Question Answered by Andrew McKaughan, Lead Meteorologist, National Weather Service-Pocatello Office + There could be a number of reasons for this but first let’s start with what lightning and thunder are exactly. Lightning is created from the discharge of electric particles in the atmosphere and on the ground. As a thunderstorm moves it gathers positively…
Question answered by Jason RichMeteorologist, NOAA ARL Field Research Division Spring is typically windy as we transition from the cool season to the warm season. Uneven heating of the Earth’s surface creates differences in atmospheric pressure across the globe. When differences in the pressure exist, winds flow from the high pressure to the low pressure.…
If the Rain Did Not FallWhat would it be like to not hear the drip on the window sill?Or if we had cups that we just could not fill?What is we had no water at all?Oh how the world would be different if the rain did not fall. We wouldn’t have sprinklers, or rain to…
Answered by John Hinsberger Meteorologist, National Weather Service-Pocatello, ID Office Daytime TemperaturesThe amount of incoming radiation from the sun that gets reflected back into space is known as albedo. Higher albedo means more of that radiation gets reflected back. Thus, less radiation can be absorbed by the surface, so temperature is affected. One of the…
Question Answered by NOAA, Air Resources Laboratory, Field Research Division, Idaho Falls, ID The Earth’s climate does vary over time due to factors such as the movement of continents, large-scale volcanic activity, changes in the Earth’s orbit, and variations in the Sun’s energy output. Because of these changing factors, there is not one fixed temperature…
Answered by Alana Jensen, INL ESER Program This is not simple question to answer because they are several factors that help determine how fast snow and ice will melt. This conditions are constantly changing and form kind of a tug-of-war in the melting process. The most obvious factor is temperature. If the air temperature is…
Answered by Nicole Peterson, Meteorologist, National Weather Service-Pocatello Office Fog is simply a cloud, but on the ground. In order for fog to form, there needs to be moisture in the air. Fog typically forms overnight when the air near the ground cools, and disappears in the morning when the sun warms up the air.…
Answered by Kurt Buffalo, Meteorologist, NOAA That is always a popular question during the holiday season, and one that can be challenging to answer very far in advance. The official definition of a white Christmas is having at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day. The map below shows the chance…
Answered by Dennis Finn, Research Meteorologist, NOAA, Idaho Falls Most water in the atmosphere is in the form of water vapor, a gas. Warm air holds more water vapor than cold air. For a climate like Idaho Falls, water vapor content is typically about 0.4-0.5% in the summer and less than half of that during…
Answered by Dr. Steve Shropshire, Physics Professor, Idaho State University If conditions are right sound can travel farther and clearer when it is cold. Sound travels faster in warmer air due to the greater average speed of gas molecules with higher temperature. There is also a very slight increase in sound speed with increasing humidity…
