WEATHERTORIAL: The following opinions are mine alone. This weathertorial has been shared with local officials and others. Working outside and lightning don’t mix! That’s a hardened lightning safety rule that hasn’t changed in decades. Lightning safety was emphasized in an editorial in the Naples Daily News yesterday (May 13, 2015).
Read DetailsWith the focus of U.S. weather clearly on the central U.S. (severe weather, heavy rainfall and even Rocky Mountain snow), it would be easy to overlook the upcoming weather in California. However, the significance of a May rainfall event, with the potential for mountain precipitation topping two inches (Fig. 1),
Read DetailsSpring is the time of the year when severe weather events occur with the highest frequency. Hence, it should not be a surprise that a stormy weather pattern is firmly established from the Rockies to the East Coast. The next in a seemingly endless string of spring storms is organizing
Read DetailsIt’s always fun to look up at the sky and see the beauty and messages painted above. This includes white puffy or streaky clouds against a deep blue background (Fig. 1) or the fanning thunderstorm tops (known as anvils) spreading away from cauliflower-looking cumulonimbus cloud towers. It could include the
Read DetailsA very cold upper level weather system is moving toward the Mid-Atlantic (Fig. 1) this Wednesday morning. Although moisture is limited and surface temperatures probably won’t rise above 70 in Maryland or 75 in North Carolina later today, the coldness of the air at 15 to 20 thousand feet above
Read DetailsIf you like near-record warmth and humidity, and even some showers and thunderstorms, then you’ll like the weather in southwest Florida for many days to come. The first 9 days of April saw temperatures average 3.4 degrees above the 30-year average…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 4/10/15
Read DetailsSometimes, if one is in the right place, at the right time, he/she will get to see a rainbow. If things work out in a correct meteorological manner, one might even see a double bow. The odds are very small when it comes to seeing three distinct rainbows…To read the
Read DetailsAlthough 2014 has seen an almost endless spate of severe weather and torrential rainfall, tornadoes have been conspicuously absent. For the months starting in December 2013 through and including May 2014, monthly tornado statistics have been below the three-year (2011-2013) and six-year (2008-2013) averages. So far…To read the entire feature,
Read DetailsMeteorologists monitor air mass movements and transitions because these are often a clue to impending weather events. An air mass is a large volume of air that has similar characteristics across its areal extent. Typically, frontal formations and movements…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 04/27/14
Read DetailsDuring the past three months, large-scale storm systems (including the snowstorm that struck Minnesota and Wisconsin earlier this month) have been noted for their excessive wintry weather. Throughout the winter, people in media…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 04/16/14 Spring is the season of extremes snow, severe,
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