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Tag: extreme weather

  • Colorado Tornadoes Caused by Supercell Thunderstorm

    The Denver area was struck by five tornadoes today, thanks to a massive supercell thunderstorm.

    The town of Aurora, CO was tormented by three twisters within a half-hour period, while two tornadoes touched down in nearby areas.

    The wacky weather also brought lots of hail, and caused Denver to remain under a tornado watch until 8 pm local time.

    Additionally, the threat of tornadoes also caused officials at Denver International Airport to divert 40 flights.

    Colorado isn’t exactly a hotbed for tornadoes and other types of extreme weather. The state is also just outside of the “Tornado Alley,” which stretches from Texas to South Dakota and accounts for about one fourth of all U.S. tornadoes. The city does see a few twisters a year, but this behavior is quite uncommon.

    “This thing is spinning up multiple tornadoes,” said a witness. “There were tornadoes on the outer ring of the circulation, and then there’s the main tornado vortex closer to the storm.”

    A supercell thunderstorm is characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone: a deep, persistently rotating vertical draft. The term “supercell” refers to the classification of a thunderstorm, and is one of four. Supercells are the overall least common and have the potential to be the most dangerous. Supercells make up a majority of what is seen along Tornado Alley.

    Image via Adams County Sheriff, Twitter

  • Extreme Weather – Is Arctic Warming To Blame?

    The winter of 2013-14 will go down in the history books as one of the most frigid cold and snowy winters in decades. Records have been broken all over the country, record cold and snowfall levels.

    But what is really strange is that one of the coldest places on earth, Alaska, has seen record warmth, while in the south, states like Alabama have seen snowfall and ice so extreme they were just completely unprepared to deal with that kind of weather. Cars piled up on freeways for hours and some for days with people stranded in them. Schools that could not release children to parents because it was too dangerous to drive, forcing the schools to keep the children overnight.

    California is in a drought, and a state of emergency due to their lack of normal rainfall and snow.

    There is no doubt this winter has seen its fill of the polar vortex and below freezing temps, but what is causing all of this strange and dangerous weather?

    Climate scientists expect weather patterns such as drought, and extreme colds to occur, brought on by global warming. But what does this extreme cold have to do with the planet warming trends?

    Climate Central explains: as sea ice melts, it exposes darker ocean water, which absorbs more of the sun’s heat, causing the water temperatures to increase.

    The process of the arctic melt is not yet proven since it is a fairly new event, but the event that is the suspect to all of this crazy weather is known as “Arctic Amplification” in which the heat of the oceans in the arctic is changing weather patterns.

    The question that has yet to be answered in long scientific studies, has global warming’s effect on the Arctic set the stage for persistent weather patterns that lead to extremes?

    One study by Francis and Vavrus proposed that the added heat is altering jet stream patterns, but other mechanisms are certainly possible, as both researchers said via email.

    “It’s implausible that such a redistribution of heat in the Arctic system wouldn’t change weather patterns somehow, somewhere,” Vavrus said. But he cautioned that people should view their study as a “launching point” for more research, and not interpret it as having any predictive value for the upcoming winter, as some media outlets have portrayed it.

    We do know for certain that changes in weather have been happening over the past decade that cannot be ignored, and not just record colds, record heats have been record breaking as well.

    Image via YouTube

  • Snowstorm Pounding Midwest, Moving East

    Snowstorm Pounding Midwest, Moving East

    Although it is winter and snow and cold weather is to be expected, the storms that are hitting the country are anything but normal.

    Record cold temps, record snowfall, as well as severe travel complications make this winter, a season that millions of people will be happy to see come to an end.

    The most recent storm that hit the Midwest Tuesday night affected more than 100 million Americans and left them dealing with up to 10 inches on top of the existing ice and snow from the last storm. And this same storm is heading to the already burdened Northeast on Wed.

    It’s obvious that the Midwest is having difficulty managing all of the massive snowfall. The governor of Kansas declared a state of emergency due to Tuesday’s storm, and ABC News reported that Missouri crews just couldn’t keep up with the rapid snowfall. By afternoon, state officials were strongly suggesting that people just “stay home”. As much as 8 inches was predicted for the northern part of the state.

    Across Indiana and Illinois Tuesday night, snow was falling at the astounding rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour.

    And another, bigger storm may be just days behind it.

    And as if the southern U.S. could handle anymore crazy weather, Arkansas saw ice that caused spinouts and damaged power lines, leaving 40,000 people without power on Tuesday afternoon.

    In the East, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the New York City region that continues until 6 p.m. Wednesday. Predictions are for 4 to 8 inches of snow and a quarter of an inch of ice.

    Massachusetts and the surrounding areas are also in the path of this heavy snowfall.

    Because of the massive storms that have repeatedly hit these areas is causing shortages of necessary supplies, as officials in 12 states have reported severe shortages of salt for the roads, which is used to ease the driving conditions in heavy snow and ice.

    Airlines have had to cancel more than 1,500 flights on Tuesday, bringing the total for the last two days to more than 3,600, and that number doesn’t include delayed flights.

    And it’s not over yet.

    Image via YouTube

  • Polar Vortex Sends Extremely Frigid Temps To U.S.

    With the biggest part of the country buried in snow from the latest winter storm, sadly, the worst is yet to come, with cold winter blasts that will break records and bring dangerously low temps.

    Meteorologists are calling it the “Polar Vortex” and it is due to hit the nation on Sunday, bringing cold air that has “piled up” at the North Pole, bringing below zero temps to a big part of the country.

    The temperature predictions are startling: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago. At those temperatures, exposed skin can get frostbitten in minutes and hypothermia can quickly set in because wind chills could hit 50, 60 or even 70 below zero.

    Precautions are already in effect in Minnesota and Wisconsin – schools have been called off for Monday. Their projected highs will be seeing minus teens and colds up to 30 degrees below zero.

    Ken Simosko, a meteorologist from Bismarck, said it would take all of five minutes to get frostbite in minus 50-degree condition.

    “We usually don’t call something ‘life threatening,’” he told Fox News.com. “But yes, we want people to know that this is very much a life-threatening event.”

    This cold blast is thanks to a perfect combination of the jet stream, cold surface temperatures and the polar vortex — a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air, said Ryan Maue, of Tallahassee, Fla., a meteorologist for Weather Bell.

    “All the ingredients are there for a near-record or historic cold outbreak,” he said. “If you’re under 40 (years old), you’ve not seen this stuff before.”

    Surprisingly, before this polar blast even hits, record lows have already been set in Green Bay, Wisconsin where they saw -18 degrees. The National Weather Service said that topped the 17-below-zero mark last recorded in 1979.

    In the coldest parts of the nation, warming centers and homeless shelters are open and available to those most vulnerable – the homeless. Many cities are taking special precautions to ensure there are no lives lost due to the frigid temps. New York outreach teams are searching city streets for homeless people at risk of freezing to death.

    People should also be aware that domestic and farm animals can’t survive in this kind of cold. Bring them in, make sure they have warm shelter and bedding and by all means, call local authorities if you see an animal outdoors during this cold blast.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons