Weather encyclopedia – blog.weather.us

Weather encyclopedia Posts

The Planetary Boundary Layer

Hello everyone! Recently we just added a neat new parameter to weather.us, which displays the forecasted height of the Planetary Boundary Layer at a given time. So what is the …

by Jack Sillin/ 11/01/2018/ No Comments/

Why Upper Level Ridges Can Reduce Air Quality

Hello everyone! This post will talk about upper level ridges and how their effects on something called the Planetary Boundary Layer can lead to decreased air quality. To illustrate this, …

by Jack Sillin/ 10/21/2018/ No Comments/

Monday Thru Wednesday To Feature Severe Weather Across Plains; Growing Concerns With Severe Threat For Wednesday

As we close out the month of April, we have already broken a historical record. There has never been another start to a year that has not seen a tornado …

by John Kassell/ 04/29/2018/ No Comments/

How Thunderstorms Near The Bahamas Can Impact Snow In New York

Hello everyone! Today’s snowfall event provides a great opportunity to examine the influences of thunderstorms near the Bahamas on snow that falls in the Northeast. Weather is so interconnected, that …

by Jack Sillin/ 12/09/2017/ No Comments/

Why Do Upper Level Ridges Result In Warm Weather?

Hello everyone! Despite the fact that we’re rapidly approaching the month of December, temperatures are forecast to soar into the 70’s as far north as the Dakotas on Monday. A …

by Jack Sillin/ 11/25/2017/ No Comments/

What Is Lake Effect?

Hello everyone! With lake effect snow in the forecast today across the Great Lakes, it’s a perfect time to discuss what lake effect snow is, how it forms, and how …

by Jack Sillin/ 11/19/2017/ No Comments/

Bright Banding: Why It’s Not Raining As Hard As The Radar Says It Is

Hello everyone! With mixed precipitation located so close to severe thunderstorms today in Illinois, it’s a great time to observe a phenomenon known as bright banding. Let’s see bright banding …

by Jack Sillin/ 11/18/2017/ No Comments/

What is an MCS?

MCS’s are responsible for a large number of weather phenomenon. They produce the vast majority of the rainfall that occurs across the Great Plains and through the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley …

by Jack Sillin/ 08/01/2017/ No Comments/

What is the Jet Stream?

The jet stream is often referred to in weather forecasting because it impacts the weather in so many ways. So what is the jet stream, and how does it affect …

by Jack Sillin/ 07/26/2017/ No Comments/

What Is High and Low Pressure?

Hello everyone! I mention high and low pressure in my forecasts daily and so does every other weather forecaster out there. On weather.us, you can look at current observations of …

by Jack Sillin/ 07/22/2017/ No Comments/

What is Evaporational Cooling?

Evaporational cooling is responsible for a variety of interesting and important weather phenomenon. How can the temperature suddenly drop 10 degrees just in time for a would-be-rainstorm to turn to …

by Jack Sillin/ 07/15/2017/ No Comments/

How Do Thunderstorms Produce Damaging Winds?

In addition to lightning, flooding rains, and hail, strong thunderstorms often produce gusty winds. Sometimes, these winds are even strong enough to cause substantial damage. What causes gusty winds in …

by Jack Sillin/ 07/09/2017/ No Comments/

How Does Hail Form?

Hail is a fairly common weather phenomenon across much of the US, especially in the spring and summer. While most hail is fairly small and does little damage, some hailstones …

by Jack Sillin/ 07/07/2017/ No Comments/