Current Events

  • Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong corr...Read more

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    Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather

    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period. Data analyzed in this study cover the period from 431 to 1649, during which time up to 48 volcanic eruptions are identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. You can find the study (open access), published on 6 June 2013 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article. Find out more about how volcanoes can influence climate.
  • EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, acco...Read more

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    EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US

    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. For more information on the tornado, visit http://ow.ly/i/2hfDG.
  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.

Weather

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place. Most weather takes place in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere.

Weather is measured and described in a variety of ways by meteorologists, scientists who study and predict weather. Air temperature and pressure, the amount and type of precipitation, the strength and direction of wind, and the types of clouds are all described in a weather report.

Weather changes each day because the air in our atmosphere is always moving, distributing energy from the Sun. In most places in the world, the types of weather events also vary throughout the year as seasons change.

The <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/tornado/fujita.html">EF-5</a> <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/tornado.html">tornado</a> that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st, 2013 was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of National Weather Service, Norman Oklahoma</em></small></p>Hurricane Alex, a <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/saffir_simpson.html">category 3</a> storm at its strongest, traveled north along the east coast of North America in August 2004 causing <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/surge.html">flooding</a>, strong <a href="/earth/Water/ocean_waves.html">waves</a>, and rip tides along the coast. <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/formation.html">Hurricanes form</a> in the tropics over warm ocean water and die down when they <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/movement.html">move</a> over land or out of the tropics. These storms are called hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons or tropical cyclones in other areas of the world.<p><small><em> Courtesy of NOAA</em></small></p>A <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tornado.html">tornado</a> begins in a severe <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm.html">thunderstorm</a> called a <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/severe.html">supercell</a>.</p> The wind coming into the storm starts to swirl and forms a funnel. The air in the funnel spins faster and faster and creates a very <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/low_pressure.html">low pressure</a> area which sucks more   This tornado was photographed in Carteret County, NC on June 7, 2004.<p><small><em>Courtesy of National Weather Service Forecast Office of Newport/Morehead City, NC</em></small></p>This photograph of a <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/clouds/cumulonimbus.html">cumulonimbus cloud</a> was taken on the <a href="/earth/grassland_eco.html">grasslands</a> of eastern Wyoming. Notice the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/precipitation/rain.html">rain</a> and <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/precipitation/hail.html">hail</a> falling from this cloud! Cumulonimbus clouds form during <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm.html">thunderstorms</a>, when very warm, moist air rises into cold air. As this humid air rises, water vapor <a href="/earth/Water/condensation.html">condenses</a>, and forms huge <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/clouds/cumulonimbus.html">cumulonimbus</a> clouds. <p><small><em> Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.inclouds.com">Gregory Thompson</a></em></small></p>Does Earth science matter? The power outage experienced by residents in New York City on October 30th 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy demonstrates the interconnectedness of our society, and the power of the Earth system. Every person should have an understanding of how the Earth system works so they can live better lives, protect those they love, and make wise choices. Earth science education is critical!<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Hybirdd, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.</em></small></p>Greenland’s <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/cryosphere_glacier1.html">ice sheet</a> saw a record <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/headline_universe/olpa/greenland_10dec07.html">melt</a> in July 2012. Scientists studying this event have found that this melting event was triggered by an influx of unusually warm air and amplified by the presence of a blanket of thin low-level <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/cloud.html">clouds</a> which pushed temperatures up above freezing. For more information see the <a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/21638">press release</a> from the University of Wisconsin Madison.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison</em></small></p>

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Explore Weather

Weather Fronts

When a front passes over an area, it means a change in the weather. Many fronts cause weather ...Read more

Clouds

Clouds can come in all sizes and shapes, and can form near the ground or high in the atmosphere. ...Read more

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are one of the most thrilling and dangerous types of weather phenomena. Over ...Read more

Tornadoes

Tornadoes form from severe thunderstorms. They have a very high energy density which means ...Read more

Hurricanes

As a strong hurricane heads towards a vulnerable coast, people take precautions - boarding ...Read more

Heat Waves

It’s the middle of the summer and it’s hot – hotter than normal. The heat lasts for days. It’s ...Read more

Blizzards

Fast winds blowing up to 75 mph (120 kph), 43 inches (1 meter) of snowfall, power outages, ...Read more

Urban Weather

Cities can affect the weather. Looking at satellite data, scientists have observed that heavy ...Read more

Atmospheric Optics

Have you ever seen clouds in the sky that looked different than "normal" clouds? Or have you ...Read more

Weather Instruments

Knowing what weather is on the way is important to many people. For example, farmers plan their ...Read more

More about Weather

Historical Events

6/25 Hermann Oberth,a Romanian and German physicist, was born on this date in 1894 Details
6/28 Maria Mitchell, an American astronomer, died on this date in 1889 Details
6/29 George Hale, an American astronomer, was born on this date in 1869 Details

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Did you know?

Did you know that most of the Earth's clouds and weather are found in lowest level of the Earth’s atmosphere?

Did you know that the ionosphere makes radio communication possible?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Subduction zone
xSubduction zone : Subduction is the process of the oceanic lithosphere colliding with and descending beneath the continental lithosphere.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Gulf Oil Spill: Mississippi River Hydrology May Help Reduce Oil Onshore

The Gulf of Mexico: what role will the Mississippi River play in oil washing ashore and into delta wetlands? One of the spill's greatest environmental threats is to Louisiana's wetlands, scientists believe....Read more

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