Questions tagged [meteorology]
The study of how the earth's atmosphere works, including weather forecasting. Use this tag for questions about the earth's weather. When asking questions specifically about the atmosphere, also include the [atmosphere] tag.
1,235 questions
2
votes
1
answer
101
views
Can wind turbines stabilize droughts?
A long good weather period is often combined with little wind. It seems that it needs some wind to end it. Thunderstorms have self-reinforcing dynamics. May droughts be ended by self-reinforcing ...
2
votes
0
answers
101
views
Is it possible to create a man-made high pressure zone?
An article by Spencer Platt regarding Hurricane Sandy states: http://realtruth.org/articles/121027-001.html
“Normally, when hurricanes approach the East Coast from Sandy’s angle, they are pulled ...
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
68
views
Solving a word problem on spatio-temporal change of temperature: Where did I go wrong?
As a sort of practice on solving word problems on atmospheric dynamics, I attempted to solve this problem that I found in page 22 of the book Mid-latitude Atmospheric Dynamics: A First Course by ...
- 71
1
vote
0
answers
43
views
How to interpret GFS accumulated precipitation
I'm currently looking into some rainfall forecast data obtained from NCEI's Global Forecasting System (GFS) model. Since this is my first time making use of such a dataset, I'm a bit confused on how ...
- 11
2
votes
0
answers
55
views
What are the best approaches for gap filling and spatial interpolation while analyzing climate trends (precipitation, temperature) of an area?
I have some precipitation and temperature data from 5 weather stations around my study area. The data for each stations differ in time. Now, how can I assimilate the data together to analyze the trend ...
- 21
3
votes
1
answer
81
views
Why does cold air advection cause the wind to turn left (back) with height?
I've been trying to wrap my head around this for hours, but I'm still not getting anywhere. Most explanations I've found online are either overly technical or just confuse me more.
I would be very ...
- 31
3
votes
0
answers
45
views
change in Sea levels in East Anglia UK c12th Century
Where can I find information on Medieval Sea Level changes in the UK - particularly for a geographical area known as 'The Wash' in East Anglia.
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
119
views
How in the world did Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina amount to 5 to 10 inches in one day?
Western NC received 10 to 20 inches from Hurricane Helene as most of us know from September 25 to September 27 with some places even receiving as much as 30 inches of rain in that time period. Most ...
- 431
2
votes
1
answer
81
views
Pressure levels and heights levels
I am a newbie, so bear with me.
I was looking into AI driven weather predictions model, and in particular Nvidia StormCast.
Looking at the ERA5 variables used to train the model I got confused. Almost ...
- 21
0
votes
0
answers
55
views
What effect would a 14.6875 degree axial tilt have on the climate and weather patterns of Earth?
Average distance to the sun would remain the same, so would the year .... 365.25 days per year ... All other orbital particulars would not change, only the planets axial tilt, which would be reduced ...
0
votes
0
answers
29
views
Why OLR is not a good proxy for midlatitude convection?
High cloud tops emit at cold temperatures and Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) is reduced to really low values as compared to clear skies, and this is a proxy for precipitation, since high cold ...
- 101
2
votes
1
answer
78
views
Why high gradient height countours or sharp curvature trough are associated with stronger divergence?
All,
The chart below from https://www.weather.gov/source/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/Miscellaneous/Divergence/divergence.html suggests that divergence increases with the gradient of the height contours and ...
- 175
1
vote
0
answers
55
views
How are GHCNm quality controlled unadjusted mean values calculated?
I'm trying to understand, how qcu values from the Global Historical Climatology Network monthly (GHCNm) are calculated:
Is there a rule which stations use (TMAX + TMIN)/2 or TAVG?
How does rounding ...
- 11
2
votes
0
answers
106
views
What is relationship between weather front and cyclone/anticyclone?
I read about weather front on Wiki.
As I understood, weather front is the cause of cyclone and anticyclone.
Is it right?
And what else is relationship between weather front and cyclone/anticyclone?
...
- 121
3
votes
0
answers
63
views
Why does a dry season month have less than 60 millimeters of rainfall?
According to the Koppen climate classification system, if a month of a tropical climate has less than 60 mm (2.4 inches) of rain then it counts as a dry month. Whereas, a tropical (class A) ...
2
votes
3
answers
944
views
Mean of temperature over two regions versus the sum of the mean temperatrue over each seperate region
All,
Let x and y are the temperatures over two different regions/countries (from the shapefile), and I have been asked to report the mean of the temperature over the whole region x and y; should I sum ...
- 175
1
vote
0
answers
44
views
Categorized satellite images of occlusions
I've been studying different types of system occlusions recently. However, I still struggle to spot them and tell the difference between their structures on satellite images (I use Eumetrain).
I was ...
- 11
3
votes
0
answers
47
views
Daytime transfer of heat energy from earth's surface into mixed layer of atmosphere-- which dominates, radiation or conduction?
This question is about the daytime transfer of heat energy from the earth's (land) surface into the mixed layer of the atmosphere: which dominates, radiation or conduction? What is the relative ...
- 182
2
votes
0
answers
77
views
(When) is it ok to calculate mean daily temperature as average of Tmin and Tmax?
Some time ago, I read in some resource (cannot find the citation now; perhaps a GSOD documentation, not sure), that the mean daily temperature, as a climatic variable, is not just a simple mean of the ...
- 121
2
votes
0
answers
39
views
What's the most straightforward way to convert .grb2 data to csv?
I have some GRIB2 data (for example here) that I'd like in a more mainstream file format like CSV or JSON. I have tried several of the open-source programs recommended on the Wikipedia page, but ...
- 121
4
votes
0
answers
90
views
What factors determine if there are dry summers in temperate regions (Csb and Dsb climates)?
Northwestern California, western Oregon and southwestern Washington as well as northern Portugal, parts of northern Spain and Brittany have a Csb climate, i.e. they are temperate yet have dry summers ...
- 205
2
votes
0
answers
48
views
Why does northeastern Asia have dry winters?
Northeastern mainland Asia such as northeastern China, North Korea, most of South Korea and parts of Siberia are classified as a Dwx climate, meaning they have dry winters. Why is this despite being ...
- 205
5
votes
1
answer
92
views
How does LIDAR work? Why is scattering not weakening the beam?
Let's say LIDAR is used for atmospheric vertical sounding. If backscattering takes place some amount of the outgoing radiation is scattered back to the LIDAR. But if this is the case, the vertical ...
- 985
12
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Is the southern hemisphere colder than the northern one or is it just me?
When comparing the same latitude at each hemisphere I've got the impression that the southern hemisphere is generally colder.
Tasmania and New Zealand's North Island for instance are around 36-43 ...
- 205
1
vote
1
answer
69
views
How to Accurately Adjust NetCDF Time Data to Reflect Local Solar Time Using Xarray?
I have a NetCDF dataset with a variable (let's call it s) that depends on local solar time. The current time dimension is in UTC, and the dataset has the following dimensions: lat, lon, and time (...
- 53
2
votes
0
answers
113
views
How to calculate horizontal wind shear (esp. via Python)?
I would like to ask about horizontal wind shear. In most cases, we frequently talk about vertical wind shear (VWS), which is the change in wind speed and direction with height or within a given layer/...
- 71
11
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is a heat wave in the Northern Hemisphere usually accompanied by a cold wave in the Southern Hemisphere?
I grew up and live in the Northern Hemisphere. In high school, I first learned that the northern and southern hemispheres have opposite seasons. I thought it interesting how this might imply that the ...
- 283
2
votes
1
answer
123
views
How would no ozone change temperature?
If the ozone in the ozone layer were to completely disappear would global temperature averages increase or decrease?
Seems like it might be simple but to me it isn't because the sun's radiation would ...
HGA
4
votes
2
answers
534
views
Alternative solution to Meterological weather forecasting systems
As a alternative to Weather forecasting systems, Can machine learning prediction algorithms assist in predicting hurricanes?
What will be the input dataset for predicting future hurricanes which will ...
- 173
3
votes
1
answer
114
views
Why is it generally cloudier and drizzlier during the winter (or high latitudes) while during summer (and in tropics) rains are short but intense?
High latitude regions, as well as temperate regions during the wintertime, experience a lot of cloudy, 'drizzly' and/or 'misty' days....
...while tropical areas (and temperate places in the summer) ...
- 867
2
votes
1
answer
138
views
What does 10E, 09L, 10L mean after a hurricane or tropical storm name
I am looking at an aviation weather chart and see T.S Isaac 10L and Hurricane Helene 09L and hurricane John 10E.
What do these numbers mean after the name (10E, 10L, 09L) ?
A similar question talks ...
- 141
4
votes
1
answer
185
views
For glacier winds to exist, are circulation cells needed?
When air close to a glacier surface gets cooled, it becomes heavier and flows down the glacier slope as glacier winds. I am a glaciologist trying to study and model glacier winds. I am confused about ...
- 263
0
votes
1
answer
132
views
Rainfall Rate - unit conversion
when converting the Rainfall Rate unit from mm per HR (Sq. m) to inch per HR (Sq. ft)
why are they multiplying by 25.4 only and not considering the conversion from m2 to ft2
for example
mm/m2 --> ...
- 3
1
vote
1
answer
369
views
Are there technologies available today that could be used to steer hurricanes or cyclones?
I was reading a news article on CNN which dates back to 2012 regarding Hurricane Sandy which was the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. The article states:
Hours after Super-storm ...
- 31
0
votes
1
answer
85
views
Why is there so much activity in the upper atmosphere, even though it is usually colder?
My son thought the atmosphere (that is, above our heads as humans) is hotter than what we experience, and I told him that it is typically cooler. (I suppose there can occasionally be an "...
- 103
4
votes
1
answer
349
views
Why are these three "disturbed weather" events called "Invest" and what to the subsequent numbers and letters mean?
A proactive state of emergency has been called in the US state of Florida because Invest 97L may be on its way. I looked at https://zoom.earth/storms/97l-2024/ and then started going arond the world ...
- 7,064
5
votes
2
answers
490
views
What's the mathematical idea behind weather forecasting POP (probability of precipitation) by slices of time?
How should I think about the maths (and actual probabilities of rain), with weather forecasting POP (probability of precipitation)?
Taking for example Weather Network for Vancouver
Mostly I am curious ...
2
votes
2
answers
734
views
Could the electrical potential difference between the Windward and Leeward sides of a mountain range generate electrical current?
I would like to know if it is possible that the electrical potential difference between the Windward side and the Leeward side of a mountain range, due to a thunderstorm occurring on the Windward side,...
user23275
2
votes
0
answers
73
views
Reading MSG Native(.nat) file with satpy
I am trying to read an MSG (Meteosat Second Generation) file given in the native(.nat) format using satpy. I tried using:
...
1
vote
1
answer
133
views
Combining data with different future climate scenarios
I have climate data for future projection scenarios of the RCP type only (i.e., RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and land cover data for future projection scenarios of the SSP - RCP type (i.e., SSP 2 – RCP 4.5, ...
- 23
2
votes
1
answer
90
views
What is this band of reflectivity return caused by?
On the reflectivity scan from TIAH on 20240624 at 2058z, a couple of thunderstorm cells pop up to the West of the radar site. Just beyond these cells, a narrow North-South band of reflectivity return (...
- 21
5
votes
2
answers
476
views
Why does it snow in Harbin, China but not in Venice, Italy?
Both cities have the same latitude. Why does it snow in Harbin but not in Venice?
1
vote
1
answer
150
views
Up to what radius/distance/area maximum do weather parameters remain constant?
Up to what radius/distance/area maximum do weather parameters remain constant? For example, precipitation is so variable that it can vary even within a few meters, while sunshine durations may not ...
0
votes
0
answers
273
views
NCEP GFS data products: ANL and FH000
I'm confused with the GFS model data products, presented at NCEP Products Inventory website. There are two types of products for analysis: ANL ("**.anl") and FH000 ("*.f000"). As ...
- 101
2
votes
0
answers
45
views
Does the UV index over a day form a Gaussian?
If you go to a website such as this that shows a plot of the UV index throughout the day, you will see that the plot for each day resembles a Gaussian distribution. Perhaps someone with access to raw ...
- 121
4
votes
1
answer
69
views
How does ERA5 reanalysis data deal with wildfires?
I am trying to investigate the likelihood of a fire occuring in the Amazon rainforest based on environmental variables, including ERA5Land data such as temperature, wind speed and relative humidity (...
1
vote
0
answers
33
views
How is cloud column water calculated in GDAS model files?
The question
NOAA helpfully provides model outputs from the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) for the past 10 days (https://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/pub/data/nccf/com/gfs/prod/). Products include ...
- 41
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
Is there some science behind the cloud color of "electric blue"
I do notice that the bottom of thunderheads have a dark grey blue hue(here in the PNW they do where I live and T-storms are not common but they do happen). And many times when I see a cloud bank ...
- 313
3
votes
1
answer
135
views
What would be the atmospheric pressure if the atmosphere was 2/3 the density of water?
I came across a theory that proposed that earth's atmosphere must have had a density of 660 kg/m^3 during the mesozoic, and the gigantic size the dinosaurs attained on land was only possible due to ...
- 31
2
votes
0
answers
116
views
Absolute and potential vorticity conservation
The source processes for (vertical) vorticity in the baroclinic vorticity equation are the stretching, tilting and solenoidal terms. I understand that all of these terms go to zero in a barotropic ...
- 51