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326 Questions

Last Answer on December 24, 2019

Why does a low pressure system take only a day or so to cross the Atlantic only to stall north west of Scotland. Why does the coralis affect not keep it going?

Asked by Jim over 8 years ago

Hi, Jim Storm systems at that latitude are driven by what is usually called the jet stream, which is a river of faster moving air and a series of large scale waves in the atmosphere. It does not flow at a constant speed or wavelength and is changing all the time. Storms will approach Scotland at different intervals and can move faster/slower or stall based on many influences. The Coriolis Effect accounts for the influence the spinning earth has on motion, and while part of the system, less directly affects the speed of the systems. I think the more direct answers to your question is that the speed of the storms is affected by a number of factors, not just Coriolis. Thanks!

778 Votes

How can they predict a foot of snow when the temperature is going to be above freezing?

Asked by Richard Ferstandig over 7 years ago

Great question, Richard! Each storm and location is a little different. Much of the precipitation type is determined above the surface of the earth. The snowflakes form thousands of feet above the ground and stay frozen as they fall. A very shallow layer of air at the surface could be above freezing but not deep enough to melt the snow.

777 Votes

Is Hurricane Irma only considered a hurricane at the eye, or center, of the storm and beyond that only a tropical storm? So, for example, hurricane Harvey didn't hit Houston, a tropical storm did?

Asked by Kim Harris about 8 years ago

Hi, Kim. Nope. The maximum sustained winds of any part of the storm (mostly likely near the eye) determine the designation of the entire storm. Harvey hit peak strength at Category 4 as it came ashore near Rockport, TX and the center never did cross Houston.

777 Votes

It seems to me that cold outbreaks can be predicted well in advance and are almost always accurate (sadly). This is in contrast to rain and snow. What is it that makes their prediction so reliable?

Asked by docjmcg2 almost 7 years ago

Great question. A cold air event, like the current one, is a good bit less complicated than rain or snow. With a precipitation forecast there are more factors at play. In general a forecast gets fuzzier the further out it time you go. Broadly speaking the forecast starts with data gathered from weather balloons launched twice a day from about 900 sites around the world. That sounds like a big number but when you consider the size of the earth, and how much of it is covered by water, which is hard to launch a balloon from, that data is pretty sparse. The goal of the balloons is to take a snapshot of the atmosphere at a given moment. It is a fuzzy picture. Think of putting that fuzzy picture on a copy machine. The copy is fuzzier, then make a copy of a copy and so on. So the further out in time the more errors or changes that enter the forecast. Stay warm!

776 Votes

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can the temp. drop if its raining

Asked by darrell8675309 over 7 years ago

Yup. Sure can. Cold air moving into an area, cold air advection, can drop the temperature. And something called evaporative cooling can happen when it is raining. The friction with the air caused by falling raindrops can transfer heat to the water vapor and cool the air as well. Great question!

775 Votes

Hello. My boss has asked me to find out the amount of snowfall in a 5 day span in January 2016. Any idea on how can I get this info?

Asked by Erin over 7 years ago

Hi, Erin. I’d go to weather.gov (not .com). Click on your area of the map and it will take you to the local National Weather Service office and you’ll see phone and email on the bottom. Good luck.

774 Votes

Once a Tornado warring expires due to weakening or the threat has moved is that extra five or ten minutes them looking at the storm trying to see if it was accurate scans and re development and/or something behind it?
Should I remain in shelter?

Asked by Daniel over 6 years ago

Great question. National Weather Service folks take the tornado expirations very seriously and would most likely issue an extension for any risk. That said, rotation could certainly increase again. An extra five of ten minutes would be a reasonable course of action. I highly recommend a radar app called RadarScope for your phone. It allows you to locate yourself on the map and animate radar so you can see if a storm is moving toward or away from your location. Thank, Daniel.

774 Votes

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Ask me anything!

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Why does a low pressure system take only a day or so to cross the Atlantic only to stall north west of Scotland. Why does the coralis affect not keep it going?

How can they predict a foot of snow when the temperature is going to be above freezing?

Is Hurricane Irma only considered a hurricane at the eye, or center, of the storm and beyond that only a tropical storm? So, for example, hurricane Harvey didn't hit Houston, a tropical storm did?

It seems to me that cold outbreaks can be predicted well in advance and are almost always accurate (sadly). This is in contrast to rain and snow. What is it that makes their prediction so reliable?

Also on Jobstr...

can the temp. drop if its raining

Hello. My boss has asked me to find out the amount of snowfall in a 5 day span in January 2016. Any idea on how can I get this info?

Once a Tornado warring expires due to weakening or the threat has moved is that extra five or ten minutes them looking at the storm trying to see if it was accurate scans and re development and/or something behind it?
Should I remain in shelter?

TV Meteorologist

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Why does a low pressure system take only a day or so to cross the Atlantic only to stall north west of Scotland. Why does the coralis affect not keep it going?

How can they predict a foot of snow when the temperature is going to be above freezing?

Is Hurricane Irma only considered a hurricane at the eye, or center, of the storm and beyond that only a tropical storm? So, for example, hurricane Harvey didn't hit Houston, a tropical storm did?

It seems to me that cold outbreaks can be predicted well in advance and are almost always accurate (sadly). This is in contrast to rain and snow. What is it that makes their prediction so reliable?

Also on Jobstr...

can the temp. drop if its raining

Hello. My boss has asked me to find out the amount of snowfall in a 5 day span in January 2016. Any idea on how can I get this info?

Once a Tornado warring expires due to weakening or the threat has moved is that extra five or ten minutes them looking at the storm trying to see if it was accurate scans and re development and/or something behind it? Should I remain in shelter?

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Once a Tornado warring expires due to weakening or the threat has moved is that extra five or ten minutes them looking at the storm trying to see if it was accurate scans and re development and/or something behind it?
Should I remain in shelter?