Meteorologists at Colorado State University have released a long-term tropical forecast for the upcoming hurricane season and, if they are right, it may be a big one. They predict sixteen named storms, nine of which will be hurricanes.
How do they come up with that? Atlantic hurricanes aren't just dependent on local weather, but also what is happening in the Pacific. In this, warmer than usual waters in the Atlantic coupled with cooler waters in the eastern Pacific can mean a greater chance for more strong storms.
In other words, Atlantic hurricane frequency is tied into what is called ENSO (El Nino Souther Oscillation). El Nino events, with warm waters in the eastern Pacific, can mean fewer Atlantic storms. In the case of forecasts for this coming year, cooler waters (La Nina) are forecasted, meaning a greater number of tropical storms are expected.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
On Turbulence
CNN posted a report on flying through turbulence. It's a good layman's discussion on why you don't have to worry about crashing if you feel a few bumps on your way from NYC to Vegas.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Winds and nuclear cloud
I don't there are many people out there who haven't heard about the fire at one of the nuclear facilities caused by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan. As of right now, there is a no-fly zone in parts of Japan because of this.
The winds currently are blowing out of the west and out to sea (see Al Roker). As long as this continues people not in the immediate vicinity of the facility will avoid the worst of exposure.
But what about flights coming from the U.S.? Well, that's where the problem comes in. In order to get to Tokyo from the U.S., flights will fly over the far northern part of the Pacific or Alaska. This is because the flight path is shorter when flights move toward the poles. For a long flight like NYC to Tokyo, this will mean flying near the northeastern part of Japan, right where the radiation cloud would be. While it might not be as bad at higher elevations, people will be careful. As of right now, the no-fly zone is about 18 miles around the facility, which most flights should be able to avoid. If the winds shift or if it gets worse, this will obviously change.
The winds currently are blowing out of the west and out to sea (see Al Roker). As long as this continues people not in the immediate vicinity of the facility will avoid the worst of exposure.
But what about flights coming from the U.S.? Well, that's where the problem comes in. In order to get to Tokyo from the U.S., flights will fly over the far northern part of the Pacific or Alaska. This is because the flight path is shorter when flights move toward the poles. For a long flight like NYC to Tokyo, this will mean flying near the northeastern part of Japan, right where the radiation cloud would be. While it might not be as bad at higher elevations, people will be careful. As of right now, the no-fly zone is about 18 miles around the facility, which most flights should be able to avoid. If the winds shift or if it gets worse, this will obviously change.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Not ready for some football
I've been a bad son and brother recently. I've been chuckling over the all the snow my family in the Upper Midwest has been seeing in the past couple of months while I keep seeing rain where I am (though I do want it to snow...).
Well, another snow storm hit Minnesota over the weekend. Some areas saw as much as two feet of snow. Along with blizzard like conditions, it wasn't a good time.
That includes for the football team that plays indoors. Why? Here's why. I'm sure you've seen the video already, but man! The Vikings wanted to play outdoors on Monday at the stadium where the University of Minnesota plays, but a) the New York Giants (their opponent) didn't bring cold weather gear. Which they would need because the wind chills will be below zero. In fact, the temps might be below zero.
Well, another snow storm hit Minnesota over the weekend. Some areas saw as much as two feet of snow. Along with blizzard like conditions, it wasn't a good time.
That includes for the football team that plays indoors. Why? Here's why. I'm sure you've seen the video already, but man! The Vikings wanted to play outdoors on Monday at the stadium where the University of Minnesota plays, but a) the New York Giants (their opponent) didn't bring cold weather gear. Which they would need because the wind chills will be below zero. In fact, the temps might be below zero.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Edmund Fitzgerald
I haven't been posting much, but thought this deserved a mention. CNN.com has a really interesting article on the Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in Lake Superior in the 70s due to a strong storm that tore through the region.
To this day, because of this event, ships will wait in port for a storm to pass rather than set out to wherever their going. Just goes to show how much the weather can affect everyday life.
To this day, because of this event, ships will wait in port for a storm to pass rather than set out to wherever their going. Just goes to show how much the weather can affect everyday life.
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