Recently added articles from Weatherwise:

From the editor.(Editorial)

Nov 01, 2007; Benner, Margaret ... It's difficult to imagine what it must be like to live through a devastating natural disaster and lose everything that is important to you. But people do all the time. In fact, sometimes it feels like you can't turn on the news without being bombarded by stories of devastation. Whether ...

The Washington and Jefferson snowstorm.(1957: 50 years ago)

Nov 01, 2007; Ludlum, David ... Washington will have a major snowstorm of near 30 inches on January 27, 2072! This forecast may seem a bit remote even to some of the most ambitious of long range enthusiasts. If past performances hold true, however, the nation's capital should prepare for a snowfall of about 30 inches ...

El Chichon: weather-maker of the century?(1982: 25 years ago)

Nov 01, 2007; Mitchell, J. Murray ... The date: March 28, 1982. The locale: a remote corner of the state of Chiapas, in tropical southeastern Mexico. In recent weeks geologists and local residents alike had been casting worried eyes toward an unimposing dome-topped mountain known to local residents as Chichonal, charted on ...

Baltimore forecast: extra rain.(weatherfront)

Nov 01, 2007 ... Nature-phobes might think they have it made living in a city, but a recent study by scientists at Princeton University indicates that at least one aspect of the natural world--thunderstorms--might actually be stronger in urban environments. Modeling done by graduate student Alexandros ...

Climate school.(weatherfront)(University of North Carolina Asheville )

Nov 01, 2007 ... The University of North Carolina Asheville has launched a new master's degree class focusing on climate and culture. The multidisciplinary course, which is offered in connection with UNC Asheville's Master of Liberal Arts program, covers a range of topics, including national resources and ...

Arctic sea ice reaches record low.(weatherfront)

Nov 01, 2007 ... During the 2007 melt season Arctic sea ice fell to the lowest levels since satellite measurements began in 1979, reaching a low of 1.65 million square miles in September. That is 23 percent lower than the previous record low set in 2005. In addition, sea ice in September 2007 was 39 ...

Refocusing on Outer space.(weatherfront)(Space Weather Prediction Center )(Brief article)

Nov 01, 2007 ... NOAA's Space Environment Center was recently renamed the Space Weather Prediction Center to reflect the growing importance of space weather's effect on terra firma. "Our new name signals a new era in space weather awareness and the growing need for timely, accurate information and ...

Floating rocks.(weatherfront)(the North American continent )

Nov 01, 2007 ... Global warming is widely accepted as a bad thing. On the opposite end of the spectrum, researchers say there is evidence that cooling of the Earth's crust would be a very, very bad thing. According to a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth, the ...

Predicting hurricane intensity.(weatherfront)

Nov 01, 2007 ... Researchers from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu have found that the rate of lightning strikes in a hurricane's eyewall can help predict the strength of the storm while it is still far out over the ocean. When water condenses to form clouds, it releases latent heat that causes ...

Unfasten your seatbelts.(weatherfront)(National Center for Atmospheric Research's new turbulence detection system)

Nov 01, 2007 ... A group of United Airlines pilots have been testing a system developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to alert commercial airliners to pockets of turbulence. Between 1992 and 2001, turbulence was a factor in at least 509 accidents in the United States, including 251 ...

Nice weather for ducks!(weatherfront)

Nov 01, 2007 ... A nearly 3-decade-long study has revealed that rainfall has increased over tropical areas, and the majority of the highest-rainfall years have been since 2001. "When we look at the whole planet over almost three decades, the total amount of rain falling has changed very little. But in the ...

In memoriam.(weatherfront)(Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Hank" Brandli)(Obituary)(Brief article)

Nov 01, 2007 ... Air Force meteorologist Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Hank" Brandli, a pioneer in the field of satellite meteorology and a Weatherwise author, passed away on September 26, 2007. Brandli, a native of Massachusetts, graduated from Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of ...

Kauai's Mount Waialeale.(weatherscapes)

Nov 01, 2007; Darack, Ed ... Wrapped in verdant swaths of forest and bordered by precipitous cliffs, the island of Kauai owes its steeply incised landforms and dense stands of plant life to factors most visitors might never consider: the region's predominant winds and an often cloud-veiled peak of generous girth that ...

December 7, 1941: the attack on Pearl Harbor.(retrospect)

Nov 01, 2007; Potter, Sean ... When Japan attacked U.S. naval and air bases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941--drawing the United States into world war for the second time since the beginning of the twentieth century--several elements came together to ensure a victory for Japan. Japan had begun developing a ...

Lessons learned from the winter of 2006-2007.

Nov 01, 2007; Changnon, Stanley A. ... The winter of 2006-2007 will be remembered as one of the most severe on record, bringing an unprecedented number of major storms to the United States and causing billions of dollars worth of damage. In total, 14 major winter storms--two more than ever before--hit the United ...

Sunsets from space: views of our atmosphere from the limb.

Nov 01, 2007; Byrne, Gregory J. ... Terrestial sunsets, though spectacular, pale in comparison to those seen by astronauts onboard a space shuttle or the International Space Station. Speeding around the Earth at 17,500 miles per hour, astronauts in orbit are treated to 16 spectacular sunrises and sunsets a day. These events ...

Scattered by the wind: the Lost Settlement of Diamond City.

Nov 01, 2007; Barnes, Jay ... In the early 1880s, Diamond City was a thriving fishing and whaling community on the island of Shackleford Banks, North Carolina. Hundreds of people made their home there, living off the abundant marine life that swam offshore. By 1902, Diamond City was a ghost town, with only a handful of ...

'The Flood City': how Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is keeping the forces of nature at bay.

Nov 01, 2007; Lorditch, Emilie ... Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is famous for flooding. As the site of one of the worst disasters in American history--the flood of May 31, 1889--and numerous other inundations, the town has rightfully earned the moniker "The Flood City." One of the more notable events was the St. Patrick's Day ...

Director of summit operations Ken Rancourt.(onthejob)(Interview)

Nov 01, 2007; Joyce, Meghan ... Ken Rancourt is the director of summit operations at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Located on top of the highest peak in the Northeast United States, the Observatory is a private, nonprofit, scientific and educational institution that studies climate ...

Dreaming of a white Christmas.(weathertalk)

Nov 01, 2007; Hegedus, Susan ... Inhaling the scent of fresh pine needles while curled up on the sofa to watch classic old movies, read much-loved novels, or listen to music is a cherished Christmas activity. The trappings of the winter season and the spirit of Christmas enchant us in our own living rooms as we snuggle ...