Earth Atmospherics/Weather

Palomar · 2005-11-16 05:27:07

*More tornadoes in the Midwest/SE:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051116/ap_ … re_weather

I saw tornado watches posted for those sections of the nation on last evening's local news. The states effected in last night's Mother Nature Melee were Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana.

Last weekend, as I'm sure some folks know, Iowa was hit with tornadoes; Woodward was especially damaged. My sister reported a tornado in northern Iowa, only 5 or 6 miles from where she lives. Tornadoes in Iowa in November? Exceedingly rare.

--Cindy

C M Edwards · 2005-11-19 10:52:04

Tropical Storm Gamma

It's fashionably late, barely tropical storm strength, and is expected to fade back to a tropical depression in a few days. But it should hold together just long enough to drench Cuba and the Florida Keys again.

Egad.

Palomar · 2005-11-22 07:30:39

*Here's something new under (or "around," rather) the Sun:

Halo

Neat-o. I've never seen anything like that before. Photo and caption by spaceweather.com:

BRIGHT HALO: On Nov. 13th, Clóvis Padoan Filho looked up and witnessed "the brightest sun halo I've ever seen!" The display lasted for more than an hour. It was a hot spring afternoon in Pato Branco, Brazil, "about 27°C," says Filho, but among the clouds, the temperature was freezing cold. Ice crystals refracted sunlight, creating the rainbow-colored ring.

Sun halos are surprisingly common

Um...they are?

and easy to see if you know how to look for them

Try it.

I've seen plenty of Sun "dogs," but nothing akin to this. Have seen many photos of huge halo-like effects around Sol -- at a distance -- (particularly photos from the arctic regions), but nothing like this (so "close to" Sol's disc -- "hugging it").

--Cindy

Grypd · 2005-11-25 10:39:59

Well it is late november and we still see tropical storms. This is Delta. It thankfully is far from hitting any of the caribean islands though there is a potential risk to the atlantic Islands.

Still this is getting a bit beyond a joke is the Hurricane season ever going to end or is it as it appears to be that the season where they can form gets longer and longer so raising the threat.

Rxke · 2005-11-25 11:38:40

Seen a halo pretty much like the one depicted (first link) about the same time a year ago, mid-city. I saw it, stopped in my tracks, and tried to take a picture (but turned out the b/w film I 'inherited' that was in my camera was... a bit aged, heehee, so no pic )

When I was done shooting, I looked around, and there were numerous people gazing up, some clearly quite puzzled about what that was...

I prefer the ice-halo's around Luna, BTW... Sometimes they do weird things, like creating a 'negative' halo, so you see the moon, then a seemingly *really* dark band around it, and then the whitish halo itself. It's optical illusion of course, (the lightsource of Luna being far more luminous than the halo, compare it to the sun-halo in the pic, but imagine this at night...)

Quite impressive. Last winter, I happened to be outside at night, spotted one very 'dark' one, and sent of an SMS to a friend, living more than 100km from where I live. Great was my surprize he went out and replied he saw it too! :shock:

Palomar · 2005-11-25 12:15:51

Grypd:

Well it is late november and we still see tropical storms. This is Delta. It thankfully is far from hitting any of the caribean islands though there is a potential risk to the atlantic Islands.
Still this is getting a bit beyond a joke is the Hurricane season ever going to end or is it as it appears to be that the season where they can form gets longer and longer so raising the threat.

*It's been unseasonably warm all throughout the southern portion of the U.S. Yesterday our temps rivaled that of September's; also, Thanksgiving week always has gusty winds as well. Not yesterday. I told my husband I was tempted to drag the Halloween decorations back out; seems like October's coming on, not December. It'll be winter soon...hopefully this lingering summer will go away by then! Variety really is the spice of life, after all.

Rik:

Seen a halo pretty much like the one depicted (first link) about the same time a year ago, mid-city. I saw it, stopped in my tracks, and tried to take a picture (but turned out the b/w film I 'inherited' that was in my camera was... a bit aged, heehee, so no pic )
When I was done shooting, I looked around, and there were numerous people gazing up, some clearly quite puzzled about what that was...
I prefer the ice-halo's around Luna, BTW... Sometimes they do weird things, like creating a 'negative' halo, so you see the moon, then a seemingly *really* dark band around it, and then the whitish halo itself. It's optical illusion of course, (the lightsource of Luna being far more luminous than the halo, compare it to the sun-halo in the pic, but imagine this at night...)

The only halos in this area are Lunar halos. Winter in the Midwestern region of the U.S. saw some interesting halo effects around the Sun (when you could see the Sun, that is; Midwestern winters are notoriously cloudy), but nothing akin to the spectacular arcs and halos seen in the arctic regions of course.

I'm glad spaceweather.com hosts photos of atmospheric phenomena. They get an interesting and frequent variety from all over the globe.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-11-25 13:35:30

Me:

I'm glad spaceweather.com hosts photos of atmospheric phenomena. They get an interesting and frequent variety from all over the globe.

And here's something else of interest:

'Tis the season for false auroras

fa la la la la, la la la la
if you wanna see 'em
you gotta go outdooras
fa la la la la, la la la la

Likely you folks WAY up north have seen this. I likely did once or twice in childhood. Photo comes from Mr. S. Johnson of Maine, Nov. 23. Here's the explanation:

What are false auroras? They're better known as light pillars -- luminous columns caused by manmade lights hitting snow or ice crystals in the air. They can look remarkably like auroras, but there's no geomagnetic storm.
"The temperature was about 20o F," recalls Johnson, "and a very light, very fine snow was falling. The pillars were bright when my wife first called me out to see them. The sky had cleared between light snow showers. As the clouds moved back in they started to dim. It was a spectacular display--almost as much fun as real Northern Lights."

Neat.

--Cindy

P.S.: It just occurred to me that aurora and orange seem to have something in common: I can't think of an English word which rhymes with either.

Grypd · 2005-11-25 19:17:48

If anything on this side of the "pond" the weather is decidedly cold. Hardest snows in November for 30 years and tempatures down to -10 not including wind chill. Still a good cold winter tends to mean a warm summer (old wifes tail)

DonPanic · 2005-11-26 03:21:04

LO
CO2 at highest level since 650000 years

:cry:

Another french scientists plot... :mrgreen:

C M Edwards · 2005-11-29 15:30:33

Now we have tropical storm Epsilon. Apparently, nobody told Mother Nature that the Atlantic hurricane season officially ends tomorrow.

Grypd · 2005-11-29 18:43:56

Worse tropical storm Delta is close to becoming a hurricane just a couple more mph and it is.

For f*** sake what is happening

Palomar · 2005-12-02 09:30:46

Now we have tropical storm Epsilon. Apparently, nobody told Mother Nature that the Atlantic hurricane season officially ends tomorrow.

*Yeah well...two days after the official end it's Hurricane Epsilon now.

This makes for the 14th hurricane of 2005. It's 955 east of Bermuda, and turning away from Bermuda. Is traveling NE at 14 miles per hour. There's no threat to land, but surf warnings are out.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-12-03 17:08:34

*Hurricane Epsilon defies expectations and strengthens! :shock:

It revved up to 80 mph -- despite the cooler waters it's moving into.

Update

I love nature, especially when it throws a curveball.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-12-09 11:59:54

[url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10388147/]North magnetic pole heading for Siberia
Alaska might lose its Northern Lights in 50 years, scientists say[/url]

Despite accelerated movement over the past century, the possibility that Earth’s modestly fading magnetic field will collapse is remote. But the shift could mean Alaska may no longer see the sky lights known as auroras, which might then be more visible in more southerly areas of Siberia and Europe.

Palomar · 2005-12-09 12:47:21

More false auroras

*Pic taken by D. Smith of Grand Forks, ND, on Dec. 6.

They're also known as "light pillars" -- luminous columns caused by manmade lights hitting snow or ice crystals in the air. Look for them after a light snowfall. False auroras can be almost as pretty as the real thing.

From spaceweather.com. Are the result of a cold wave. Yes...very cold. Our night time temps here have been in the low 20s! I can imagine what ND's temps are...and don't want to.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-12-13 07:11:44

Egg-shaped ice halo around Moon

:?

Pretty...but weird. Photo taken by G. Poulin of Quebec on December 8.

"When I went to my car after work tonight (Dec. 8th), I looked up at the sky, as usual, and I saw something very weird around the moon. With the cold climate here, ice halos are common, but this was the first time I've ever seen an egg-shaped halo."

Yeah. All the ice haloes I've ever seen are round. Hmmmmm.

Even atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley was impressed: "Some halos are exceptionally rare, some are mysteries -- this one is both. It is an 'elliptical halo' and we don't understand how it formed."
"Plate or column shaped ice crystals make most halos but a few halos come from pyramid shapes," he explains. "Using a computer, we try to simulate elliptical halos using very flat discus-like double pyramids but the simulations are never quite right--compare this simulation with the image. Such flattened pyramid crystals are also wildly improbable. Guillaume's rare pearl is going to help us better understand these mysteries. Always have a camera with you!"

All that from spaceweather.com.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-12-15 06:21:14

*This is one heck of a Moon halo:

Rare haloes and arcs

The photo was taken on December 8 by M. Mikkila of Sievi, Finland. I've never seen a Moon halo with such features, even in a photo; the Sun, yes -- photos from Antarctica, but this?

"Rare halos and arcs abound in this diamond dust display," says atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley.
Among the labels you'll notice names like Parry and Tape. These are the people who discovered particular arcs: "The famous British arctic explorer Edmund Parry discovered his in 1820 while icebound near Melville Island," explains Cowley. "Halo expert Walter Tape predicted his arcs a few years ago and they were first observed at the South Pole. The elusive "V" shaped arc discovered recently by Finnish observer Jarmo Moilanen is another mystery halo. We do not yet know how it is formed. Halos are traditionally named after their discoverer -- go outdoors and find yours!"

Yeah, that "V"-shaped arc is fantastic. I wish the temperature at the time had been mentioned. All from spaceweather.com.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-12-22 07:13:41

Green shadows is the place for me...

GREEN SHADOWS: "I love it," says photographer Joseph Hall. "The auroras turned the shadows green." That's what he observed near Fairbanks, Alaska, on Dec. 21st when bright auroras filled the sky. Their green light beamed down into the moon-shadows of the trees, turning the shadows themselves green

*That is wild. Cool!

Photo and caption from spaceweather.com.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-12-30 12:32:40

Wow its not over yet.. [url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10651619/]Atlantic tropical storm forms, 27th of 2005
Zeta comes as a surprise after record hurricane season[/url]

The tropical Storm Zeta formed about 1,000 miles southwest of the Azores islands. Nearly a month after the hurricane season officially has ended. Probably no threat to land but way out there in the middle of the Ocean makes one wonder how much the Atlantic has warmed up...

Palomar · 2006-01-05 11:09:14

Wow its not over yet.. [url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10651619/]Atlantic tropical storm forms, 27th of 2005
Zeta comes as a surprise after record hurricane season[/url]
The tropical Storm Zeta formed about 1,000 miles southwest of the Azores islands. Nearly a month after the hurricane season officially has ended. Probably no threat to land but way out there in the middle of the Ocean makes one wonder how much the Atlantic has warmed up...

*Yep. And here's another zinger: Not only has Zeta persisted, it's actually strengthened again:

Update

MIAMI - Zeta again strengthened into a tropical storm Thursday and could break the record for the storm lasting the longest into January since record keeping began in 1851.
Zeta, the 27th and final named storm in a tumultuous, record-breaking hurricane season that officially ended more than a month ago, had sustained winds near 40 mph at 10 a.m., up from 35 mph earlier in the day

No threat to land.

This thing has been very tenacious," he said. "It's probably its last gasp."
Zeta is only the second Atlantic storm in recorded history to survive into January, joining Hurricane Alice in 1955. After Zeta dissipates, Stewart said, forecasters will review records to determine whether it or Alice lasted longest into January.

But as I've mentioned elsewhere, even in my region the "winter" temperatures have been consistently 16 to 23 degrees higher than normal. It's crazy.

--Cindy

Grypd · 2006-01-05 17:23:17

Will this season just stop for all that is holy

C M Edwards · 2006-01-06 16:10:29

From the US National Hurricane Center at 4PM EST today:

I SUPPOSE IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT THE RECORD-BREAKING 2005 ATLANTIC
HURRICANE SEASON ENDS WITH A RECORD BREAKING STORM. TODAY... ZETA
SURPASSED 1954 ALICE #2 AS THE LONGEST-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONE TO
FORM IN DECEMBER AND CROSS OVER INTO THE NEXT YEAR. ZETA WAS ALSO
THE LONGEST-LIVED JANUARY TROPICAL CYCLONE. IN ADDITION...ZETA
RESULTED IN THE 2005 SEASON HAVING THE LARGEST ACCUMULATED CYCLONE
ENERGY...OR ACE... SURPASSING THE 1950 SEASON. SO... UNTIL THE 2006
SEASON BEGINS... UNLESS ZETA SOMEHOW MAKES AN UNLIKELY MIRACLE
COMEBACK... THIS IS THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER SIGNING OFF FOR
2005... FINALLY.
FORECASTER STEWART
FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS
INITIAL 06/2100Z 23.4N 50.3W 25 KT...DISSIPATING
12HR VT 07/0600Z 24.0N 52.4W 25 KT...REMNANT LOW

I think the NHC's running out of things to say in their public advisories. Hopefully we'll have at least a few months until "Alphonso". Don't quote me on that, though...

Palomar · 2006-01-07 07:55:17

I think the NHC's running out of things to say in their public advisories. Hopefully we'll have at least a few months until "Alphonso". Don't quote me on that, though...

*I thought Alberto was the first name on the 2006 list?

Check out these clouds:

van Gogh clouds

And the colors in the pic are superb.

In San Francisco last night, photographer Mila Zinkova was admiring a Pacific sunset. "There were huge waves on the ocean," says Zinkova. "Suddenly I saw a different wave at the sky. I've never seen such clouds before and they were just amazing."

These clouds, sometimes called "billow clouds," are produced by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability when horizontal layers of air brush by one another at different velocities. A better name might be van Gogh clouds: It is widely believed that these waves in the sky inspired the swirls in van Gogh's masterpiece The Starry Night.

Reminds me of soft peaks in whipping cream or egg whites being whipped, ha. I wonder how long they retain those shapes...

--Cindy

Palomar · 2006-01-11 07:59:38

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody’d be surfin’
Like Californi-a...

We’re waxing down our surfboards
We can’t wait for june
We’ll all be gone for the summer
We’re on surfari to stay
Tell the teacher we’re surfin’
Surfin’ U.S.A...

*God I love the Beach Boys. I'm ready for sun, beach and lots of water. But it's winter and the lake 75 miles north of here is nearly bone dry.

Rainbow rides the waves #1

Surfin' rainbow #2

Rainbow can't get enough

Taken Jan. 7 by M. Zinkova near Pacifica, Calif. Spaceweather.com is hosting the photos and this caption:

A rainbow, surfing? It's not so crazy. The key ingredients of a rainbow are (1) water droplets and (2) light. The waves of Pacifica had plenty of both. Water droplets in the ocean spray intercepted sunbeams, spreading the light into beautiful colors. "It was fun to see rainbows surfing these huge waves," says Minkova.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2006-01-31 07:42:17

Back a few months ago when the Huricanes were in full force we had seen that it may be time to add to that scale. Now in the news it appears to be time to make a new scale for Snow...
[url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11101833/]Snowstorms get their own rating scale
1-5 system being tested in Northeast, will be used after a storm hits[/url]

While it may be the time for a scale to identify storm strength, with this years weather it would have been low on the scale.

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