Weather Word of the Day
March 19, 2024
Ice Pellets -
Ice pellets are small, translucent balls of ice that are also known as sleet. Ice pellets form when falling snow encounters a region of above freezing air and melts or partially melts into raindrops and then refreezes as it encounters sub-freezing air near the surface. Ice pellets tend to bounce when they hit the ground.
March 18, 2024
Coriolis force -
An apparent force that is a result of the earth's rotation. When air currents develop, they are deflected to the right or left, depending on which hemisphere you are in. This is why low pressure systems and hurricanes in the northern hemisphere have winds that rotate counterclockwise around their center. In the southern hemisphere, low pressure system's winds rotate clockwise around their center.
March 17, 2024
Isotherm -
A line on a weather map joining locations of equal temperature. When looking at weather maps displaying temperatures across the lower 48, isotherms are used to divide the country in different colors based on the varied temperatures. Oftentimes, each isotherm will indicate a change of 5 or 10 degrees.
March 16, 2024
Mesoscale -
Mesoscale is the study of meteorology concerned with small scale weather systems that are from 6 to 60 miles in diameter. The discipline of mesoscale meteorology is focused on phenomenon such as thunderstorms, land or sea breezes, and downslope wind storms.
March 15, 2024
Thermosphere -
The atmospheric shell extending from the top of the mesosphere to outer space. It is a region of more or less steadily increasing temperature with height, starting at around 50 miles above the surface. This layer is around 320 miles thick and temperatures in this layer can reach 4,500 F. The International Space Station orbits the Earth in this region of the atmosphere!
March 14, 2024
Updraft -
A stream of air that accelerates upward from the surface. The strongest updrafts are found within thunderstorms. Strong thunderstorms can see updraft speeds of over 100 mph!
March 13, 2024
St. Elmo's fire -
A bright electric discharge that is projected from objects when they are in a strong electric field, such as occurs during a thunderstorm. This discharge can cause a ship's mast or airplane wings to have a greenish or bluish glow.