The Weather Station Experts team of writers explains the various weather phenomena the United States experiences.
An outflow boundary is a meteorological term that refers to the boundary between two air masses created by a thunderstorm’s downdraft. If you’ve ever stood outside during a thunderstorm and felt the cool rush of air preceding a storm, you’ve experienced an outflow boundary.
A squall line is a line of strong and severe thunderstorms common in the spring and summer and often produce strong winds, lightning, heavy rain, and hail. Squall lines often form ahead of cold fronts but can develop independently if several strong thunderstorms merge.
Weather is a complex and fascinating subject, with numerous phenomena occurring all around the globe. One such event, a microburst, can be as captivating as … Read more
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.
No doubt at some point you’ve looked up at the clouds, if just for their beauty, and to marvel at the different shapes and sizes. By knowing the various cloud types you can make general assumptions about current and near-future weather.
Mother Nature possesses both awe-inspiring and terrifying forces, and among them are tropical cyclones. These powerful storm systems, ranging from tropical depressions to devastating hurricanes, … Read more
The jet stream is a narrow band of strong winds in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere, and it blows from west to east and provides a corridor for storms to follow as they circumnavigate the globe. Jet streams form along the boundaries of warm and cold air, and the wiggles of the jet stream play a large part in the weather you experience.
El Niño is returning this year, with significant effects expected for our weather in 2023. El Niño’s return comes after three straight years of La … Read more
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.
It happens every winter. Drivers are caught off guard by icy roads and a sudden wind gust, the arrival of cold air, and a burst of snow so heavy you can’t see the car in front of you. It’s called a snow squall and is more common than people think.
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 … Read more
Winter 2020-21 didn’t turn out as many thought. Most long-range forecasters thought La Niña would lead to a mild and uneventful winter. My weather station read 62 on Christmas Day in Pennsylvania! Well, the polar vortex had other plans.
Nor’easters are intense periods of snow and high wind that can last for days. While the term is most commonly associated with coastal storms that pass by the Northeastern US’ major cities, the term is used elsewhere, such as in Europe.
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