Monthly Archives: May 2011

Water Spouts

Waterspout in Australia

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Dramatic footage filmed from a helicopter by Australia’s Channel 7 shows a series of powerful waterspouts near the coastal suburb of Terrigal, on Australia’s New South Wales coast. Several powerful columns of swirling air could be seen blasting along the water’s surface near the coastline. Channel 7 claimed the spouts reached heights of up to 600 metres (nearly two thousand feet), but dissipated as they neared land. The natural wonders came as strong winds and heavy rain also lashed other parts of the state, causing flash flooding and traffic chaos in Sydney. Watch video:

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Computer modeled images

La Niña imaged from sea temperature data

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Weakening of La Niña but Above Normal Hurricane Season is Predicted

Last week, NOAA issued the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, which predicts an above-normal year for activity. Though the La Niña continues to weaken in the Pacific, it will continue to effect weather patterns and influence the number of storms that are predicted. During La Niña years, wind shear is reduced in the Tropical Atlantic, creating conditions that are ideal for tropical cyclone formation. This image shows how the sea surface temperatures have changed, on average, from mid-April to mid-May. A warming signature is clearly visible as indicated by the red areas in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific region, an indication of La Niña’s waning strength. Also related to the Atlantic Hurricane Season, warming trends are visible in the Caribbean and Eastern Gulf of Mexico.

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Clouds, Cumulus, Thunderstorms

Black Forest storms

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When the weather conditions are right the Black Forest in southern Germany can turn into a thunderstorm factory. This picture shows three cells in various stages of development, all matured into thunderstorms over the rest of the day. The view is taken from just across the border in northern Switzerland.  Image by Neil Jones.

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Satellite Imagery, Thunderstorms, Tornados

Snapshot of Joplin thunderstorm that spawned deadly tornado

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This satellite image with overlay shows the moment that the storm reached maximum intensity.

The city of Joplin, MO is reeling after a powerful tornado spun through a densely populated part of town on Sunday May 22nd. This image, from GOES East satellite at 2345UTC, shows the storm system moments before spawning the tornado, estimated to have struck shortly before 6:00 pm CST. Many houses, school buildings and the St. John Medical Center sustained major damage.

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