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What is an Atmospheric River?

Get ready for rain (and snow in the winter)

Our atmosphere is constantly in motion. Weather systems are transported around the globe by this motion, with a narrow band of stronger winds called the ‘jet stream‘ providing much of this motion, which lies between cold and warm air masses.

Photo of Vostok station, where the coldest temperature ever recorded occurred.

What Was the Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded?

The Antarctic continent is home to some truly frigid weather

When we think about extreme weather conditions, the coldest temperatures on Earth often come to mind. This blog post will explore the coldest temperature ever recorded, where and when it happened, and why that location is so frigid. We’ll also look at other places known for their bone-chilling weather. Grab …

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scale for atmospheric rivers used by researchers

Atmospheric Rivers Now Have a Global Scale Like Hurricanes

Researchers hope to increase public awareness of their effects.

When we talk about hurricanes, we often refer to their category rating. It allows us to compare storms to one another, even when they occur in different parts of the world. While atmospheric rivers have a similar scale, up until recently, it was only used for events affecting the US …

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Acurite weather station close up

What AcuRite Weather Station Should I Buy?

Explaining the differences between the AcuRite Notos, Iris, and Atlas

AcuRite is likely one of the world’s most prolific weather instrument manufacturers. Chances are you’ve seen at least one AcuRite weather station at your local retailer: retailers like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot sometimes sell the AcuRite weather stations (or both) in their brick-and-mortar stores.

rochester ny rainiest city in the us

What is the Rainiest City in the US?

If you thought Seattle was the rainiest US city, it's actually #6

Have you ever been stuck inside on a rainy day? It can be frustrating to stay inside when it is raining (although you could keep track of how much rain you’re getting with a weather station!). If you’re in the rainiest city in the US, it’s far more likely to be raining or snowing outside than sunny.

Massive wedge shaped tornado scours farmland in Illinois

Is Tornado Alley Shifting East?

Recent studies suggest that tornadoes are becoming more common outside Tornado Alley

As winter changes to spring, meteorologists switch focus from winter storms to severe weather. Ramping up first in the Deep South in March, tornado season reaches its peak in ‘Tornado Alley’ in May and June.

ecowitt weather station HP2553

Which Ecowitt Weather Station Should I Buy?

These six home weather stations are top sellers worldwide

The US’s largest home weather station manufacturers are AcuRite, Ambient Weather, and Davis. However, buying one of these stations outside the United States is expensive. In the rest of the world, Ecowitt is the largest home weather station manufacturer globally.

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Types of Fronts

Cold, warm, stationary, occluded, and drylines: here's an easy to follow guide

Ever wonder what the types of fronts you see on the weather map mean? As part of our continuing weather education series, we thought an explainer would be helpful.

La Crosse Technology S81120-INT budget weather station

Which La Crosse Weather Station Should I Buy?

We break down La Crosse's expansive product lineup, and pick the best buys

We’ve noticed increasing interest in weather stations from La Crosse Technology from our readers, and from time to time have had questions on various La Crosse weather station models. It’s not surprising: their stations are inexpensive and readily available, not only from Amazon but from brick-and-mortar stores. What is the …

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New Feature: TWSE in Spanish, French, German, and Italian

Bienvenido, Bienvenue, Wilkommen, or Benvenuti. However you say it, welcome!

We’ve grown quite a bit over the past two years. As TWSE enters its third year, our readership is increasingly global. Many of our readers don’t speak English as a first language, and in the case of Spanish and French are commonly spoken by Americans and Canadians, which accounts for …

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