weather and climate tidbits from a professional to the enthusiast
Hello everyone! In a previous post, I showed you how to read a skew-t diagram like a meteorologist. That post remains the most popular post on Wildcard Weather to this day and I've received a lot of kind feedback on it. Thank you all! This post will be another look into the work of professional …
Continue reading Where to Find the Weather Models Meteorologists Use
When a radiosonde, more commonly known as a weather balloon, is launched, it records a large amount of data. Temperature, dewpoint, and atmospheric pressure are all measured as it rises. It is an upper-air sounding, a way to gather meteorological observations beyond the reach of towers. The National Weather Service (NWS) launches weather balloons from …
Continue reading Learn to Read a Skew-T Diagram Like a Meteorologist! In Pictures.
The Blizzard of 2015 may have been the blizzard that wasn't for those in NYC, but it was still an impressive storm. Towns in my native Massachusetts received up to 35" of snow, and the pictures made me jealous. https://twitter.com/capitalweather/status/562651895119220736 Okay, okay. Not that jealous. I admit I love storms; watching the models, watching the …
Continue reading Finding the Jackpot Region, Coastal Fronts in Nor’Easters
The Blizzard of 2015 was a serious blizzard that dropped up to 3 feet of snow on portions of New England; closing roads, cancelling flights, and keeping millions of people stuck in their homes. That being said, the storm was not nearly as serious as expected for many people, including those in New York City. …
Continue reading A Quick Thought about the NWS Mt. Holly Apology for the Blizzard of 2015
Last week I tweeted out an article from Popular Science. http://www.popsci.com/hows-weather-over-there The article talked about two new iOS apps, SatCam and WxSat. WxSat displays real-time satellite imagery, animated and hi-resolution. More than just visible imagery, WxSat provides infrared and water vapor imagery. Infrared imagery is essential for meteorologists because it can be used at night …
Continue reading Help NOAA refine its Cloud-Sensing Techniques with the SatCam App
Hello everyone, I wanted to switch gears today and talk forecasting. Now we all know that forecasting is done with weather models, but you can't just press "Start" on a model everyday. You need to enter a great deal of current observation. Across the nation surface observations are taken hourly at airports and NWS forecast …
Continue reading Radiosondes (Weather balloons) and their role in forecasting
