GEO 101 Colorado State University Collecting Local Weather Data Lab Report

POST1:

I have  chosen Stratus. These are the lowest forming clouds, sometimes seen at  our level as fog (Met Office, 2020). These clouds form flatly and may or  may not precipitate; when they do, it is usually a light drizzle at  most. Stratus clouds occur below 6000 feet and typically retain a grey  color (Bennett, 2019). They are a result of stable air that doesn’t move  vertically very quickly, which would form cumulus clouds instead. This  is generally they type of cloud you’re looking at when the sky is  overcast. 

Stratus clouds are formed by gentle updrafts from cool surfaces, when  the air lifts high enough the moisture condensates into what we see as a  cloud.  Stratus clouds are reclassified into nimbostratus when they  produce continued light or moderate precipitation. When they  precipitate, snow is generated at higher elevations than rain. There are  two “species” or stratus cloud: Stratus nebulous and stratus fractus.  Stratus nebulous clouds form a dark, featureless layer that is  continuous. Stratus fractus, as the name implies, is where a stratus  cloud is breaking up and dissipating, allowing for a view of the sky  above. 

Stratus Cloud

https://scied.ucar.edu/imagecontent/stratus-clouds

References:

Bennett, D. (2019). What Kind of Weather Is Associated With Stratus  Clouds? Sciencing. Retrieved from:  https://sciencing.com/kind-weather-associated-stra…

Met Office. (2020). Stratus Clouds. Retrieved from:  https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/w…

POST2:

Hurricanes

Growing up in Florida, I am familiar with  hurricanes but I have not experienced one first hand. I lived in Orlando  wich is inland and hurricanes form over warm water.

The scientific name for hurricanes is tropical cyclones. They are  only called hurricanes when they form over the Atlantic Ocean or the  eastern Pacific Ocean (NASA, 2019). When they occur in other areas they  are called typhoons or cyclones. 

Hurricanes, or tropical cyclones, can only form over warm water. The  water must be above 79 degrees Fahrenheit, rises, and causes an area of  low pressure below.  As low air pressure and high air pressure combine  the combined air rises, spins, and the water in the air forms clouds.  The clouds and wind grow from the ocean’s evaporation of heat and water  (AP News, n.d.). The Coriolis force creates the spin either clockwise in  the Southern Hemisphere or counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.  As the storm grows and spins faster and faster an eye is created in the  middle where the conditions are very calm and clear.

There are different categories of these storms depending on the wind  speed. If the wind is spinning at 39 mph it is classified as a tropical  storm if the speed gets to 74mph it is a hurricane (NASA, 2019). Figure 1  below lists the different classifications of hurricanes.

  Category Wind Speed (mph) Damage at Landfall Storm Surge (feet)   1 74-95 Minimal 4-5   2 96-110 Moderate 6-8   3 111-129 Extensive 9-12   4 130-156 Extreme 13-18   5 157 or higher Catastrophic 19+   

Figure 1. Storm classifications

           ( https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/hurricanes/en/) (Links to an external site.)

The worst hurricane in the United States happened in 1900, the Great  Galveston Hurricane. It was a category 4 storm on September 8, 1900.  It  is estimated that 8,000 to 12,000 people were killed because there was  no warning system in place. We now have weather warning systems in place  to help save lives.

Satellite image of Hurricane Florence 2018 from NOAA (https://apnews.com/47d8e0bf05354260931de08ad9976a37/gallery/media:c3b (Links to an external site.)dc81b09dc4c24b4a4eeb5d7f79d53)

Hurricane off the coast of North Carolina

(https://apnews.com/47d8e0bf05354260931de08ad9976a37 (Links to an external site.))

Resources:

AP News. (N.D.) A warmer world makes hurricanes wetter and more intense. Retrieved from (https://apnews.com/47d8e0bf05354260931de08ad9976a37 (Links to an external site.))

Geology.com. (N.D.) Deadly Hurricanes. Retrieved from https://geology.com/hurricanes/largest-hurricane/ (Links to an external site.)

NASA. (2019).  How do hurricanes form? Retrieved from https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/hurricanes/en/