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All About Weather 2022

Glowing sun behind trees spilling rays of light over a grassy late summer meadow

What are the Dog Days of Summer?

As we move through August, some folks will reference it as being the “dog days.” What are they talking about? We associate these “dog days” with hot weather. But it does not refer to living dogs being uncomfortable in the heat. Instead, the term is associated with a bright star called Sirius (not...
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Let's see whether you know your weather: Take the quiz

It's scorching outside. Stay inside and take our most recent weather quiz.  T or F: Due to the Greenhouse Effect, the Earth takes in more heat from the sun than it gives off. An increase in temperature the higher you go in the atmosphere is called a ____ ____. The eye of a hurricane has calm...
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Two rows of seats in a sports stadium.

Hitting the long ball: What weather is best?

It’s summer. It’s baseball season. Millions of people attend Major League games, just waiting for their favorite hitter to knock one into the seats. Fans contend with afternoon games that may be hot and muggy or just simply hot. I once went to a Rangers game while attending a conference where the...
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Rays of light from the sun above a layer of clouds over the earth.

Ozone, protector of life on earth

Earth’s atmosphere, while it appears to go forever, is actually a very thin layer of air. Technically the atmosphere reaches out for thousands of miles, but over half of the atmosphere is within 4 miles of the earth’s surface. Think about driving 4 miles- it’s not very far. By the time you’re 16...
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Can't rule out late frosts

I don’t know about you, but this April was not what I was expecting or hoping for. Many days were 5 to 20 degrees below average, and below freezing temperatures occurred even during the last week of the month. How can we have such a cold spring when we are increasing global temperatures? There are...
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tornado over field

Meet the man who defined tornado intensity

Mississippi and Alabama were recently hammered with severe storms and large-scale tornadoes. The damage that large high-speed tornadoes can cause is phenomenal and life-threatening. Many have heard of the “F-Scale” or “EF-Scale” of tornado intensity. The F stands for Fujita, last name of the...
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cumulous clouds

Look up: Puffy clouds are here

If you ever take a few minutes to watch what happens to clouds in the sky, especially in March, you’ll see many puffy shaped clouds form and fall apart. You’ll see these clouds at other times of the year, but they are around a lot in March and April. What clouds are puffy? Cumulus clouds form...
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Beware the High Dew Points of March!

The title doesn’t work as well as Beware the Ides of March, but the sentiment is the same. If we experience dew point temperatures in the 50s or 60s in March, just be wary that the chance for severe weather is high. What is the dew point? Air can only hold so much water vapor, which is the gas...
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gray volcano erupting plume of smoke and ash

How do volcanic eruptions affect climate?

A large underwater volcano recently erupted in the South Pacific. Volcanoes can send huge amounts of gases and ash into the atmosphere. Very large eruptions can affect the climate. In 1815, one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in the last several thousand years occurred in the South Pacific...
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Yellow siren on roof of brick building

What does it mean when warning sirens go off?

Ominous clouds and an approaching storm may be accompanied by the wail of a community siren. Other times they can be heard in the morning on what may be a nice day. What do the different blasts of the siren mean? Sirens are part of the Public Alert System to let those outdoors be aware of a local...
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man and woman walk dog as sun sets over frosty field

Perihelion is a day to celebrate

If someone is sad that holiday season is over, here is something to celebrate.  The earth is the closest it will ever be to the sun for the year!  We all know the earth revolves around the sun. It takes about 365.25 days to do this, or one year. However, that revolution (or orbit) is not a...
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