the scientific study of the atmosphere and its processes.
Questions tagged [meteorology]
19 questions
74
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2 answers
Do snowballs snowball?
"Snowball" as a verb, means to increase rapidly in size - a reference to the Snowball Effect:
The common analogy is with the rolling of a snowball down a snow-covered hillside. As it rolls the ball will pick up more snow, gaining more mass and…
Oddthinking
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Was the 45.9°C temperature in France in June 2019 the highest ever recorded in France?
It was widely reported that on 28th June, 2019, a record temperature of 45.9°C was recorded in Gallargues-le-Montueux, France, breaking the previous 2003 record of 44.1°C. Sources: Metéo France, BBC, CNN.
It was then alleged that this was, in fact,…
Inductiveload
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22
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Do contrails last long enough to explain chemtrails?
I often hear the claim that "chemtrails" have to exist, because normal contrails don't linger very long. Is there a definitive scientific explanation for why normal contrails sometimes do, in fact stick around and sometimes even seed very large…
mootinator
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Is the coldest part of the day an hour after the sun comes up?
Popular lore states that generally the lowest temperature of any given day occurs an hour after sunrise, because it takes some time for the heat from the Sun to reach Earth. But, it only takes about 8 minutes for the energy from the Sun to reach…
Patches
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1 answer
Can wind remain as cold as -70 degrees?
John Campbell's novella Who Goes There? was adapted into one of my favorite movies, The Thing (1982).
In it, I came upon an interesting claim about temperature in the Antarctic:
..no wind could blow at -70 degrees, [and] no more than a 5 mile…
JJanderson
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14
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1 answer
Did the ocean freeze suddenly, trapping fish?
I've seen a few news stories about the ocean freezing in a "instant" and trapping fish, like this Gizmodo Australia one.
Norwegian public radio (Google-translated) reports on the instant dead of thousands of fish in a bay in the island of Lovund,…
Frames Catherine White
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12
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2 answers
Are there no two snow crystals alike?
I remember vividly that when i still was young, I'd examine the snow as it dropped on my winter cloths. Every time I was amazed by the nice textures I discovered. Now many years later, I'm wondering if there's a possibility that crystals can be…
Terry
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9
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Does climate change mean that weather becomes more variable in addition to being warmer?
In public media the notion that climate change is more than global warming gets repeated frequently.
Are there strong predictions that show that the climate becomes more irregular? Would we expect the weather in any particular place to suffer…
Christian
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Do cows lie down before rain or thunderstorms?
Example of the claim:
Users on the Snopes forums
I've been told that if you see cows lying down in the field, that means it's going to rain.
[...]
Pretty much "common knowledge" among the PA Dutch but that doesn't mean it's true.
Lehzer
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6
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1 answer
Is climate change causing more storms and worse storm damage?
The BBC reports, under this headline Climate change: Bigger hurricanes are now more damaging
One of the big questions that scientists have wrestled with is how to compare storm events from different eras. Is the increase in financial damages…
matt_black
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Do cyclones or hurricanes form near the equator?
I'm a pretty intelligent guy (I like to think) and I work with a pretty intelligent guy. Today, I said cyclones can't form close to the equator, thinking cyclones need the Coriolis effect. He was quite adament that they could and sent me…
Coomie
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Does this video show a sonic boom through a sun dog?
This YouTube video purports to be of a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center in 2010.
It shows a rocket reaching the speed of sound, and creating a sonic boom at the same time as the rocket passes through a "sun dog", and the resultant ripples…
Ernis
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4
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1 answer
Does each doubling of CO2 cause a 2-4°C increase?
Professor Henrik Svensmark argues that cosmic rays have a strong influence on cloud formation and hence climate change. In 2016 he predicted global warming was over. He was recently the lead author of an article: Increased ionization supports growth…
capet
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4
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Does this video show a very localised rain shower falling on one spot?
This video has been doing the rounds* for the past couple of weeks, claiming it's a very local rain shower.
I find it hard to believe. A broken water mains or a geyser seems more likely. But the video perspective is not that you can say 'obviously…
user22865
4
votes
2 answers
Is assuming that tomorrow's weather will be the same as today a good model?
I heard people say that assuming tomorrow's weather will be the same as today's is as good as, or better, than meteorological models.
This book says people assume is the best way
This site claims that it's 40% accurate.
Has anyone tested the…
I. Haage
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