Severe
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Here is an interesting piece of weather history that you might not have heard of. Back in the 1880s, John Park Finley, a member of the Army Signal Corps (a precursor to the Weather Bureau, which began in 1890) started making tornado forecasts based on his observations of the weather that often occurred when tornadoes…
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Satellites have given us the ability to look for patterns over large parts of the globe. Google Earth, which provides these images along with mapping capabilities, has given us the chance to look for patterns like straight lines in the local terrain. In the past, Landsat photos have been used to identify tornado tracks in…
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If you have ever watched The Wizard of Oz, you will probably remember the surprisingly lifelike tornado that occurs near the beginning of the movie, transporting Dorothy and Toto to Oz. In the days before computer generated imagery was available, the filmmakers had to use some visual tricks to make the tornado so lifelike. Weather.com…
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Did you know that fall is a period of enhanced severe weather in the Southeast? While the main season occurs in spring, we get a second active season in the fall when the jet stream moves from northern parts of the country back to the central and southern latitudes, bringing energy and wind shear that…
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We don’t often get really big hail in the Southeast, but sometimes it can reach a couple of inches in diameter. That can do a lot of damage to cars, buildings, and trees. But even small hail can cause problems for agriculture, since it can damage crops or damage crops like peppers, making them unsuitable…
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Since I went to see Twisters today, I thought for some summer fun you might enjoy Time magazine’s list of the best disaster movies, since many of these movies have a weather or climate component. I don’t agree with all of their rankings but it is fun to see what the rankings are. My own…
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Do you spend a lot of time outside this time of year? It could be working on a tractor, feeding cattle, golfing, or out on the water. If so, you should also be weather-aware and be prepared to find a safe place to get away from severe weather, high winds, lightning, and hail. Here are…