August 23, 2013

APWA members are descending on Chicago this weekend for the 2013 APWA International Congress.  While visiting they might hear Chicago referred to as the
Windy City.  Chicago’s yearly average wind speed is only 10.3 mph which doesn’t even place it in the Top 10 for Metropolitan areas (greater than 1 million people).

In fact, Kansas City has a higher average wind speed than Chicago at 10.6 mph. And FYI, St. Louis has an average wind speed of 9.6 mph. So, who could really be declared the windiest city? Take a look at the list below.

Windiest Metropolitan Areas (Greater than 1 million people)

Steve Irwin and Laren Mahoney

August 7, 2013

Meet Laren Mahoney, another one of the summer interns here at Weather or Not. Laren begins a master’s program in atmospheric science at Creighton University in the fall. She spent the past decade in public relations before getting a degree in engineering.  Laren met Sara Croke, owner of Weather or Not, through Kansas City’s Irish community and began interning last winter on the mid-morning shift.

“From this internship, I’m walking into my master’s program with operational forecasting experience that will put me ahead in my classes and further ahead of graduates without experience.” said Laren. “I was able to help create daily weather forecasts, ozone forecasts and work on projects that significantly benefit Weather or Not.”

Are you an energetic learner who’d like to participate in our paid internship this fall semester? If so, e-mail our Weather Center Manager, Brian Koochel at brian@weatherornot.com.

Enjoy grad school, Laren!

August 6, 2013

If you get a break in your water bill this August, you can thank a phenomenon called the low-level jet stream.  The low-level jet stream forms during the overnight and early morning hours due to a temperature difference between the Rockies and the Plains.  For example, some locations in central Colorado dropped into the mid 40s last night, while mid 70s to low 80s were common across the Plains.  This gradient in temperature causes a fast-moving stream of air to develop about 5000 feet above the surface called the low-level jet stream.  This stream of air is responsible for much of the overnight and early morning thunderstorms we see during the summer.

Right now portions of Kansas and western Missouri are stuck in a pattern where the low-level jet stream is nearby just about every night, meaning the rain just keeps on coming.  Many locations in southeast Kansas and southern Missouri need the rain to stop, as 5-10 inches of rainfall in the last 7 days continues causing episodes of flash flooding.

Radar estimated rainfall over the past 7 days

Wet August Continues

Unfortunately our current weather pattern is nearly stationary, so wet conditions and areas of flash flooding will most likely continue on and off through at least next week. 

August 1, 2013

Meet Carly Cassady, one of our summer interns at Weather or Not. We are certainly going to miss her as she returns to the University of Memphis, where she is studying Earth Science and Geography. A Division 1 soccer player, Carly’s career goal is Broadcast Meteorology. She read about our company in the KC Star article explaining how Weather or Not kept an eye on the sky for the Royals’ grounds keeping crew during the 2012 MLB All-Star game.

“I learned about what really goes on in an active weather center, from analyzing models to seeing what goes into creating a forecast”, said Carly. “I also really enjoyed the research and verification projects I was assigned to.” We really appreciated Carly’s efforts. Projects moved faster with Carly on the team, and we’re not just saying that because she brought delicious tornado, lightning and sun cookies!

Are you an energetic learner who’d like to participate in our paid internship this Fall semester? If so, e-mail our Weather Center Manager, Brian Koochel at brian@weatherornot.com.

Good luck this semester, Carly!

June 13, 2013

Across America 2013: 3rd leg from Dallas Fort Worth to Lambert – St. Louis. Solar Impulse HB-SIA being secured inside mobile hangar © Solar Impulse |Revillard| Rezo.ch

Solar Impulse is making a historic flight across the United States as the first manned plane to fly for 24 hours on nothing but solar-powered batteries. With a stop-over in St. Louis, officials at Lambert St. Louis International Airport recommended Weather or Not, Inc. to assist with their weather-related needs.

“We are proud to be a part of this groundbreaking project,” said Sara Croke, president of Weather or Not, Inc. “We’re providing the team with detailed forecasts, up-to-the-minute rain updates and allowing them to have 24-hour access to our team of meteorologists. If there are any weather issues on the St. Louis leg of their trip, they will be well cared for.”

Piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the Swiss-made Solar Impulse is flying through five stops from California to New York. Their goal to change minds and influence future generations about the strengths of solar power technology. They also believe the technologies used in the Solar Impulse could be used to reduce energy consumption in cars, lighting systems, electronics and cooling and heating systems.

Solar Impulse can fly day and night without fuel by the solar energy gathered from 12,000 silicon solar panels as thin as a human hair. This plane weighs only 3,500 pounds, about the same as a Honda CR-V, and has a 208-foot wingspan – larger than a 747’s. You can find more information about the plane and its journey at www.solarimpulse.com.

April 5, 2013

While the Easter Bunny (last seen fighting the Groundhog) was waiting for snow to melt before he began his deliveries, most of us were wondering, will winter ever end?  Although Nebraska and Colorado could see a round of April snow next week, the current pattern change makes it safe for most of us to store the shovels away.

A condition known as the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is partly to blame for the cold air and snow that spilled southward in March.  Instead of winter snow and ice; spring rain and thunderstorms are heading our way.

Next week, the negative phase of the NAO will be weakened.  A long stretch of Pacific moisture (below) will be drawn into our area, bringing multiple rounds of rain and thunderstorms late Sunday through Thursday.  If strong winds aloft provide enough extra energy to the thunderstorms, severe weather could be around the corner too.

Rain and 50’s?  Severe and 70’s?  While it’s still too early to say, we do give a 100% chance that Weather or Not’s team of meteorologists will be advising construction crews, event managers, golf courses and ball-fields.  As always, your business is on our radar 24/7!

March 25, 2013

Yesterday’s snow in St. Louis was one for the record books!  The snow that blanketed the region stands as THE highest calendar day March snowfall on record and the second highest calendar day of snowfall EVER.

For a 24-hour period, yesterday’s snowfall was ranked in the top 10, coming in at number 6 overall.

November 28, 2012

Lows yesterday were 25-50 degrees colder than lows on Thanksgiving less than a week ago.

Some even saw some light snow Monday from Omaha to St. Joseph to Kansas City. This wintry weather was partially due to a blocking pattern that developed in the high latitudes. Previously it looked like the cold may stick around for a while. Now it’s becoming clear, winter is back on hold. Take a look at the upper-level pattern below.

Rather than two distinct areas of blocking, the blocking has elongated west to east across the northern hemisphere, forcing the coldest air into the Pacific and the northeastern U.S.. As the area of cold air and low pressure in the Pacific moves toward the West Coast this week, it will actually cause our temperatures to climb well above normal again.

If the current model trends are realized, we could be looking at record warm temperatures late this weekend into early next week! 

A weak weather system should bring temperatures back closer to normal by the middle of next week, however right now it looks like winter enthusiasts may be waiting until around the 8^th -12^th  of December for the next potential for wintry weather.