| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Atmospheric explosions? | 8/24/2008 |
Q: I hope you are able to answer this question. I have been looking online for an answer now for a ...
A: It sounds like a major electrical storm. There are many different types of lightning and you may ...
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| cold up there | 8/22/2008 |
Q: why are higher altitudes colder?
A: There are a couple of theories as to why it is colder the higher you get. The first is as you get ...
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| lightning strikes | 7/3/2008 |
Q: I clean a house which is built on ledge - the interior of the entry actually consists entirely of ...
A: It is possible that a strike could have caused the issue. You will have to check and see if there ...
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| lightning | 6/23/2008 |
Q: Last night we had a thunderstorm that woke my wife and I at about 2:00. There were violent lightning ...
A: What you have described is an almost perfect example of BALL Lighting. You have seen a fairly rare ...
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| Explain the diffrence. | 6/20/2008 |
Q: I have lived on long island, New York an now in Portland Oregon and i have noticed sever differences ...
A: Unless you are in the west hills, the majority of Portland Oregon is at or below 200 feet above sea ...
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| forecast | 6/9/2008 |
Q: What is the supposed forecast for Saturday, July 19 of 2008 in Saint Paul, MN? ANSWER: Normally ...
A: How nice it is will be very subjective. Some people are melting at 83 degrees and others don't ...
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| The Wind | 6/6/2008 |
Q: I've lived in the SF Bay Area all my life, and Sonoma County for 10 years. I don't ever remember a ...
A: I am running one handed so bear with me. The high winds in the area are most likely due to high ...
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| Barometric pressure causes headaches | 5/29/2008 |
Q: I have experienced migraine headaches related to the weather, and was told it was due to the change ...
A: This is going to be a very subjective form of measurement. Because the shift that triggers a ...
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| Persistant weather patterns | 4/29/2008 |
Q: Given that persistant weather patterns exist,(Juipiter's Bloody Red Eye) would it be possible for a ...
A: There are persistent weather patterns here on earth. The Sahara, Gobi and Mojave deserts are a ...
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| moon | 3/17/2008 |
Q: This is sunday march 16. I looked up at the moon tonight and there was big circle around it. Can you ...
A: A ring around the moon means that there are ice crystals causing refraction of the moon light. ...
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| temperatures and air masses | 3/15/2008 |
Q: Okay so can you explain to me how an autumn anticyclone can bring record low temps and continental ...
A: An anticyclone is a high pressure (cold) system. As it moves out of the area its clockwise rotation ...
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| clipper syatem | 3/12/2008 |
Q: what is a clipper system
A: A clipper system is a fast moving low pressure system. Its normal movement is from northwest to ...
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| tropical air masses and heat equator | 3/10/2008 |
Q: How does the movement of the heat equator influence the movement of air masses, winds and pressure ...
A: The movement of the heat equator is part of a global weather scheme. It is has no direct influence ...
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| earth science | 3/8/2008 |
Q: what do the rock cycle and the water cycle have in common?
A: The water cycle is part of the rock cycle. Water seeps through the rock pulling out minerals and ...
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| Earth and Surface | 3/2/2008 |
Q: If the earth were not rotating, how would the wind blow with respect to centers of high and low ...
A: Without any rotation and the effects of terrain the winds would blow directly from high pressure to ...
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| lightning | 2/28/2008 |
Q: how does it lightning?and why? and how do clouds form?
A: Lightning is an electrostatic discharge. It requires allot of movement in order to produce a large ...
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| x-project | 2/27/2008 |
Q: i am doing a expiement for my projeect and i was wondering if you could help. See we have to have ...
A: I have experience in the meteorology field, but I am not a meteorologist. I am a military weather ...
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| Atmosphere? | 2/27/2008 |
Q: I've done research and can't seem to find the answers for the following questions and was hoping you ...
A: When O2 first arrived depends on which idea you subscribe to. Based on the bible it arrived when ...
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| dew point | 2/25/2008 |
Q: what does dew point mean? If the temperature is 35 degrees and the dew point drops to 28, and the ...
A: There are a couple of reasons that might be. First is that you had freezing rain. When the rain ...
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| 5th grade science | 2/25/2008 |
Q: I am a 5th grader and need to know what happens when air warms and what causes weather? Thank you
A: As air warms up the molecules increase in speed causing it to expand. With the same amount of ...
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| dew point | 2/23/2008 |
Q: what does dew point mean? If the temperature is 35 degrees and the dew point drops to 28, and the ...
A: Dew point is the point that the air will become saturated if the current amount of water vapor ...
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| lightning | 2/21/2008 |
Q: My 8th graders posed an excellent question that I was unable to answer... if lightning developes as ...
A: Lightning is an electrostatic discharge. It requires allot of movement in order to produce a large ...
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| Light | 2/8/2008 |
Q: Can you explain why it is still light in Florida when it is dark in NY? I would have thought that ...
A: Actually, it will vary by the season. Due to the tilt of the earth on its axis Florida will have ...
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| frost | 2/5/2008 |
Q: While driving from cold air into much warmer air, the frost forms on the windshield of the car. Does ...
A: The frost or condensation, depending on conditions, will form on the outside of the windshield. If ...
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| Earth's Axis | 1/25/2008 |
Q: How would the seasons be affected where I live,Florida, if the tilt of the earth's axis is increased ...
A: The greater the tilt the greater the weather extremes. With an increased degree of lean everywhere ...
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| Humidity in the Home | 1/18/2008 |
Q: I have a Digital BionAire Humidty/Temperature gauge that I have been looking at during this last ...
A: The air in your house in comes in from the outside, so an increase in R/H is to be expected during ...
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| Planning for outdoor event | 1/16/2008 |
Q: My sister is getting married and we would like to have an outdoor garden bridal shower on May 17, ...
A: Trying to predict that far out you will have to use climatology. It will give you an idea of what ...
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| frosty mornings | 1/13/2008 |
Q: My qestion is On a frosty morning after dawn it gets colder than before sunrise. An example: During ...
A: The coldest part of the day is normally dawn or just after. The sun warms the earth's surface ...
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| Feelings of coldness | 1/13/2008 |
Q: I live in Uzbekistan where the climate is dry. They tell me a dry cold is colder than a wet one why ...
A: Moisture is a weather moderator. Near the ocean the temperature changes are much smaller than ...
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| Lightning | 1/10/2008 |
Q: My question is where does lightning come from? I need to know if it comes from the ground to the ...
A: Lightning is an electronic discharge of static electricity. (The same way that you can get shocked ...
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| Dew Point | 1/6/2008 |
Q: When I go to weather dot com I get my local weather. It shows, dew point, humidity, chance of rain, ...
A: The dew point is the temperature that the air must be cooled to in order for it to reach saturation. ...
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| Wind-Chill Factor | 1/3/2008 |
Q: Let's sy that the temperature is x, the wind speed y, and the wind-chill z. If I understand, z is ...
A: Z is based on our understanding of heat transfer and how it impacts the human body. Wind chill is ...
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| Salty snow | 12/16/2007 |
Q: I am from Michigan. We receive lake effect snow from the moisture being pulled from lake Michigan. ...
A: Snow produced my ocean moisture will not contain salt directly. Snow is produced from water vapor, ...
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| Barometric trends | 12/13/2007 |
Q: Alan, I am trying to find a quick reference chart to hand to my students so that they can understand ...
A: I could not find a millibar chart, however the following link will explain how to do the conversion ...
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| weather | 12/12/2007 |
Q: I was wondering when it is going to get cold on Vancouver island here again. We had some snow on ...
A: Based on where you are at, there is a chance of another cold snap. You will have to watch for ...
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| Sublimation | 12/11/2007 |
Q: I had heard that in winter snow will sublime directly into water vapor. If that is true, from where ...
A: What is actually happening is both processes. Both melting and sublimation will happen at the same ...
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| Sublimation | 12/10/2007 |
Q: I had heard that in winter snow will sublime directly into water vapor. If that is true, from where ...
A: Normally, sublimation will occur on sunny days. The incoming solar radiation will provide the ...
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| windy city ranking | 11/16/2007 |
Q: please? i live in Cape Town and our South Easterlies can be pretty fierce. any pointers much ...
A: According to National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) LOCATION ...
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| different uses | 11/11/2007 |
Q: my friend said if i answer this question correct she will not bug me!! The beaufort scale is a ...
A: Five uses for the Beaufor Wind Scale. Well, it can be used for avaition weather observation. If ...
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| weather phenomenon in the 1950's | 11/9/2007 |
Q: I was told about a weather phenomenon that happened during one winter in central Texas sometime in ...
A: Actually, your best bet would be to look at the location of where it was supposed to have occurred. ...
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| Defining a Rainfall Event | 11/8/2007 |
Q: I am working on a project where we want to determine the number of rainfall events that our ...
A: For reporting purposes of aviation, any stop in the rain is reportable by special observation. So, ...
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| El nino | 11/5/2007 |
Q: Can you clearly explain what kelvin and Rossby waves are and how they affect El Nino?
A: The following link should explain all that you want to know about Rossby waves. ...
|
| moon | 10/29/2007 |
Q: On Saturday 27th October, I was outside and saw something that I think is a very strange occurrence. ...
A: The ring is due to high level, upper atmospheric, ice. Normally, the tiny pieces of ice that cause ...
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| weather | 10/23/2007 |
Q: What would weather be like on an island in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. What would the ...
A: It depends on how far north the island is. The closer to the equator the warmer and moister it will ...
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| Green Glow around object lightning struck | 9/28/2007 |
Q: Is there an explanation for why a house appeared to become enveloped with a green glow as it was ...
A: An electrostatic corona with out a lightning strike poses minimal risk to structures, plants and ...
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| tsunamis | 9/27/2007 |
Q: I am in the 5th grade and we are learning about tsunamis in reading class. How often does Florida ...
A: Tsunamis are the result of a seismic underwater event(earthquake or volcanic eruption). You are ...
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| Weather issue | 9/24/2007 |
Q: I was curious if you have ever heard of a meteorological issue known as a "haboom"? I am trying to ...
A: I could not find a haboom but I was able to find a haboob. Main Entry: ha·boob Pronunciation: ...
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| cold front clearing out the weather | 9/9/2007 |
Q: Often in aviation I hear pilots say that a cold front comes through and clears out the weather. ...
A: Actually, what is happening is the due to what is behind the cold front. Behind the cold front is a ...
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| drought | 9/7/2007 |
Q: Is the map I see on the U.S. Drought Monitor as scary as it looks or is that "normal"? i.e. Is ...
A: It all depends on what kind of numbers that they are using. If they are only using montly, then it ...
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| Course in Meteorology | 9/6/2007 |
Q: Is the Linear speed of Earth's rotation in Fullerton, CA less than or greater than 356 m s -1 ? ...
A: The following link will explain all you need to be able to calculate angular velocity. ...
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| lightning | 8/28/2007 |
Q: what causes lightning and where does it come from
A: Lightning is an electrostatic discharge. If you have ever rubbed your feet on the carpet and the ...
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| Barometric pressure | 8/17/2007 |
Q: I have been doing a study for a while regarding the connection between bi-polarity and barometric ...
A: If you are looking for a consistent area of low pressure, the you will have to look at upper ...
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| snow patterns from hurricanes | 8/15/2007 |
Q: We live in Jackson, WY, and remember what an amazing winter we had after Katrina and all those ...
A: Right now there is not any research out there as to if there is a correlation between the two. If ...
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| intro to geography (college level) | 7/29/2007 |
Q: what is a pressure gradient and how does this effect our weather?
A: Pressure gradient is the difference in pressure over a given area. It can be read similar to a ...
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| Rainbows | 7/11/2007 |
Q: When driving along and a rainbow is visible from the roadside and seems to travel with the car, is ...
A: The following links are good breakdowns of rainbows. The second one is a very detailed and indepth ...
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| Severe Weather | 5/9/2007 |
Q: Hey Alan, It would be great if you can help me with these few questions that have been bothering ...
A: The following is a good link that explains the Mesoscale Convective Complex its formation and ...
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| I need to know | 4/29/2007 |
Q: How does the weather cause and affect the colors of sunsets and sunrise?
A: Actually, weather does not cause the colors of sunset/sunrise. It is due to scattering of the ...
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| Greenhouse gases | 4/21/2007 |
Q: I would like to know more about where samples for greenhouse gas determinations , esp. CO2, are ...
A: To my knowledge the primary green house gas is CO. Since the atmosphere is a fluid it is in a ...
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| canadian forecasting - env, canada vs. weather network | 4/20/2007 |
Q: I am a bit confused about the fact that these two forecasting bodies provide such differnet forecast ...
A: Forecasting boils down to data interpretation. Depending on the source of the education and the ...
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| El Nino | 2/4/2007 |
Q: Could you please explain the phenomenon of El Nino? I have seen it mentioned in several news reports ...
A: El Nino is a what happens when the primary current in the Pacific Ocean is weakened. When that ...
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| circle around the moon | 1/3/2007 |
Q: My family saw something unusual last night, 01/01/07, and we wondered what it was. We live in ...
A: It seems that you saw a halo. I have seen one before that encircled the moon with a very clear gap. ...
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| Moutain-Valley temp. variance | 12/11/2006 |
Q: Mr Strealy- I've been peeking in on NOAA's data on the Great Smoky Mountains for some time now. ...
A: When you look at the elevation it should help you understand. The mountains stick up allot higher ...
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| Thunder storms. | 8/2/2006 |
Q: First off you're a meteorologist, right? Secondly must there be lightning for there to be the ...
A: I am a weather forecaster, not a meteorologist. They can tell you what all went into what is making ...
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| Difference between a tidal wave and tidal bore | 7/31/2006 |
Q: How can I explain the difference between a tidal wave and a tidal bore to fifth grade students? I ...
A: Well, for starters you can explain that the term "tidal wave" is a mis-nomer. I know several years ...
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| Sea Level | 7/26/2006 |
Q: Yes, I went to keesler, I don't remember them ever mentioning positive lightning. Oh, all the global ...
A: One part that the global warming are talking about it the melting of large ice bodies. This melting ...
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| Waves | 7/26/2006 |
Q: I heard all weather on earth is caused by waves and in a type 1 civilization, we would be able to ...
A: The problem with controling the waves is the conservation of energy. If you stop a storm over the ...
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| tropical air mass | 6/4/2006 |
Q: tropical masses DO NOT; [which of the following? have warm/moist air or have strong winds in the ...
A: * Tropical air masses by their very nature are warm. A maritime air mass will be moist while a ...
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| lightning | 5/30/2006 |
Q: When I was younger, I witnessed something with lightning that I have never seen again. The sky had ...
A: Based on what you have said it is likely that the angle of the sun allowed you to see farther than ...
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| cooler at the coast? | 5/30/2006 |
Q: I had a bit of an argument with friends over this: When we were going to the beach over the ...
A: Well, the explanation that you are looking for is that land heats up faster than water. It takes ...
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| temperature at dawn | 5/18/2006 |
Q: Why does it seem that the overnight temperature reaches its lowest point just when the sun rises in ...
A: Actually, in a normal situation that is exactly what happens. The coldest temperature overnight ...
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| Hurricanes causing early labor?? | 5/6/2006 |
Q: What are the real facts surrounding the theory that hurricanes (barometric pressure) can cause early ...
A: You are getting into theories. Like why you should not fly after a certain point in your pregnancy. ...
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| meteorology definitions | 5/5/2006 |
Q: What is the difference between isolated thunderstorms and scattered thunderstorms
A: It is very subjective. Isolated or scattered depends on who is looking at it. To one person 3 ...
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| Weather Maps | 4/19/2006 |
Q: When I go to my favorite websites to look at current weather conditions in the US I can pretty much ...
A: The purple line that you see on the map is an occluded front. It happens when a cold front moves ...
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