http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/storms/ Thunderstorms, ice storms, even dust storms -- read all the surprising new discoveries here. Will global warming bring violent storms? en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/storms/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110071348.htm Launch scrubs are nothing new at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In fact, there have been 116 space shuttle scrubs; 72 for technical reasons and 45 for inclement weather. During the summer, bad weather, particularly lightning, seems to strike as the countdown clock nears zero. Maybe it's because Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are well within what meteorologists call, "Lightning Alley." Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110071348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100022.htm More than 1.2 billion lightning flashes occur around the world every year. Each of those billion lightning flashes produces a puff of nitrogen oxide gas (NOx) that reacts with sunlight and other gases in the atmosphere to produce ozone. Using data gleaned from aircraft observations and satellites, NASA scientists recently took steps toward a better global estimate of lightning-produced NOx and found that lightning may have a considerably stronger impact on the climate in the mid-latitudes and subtropics. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122526.htm Is there such a thing as "weather" on Mars? There are some doubts, considering the planet's atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as that of the Earth. Mars, however, definitely has clouds, drastically low temperatures and out-of-this-world dust storms. A professor of atmospheric sciences now hopes to analyze and forecast Martian weather. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020122536.htm Using data from Hurricane Katrina and four other destructive storms, researchers have found a way to accurately predict power outages in advance of a hurricane. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020122536.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161336.htm The anticipated sea-level rise associated with climate change, including increased storminess, over the next 100 years and the impact on the nation's low-lying coastal infrastructure is the focus of a new, interdisciplinary study led by geologists. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161336.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093803.htm Human activities have meant invasive species have been able to populate parts of the world to which they are not native and alter biodiversity there over thousands of years. Now, an international team of scientists has studied the impact of the black rat on bird populations on Mediterranean islands. Despite the rat's environmental impact, only the tiny European storm petrel has been affected over time by its enforced cohabitation with the rat. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928172359.htm As researchers develop new ways to better understand and predict the nature of individual storms, a largely unstudied phenomenon has caught the attention of scientists. Cool water upwellings occurring within ocean cyclones following alongside and behind hurricanes are sometimes strong enough to reduce the strength of hurricanes as they cross paths. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928172359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112207.htm In a new study, researchers have concluded that the number of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Basin is increasing, but there is no evidence that their individual strengths are any greater than storms of the past or that the chances of a US strike are up. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908103625.htm Tornadoes that occur from hurricanes moving inland from the Gulf Coast are increasing in frequency, according to researchers. This increase seems to reflect the increase in size and frequency among large hurricanes that make landfall from the Gulf of Mexico. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908103625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152721.htm If it has already rained, it's going to continue to pour, according to a study of how ocean-origin storms behave when they come ashore. More than 30 years of monsoon data from India showed that ground moisture where the storms make landfall is a major indicator of what the storm will do from there. If the ground is wet, the storm is likely to sustain, while dry conditions should calm the storm. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824083606.htm NASA has several satellites that orbit the Earth one behind the other on the same track. They're called the "A-Train" and one of the things they study is tropical cyclones. There are also other satellites outside the A-Train that are used to study different aspects of tropical cyclones. The satellites that form the A-Train provide unique information about tropical cyclones, the collective term for tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes and typhoons. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824083606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090823184357.htm With a very lucky shot, scientists have captured a one-second image and the electrical fingerprint of huge lightning that flowed 40 miles upward from the top of a storm. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090823184357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819110008.htm Scientists are reporting some unsettling news about homes in the residential areas of California. The typical home there -- and probably elsewhere in the country -- is an alarming and probably underestimated source of water pollution, according to a new study. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819110008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142428.htm There are a lot of ups and downs in tropical cyclone formation in the Pacific Ocean this week, and that's keeping NOAA's GOES-11 satellite busy. There are remnants of Maka and Tropical Depression 9E, a fizzled Felicia, and a new Tropical Storm named Guillermo. Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812143936.htm Reconstructions of past hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean indicate that the most active hurricane period in the past was during the "Medieval Climate Anomaly" about a thousand years ago when climate conditions created a "perfect storm" of La Nina-like conditions combined with warm tropical Atlantic waters. Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812143936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717104618.htm Tropical cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Asian nation of Myanmar on May 2, 2008, causing the worst natural disaster in the country's recorded history. Researchers now report on a field survey done three months after the disaster to document the extent of the flooding and resulting damage. Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717104618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805193601.htm An estimated 200 people die each year in the U.S. after being struck by lightning. An extremely brief but intense hit delivers more than 10 million volts and is fatal in about 30 percent of cases. Recent lightning strikes in Newark resulted in one death and three injuries. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805193601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806170717.htm Felicia is the storm that rules the Eastern Pacific Ocean this week, but Enrique refuses to give up. Felicia is a major hurricane with sustained winds near 140 mph, and Enrique is still hanging onto tropical storm status with 50 mph sustained winds. Both cyclones are close to each other and NASA satellites captured them together. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806170717.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807135100.htm Sometimes satellite imagery will leave a person in awe of nature's power and that's what the latest satellite image from NASA's Aqua satellite will do as it shows the giant Typhoon Morakot's center about to cross Taiwan. Morakot has already caused problems in Taiwan on its approach and has proven deadly in the Philippines. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807135100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623112119.htm As global warming whips up more powerful and frequent hurricanes and storms, the world's coral reefs face increased disruption to their ability to breed and recover from damage. "We have found clear evidence that coral recruitment -- the regrowth of young corals -- drops sharply in the wake of a major bleaching event or a hurricane," says the lead author of the study. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623112119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803122732.htm A NASA satellite took a sideways look at a slice of tropical depression Lana in the Central Pacific. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803122732.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721090127.htm Could cosmic rays be influencing climate by charging up more frequent lightning storms? Several factors influence global climate change. Long-term influences that work over hundreds of thousands of years have an astronomical origin, namely the eccentricity, axial tilt and precession of the Earth's orbit. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721090127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719194337.htm The eerie beauty of the northern and southern lights has evoked visions of the supernatural for centuries: foxes of fire whisking their tales, the fighting souls of dead warriors or ancestors dancing around a ceremonial fire. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719194337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717153953.htm NASA satellites are watching the remaining clouds and showers that were once tropical storm Dolores fading at sea, more than 940 miles west of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Dolores has now weakened into a remnant low pressure area but continues to kick up 11 foot high waves at sea. Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717153953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717153951.htm It's not too often that two tropical cyclones are close enough to each other to be within a satellite's view as it tracks far above the Earth, but it happened this week with Carlos and Dolores in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717153951.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714103538.htm NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been capturing images of Carlos since it was born as tropical depression 4E last week. Scientists at NASA can use TRMM data to provide forecasters a 3-D look at the storm's cloud heights and rainfall, which is extremely helpful in forecasting. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714103538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702110501.htm Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster in US history, claiming the lives of more than 1,800 victims and causing well over $100 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast. The 2005 storm breached every levee in New Orleans, flooding almost the entire city as well as the neighboring parishes. Yet a surprising number of people stayed behind and rode out the storm. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702110501.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140835.htm A new study suggests that the form of El Nino may be changing potentially causing not only a greater number of hurricanes than in average years, but also a greater chance of hurricanes making landfall. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090627225307.htm "June is busting out all over," as the song says, and with it, U.S. residents along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts begin to gaze warily toward the ocean, aware that the hurricane season is revving up. In the decade since NASA's QuikScat satellite and its SeaWinds scatterometer launched in June 1999, the satellite has measured the wind speed and wind direction of these powerful storms, providing data that are increasingly used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Hurricane Center and other world forecasting agencies. The data help scientists detect these storms, understand their wind fields, estimate their intensity and track their movement. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090627225307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624093311.htm Global warming will likely mean more unpredictable weather, scientists say, and a new study pins down, possibly for the first time, how drought conditions in an area's fall and winter may effect tornado activity the following spring. Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624093311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123702.htm Satellite observation of cloud temperatures may be able to accurately predict severe thunderstorms up to 45 minutes earlier than relying on traditional radar alone, say researchers. Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602175417.htm Summer soon begins in the Northern Hemisphere and, on June 1st, the Atlantic hurricane season kicks off. What do Atlantic and Pacific Ocean surface temperatures and heights tell forecasters about what they can expect this season? Although peak hurricane time doesn't arrive until late-summer and early fall, there are some oceanic signals that give a hint of coming activity and NASA satellites are helping to provide that data. Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602175417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601140934.htm Scientists have developed a new technique to remotely measure thunderstorm electric fields on the ground. Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601140934.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529135304.htm Understanding thundercloud electrification and lightning initiation is challenging because the ranges of electric potential and spatial extents of electric fields inside thunderclouds are not known. Directly measuring electric fields in thunderclouds is challenging--active regions of storms can cover many cubic kilometers with violent weather conditions, making it difficult to operate balloons and aircraft. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529135304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529135535.htm A semicontinuous current flow has been measured above electrified clouds. Called the Wilson current, this phenomenon has long been considered a critical component of the global electric circuit; however, only a few studies have directly investigated this current, yielding only a few dozen measurements. Sun, 31 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529135535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528120653.htm Using data from NASA's THEMIS mission, researchers have pinpointed the impact epicenter of an earthbound space storm as it crashes into the atmosphere, and given an advance warning of its arrival. Fri, 29 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528120653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090424114650.htm Levees and floodwalls surrounding New Orleans -- no matter how large or sturdy -- cannot provide absolute protection against overtopping or failure in extreme events, says a new report by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090424114650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420121421.htm Scientists have found that tropical cyclones readily inject ice far into the stratosphere, possibly feeding global warming. The finding provides more evidence of the intertwining of severe weather and global warming by demonstrating a mechanism by which storms could drive climate change. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420121421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090413141251.htm NASA satellite data and a new modeling approach could improve weather forecasting and save more lives when future cyclones develop. Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090413141251.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143744.htm In 2008, residents of Hispaniola experienced one of their worst hurricane seasons in recent memory. Hispaniola, the Caribbean island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is located directly within the hurricane belt, and was pummeled by five tropical cyclones last year: Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, and low over the Dominican Republic on Sept. 24 what would become Kyle after moving north. More than 800 people were reported dead or missing from these storms. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143744.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325142505.htm A 200-year-old report by a sea captain and a stunning photograph of the 2008 eruption of Mount Chaiten are helping scientists better understand strong volcanic plumes. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325142505.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324131456.htm Ice storms and other severe weather can have devastating impacts on pecan trees. Typical damage, cleanup, and recovery from four ice storms that hit the region from 2000 to 2007 were reported in a recent study. Trees less than 15 feet tall typically had the least damage; trees 15 to 30 feet tall incurred as much or more damage than larger trees and cleanup costs were greater. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324131456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326141553.htm The recent warming trend in the Atlantic Ocean is largely due to reductions in airborne dust and volcanic emissions during the past 30 years, according to a new study. Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326141553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313110752.htm A new report released March 12, exactly six months after Hurricane Ike slammed the Texas Gulf Coast, suggests that people did not practice the lessons learned from Hurricane Rita. Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313110752.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311111013.htm On March 14, 2008, a tornado swept through downtown Atlanta, its 130 mile-per-hour winds ripping holes in the roof of the Georgia Dome, blowing out office windows, and trashing parts of Centennial Olympic Park. It was an event so rare in an urban landscape that researchers immediately began to examine NASA satellite data and historical archives to see what weather and climatological ingredients may have combined to brew such a storm. Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311111013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302111153.htm A "pre-existing condition" in the North Indian Ocean stoked the sudden intensification of last year's Tropical Cyclone Nargis just before its devastating landfall in Burma, according to a new NASA/university study. The cyclone became Burma's worst natural disaster ever and one of the deadliest cyclones of all time. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302111153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090213105052.htm Chinstrap penguins and fur seals showed persistent preferences for particular foraging areas even after a storm reduced the availability of food of choice in those areas, according to a new study. The research shows that the spatial distribution of fur seals and foraging chinstrap penguins did not change after a near gale, despite substantial changes in the abundance and distribution of their prey, Antarctic krill. Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090213105052.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113155852.htm The job of one researcher could chill to the bone, but his research could make weather predicting more accurate. He is chasing storms in the dead of winter in order to release weather balloons that will produce data about the little-known phenomenon of thundersnow. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113155852.htm