Weather Quiz

Weather records show that Florida has seen the highest number of major hurricanes with 37 since 1851.  Which state is number 2 on the list?

A.    Texas

B.     North Carolina

C.     Louisiana

D.    Mississippi

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Answer to question from July 29^th:

True or False:

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all the same type of storm.  The only difference between them is the part of the world that they form in.

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True.  

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all the same type of storm.  They are all tropical storms that intensify over warm ocean water with sustained winds of at least 74 mph around the center of the storm.  They are called hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, the Central and Eastern Pacific Oceans.  West of the International Date Line, they are called typhoons.  They are called cyclones in the Indian Ocean and around Australia.  There are different lists of names, too, depending on the part of the world a tropical storm forms in.

Heat? What Heat?

Triple digit heat is a true rarity for the Mid-Atlantic Region. That’s because triple digit weather is most common in arid climates away from water. Meanwhile, summers in the Nation’s Capital are often very humid. When the air is more humid, it cannot heat up or cool down as quickly. This is why summers are so hot in the desert southwest while in the southeastern United States – where the weather is heavily influenced by the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean – triple digit heat is rarer.

It only reaches the century mark every few summers in the Nation’s Capital. Prior to 2010, no triple digit heat had been experienced in Washington, D.C., since 2007.  This demonstrates how rare a single day with triple digit heat is for Washington, D.C.  It’s even rarer for there to be multiple days with triple digit heat in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  

But that’s exactly what made the summers of 2010 through 2012 so unusual. 2010 had four days of triple digit heat while 2011 had five and 2012 had eight. In fact, July 2012 set a new record for most 100 degree days in a month with seven.  The last summer to feature five 100 degree days in the Nation’s Capital was 1997.  As hot as those three summers were, last summer and so far this summer have combined to feature less extreme heat in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  In fact, it hasn’t been 100 degrees at National Airport (Washington, D.C.’s official weather reporting site) since July 26, 2012.

A Cleaner Future for the Chesapeake Bay?

Three of the four largest U.S. cities are on or near a prominent body of water, including New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.  While not far from the Atlantic Ocean, our Nation’s Capital of Washington, D.C. is closer to a smaller body of water that plays a crucial role in the ecology of the Mid-Atlantic Region.  The Chesapeake Bay is heavily relied upon for both fishing and recreation.  That makes preserving the Bay a critical issue for our region.

The Chesapeake Bay is nearly 200 miles long and has 4,600 miles of shoreline.  It acts as a buffer every time a large storm comes up the East Coast by protecting the shore from coastal erosion.  Much like the Louisiana bayous, the Chesapeake Bay plays a vital role in the region’s ecology.  When major weather systems like Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and former Hurricane Sandy in 2012 came through the Mid-Atlantic Region, the Chesapeake Bay helped absorb a lot of the storm surge.

However, as the Mid-Atlantic Region and Northeast U.S. has become more developed, the Chesapeake Bay has been significantly damaged by the associated pollution.  Some of the major industrial pollutants include nitrogen, as well as fertilizer and pesticide runoff from agriculture. The largest source of nitrogen in the Bay is from agricultural runoff.  After it rains, the many tributaries that flow into the Chesapeake see an influx of nitrogen runoff that eventually makes its way into the Bay.  One of the EPA’s primary plans to reduce this pollution is to ensure that localities “…will have to install grassy ditches and restore natural streams in place of concrete channels. The idea is to slow down runoff and let it seep into dirt and roots.”  

Prolonged stretches of dry weather can be just as damaging to the Bay as heavy rain.  The Mid-Atlantic experienced three of the hottest summers on record from 2010 through 2012.  The combination of extreme heat and dry weather helped lead to “dead zones” on the Bay (or areas where no oxygen is present) to the detriment of wildlife.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported in May 2014 that there were only 69 million spawning-age female blue crabs, which is below the minimum safe level of 70 million.  Scientists attribute the reduced number of spawning-age female blue crabs to the long, cold 2013-2014 winter season.  However, they also reported the good news that the overall number of the Chesapeake Bay’s signature blue crabs is at its highest level in at least six years.  

Conservation and environmental protection are critical to ensure the health of the Chesapeake Bay for future generations.  Residents of the Mid-Atlantic Region and Northeast can do their part by reducing their usage of fertilizers and pesticides by choosing greener, non-toxic products.

The Health of Our Forests Depends on the Weather

The relationship between drought and deforestation is a complicated one that impacts local ecosystems and large scale weather patterns.  For example, three of the hottest summers on record occurred in the Mid-Atlantic from 2010-2012 concurrently with a period of chronic drought.  That led to some loss of forest land in the Eastern United States.  Recent years have also seen a series of major storms, including the June 2012 Mid-Atlantic “derecho” (long lasting line of severe thunderstorms) and former Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, which contributed to loss of forest land.   

If this continues, then there may be long-term effects on weather and climate patterns.  Forests and parks are invaluable natural resources that provide a cooler oasis for city dwellers to visit.  They also perform the critical function of converting carbon dioxide to oxygen that mammals breathe.

The combination of below average rainfall and above average summer heat during the three consecutive summers through 2012 depleted some forest land across parts of the Eastern United States – including the Mid-Atlantic Region. A recent study done by NASA found that “nearly 40% of the Mid-Atlantic’s forests lost tree canopy cover, ranging from 10% to 15% between 2000 and 2010…”

Countless record highs were set during the summers of 2010 through 2012.  At National Airport, July 2012 featured 7 days of triple digit heat, breaking the previous record of 6 set in July 1930.  That was in conjunction with below average rainfall, making it especially tough on vegetation.  People living in the region will remember those summers as being particularly hot and dry.

Although the summers of 2013 and 2014 have featured less extreme heat, there have been several instances where rounds of severe weather have knocked down significant numbers of trees.  The good news is that a lot of the older trees had already been knocked down or cut down so there have been fewer widespread power outages than in recent years.  However, losing a significant portion of forest has key environmental effects including a decrease in biodiversity and the ability of the environment to cleanse and cool itself.

Weather Quiz

True or False:

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all the same type of storm.  The only difference between them is the part of the world that they form in.

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Answer to question from July 22^nd:

Due to its larger size – and being the southernmost state in Tornado Alley – Texas averages the most tornadoes (155) annually of the 50 states.  According to the National Climatic Data Center, Kansas has the second highest annual tornado average with 92 tornadoes in a given year while Florida (66) and Illinois (54) are in the Top Ten.   

You Don’t Have to be in Kansas, Anymore

The tornado that touched down this past Friday near Cape Charles, Virginia, makes four consecutive summers that the Mid-Atlantic Region has been hit.  Although outside of “Tornado Alley” (in the central United States where the most tornadoes form), the Mid-Atlantic Region has also been known to see tornadoes on occasion.  According to the National Weather Service, they are most common in this part of the country during the summer months.

The two most conducive weather patterns for tornado formation are when a cold front pushes through the region or when a decaying tropical storm affects the region.  The embedded thunderstorms within the larger rotation of the tropical system often cause relatively weak, short lived tornadoes.  The busiest months of the Atlantic Ocean’s hurricane season are August – October, so Washingtonians will have to wait and see if any tropical systems spawn tornadoes in our region. 
 

The National Climatic Data Center says Maryland averages 10 tornadoes and Virginia averages 18 annually.  Back on June 13, 2013, one of six tornadoes that formed in Maryland and Virginia passed through central Montgomery County, affecting much of Rockville.  They were all relatively weak tornadoes that primarily caused downed trees and power lines.  In contrast, the tornado that formed July 24, 2014 was an EF-1 tornado that struck near a campground on the Southern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula. Sadly, it caused two fatalities and a few dozen injuries.

Tornado intensity is measured on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with rankings from EF-0 (winds 65-85 mph) and EF-1 (86-110 mph), all the way to an EF-5 (winds over 200 mph).  Residents should pay attention to their local meteorologists on days when thunderstorms are forecast.  That way they’ll have the maximum warning when severe weather watches and warnings are issued so they can seek shelter.