When I do weather talks, I usually get a question like, “Why do we see storms split apart and come back together after they pass by?”
Unfortunately, I must tell folks that most of the time, what they’re observing is all in the eyes of the beholder. If it were true from every location I have gotten...
As we get closer to this year’s growing season, it’s important to remember that the changes to the climate are also affecting local weather patterns and planting dates. There are many climate tools available for anyone growing gardens, crops, specialty crops, and landscapes through the...
When I was growing up, back in the time when grade schoolers were allowed to play in the snow during recess, we would make “snow forts,” making several large snowballs maybe 3 feet wide. Today, our warmer winters and changes in policies have made this just a memory. While making snowballs is not as...
Winter is here, and probably by the time you read this, we will have had one or more significant snow events. When it gets really cold, you may hear someone say “it’s too cold to snow.” But is that true?
Air temperature, water vapor and humidity work together
The first thing to know is that the...
Growing seasons are shifting — storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires are becoming more common. As the climate changes, we at Extension are working to meet the new challenges facing agriculture.
A team of multi-university Extension personnel, in partnership with the USDA Midwest Climate Hub, is...
As of mid-September of this year, guess which state has had the most tornadoes for the year. Texas? Kansas? Oklahoma? Alabama? Nope, it’s Illinois!
As of September 11, Illinois has had 135 tornadoes. The state annual average is 54. Is this part of an ominous trend?
What is...
Here in the Midwest, we usually look toward our western skies to see what may be coming our way. That’s because the winds several thousand feet up that drive our weather are mostly coming from the west. Why this direction? There are three steps.
1. Air pressure and wind
“...
Much of the southwestern and western U.S. have been suffering extremely high temperatures this summer. Some of that heat crept into the Midwest. Many weather reports are talking about a “heat dome” causing dangerously high temperatures.
How is a heat dome created?
A heat dome can be created in...
We tested your climate knowledge. How did you do?
In what century were the processes that created the greenhouse effect discovered?
ANSWER: The 19th century, which would be the 1800s! John Tyndall published his results of several experiments that showed...
Much of the Midwest has experienced very hazy and smoky conditions the past few days. This is caused by a combination of several atmospheric conditions along with an extreme natural event at the same time.
What is the atmosphere doing?
Currently, the U.S. is being affected by...
