Tracking Weather Across the State
MCS is an abbreviation you are probably going to hear a lot about this summer and almost any summer for that matter. So before we talk about the coming weather, we wanted to offer a new Severe Weather 101 Course on what exactly MCS stands for. An MCS, to put [...]
As we told you last week, NEXRAD in the Quad Cities was getting a major upgrade. After a weeks worth of work, the radar is again operational, but work continues on the new technology. It’s called Dual-Polarization Radar, or Dual-Pol. In the future, the radar will still be known as [...]
It’s a term often associated with volcanoes along the Pacific Rim. But it also defines a weather phenomena. It’s called the Ring of Fire and it’s something we have to watch out for as temperatures across the U.S. really start to warm up. Here’s an example of how it works. [...]
As we wrap up our series of reports this week, I wanted to take a moment to tell you what’s coming in the near future for weather forecasting and storm tracking. Without getting into the details, scientists continue to work on and improve the computers and the algorithms they use [...]
They might sound straight forward, but watches and warnings can still confuse some people. Some of the misunderstandings are basic, but others do take a bit of explaining. Let’s start from the beginning… Severe weather watches are designed to be the last line of defense before storms threaten an area. [...]
In Part 3 of our week long series, I wanted to focus on the final “forecast” product issued on a national scale before a severe weather event strikes. It’s called the mesoscale discussion. In a way it’s almost like a precursor to a severe weather watch, IF one is issued. [...]
In Part 1 of our week long series, we gave you a rundown of the chain of command involved in a severe weather event, starting with the Storm Prediction Center and end with storm chasers and storm spotters on the ground witnessing the weather first-hand. Now for part 2, the [...]
In Part 1 of our week-long series on severe weather, I wanted to discuss the process used in tracking dangerous storms. It’s a unique system that starts on a national scale and works itself all the way down to the storm chaser or storm spotter who witnesses the severe weather. [...]
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