Earth Weather

Amazing Facts About Cold Fronts

2011-12-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

Cold fronts can cause amazing and drastic weather changes. When a cold front passes through your location, you can smell and feel the change. Sometimes a cold front will bring in a dust storm with high winds or even a blizzard with a temperature drop of 40 degrees. Learn what causes cold fronts and what kind of weather changes a cold front can cause.

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The Facts of Global Warming

2011-10-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

There is a great deal of debate about global warming and climate change and it seems more political than scientific at times. This makes it hard to know the real facts when politicians get in the way of real science. It is important for all of us to understand global warming so we can make informed decisions and follow the debates as we learn more. Is global warming man-made or just a cycle of the Earth.

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How to Know the Temperature by Counting Cricket Chirps

2011-08-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

It is a warm summer evening and the crickets are out chirping all night long. By counting the number of cricket chirps you can actually figure out what the current temperature is. Learn how you can find out the current temperature just by counting cricket chirps using a simple formula.

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Getting Started in Metal Detecting

2011-07-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

Metal detecting is a great hobby and not that expensive to get started having a lot of fun. With a metal detector, you never know what you might find with that next beep. It could be an Indian Head penny, a ring or maybe a 100 year old dime. You can get a good metal detector for as low as $90. This article will help you find your first metal detector and get started metal detecting.

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All about Hailstorms and How Hail Forms

2011-07-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone watches thunderstorms and they are fascinating to watch. But along with thunderstorms there can be hail. Hailstorms can be destructive, cause injuries and in rare cases even cause death. The larger or taller a thunderstorm is, the more chance there will be large hail. But not all thunderstorms cause hail. Here is how hail forms in those pretty billowing thunderheads.

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All About La Nina

2010-12-16T06:54:00.000-08:00

We are currently having a La Niña year. La Niña is a change in the Pacific Ocean temperature that can change the weather patterns throughout the world. What causes La Niña to form and how does it affect your weather.

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The Most Intense Hurricanes in US History

2010-08-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

There are different ways to classify a hurricane as the worst. I use the lowest barometric pressure at the time of landfall to determine the most intense hurricanes, and usually the lower the barometer, the higher the winds. Here is a list of the ten most intense hurricanes in US history.

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The Worst Flash Floods in US History

2010-08-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Flash floods are second to heat waves in weather related deaths in the United States, killing an average 100 Americans each year. There have been disastrous flash floods in the US, thankfully warning systems have lowered the death tolls. Here is a look at some of the worst flash floods in US history.

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Flash Flood Safety Rules and Tips

2010-08-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

Flash floods kill an average of 100 people in the United States every year in both rural areas and in major cities. A flash flood can happen in an instant and even if where you are, there are blue skies and the flood producing thunderstorm is many miles away. You should know these flash flood safety rules and tips.

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The History of Time in the United States

2010-07-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

There was a time in the United States when knowing what time it is, was very confusing. In the 1800s, every town had their own time, it could be 10 AM in one town and 10:20 just down the road. It took until the mid 1960s before the country had a standardized time. Here is that history of how we finally all knew what time it was.

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The Rare and Beautiful Noctilucent Clouds

2010-06-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

These beautiful noctilucent clouds once rare are being seen more often and at lower latitudes. Scientists think noctilucent clouds could be a sign of global climate change. What are these clouds and why are they being seen more often.

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The History of the US Space Shuttle Program

2010-05-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe and somewhat sad that the US Space Shuttle Program is down to its final few flights. The space shuttle has been flying for 29 years now and has flown 131 missions is now winding down. Here is a look back at the history of the US Space Shuttle Program.

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How Tornadoes Are Predicted

2010-05-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

How tornadoes are predicted days or even hours in advance is not easy. There are numerous ingredients that cause tornadoes and go into predicting the possibility for tornadoes. Here is how the NWS predicts tornadoes and how you can also predict tornadoes.

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All About El Niño

2010-04-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Eastern United States and parts of Europe have just gone through one of the worst winters in history. Was it because of El Niño and what is El Niño. What does this mean for the summer. How does El Nino affect our weather.

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The Different Types of Lightning

2010-03-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

You might think there is just the one type of lightning. There are actually numerous types, from the familiar to ball lightning and sprite lightning that flashes out the top of the thunderstorm, out into space.

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Book Review: The Big Burn By Timothy Egan

2010-01-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan is a fascinating history of how conservation, our National Parks and the US Forest Service came to be, and almost never made it because of politics and the worst forest fire in US history.

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Chinook Winds: The Snow Eater

2009-12-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

Chinook is an Indian word that means, “snow-eater”. The chinook winds can be a nice warming wind bringing instant spring in the middle of winter or a howling destructive windstorm. Chinook winds can raise temperatures by 25 to 35 degrees in minutes, melt snow completely, sandblast cars, collapse buildings and blow trucks off of the road

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CC license photo by aoyan on Flickr

Gift Ideas For the Young Scientist

2009-11-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

Do you know someone who is an amateur scientist, whether it is in electronics, meteorology, astronomy or kit building. Here is a list of gift ideas for those amateur scientists on your gift-shopping list.

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All About The Santa Ana Winds

2009-09-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

It is fall again and there are wildfires in Southern California. Whenever there are fires like this, you always hear that the Santa Ana winds or just the Santa Ana’s are blowing strong, causing the wildfires to spread and become worse. This explains just what causes the Santa Ana winds.

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How to Listen to Meteors on Your FM Radio

2009-08-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

There are always meteors burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere, and during certain times of the year there are major meteor showers. You want to watch the meteors but it’s cloudy or you live in the city with too much light pollution. Even if you can’t see the meteors, you can still have fun listening to the meteors.

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How to Get an Amateur Radio License

2009-07-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

Amateur radio, also known as ham radio is a popular and exciting hobby that isn't hard to get started in. Getting a ham radio license is easier now that the morse code requirements have been dropped.

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The 40th Anniversary of the first moon landing and the history of the Apollo program

2009-07-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that it has been 40 years since man first landed on the moon in Apollo 11. Like most people my age, I can remember exactly where I was when I watched the first moon landing. Here is the history of the Apollo program and how the US got to the moon first.

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How hurricanes form and why hurricanes are needed

2009-07-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hurricanes in the Atlantic, typhoons in the Pacific and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean are all one and the same. This is how they form and why the Earth and mankind need hurricanes. All the time we see on the news the fluffy haired newscaster yelling things like hurricane Alice is now at category 4. We need to look behind those scenes at what’s really going on.

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Why earthquakes occur

2009-07-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

Usually when we think of earthquakes here in the United States we think of California. You might also think of earthquakes in remote areas of China, India, Iran or Turkey. Earthquakes can happen anywhere on the planet.

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Could another Carrington Event destroy our economy

2009-07-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

Could another Carrington Event destroy the economy or worse, destroy civilization, as we know it today. The Carrington Event was nothing more than a solar flare that hit the Earth in 1859. It just happened to be the strongest solar flare to possibly ever hit the planet and the strongest seen and recorded.

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Facts about the Dust Bowl

2009-05-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

The Dust Bowl was caused by several different factors that all seemed to come together at the same time. The reasons for this disaster didn’t just happen overnight. The history of the Dust Bowl and the people who lived through it is amazing.

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How to be a storm spotter

2009-05-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Like the old saying, “everyone talks about the weather, but there isn’t anything you can do about it”. That is true, but you can learn to forecast it, monitor and report it. Many groups and agencies need amateur meteorologists to monitor and report the weather. The National Weather Service (NWS).......

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How ions affect your mood

2009-05-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

It’s another windy day and you’re in a bad mood, in fact you can’t remember the last time you felt like this. Yes you can, it was the last time the wind blew like this. Wind, rain and lightning, all can affect our moods and how we feel.

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The Earth sings, whistles and talks to us

2009-05-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Earth talks, whistles and sings to us all the time. And scientists are still trying to understand everything the Earth is saying to us. Not only does the Earth sing and whistle to us but also puts on light shows for us at the same time. The song the Earth sings to us is the “dawn chorus” and the light show is the Aurora Borealis or the Australis Borealis, the northern and southern lights.

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Why does lightning strike?

2009-05-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

Lightning is beautiful and fascinating to watch, it is also very dangerous. One lightning strike carries tens of thousands of amps, hundreds of millions of volts releasing several billion joules of energy in less than a second. There are approximately 4 billion lightning strikes every day on Earth and it kills on average 60 people per year in the United States.

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How a tornado forms

2009-05-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

Tornadoes are extremely dangerous and fascinating at the same time. They are awe inspiring to watch, just not too close. There can one tornado or there can be several at one time. You can even see tornadoes dancing around a bigger tornado.

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When will the next Ice Age occur?

2009-05-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

No one can say when the next ice age will occur, but we can look to previous ice ages and see what caused them. With that knowledge we can understand what events might cause another ice age.

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How and when to see meteor showers

2009-05-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

You can see meteors almost any time at night, as long as you’re looking up. There are certain times of the year to go out and look up and see some meteors. These times are called meteor showers.

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Astronomy for beginners

2009-05-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Star gazing and looking up to the skies has been going on since the beginning of man. And today astronomy is still an amazing hobby. Here on Earth we can see the stars of our own galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy, and it’s hard to realize just how big our own galaxy is. With the naked eye we can see other galaxies. Astronomy for beginners explains how to get started in this great hobby.

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How snowflakes are formed

2009-05-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

Precipitation comes in many forms such as rain, sleet, hail and snow. A snowflake starts out as a dust particle. Then water vapor starts to condense onto the dust particle and if the temperature is cold enough it freezes.

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