The Destructive Power of Lightning

A thunderstorm is brewing. Suddenly there is a flash and bang! Loud thunder rumbles all around you. I hope you were inside, because lightning is extremely dangerous. In the US, lightning strikes about 25 million times a year. At five times hotter than the sun, it can cause a great amount of damage. Around 50 people

What are Troughs and Ridges

If you watch the weather on the nightly news, you may hear about troughs and ridges. Have you ever wondered what they are and why they are important? Troughs and ridges look like what you might expect; a trough is roughly U shaped. To the east of the trough, air will usually rise, allowing for

A Brief History of Weather Radar

During World War II, radar systems were utilized to help guide various missions and track aircraft. However, at times, radar operators noticed some extraneous echoes showing up on their display. After investigating, it was discovered that the echoes operators were seeing on their display weren’t aircraft or anything related to missions, but rather interference from

Spoiler Alert: Cold Weather Doesn’t Actually Kill Bugs

Have you ever thought that the cold winter weather you were experiencing was going to be great because it would kill off <insert the bug you hate most here> and you wouldn’t have to deal with them when it warmed up? I know I’ve heard it before and I’ve heard the opposite as well. A

Snow to Liquid Ratios – How are They Calculated?

There are many challenges presented to meteorologists in forecasting snow. Some of these challenges are a result of the tools and data that we have at our disposal. Let’s look at one important aspect in forecasting snow: the snow to liquid ratio. When looking at numerical models, precipitation is forecast in liquid totals. In other words,

A “classic” El Nino winter? Not so fast my friends!

Obviously the “talk of the town” is the big El Niño and its putative impacts on global weather patterns this winter. By and large, meteorologists everywhere are advocating winter forecasts that closely match the “classic” El Nino composite. An analogy would be a football game where you have one heavily favored team (El Niño) versus

1000-year Rains in South Carolina, October 2015

Storm on South Carolina beach

Here at MetStat, now DTN, we are continuously monitoring the situation as Hurricane Joaquin continues on its path northward. As the impacts from the precipitation of this event unfold we will be regularly updating our blog, facebook, and twitter pages with the latest information available, so check back often.