The weather portal
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. 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 all five components of the climate system—air, water, ice, Earth's crust, and life—help determine Earth's average weather?
- ... that although used as the weather vane of a church, the Söderala vane was probably originally made for a Viking ship?
- ... that Teikō Shiotani photographed View with Weather Forecast (shown) from his upstairs window, exaggerating the curvature of the horizon by bending the photographic paper under the enlarger?
- ... that Eric Berger wrote about weather for the Houston Chronicle even before he became a certified meteorologist?
- ... that astrophysicist and space-weather specialist Professor Peter T. Gallagher led the building of Ireland's first serious radio telescope, the 3,000-antenna I-LOFAR, at Birr Castle?
- ... that the 1st Weather Squadron, the 2016 Weather Squadron of the Year, reports on future battlefield weather conditions and assists during natural disasters?
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Ground fog is a name given to fog that forms a shallow layer near the ground, sometimes just tens of centimeters thick. It can form due to warm air moving over a colder surface (advection fog), or at night due to the escape of thermal radiation into space (radiation fog). This scene is in East Frisia, Germany just after sunrise.
Recently selected pictures: Virga over London, Hurricane Isabel satellite, Hurricane Katrina Eye, More...
More did you know...
...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?
...that a cryoseism is a sudden ground or glacier movement that can occur due to water freezing or ice cracking after drastic temperature changes?
...that BUFR is a binary data format standardized by the World Meteorological Organization for storing observation data from weather stations and weather satellites?
...that the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center issues weather forecasts for conditions that can cause avalanches in the mountains of western Washington and northwestern Oregon?
Recent and ongoing weather
- Wikinews weather portal
- July 25: Heavy monsoon rains kill over 100 in India, many thousands evacuated
- April 23: European Union to reduce carbon emissions by 55% of 1990 levels by 2030
- March 26: Tropical moisture ceases to cause severe floods in South East Australia
- February 19: Winter storms hammer Texas, fatalities reported
- December 28: Typhoon Phanfone strikes Philippines
- Weather of 2022
- 2022 Atlantic hurricane season
- 2020–21 North American winter
- 2022 Pacific typhoon season
- Tornadoes of 2022
This week in weather history...
May 8
2003: Cyclone Manou reached peak intensity just 19 kilometres (12 mi) off the coast of Madagascar. Though it did not make landfall, the storm killed 89 people across the country.
May 9
1990: A severe tropical cyclone made landfall in the Andhra Pradesh state of India, killing nearly 1,000 people.
May 10
1933: A tornado killed almost every resident of the small town of Beatty Swamps, Tennessee. Because of the destruction, the town was abandoned permanently.
May 11
1996: A severe blizzard killed eight people near the summit of Mount Everest.
May 12
1997: An F1 tornado affected downtown Miami, Florida, causing minor damage but providing for spectacular photos and news footage.
May 13
1998: The NOAA-15 weather satellite was launched into a polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Originally planned for just a 5 year mission, as of early 2020 the satellite was still returning useful atmospheric and space data from several instruments.
May 14
2007: Cyclone Akash made landfall in Bangladesh, causing almost $1 billion in damage.
Selected biography
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy FRS (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra del Fuego and the Southern Cone.
FitzRoy was a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate daily weather predictions, which he called by a new name of his own invention: "forecasts". In 1854 he established what would later be called the Met Office, and created systems to get weather information to sailors and fishermen for their safety. He was an able surveyor and hydrographer. As Governor of New Zealand, serving from 1843 to 1845, he tried to protect the Māori from illegal land sales claimed by British settlers. (Full article...)
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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 Wikipdia'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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