level jet; shears cause rotation in the vertical, which is translated to horizontal rotation eg: tornadoes)
All conditions are met in agricultural areas, like the central US. That’s why tornadoes seem to follow the same path… their conditions are optimal. However, tornados can occur anywhere! Also in Europe, and SE Asia. They have been known to climb the Appalachian mountains, and be present in Yellowstone National Park, and cross rivers!
Believe it or not, it is possible for a tornado to strike the same area, even the same town more than once. A town in Kansas got hit on the same day, three years in a row. 1916, 1917, 1918. And once a church in Arkansas got hit three times in one day! So, there you have it. That’s why it seems tornados follow the same path, the follow the weather conditions, like we do!
Hope you have enjoyed the blog so far! Thanks for reading remember, I'm here at your disposal so ask away! Its as simple as can be! What do you want to know!?
I'm answering WEATHER U LIKE IT OR NOT!
We see that tornados do follow similar paths year after year… but they CAN happen any where. They usually happen in the central United States, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Texas. Agricultural areas… WHY?
Tornados need three things to form: moisture in the air, (for thunderstorm development) which those areas have otherwise crops wouldn't grow. They also need heat (for a lifting mechanism) and the change in the temperature, and finally, wind shear (typically a low level jet; shears cause rotation in the vertical, which is translated to horizontal rotation eg: tornadoes)
All conditions are met in agricultural areas, like the central US. That’s why tornadoes seem to follow the same path… their conditions are optimal. However, tornados can occur anywhere! Also in Europe, and SE Asia. They have been known to climb the Appalachian mountains, and be present in Yellowstone National Park, and cross rivers!
Believe it or not, it is possible for a tornado to strike the same area, even the same town more than once. A town in Kansas got hit on the same day, three years in a row. 1916, 1917, 1918. And once a church in Arkansas got hit three times in one day! So, there you have it. That’s why it seems tornados follow the same path, the follow the weather conditions, like we do!
Hope you have enjoyed the blog so far! Thanks for reading remember, I'm here at your disposal so ask away! Its as simple as can be! What do you want to know!?
I'm answering WEATHER U LIKE IT OR NOT!
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