Weather

Severe Storm Clouds

Storm clouds can look pretty dramatic at times.

Many of us encounter storm clouds that look quite a bit more frightening than your typical dark cumulonimbus cloud! The video slide show above shows all kinds of massive super cell storms that mean business. While the photos are amazing, personally, I am glad I was not the one who had to be near those storms to take those shots!

While it was rather difficult to know where storms were coming from and where they were going decades ago, technology - like radar - has allowed us to track storms with terrific accuracy. Not only do weather stations across the country use radar in their everyday forecasting, thanks to the advent of the interent, many of these weather stations have allowed us to tap into these radars and see for ourselves what the weather is like and what it may be doing next.

This Day In Weather History

Ever wonder what kind of weather happened on this day in history? On October 19, 1989, record high temperatures scorched some of Florida, while record snow fell in the upper Midwest.

And speaking of snow records....

Did you know that the largest snowflake to ever fall measured a whopping 15 inches wide by 8 inches thick!

El Nino May Give The South A Colder, Wetter Winter Than Usual

El Nino is at it again, affecting global weather patterns and dictating how cold or hot, dry or wet we will be this winter. Long range forecasters say El Nino should cause the southern U.S. to be colder and wetter than usual.

As weather gets colder, we begin thinking about things like the wind chill factor.

Wind chill factors:

• Tell us how cold it feels outside when combining the effects of the actual temperature plus the wind speed.
   
• Do not account for some factors, such as rain or sunshine.
   
• And don't forget, wind chill factors are not the actual temperature! Wind chill temperature is simply a way of expressing how cold it feels.

North Carolina Fall Foliage

Beautiful fall foliage colors are putting on a show all throughout the country now, but one area the Weather Channel notes for particularly enduring beauty is western North Carolina.

Fall foliage is truly captivating -- no wonder its splendor draws so many people every year to travel in search of finding pockets of multi-colored trees.

Some great places in and around North Carolina in and around North Carolina to view the leaves this time of year include:

• Asheville, North Carolina
• Cherokee National Forest - running along the North Carolina/Tennessee border
• Balsam Mountain - Cherokee, North Carolina

El Nino And Its Effects On Global Weather Patterns

You may have heard a lot about El Nino this year.

What is El Nino? How does it play a role in our weather? And how will El Nino affect you?

El Nino, which is Spanish for "the little boy" or "the Christ child," refers to a type of weather pattern which occurs in some years and usually peaks during the winter months of the northern hemisphere.

This weather pattern involves interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. The results of an El Nino are relatively warmer-than-usual waters in major areas of the Pacific Ocean. When that happens, global weather patterns will be affected.

Common effects of an El Nino pattern include:

• More rain in the southern regions of the United States and Peru
   
• Drought in parts of the West Pacific
   
• Generally, fewer hurricanes and tropical systems forming in the Atlantic Ocean
   
• Reduction in the strength of many tropical systems and hurricanes which do form in the Atlantic
   
• Stormier winter weather in California and the southern United States
   
• Relatively warmer winters in the northern United States

Continue reading: Effects Of El Nino

Tips For Surviving A Blizzard

I found some great close-up photos of real snowflakes. These are really beautiful.

Snow is here again, and when a bunch of these pretty snowflakes fall down by the truckloads in swirling winds, we find ourselves in a true blizzard.

Here are some tips on how to survive a blizzard if your car gets stuck in the snow:

• Pull over and stopping your car
• Turn your heater on
• Keep your overhead light on

Do We Know The Winter Outlook For The East Coast?

If you believe what some long-range forecasters say, the East Coast is in for some pretty cold winter days coming up soon. But other forecasters are suggesting a milder winter is ahead. So goes the controversy over the value of current long-range forecasts.

Long-range forecasts certainly come with good intent, but they may not provide much useful data because the risk of inaccuracies in long-range forecasts is still too great.

Maybe we don't know for sure just yet what the weather will be like in December or January, but here are ways to get a good local forecast, albeit a shorter-range forecast:

• Visit web sites like the Weather Channel and the National Weather Service.
   
• Get  a concensus among the different forecasts from all your local news channels.
   
• Buy a personal weather station (these cost about $30 and up).

Record Rains Are Flooding California

Wow, did you hear about all the rain in California? 50-year records fell when inches of rain came in and deluged San Francisco and the surrounding areas, flooding the region and bringing business and daily commutes to a halt.

Flooding can be bad - and most common after severe weather events like hurricanes. In fact, flooding during and after a hurricane can be one of the worst, most-dangerous aspects of hurricanes. (Think about Hurricane Katrina). Other things to worry about during a flooding event include:

• Having safe drinking water
   
• Mold due to rising flood waters
   
• Driving cars through dangerously high flood waters
   
• Downed power lines sitting in flooded waters

Snow Experiments & Other Fun Things To Do With Kids In The Snow

Staring out  the window at all that snow is not going to make it go away (unless you can melt the snow with a flaming glare). So why not take your children outdoors to conduct some snow experiments and make some snow fun?

Speaking of having fun with your kids in the snow, why not make a snow house with them? This is a great way to get the kids' imaginations and creative juices flowing. At the same time, it will certainly will keep you busy as you help mold the snow bricks, construct the snow walls, and help the kids put the finishing touches on their snow structures. Be sure to use wet snow for the best results!

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) Are Among Nature's Best Shows

If you are among those who live in the extreme northern United States, then the Aurora Borealis - or Northern Lights - are a natural show in the sky you enjoy and likely want to learn more about.

The beautiful Northern Lights become more vivid the closer you get to the North Pole and, based on the compounds present when solar-driven particles and upper-atmospheric molecules mix, will present a whole range of beautiful colors.