On a daily basis, you (the reader) scroll through our forecast posts, and gain insight into what to expect today, and what weather to expect in the days to come. But how do we as forecasters get to this point? Well, we use a combination of observations, meteorological knowledge and model guidance. When I am […]
Category: Meteorology 101
Temperature Gradients = Wind
I made a rather neat, yet meteorologically obvious, observation today. You may know that tighter pressure gradients produce stronger winds. But, tight temperature gradients can also create some strong winds. This is most notably observed at the surface with heat bursts. I was looking at 500mb temperatures, and noticed that when isotherms, or lines of […]
Zonal Flow
What is zonal flow? We refer to flow as the direction of wind current in the atmosphere. This is similar to the way water flows in a stream or river. Occasionally, you may see meteorologists and forecasters use the terms meridional, zonal, and split flow. I have already made a post about split flow, so […]
Six Years ago: An Incredible Low Pressure System
Six years ago yesterday/today: an incredible mid-latitude cyclone developed across the central portion of the United States and deepened as it moved northward into the northern Plains. This low pressure system is honestly one of the more incredible meteorological anomalies that I have ever seen, as it was an absolutely beautiful example of the foundations […]
In Depth Forecast Discussion: Northern Ohio Valley, Wednesday
Synoptic Overview Based upon SPC objective analysis from the 12z upper air observations this morning, there is a 300 mb ridge established deeply over the southwestern United States, as denoted by the anticyclonic stream lines across that region. This has shifted its axis westward with time as a deeper and more intense shortwave trough is propagating […]
Sixth Anniversary of Infamous Tornado Outbreak was Saturday
On Saturday (June 17th), the sixth anniversary of the 2010 Northern Plains tornado outbreak occurred. This was a fairly wild tornado outbreak, as it produced well over 50 tornadoes across North Dakota, Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The system was very dynamic in nature, which may be surprising because of the time of year, but it […]
Weather Websites You Should Know
Here at WxOrNotBG, we reference a lot of weather websites, but we don’t always explain them or their uses to us. While the weather is quiet across much of the country, I feel like it is a pretty good chance to go through and list these websites for you! These websites are likely staples for some […]
Winter Storm Update – Thursday Evening
***Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 6 AM Saturday*** BG Radar: Thursday Evening Winter Storm Update Weather data continues to indicate a high impact winter storm will impact the Bowling Green, KY region overnight tonight and into Friday. A strong area of low pressure will form in response to an upper level trough entering […]
Hurricane Alex Forms in the Atlantic
Nope, that headline is not a joke. According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Alex has formed in the north Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane Alex currently has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and is moving north-northeast at 20 mph. According to the National Hurricane Center, Alex is expected to weaken to a sub-tropical storm sometime […]
The Makings Of A Strong Low Pressure
For the first time in a long time, I can say that the weather this week looks active. We haven’t seen very active weather across this portion of the world, and it has been killing me. However, this week, we are likely to see a very strong, rapidly intensifying low pressure system form, and impact the […]