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Tag: Meteorologist Ramel Carpenter

  • The Geminid meteor shower peaks this weekend

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    The Geminid meteor shower peaks heading into this weekend.

    What You Need To Know

    • Geminid meteor shower peaks the night of Dec. 13

    • Up to 150 meteors per hour

    • Known as one of the best meteor showers of the year



    Every year in December, the night sky treats us to one of the best and brightest displays known as the Geminid meteor shower. 

    When to watch

    The Geminids can be viewed in the night sky as early as 9 p.m. The best time to view the Geminid meteor shower will be in the pre-dawn hours between 1 and 3 a.m.

    Tips for viewing

    To see up to 150 meteors in one hour, you will need to be far away from city lights and tall buildings. Ideally, there will be clear skies for viewing on the night of the 13th. 

    After you arrive, avoid bright lights, such as phone screens, for 15–20 minutes so your eyes can adapt to the darkness.

    A waning crescent moon will make viewing conditions even better because there will not be much moonlight to wash out the meteors, which are often bright and vivid.

    Here is the cloud forecast through the weekend across the country. 


    Even though the peak is this weekend, you can still view the Geminid meteor shower through December 21st. 

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Ramel Carpenter

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  • Fall officially arrives with the autumnal equinox

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    Fall has officially arrived. Summer has come to an end, meaning cooler and shorter days are on the horizon. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Fall begins Monday, Sept. 22

    • The 2025 autumnal equinox happens at 2:19 p.m. ET

    • The largest daily loss of daylight occurs in September



    The change in seasons occurs with the solstice or the equinox determined by the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the sun. 

    What is the equinox?

    The Earth is tilted at a 23.5-degree angle, and as it travels around the sun, the Earth’s axis is tilted toward or away from the sun.

    During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up, allowing the sun’s rays to shine directly on the equator. This means that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight.

    Meteorological Fall vs. Astronomical Fall

     

    The meteorological seasons are calendar-based, whereas the astronomical seasons rely on the Earh’s position to the sun. 

    Meteorological fall occurs from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. The meteorological seasons are broken down evenly into 3-month periods based on temperature and weather cycles. 

    Astronomical fall typically starts between Sept. 21 and Sept. 23. This varies because of leap years, which can shift the start date by a day or two. 

    Why do we lose so much daylight?

    We have been slowly losing more and more daylight since the summer solstice in June, and will continue to lose more daylight until the winter solstice in December. The largest daily loss of daylight occurs in September, especially as the autumnal equinox approaches.

    The Earth’s 23.5-degree tilt is the main reason we see daylight changes throughout the year. Your latitude also plays a role as well.

    This time of year, the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun, leading to a decrease in daylight. Areas located closer to the equator will see less variation in daylight hours as opposed to areas located closer to the North Pole.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Ramel Carpenter

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  • The weather’s impact during baseball season

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    The 2025 Major League Baseball season is underway, and just like any outdoor sport, the weather can have an impact.

    What You Need To Know

    • Temperatures play a key role in the movement of a baseball

    • Baseballs don’t travel as far during the colder months of the season

    • Warmer temperatures can add more distance to the flight of a baseball



    Most notably, rain and sometimes snow can lead to weather delays. But the temperature can affect the sport more than you would think.

    The air temperature has an impact on the movement of a baseball over the course of the season.

    At the start of the MLB season in late March and early April, temperatures can be in the 30s and 40s at the time of the first pitch, especially for the teams playing in the northern U.S.

    Baseballs hit during this time of the year don’t travel as far because of the cooler temperatures.

    A ball struck in early April may be a pop fly, but in May or June, the same ball could be a home run and it’s all because of colder air being denser than warm air.

    So when a batter hits a ball during colder temperatures, the baseball has to push through more air molecules which act as resistance, causing the ball to travel shorter distances compared to the warmer months.

    This is great for pitchers, but can also prevent some batters from getting into a good rhythm at the beginning of a long season.

    Heading into the middle of the season, temperatures get warmer. That typically favors the batters more compared to the colder months.

    The warmer air is less dense, so there is less resistance, allowing for baseballs to travel further, leading to more base hits and home runs.

    Whether you’re watching a game at home or attending one in person, keep in mind how the air temperature can influence the trajectory of the baseball, especially early in the season.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Ramel Carpenter

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  • Atmospheric rivers are becoming more common

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     Atmospheric rivers can bring days of rain to California and the western U.S., leading to widespread flooding and even landslides.

    What You Need To Know

    • These large channels of water can be over 300 miles wide and 1,000 miles long

    • They can cause major beach erosion along the west coast of the U.S.

    • They can produce over 100 inches of snowfall in less than a week



    Atmospheric rivers are becoming more common over recent years for the western U.S.

    What are atmospheric rivers?

    (NOAA)

    An atmospheric river is a large plume of moisture that is transported by tropical winds. These large channels of water can get over 300 miles wide and can stretch to over 1,000 miles long. They can occur all over the world at any time of the year but are more common from December through February.

    Impacts

    A view of the hillside from the beach after a San Clemente house collapsed because of landslides after heavy rain. (Spectrum News/Rae Williams)

    In southern California, the atmospheric river events can be beneficial by providing a majority of their yearly rainfall but they can also be quite hazardous with the risk of flooding and landslides.

    Earlier this month, San Francisco recorded nearly 3 inches of rain in a single day breaking an old record set back in 1887.

    Similar to hurricanes, these events are rated on a scale 1 to 5 to measure their intensity, which has allowed for better planning by local agencies over the last few years according to the Northwest Climate Hub.

    Atmospheric river events in the western U.S. are mostly known for bringing rain, but they’re also responsible for heavy snowfall from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest.

    Previous events in 2024 brought 6 to 8 feet of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. That amount of snowfall typically contributes to drought relief in the area, which is dry for a good portion of the year.

    Climate change

    Unfortunately, with a warming climate, atmospheric rivers will become stronger and more common in the U.S. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which will allow for these storms to become larger and stronger in the years to come.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Ramel Carpenter

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