Typical Formation of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning. Lightning manifests due to the breakdown of the insulating property of dry air. When the localized electrical potential gradient exceeds about three million volts within fifty meters, the phenomenon shoots electrons into a cloud and toward the ground as a stepped leader. Composed of discharges spanning about fifty to a
Read MoreTornado warning and understanding global winds patterns enhances tornado forecasting. Over the past month, meteorology professor at the College of DuPage near Chicago, Victor Gensini has been popularized for mixing existing prediction methods with a global circulation index. The Global Wind Oscillation (GWO) describes the addition of tropical moisture and energies through atmospheric channels, which
Read MoreThe March 19th crash of Flydubai Flight FZ 891 of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft resulted in the deaths of the 55 passengers and 7 crew members aboard. This occurred at Don Airport Russia. Early data suggests some wind shear issues. The flight, originating in Dubai, UAE was a regular scheduled trip with an experienced flight
Read MoreSpring 2016’s El Niño Remnants May Affect Tornadoes in the US. Every season and every El Niño are unique but meteorologists are able to make some basic assessments of how such events may affect tornado output based on prior observations. Several factors drive weather, so the higher temperatures in the Pacific related to El Niño
Read MoreWater and Land Use and Forensic Meteorologist for gravel, aggregates, crushed stone operators certainly land use issues to deal with. There operations are essential to construction, transportation and the infrastructure that supports the world. The mining of this material takes place everywhere and environmental consequences must be mitigated for the successful operation of the pits,
Read MoreSlip and fall – removing snow and ice is always a very interesting case to work on. Cities generally are not responsible for slip and falls – removing snow and ice is usually the obligation of landowners. Even moisture that may freeze on sidewalks in the morning is the responsibility of home and business owners.
Read MoreSnow Storm Damage occurs when substantial amounts collect or when wind drifts collections into larger piles. Mountainous terrain is particularly susceptible to snow storm damage when heavy piles trigger avalanches. Cornices, overhanging ramps of drifted snow, are also likely to build, crack and eventually dangerously collapse, particularly during warmer, sunnier weather. You might want to
Read MoreStormwater Weather Forecasting- Stormwater test based on the weather forecast. The decision is a go or no go. In this case they need at least 0.50 inches (rain event) of rain in a 24 hour period and the location is just slightly north of Downtown Seattle. Also the engineering firm would like a 3 day
Read MoreAircraft Deicing techniques save them from a multitude of tragic fates. 9.5% of fatal aircraft crashes are due to icing. The leading edges of their wings, their tails and their noses ice over worst. Thick coatings add friction between the airstream and a wing’s airfoil, which can cause engines to stall below safe flying and
Read MoreWindstorms, Puget Sound and the Northwest come from two prominent sources: gap winds and extratropical cyclones. Gap winds are caused by a funneling of high pressure, continental air through valleys into zones of low pressure. Sometimes incredible winds can result, such as at Bellingham, WA, which has endured gusts around 115 mph when air traverses
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