June 03, 2013 1,354 notes weather
We’ve seen roll clouds before in southwest Virginia, but this one is certainly photogenic. n-a-s-a: A Roll Cloud Over Uruguay Credit & Licence: Daniela Mirner Eberl

We’ve seen roll clouds before in southwest Virginia, but this one is certainly photogenic.

n-a-s-a:

A Roll Cloud Over Uruguay

Credit & Licence: Daniela Mirner Eberl

June 02, 2013 1 note weather weather 101
Perfectly good explanation why it was snowing over Galax today. OK. It truly wasn’t snowing, but if you looked at a few of the radar products out there on the market it sure looked like it. Take a look at this funny tweet from an observant viewer Mark C. then I’ll explain. Something tells me there isn’t frozen precip in Carroll/Grayson/Wythe #SWVAWX pic.twitter.com/X3VMx9QhgA — Mark C. (@marksregard) June 2, 2013 Many of the mobile and online radar products on the market use temperature data to help derive the type of precipitation that may be falling outside. But what happens if the temperature is blatantly wrong? You get today’s scenario. There are thousands of reporting stations across the globe. WeatherBug is one of those. It also uses the data from some of those stations to help make better, hyperlocal forecasts. However, when the reporting station in Galax at the AEP Byllesby/Buch Hydro Plant went crazy, the radar that used that data to help determine precipitation type, thought it should have been snowing. It wasn’t. Just wanted to show you how one little piece of weather data can make or break a forecast or even a radar product.

Perfectly good explanation why it was snowing over Galax today.
OK. It truly wasn’t snowing, but if you looked at a few of the radar products out there on the market it sure looked like it.

Take a look at this funny tweet from an observant viewer Mark C. then I’ll explain.


Many of the mobile and online radar products on the market use temperature data to help derive the type of precipitation that may be falling outside. But what happens if the temperature is blatantly wrong? You get today’s scenario. There are thousands of reporting stations across the globe. WeatherBug is one of those. It also uses the data from some of those stations to help make better, hyperlocal forecasts.

However, when the reporting station in Galax at the AEP Byllesby/Buch Hydro Plant went crazy, the radar that used that data to help determine precipitation type, thought it should have been snowing. It wasn’t.

Just wanted to show you how one little piece of weather data can make or break a forecast or even a radar product.

June 02, 2013 2 notes weather
GRAPHIC PHOTO: Among the victims of last week’s Oklahoma tornado were longtime storm chasers. Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young, stars of “Storm Chasers” on the Discovery Channel which ended in 2011.  Members of the storm spotter network strategically lined themselved up in near-perfect fashion, spelling out the initials of Tim Samaros, his son Paul and their chase partner Carl Young. @reedtimmertvn Did they physically line up across the states to do that, or is it just a graphic? — Andy Carvin (@acarvin) June 2, 2013 The near-finished product of the Spotter Network paying tribute to Tim & Paul Samaras and Carl Young in the Plains twitter.com/WCL_Shawn/stat… — Shawn Reynolds (@WCL_Shawn) June 2, 2013

GRAPHIC PHOTO:

Among the victims of last week’s Oklahoma tornado were longtime storm chasers.

Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young, stars of “Storm Chasers” on the Discovery Channel which ended in 2011. 

Members of the storm spotter network strategically lined themselved up in near-perfect fashion, spelling out the initials of Tim Samaros, his son Paul and their chase partner Carl Young.