Weather, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 30, 2011

WWII Bombing Raids Altered English Weather

Allied bombing raids during World War II turned the English sky white with contrails, providing a case study for modern scientists studying how the weather is affected by these long, feathery lines of condensation that form behind aircraft. Researchers focused on larger bombing raids between 1943 to 1945 after the...

May 31, 2011

2011 Fifth Deadliest Tornado Season on Record

This year's tornado season is now tied for the fifth deadliest on record. That ranking could climb even higher by the year's end, one meteorologist said. It's possible that by the end of the year we'll be the second deadliest on record, said meteorologist Harold Brooks, of the National Severe...

Apr 30, 2011

How Big Is the Mississippi River Flood?

The deadly tornadoes and rainstorms that tore across the Midwest last month combined with melting snow have left the Mississippi River bursting at the seams. Amidst the evacuations and extensive flooding along the river, experts know records are being broken, but they say they won't know the full extent of...

Apr 30, 2011

La Niña Weakening, Effects Could Linger

The 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook could be an above-normal year for activity, according to the forecast from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This hurricane season may see 12 to 18 named storms and six to 10 hurricanes, according to the forecast . Several climate factors will play...

Apr 30, 2011

Out of the Tornado Frying Pan and Into the Hurricane Fire?

Tornadoes and hurricanes are very different types of storms. Tornadoes can form a vicious mile-wide funnel in minutes, level a town, and fade away minutes later, making them difficult to forecast. Hurricanes can be spotted weeks out, and the 100-mile-wide storms typically spend days crossing the Atlantic before they hit...

Dec 31, 2010

Radar Dish Lets Scientists Get Inside Snowstorms

While most of us will be hiding indoors during the upcoming snowstorms, a truck-mounted radar dish will be standing out in the cold getting a good look at the inside of the storm. This month and next, scientists inside what are called Doppler-on-Wheels (DOWs) will be tracking snowstorms in and...

Nov 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy Moved Barrier Islands

Barrier islands pummeled by Hurricane Sandy shifted inland during the storm, a natural response to sea level rise, according to surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. Barrier islands are ribbons of sand running parallel to the coast, both in the Atlantic Ocean and around the world. In the United...

Nov 30, 2012

Tornado Alley Map, Stats (Infographic)

Tornadoes, nature’s most violent storms, are spawned from powerful thunderstorms. With whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate neighborhoods in seconds. The greatest number of tornadoes in one calendar month is 543, in May 2003. The highest recorded tornadic wind speed is...

Oct 31, 2012

Will Hurricane Sandy's Name Be Retired?

Even though Hurricane Sandy had transformed into a hybrid cyclone-nor'easter when it ravaged the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, weather experts believe the damage left behind will send the name Sandy into retirement. The number of lives lost from Hurricane Sandy has climbed above 110. The devastating storm, second only to Hurricane...

Oct 31, 2012

Images Show How Hurricane Sandy Rocked Jersey

Hurricane Sandy hit the Jersey Shore especially hard and new images show how the superstorm dramatically altered the landscape up and down the coast. The photos from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) feature different points along New Jersey's coastline on May 21, 2009 in contrast with the same locations on...

Sep 30, 2012

4 Things You Need to Know About Hurricane Sandy

Dubbed Frankenstorm, Hurricane Sandy is an unusual storm by any measure. It's enormous, could become a hybrid tempest of sorts, and is creeping north all in time for Halloween. Now, forecasters and emergency mangers have urged those in harm's way to prepare for the Category 1 hurricane, and for widespread...

Sep 30, 2012

Can You Stop a Hurricane by Nuking It?

One idea that rears its head almost every hurricane season recently is the notion of bombing a hurricane into submission. The theory goes that the energy released by a nuclear bomb detonated just above and ahead of the eye of a storm would heat the cooler air there, disrupting the...

Aug 31, 2012

Leslie Becomes Sixth Hurricane of 2012 Season

Tropical Storm Leslie intensified into a hurricane today (Sept. 5), beating out Michael to become the sixth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic season. Leslie first became a tropical storm on Aug. 30 far out over the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a statement at 1:45 p.m. AST...

Aug 31, 2012

Extreme Weather on Display in Glossy Color in Nat Geo

If it seems like the weather has been all kinds of crazy in your corner of the world in recent years, you probably aren't just imagining things. So says the September 2012 edition of National Geographic Magazine. The storied publication takes a hard look at the extreme weather events that...

Aug 31, 2012

Key US East Coast Weather Satellite GOES-13 Fails

A major weather satellite monitoring the U.S. East Coast has shut down, prompting officials to activate a spare satellite to take its place. The GOES-13 satellite failed after days of erratic behavior, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said Monday (Sept. 24). The replacement, GOES-14, has already...