Portal:Weather
The weather portal
Weather is the state of the Earth's atmosphere at a specific place and time, typically described in terms of temperature, humidity, cloud cover, and stability. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers to day-to-day temperature, precipitation, and other atmospheric conditions, whereas climate is the term for the averaging of atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time. When used without qualification, "weather" is generally understood to mean the weather of Earth.
Weather is driven by air pressure, temperature, and moisture differences between one place and another. These differences can occur due to the Sun's angle at any particular spot, which varies with latitude. The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the largest scale atmospheric circulations: the Hadley cell, the Ferrel cell, the polar cell, and the jet stream. Weather systems in the middle latitudes, such as extratropical cyclones, are caused by instabilities of the jet streamflow. Because Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane (called the ecliptic), sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year. On Earth's surface, temperatures usually range ±40 °C (−40 °F to 104 °F) annually. Over thousands of years, changes in Earth's orbit can affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by Earth, thus influencing long-term climate and global climate change.
Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences. Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes, as most atmospheric heating is due to contact with the Earth's surface while radiative losses to space are mostly constant. Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. Earth's weather system is a chaotic system; as a result, small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole. Human attempts to control the weather have occurred throughout history, and there is evidence that human activities such as agriculture and industry have modified weather patterns.
Studying how the weather works on other planets has been helpful in understanding how weather works on Earth. A famous landmark in the Solar System, Jupiter's Great Red Spot, is an anticyclonic storm known to have existed for at least 300 years. However, the weather is not limited to planetary bodies. A star's corona is constantly being lost to space, creating what is essentially a very thin atmosphere throughout the Solar System. The movement of mass ejected from the Sun is known as the solar wind. (Full article...)
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The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Since the water cycle is truly a "cycle," there is no beginning or end. Water can change states among liquid, vapor, and ice at various places in the water cycle, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye or over millions of years. Although the balance of water on Earth remains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules can come and go in a hurry.
Recently selected articles: Global warming, 1999 Sydney hailstorm, More...
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that the Quad Cities forecast office of the National Weather Service has been directly struck by both an F1 tornado and a historic derecho?
- ... that state representative Karl Bohnak, referring to his former profession, said that the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was one of the most challenging places in the U.S. to forecast the weather?
- ... that MyRadar uses a custom satellite constellation to help forecast the weather?
- ... that environment minister Peng Chi-ming drafted Taiwan's first weather insurance policy?
- ... that Japanese actor Kouhei Higuchi prepared for his role on the television drama adaptation of My Personal Weatherman by learning from a weather forecaster?
- ... that a Michigan TV station rescued and restored a weather ball that had been sitting for years in a scrapyard?
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A dust storm is a meteorological phenomenon where strong winds lift loose dust from arid and semi-arid regions, often transporting the particles long distances. These storms can continue hundreds of miles from their source, and can have drastic effects on human health, transportation, and society in general. This storm occurred in May 2005 over the Red Sea.
Recently selected pictures: Parallax, Global snow cover, Snow flakes, More...
More did you know...
...that the Flying river is the name given to the transport of water vapor from the Amazon rainforest to southern Brazil?
...that hurricane shutters are required for all homes in Florida unless impact-resistant glass is used?
...that the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research is a combined weather and ocean research institute with the cooperation of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the University of Hawaiʻi?
...that the SS Central America was sunk by a hurricane while carrying more than 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg) of gold, contributing to the Panic of 1857?
...that a hurricane force wind warning is issued by the United States National Weather Service for storms that are not tropical cyclones but are expected to produce hurricane-force winds (65 knots (75 mph; 120 km/h) or higher)?
...that the Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting System is a software package for tropical cyclone forecasting developed in 1988 that is still used today by meteorologists in various branches of the US Government?
Recent and ongoing weather
This week in weather history...
July 28
1987: A major landslide due to weeks of heavy rain in the Valtelline valley in northern Italy killed 22 people.
July 29
1976: NOAA-5, the final weather satellite of the "Improved TIROS" series of satellites, was launched.
July 30
1960: Tropical Storm Brenda tracked along the coast of the Eastern United States, bringing flooding rains to several states.
July 31
2022: A volcano warning is accidentally issued for a wildfire in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska.
August 1
1982: Typhoon Bess struck the Japanese island of Honshū, killing 59 people.
August 2
1985: Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crashed due to microburst-induced wind shear, killing 134 of the 163 on board, as well as one person on the ground.
August 3
2006: Typhoon Prapiroon struck southern China near Shangyang, resulting in severe flooding which caused about $1 billion (USD) in damage.
Selected biography
Vilhelm Friman Koren Bjerknes (/ˈbjɜːrknɪs/ BYURK-niss, Norwegian: [ˈʋɪlˌhɛlm ˈbjæɾknɛs]; 14 March 1862 – 9 April 1951) was a Norwegian geophysicist and meteorologist with essential contributions to the foundation of the modern practice of weather forecasting. He formulated the primitive equations that are still in use in numerical weather prediction and climate modeling. He is the founder of the Bergen School of Meteorology, which was successful in advancing weather prediction and meteorology in the early 20th century. (Full article...)
Previously selected biographies: Anders Celsius, Robert FitzRoy, More...
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- Featured Article Review: 2005 Atlantic hurricane season (Discussion)
- Featured List Removal Candidate: List of storms in the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season (Discussion)
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WikiProjects
The scope of WikiProject Weather is to have a single location for all weather-related articles on Wikipedia.
WikiProject Meteorology is a collaborative effort by dozens of Wikipedians to improve the quality of meteorology- and weather-related articles. If you would like to help, visit the project talk page, and see what needs doing.
WikiProject Severe weather is a similar project specific to articles about severe weather. Their talk page is located here.
WikiProject Tropical cyclones is a daughter project of WikiProject meteorology. The dozens of semi-active members and several full-time members focus on improving Wikipedia's coverage of tropical cyclones.
WikiProject Non-tropical storms is a collaborative project to improve articles related to winter storms, wind storms, and extratropical cyclones.
Wikipedia is a fully collaborative effort by volunteers. So if you see something you think you can improve, be bold and get to editing! We appreciate any help you can provide!
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