While February was quite mild and wet across much of the eastern U.S. (except south Florida which was warm and dry), March has taken a turn for the colder [thanks to three “nor’easters” (so-called due to their location, strength, and impact)] and associated strong cold fronts that reach well to
Read DetailsApologies to my readers. In my haste to publish this pre-Christmas, I inadvertently omitted the all-important figures. They’ve now been included (1/2/18). It’s time to kiss the autumnal warmth of the past few weeks across the Central U.S. goodbye, as arctic air arrives in the U.S. with a vengeance. For
Read DetailsTemperatures and dew points across southwest Florida finally dipped below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (F), yesterday morning (Oct. 25, 2017); this is a sure sign that the area has finally entered the autumn season. The last 70-degree temperature reading at Naples Municipal Airport (call sign APF), that did not involve cooler
Read DetailsThis feature is about GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) Water Vapor (WV) imagery. This type of satellite imagery (just one of many) is based on a specific band of data within the infrared radiation (IR) spectrum. It is collected from a geostationary satellite positioned roughly 22,000 miles above the Equator
Read DetailsAcross the South, this Sunday morning, Jan. 8, 2017, folks were pulling out their winter clothing. Temperatures that plunged to below freezing levels across Texas and much of the Gulf Coast east to the western Florida Panhandle on Saturday morning did so again this morning. However, today, the sub-freezing
Read DetailsThe other day, I wrote about the arrival of a strong cold front in south Florida. That front arrived with a significant chill down. Low temperature readings, this Saturday morning (Dec. 31, 2016), were in the 40’s across many areas of southwest Florida. Even with relatively light north winds, wind
Read DetailsTake a look at the enhanced (false-colored) infrared satellite image in Fig. 1. See that huge red blob across Kansas? That feature is what meteorologists call an MCS or “Meso-scale Convective System.” By official National Weather Service definition, “An MCS is, “a complex of thunderstorms which becomes organized on a
Read DetailsDateline: Vail, CO This article, which addresses the effects of altitude and latitude on temperature, could be for most anyplace(s) in the 50 states. But the western U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), with incredibly wild swings of altitude across relatively small distances, offers some of the best settings. Since I
Read DetailsFollowing torrential and historic Houston area rainfall on Mon., Apr. 18, 2016, Houstonians will need to brace for more rain and flooding. Another thunderstorm outflow boundary (the leading edge of rain-cooled air from a cluster of thunderstorms) is enroute to Houston this morning (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) and will
Read DetailsMarch has been a mostly mild month across much of the U.S. That’s because upper-level and lower-level winds have been blowing primarily from the west, southwest or south across the Nation. Yes, there have been occasional bursts of chillier air, and these come on the heels of winds from northwest,
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