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Are our rodent friends really as accurate as they think?
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Meteorologist Zach Covey
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Tag: northern kentucky
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Wagering with an edge: How weather affects sports betting
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Sports betting has become increasingly popular over recent years, and bettors are always trying to find an edge.
For outdoor sporting events, weather is one of the biggest variables, and RotoGrinders Chief Meteorologist Kevin Roth has spent the past 10 years combining his weather knowledge and passion for sports to help bettors.
From football, baseball and golf, to NASCAR, tennis, soccer and even the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, if it’s outdoors and sports-related, he’s made a forecast for it.
After earning a master’s degree in meteorology and working on TV for 10 years, Kevin Roth saw that there was a need in the fantasy sports world for real forecasts provided by an actual meteorologist, not just a low-quality automated forecast.
He provides forecasts and live weather updates for outdoor sporting events, and breaks down how the weather could affect the game with the lens of a fantasy sports player or a sports bettor.
In football, fantasy sports players get an entire week to digest the latest forecast and can decide who to start until kickoff. Sports bettors don’t get the same luxury if they want to maximize their profit, since betting lines and totals are fluid.
Football
You might think that ‘cold weather teams’ like Kansas City, Buffalo or Green Bay have a built-in advantage during the playoffs when the calendar flips to January, and the weather could offer bitter cold temperatures, high winds and snow.
Earlier this month on Jan. 13, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins during the AFC Super Wild Card Weekend in a frigid matchup. The kickoff temperature was -4 degrees with a wind chill of -20 degrees, making it the fourth coldest game in NFL history.
But Roth says he’s a firm believer that cold or snowy weather doesn’t inherently favor a ‘cold weather team’ over a ‘warm weather team,’ like Tampa Bay or Miami.
“The cold, wind and snow impacts all humans the same in a physiological way. Patrick Mahomes [Kansas City Chiefs quarterback] will get the same cold fingers in those conditions that Tua [Miami Dolphins quarterback] would.”
In football (and other sports), the weather can really make its presence known with high winds. Kicking a field goal or throwing a deep ball is much more difficult with a brisk wind in your face, versus when it’s at your back.
Baseball
According to Roth, baseball is the most interesting sport for weather effects since every single factor (rain, wind, temperature, humidity, elevation) plays a significant role in the expected outcome.
Since there are 162 games a year, and hundreds of pitches thrown each game, there is a large sample size to help isolate variables and determine how weather affects the game. Baseball is the only major team sport where every ballpark has unique dimensions, so the impacts can vary depending on where ballplayers play the game.
Roth says “in Chicago’s Wrigley Field, a southerly wind creates a jet stream effect that helps balls sail over the fence for home runs. A 15 mph wind blowing out in Wrigley can increase home run probabilities by over 50%. If you were to take that same wind, blowing out at 15 mph, to San Francisco’s Oracle Park, the wind only accounts for a 5% increase in home runs, as that stadium was specifically designed to minimize the impact of those winds.”
Temperature and humidity is a variable that applies to all ballparks more equally. Most of the season (April through October) athletes play in the thick of the warm summer months. Since hotter air is less dense, offensive players score more runs during the dog days of summer since the air is thin. Routine pop-ups can carry further, sometimes becoming a home run.
In the northern climates, teams there play those early and late season games in temperatures between 30 to 40 degrees. Roth says “the cold, dense air mass will limit how far a well-hit ball will travel, and what would have been a home run in 70 degree weather suddenly becomes a fly out.”
Best “home field advantage?”
If you’re a sports fan, you’ve heard of home field advantage. Oddsmakers and sports books will factor in 2 to 3 extra points for the home team in football games when creating lines, determining the favorite and underdog.
Some factors baked into home field advantage include the crowd, home stadium familiarity, potential officiating bias and the lack of travel, sometimes visiting teams travel across multiple time zones. But how does the weather factor in?
Roth says you have to consider elevation, since it’s the exception to the ‘this impacts everyone equally rule.’ “Our bodies take time to adjust to elevation, so any visiting team thrust into a game at elevation (i.e. – Denver) is immediately at a disadvantage when compared to players whose bodies are already acclimated to the thinner air at elevation.”
Denver Broncos defensive end Matt Henningsen (91) leaves the field during an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Roth says that Colorado teams have the best home field advantage, since the elevation change and thin air can cause fatigue in more active sports, and change the way a pitch breaks in baseball.
What’s next?
Roth says he’s focusing on “quantitative over qualitative.” He’s been compiling weather data on every outdoor baseball game since 2000 and the statistical results (runs, home runs, ERA, strikeouts, etc) of those games.
The large sample size has allowed him to isolate weather as an individual variable, and the next step he plans is taking that data and applying it to the gambling odds or totals.
Instead of saying “it’s hot and winds are blowing out, that’s great for hitting,” he can definitively say “in 72 games with similar heat and wind in this ballpark, we’ve seen a 48% increase in home runs and a 20% increase to runs scored compared to average.”
You can check out RotoGrinders Chief Meteorologist Kevin Roth’s forecasts here:
Our team of meteorologists dive deep into the science of weather and break down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
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Meteorologist Reid Lybarger
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Warming temperatures and gender disparities in sea turtles
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Few species have their sex determined by temperatures, but for sea turtles it’s almost a certainty.
However, this natural occurrence could become a biological disadvantage as global temperatures continue to rise, leading to larger gender disparities.
Temperature-driven gender reveals
The differences in reproduction between humans and sea turtles extend beyond the obvious ‘one lays eggs while the other does not.’ One key difference between the two is how sex is determined.
For humans and many other species, gender is determined from the by sex chromosomes when fertilization occurs. But this is not the case with sea turtles and other reptiles, given that they lack sex chromosomes.
For them, the gender of their offspring is determined after fertilization, and the deciding factor all depends on temperature. This kind of sexual determination is called temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD).
Building their nest onshore, a female will lay their eggs in the sand, where they will continue to develop before hatching about two months later.
A baby Olive Ridley sea turtle crawls to the sea past discarded turtle eggs at Ostional beach on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Kent Gilbert)
Higher temperatures stimulate more aromatase activity. This yields an increase in female hormones and thus, the baby sea turtle will hatch as a female.
On the contrary, cooler temperatures limits aromatase activity. This promotes male hormones to dominate, and so the sea turtles that hatch will be male.
(AP Photo/Cody Jackson)
According to NOAA, sand temperatures of 88.8 degrees or more will yield female sea turtles, while sand temperatures of 81.86 degrees or less will produce males.
Eggs incubated in sand temperatures falling between these two thresholds will cause a mix of male and female sea turtles.
A warming world and gender inequality
Following the world’s warmest year on record in 2023, rising global temperatures will likely upset gender diversity within sea turtle populations in the years to come.
(NOAA)
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University Marine Lab announced warmer nest temperatures in recent years have produced more female hatchlings, some years even recorded no male offspring at all.
As the male sea turtle populations continue to decrease, growing disparities in gender could ultimately endanger the species’ existence in the future.
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 Shawnie Caslin
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Where does the rain go? Understanding river basins and watersheds
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Have you ever wondered where all the rain goes? It goes to the same place as snowmelt when temperatures thaw out in the spring.
It’s called a river basin, or a watershed, and whether you know it, all the land we stand on is part of a river basin.
Some water will seep into the shallow ground, moving through the soil and helping keep grass, trees and plants healthy. It can even travel deeper down, recharging groundwater aquifers.
Once the ground becomes saturated, a river basin collects runoff and excess water and drains it into a larger body of water.
Depending on where in the basin, it can move into small bodies of water like creeks, streams and rivers, and eventually to outflow points into larger bodies of water like a reservoir, bay or the ocean.
In the U.S., most rain runoff eventually finds its way into the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, or the Great Lakes.
This map below from Grasshopper Geography shows all the permanent and temporary streams and rivers of the Lower 48 in the U.S., divided into catchment areas.
River basins of the United States. (Robert Szucs/www.grasshoppergeography.com)
The Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (highlighted in pink) is one of the largest in the world. It includes parts or all of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, collecting precipitation for 41% of the contiguous United States.
The Mississippi River’s water level closely correlates to precipitation totals across the basin. Persistent, heavy rainfall or excessive snowmelt can cause high water levels and put sections of the river into flood stage, threatening communities along the river.
Conversely, severe drought across the Mississippi River basin can lead to low water levels, which can disrupt the shipping industry and expose some oddities from the bottom of the river.
Snowmelt
When snow melts, the water goes to the same place that rain would go. Generally, 10 to 12 inches of snowfall produces 1 inch of liquid water.
In the western U.S. mountains, environmental and utility experts work to conserve that water and replenish lakes and reservoirs that shrink or dry up during times of drought. In the Central U.S., most of the snowmelt ends up in the Mississippi River.
The annual snowpack in mountain ranges can help forecast potential flooding concerns when temperatures warm up. If there’s a large snowpack, rapid snowmelt can cause flooding.
Below, you can see a video from Dec. 2023, after heavy rainfall and snowmelt from warm temperatures combined and led to significant flooding and high waters in Fairfax, Vt.
It’s more common during the spring, but also possible if temperatures climb well above normal during winter.
Snowmelt can be just as important as rain for areas when it comes to recharging groundwater and supplying freshwater for people and animals. Less snowfall means less snowmelt and less water that could be resourceful for us.
Our team of meteorologists dive deep into the science of weather and break down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
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Meteorologist Reid Lybarger
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Why we don’t officially name winter storms
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Every spring, the World Meteorological Organization releases a list of names for hurricanes that season.
But why don’t we name any other storm, particularly winter storms?
History of naming storms
We have unofficially named winter storms throughout history.
Storms such as The Great Blizzard of 1888, a storm that brought feet of snow to the Northeast and killed over 400 people, or a more recent storm in 2010, Snowmageddon, that crippled the mid-Atlantic with snow.
But naming winter storms didn’t become regular until 2012, when a television weather company did so. At the time, this decision divided the weather community. Some saw the practice as more of a publicity stunt than a way to save lives, as they did not consult any official weather agency.
After 5 years of The Weather Channel naming winter storms, an ad hoc committee of the American Meteorological Society conducted a study and agreed that there was no evidence to support that the naming of storms increases the safety of the public.
The flip side
Even though the U.S. does not name storms other than tropical cyclones, the UK Met Office started officially naming storms in 2015. They not only name winter storms, but powerful storms that form throughout the year that cause substantial impact.
Each area in the UK has different criteria for naming storms, but the fun part is that the public can suggest names for the upcoming year.
Taking a stand
However, the National Weather Service still stands on the side of not naming winter storms, but what is the reason?
I talked to Maureen O’Leary, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service, and she said, “unlike tropical storms, winter storms are diverse with conditions that evolve throughout the storm’s life. That is why our forecasts, watches and warnings focus on specific impacts such as wind conditions, snowfall, ice, temperature, visibility and other impacts.
“Winter storm conditions can vary widely and over a very large area, from community to community. It’s critical that people understand how a storm will impact them, in their area, or where they are going.”
She also said there are no plans to consider naming winter storms.
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 Shelly Lindblade
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2023 saw a record 28 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters
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The U.S. dealt with 28 disasters that each cost over $1 billion last year, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. That’s the most in one year since records began in 1980.
The average number of billion-dollar disasters since 1980 is 8.5 per year. However, from 2019 to 2023, the average was 20.4 events, including the previous record of 22 events in 2020.
NOAA adjusts for the Consumer Price Index to account for inflation.
Here’s when and where 2023’s billion-dollar disasters happened.
The majority were from severe storms and tornadoes, which made up 19 of them. The rest included four floods, two tropical cyclones (including Hurricane Idalia), one wildfire, one winter storm and one drought/heat wave.
The year may end up with one more, depending on the tally from the mid-December East Coast storm.
In total, NCEI estimates 2023’s billion-dollar disasters cost $93.0 billion, above the average of $60.5 billion. They also say these also contributed to at least 492 deaths.
NOAA’s information on 2023’s costly disasters came the same day that Europe’s climate agency reported the global average temperature last year set a record that was 2.66 degrees above pre-industrial levels. The Lower 48 had its fifth-hottest year on record, according to NOAA.
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 Justin Gehrts
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How rainbow clouds dazzle the skies
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Clouds come in many shapes and forms, but did you know there are rainbow clouds?
According to NOAA, “a rainbow cloud can occur because of something called cloud iridescence.”
You’ll see this dazzling phenomena in altocumulus, cirrocumulus, lenticular and cirrus clouds.
These rainbow clouds, or as they’re scientifically known, ‘nacreous clouds’, form when small ice crystal scatter the sun’s light. Once the light hits the droplets, it creates a vibrant hue of colors.
Check out this video of rainbow clouds see above Aylesford, United Kingdom in late December.
Cloud iridescence is a rare phenomenon. Clouds need to be thin and have a lot of water droplets that are about the same size.
Iridescence is a combination of high-altitude clouds, the uniform distribution of ice crystals, sunlight and a sun that is high in the sky.
(Photo by: CameraLeon/WEATHER TRAKER/TMX)
Nacreous clouds are rare sites to see. According to the World Meteorological Organization, you can see these dazzling sites in Alaska, Canada and parts of Scandinavia and the Arctic.
Plus, the clouds form in colder climates because the ice crystals in the clouds need to be chilled to freezing or below.
Whenever you see rainbow or nacreous clouds, enjoy these color clouds and experiences.
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 Keith Bryant
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Why is salt used on roads in the winter?
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We all know that road crews and plows work hard to keep roads clear and safe for drivers this time of year.
In addition to clearing snow and ice from roads, plows also put down a lot of salt on roads and other surfaces this time of year.
The usual freezing point of water – the temperature at which water freezes and becomes ice – is 32 degrees. So if there’s precipitation (snow, sleet, or freezing rain) and the ground is 32 degrees or colder, ice will form on streets and other surfaces.
So, why use salt on roads and other surfaces? It’s simple – salt lowers the freezing point of water, which prevents ice from forming.
Interesting fact: road salt is simply rock salt, which is table salt in its natural form.
The big difference is that the table salt that we use goes through a long purification process, while rock salt does not. As a result, rock salt still has impurities and that’s why it’s brownish or gray in color.
(AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Can salt become less effective if it gets too cold? Generally, salt loses its effectiveness once the temperature falls below 15 degrees.
When temperatures are that cold, the salt simply can’t get into the structure of the frozen water or ice to start the dissolving and melting process. Therefore, salt is much less effective or not effective at all when temperatures are bitterly cold.
Road crews sometimes try other methods, even beet juice.
When wintry weather hits, be careful, take your time and stay safe on the roads – especially when temperatures are cold enough to keep road treatments from doing their thing.
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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Carrie Cheevers
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Different weather conditions can affect your fireworks show
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Many people are looking forward to the spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks shows. However, everything from snow, wind and humidity can affect not only if you can launch those rockets into the sky, but also what they will look like.
Ideal weather
Clear skies, light winds and low humidity make for a great show. Extra moisture in the air can distort the colors and make them less vibrant.
Less humidity also means we can enjoy the show a little more because we don’t feel sticky.
Snow
(Bradly J. Boner/AP Images for EUKANUBA™)
Snow is okay when it comes to fireworks.
The only problems are heavy snow can obscure the colors, and crews need to keep the fireworks dry in times of heavy snow or they might not light.
Wind
We also need to have the right amount of wind. Light wind might not clear the smoke quickly enough, affecting how well you can see the fireworks.
Too much wind can blow smoke or embers around, endangering people.
Smoke from a fireworks display at Chicago’s Navy Pier filters through the skyline on wind currents from Lake Michigan. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Rain and lightning
Light rain is okay when it comes to fireworks, as long as they are covered or in waterproof bags. A wet fuse will not light.
Storms and heavy rain can lead to canceled or delayed shows. Lightning can pose a major threat, sometimes striking unlit fireworks or even people.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Drought
Drought conditions can also cause problems. The fallout from fireworks can spark fires when there’s a lot of dry vegetation.
Each year, fireworks spawn many fires.
(Photo by Heather Morrison)
If there is a bad drought happening in your area, avoid setting off fireworks. Often, local authorities will ban the use of fireworks in high fire risk or drought conditions.
However, bigger shows might launch over bodies of water to accommodate for a drought.
So, keep these in mind if you plan on setting off fireworks. Check the forecast first and stay safe!
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 Shelly Lindblade
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The most sustainable and cost-effective ways to heat your home
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Winter just began, and the coldest days of the season are on the horizon. Through much of the country, many will reach to their thermostats to crank up the heat… some places more than others.
It’s important to know what options work best when it comes to heating your home.
The methods of how we heat our homes range from clean and green to the kind that literally cause smoke to rise out of a chimney.
However, the most sustainable and cost-effective way to heat a home is subjective. The answer varies from one place to another and comes down to what type of fuel sources are most accessible in that location.
Weather and climate play a role, too. Colder regions favor certain methods over others and vice versa.
It all stems from the fuel source
Electricity and natural gas are, by far, the most common heating fuel sources in the U.S. Other sources include propane, wood and oil.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, about 25% of households in the U.S. rely solely on electricity to heat their homes. Electric heating systems are typically the most eco-friendly, but they often come at a higher cost.
Of course, it’s hard to pin down exact amounts, since energy prices vary by location and fluctuate over time.
Electric heating is more suitable across the southern U.S., where winters are usually milder and the demand for heating isn’t as high. Using this fuel source across the northern half of the country where it gets and stays colder for longer can send electricity bills soaring.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) stated that natural gas was 3.4 times more affordable than electricity, which is why it might be the better option for heating homes in some parts of the country. The EIA’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey reported over 50% of households in the U.S. used natural gas to heat their homes.
Even though it might come with a slightly bigger carbon footprint, natural gas is far more cost-effective for many Americans, especially for those living in colder climates such as the Midwest and Northeast.
(American Gas Association)
The American Gas Association (AGA) claims that annual energy costs for an all-electric home using a cold-climate heat pump can be roughly 37% higher than a home using natural gas as its source of heating, cooking and drying clothes.
A home heating oil delivery truck climbs a snow-covered road in the Northeast on Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
On the national scale, oil is not nearly as common as natural gas or electricity. Yet, it was once the most popular fuel in the Northeast, where it is still used in roughly 20% of homes. However, this source of heating is not as environmentally friendly and is often more expensive than electric and natural gas heat.
The most common heating systems
The DOE says that most Americans use either a furnace or boiler to heat their home. Both systems can be fueled by natural gas, oil or electricity, but differ in how they provide heat to dwellings.
The biggest difference between the two is that furnaces heat air, while boilers heat water.
Over the years, these systems have been improved to be more energy efficient. To see how efficient each furnace or boiler is, the DOE examines its annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE).
The AFUE is essentially a percentage measuring how much fuel gets converted to heat. The higher the percentage, the more efficient the furnace or boiler is.
1.) Furnaces:
Most modern homes use a central furnace, which burns a fuel source (either oil or gas) to heat air.
Technician works on a furnace. (Photo by Natalie Sopyla)
The heated air then flows through a series of ducts, where it is released through vents in each room. Cooler air in the room is then sucked back through a return vent, then it goes back into the furnace to be reheated.
This method of heating is fast and energy efficient, which is why most households use it.
2.) Boilers:
Radiators and baseboard heaters in older homes provide heat via a boiler. Hot water or steam travels through pipes in the home. When the hot water reaches the radiator or baseboard unit in each room, it releases its heat. The cooled water then flows back to the boiler to be reheated.
(Pexels)
Since water takes longer to heat than air, this method can take longer for a home to reach the desired temperature, and might not be seen as the most efficient way to heat a home.
That aside, boilers are usually better for people who suffer from indoor allergies, as furnace or forced air systems can blow around dust and pollen particles.
3.) Heat pumps:
Heat pumps are becoming more common and provide heat to the majority of homes in the Southeast. This system runs on electricity and does not require a fuel source to provide heat, which can significantly cut electricity costs compared to an electric furnace or boiler.
Serving as both an air conditioning system and a heating system, heat pumps move warm air out and allow cooler air to flow back into a home during the summer. These systems work in reverse when it gets cold outside, and cooler air is pumped out and warmer air pumped in.
While heat pumps are energy efficient and work well in milder climates, they are not the best option for areas that experience frequently temperatures below 40 degrees. They simply will struggle to provide enough heat, requiring the need for a secondary heating system.
Secondary sources of heat
Residences in colder climates will sometimes need a secondary source to generate heat, especially those that rely on heat pumps as their main system.
To raise the temperatures up a few degrees, some people use space heaters or wood-burning stoves or fireplaces.
(Pexels)
These options are good at providing supplemental heat, but aren’t the best and most sustainable choices to heat a home by themselves.
Each may be enough to heat one room, but you would need multiple fireplaces, wood-burning stoves or electric space heaters to heat an entire home. If the home is large, you could even need more than one in each room!
Along with the additional costs associated with plugging in multiple space heaters or purchasing wood to burn, these methods come with fire hazards and can increase indoor pollutants, possibly outweighing their benefits.
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 Shawnie Caslin
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Shakes on a plane: What causes air turbulence
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Everyone has experienced it. You’re in the middle of your flight, and all of a sudden, you feel the plane shake or jolt.
The pilot comes on the intercom and announces you’re experiencing turbulence and to buckle up.
But what exactly is turbulence?
Turbulence is the unsteady movement of air resulting from eddies and vertical currents. There are many types of turbulence. Let’s explore some.
Convective turbulence
(NWS)
When the sun heats the Earth’s surface, it’s usually uneven because different surface types heat up differently, and this can lead to turbulence.
The heat then rises, and the cool air descends, leading to bumpy rides. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), turbulence is found from the base to the top of where the air stops rising, usually up to the clouds. Above this layer of turbulent air, you’ll find smooth conditions, usually above clouds.
On days where pilots expect convective turbulence, they’ll travel in the morning or evening when heating is not so intense.
Frontal turbulence
(NWS)
Frontal turbulence occurs when warm air meets cold air.
The warm air will lift over the cold air, creating friction between the two air masses and producing turbulence.
Wind shear
Wind shear is the change in wind direction and/or wind speed over a horizontal or vertical distance. It can also cause turbulence, especially when the change is large.
Wind shear often exists in areas of temperature inversions, along troughs and lows and around jet streams.
The atmospheric temperature profile usually goes from warm (the ground) to cold (higher in the atmosphere). In a temperature inversion, that profile goes from cold to warm.
Turbulence will often occur at the top of the inversion since that is where the warm, unstable air sits.
We usually associate lows and troughs with wind shear. This change in wind speed and direction creates turbulence.
The NWS states that a jet stream is a horizontal wind that follows a wave pattern, usually located where there are large horizontal differences in temperature between warm and cold air masses. Turbulence usually occurs where there is a large difference in horizontal wind speeds over a short distance.
Turbulence from obstructions
(NWS)
When wind flows around an obstacle, it can break off and form into an eddy. The NWS defines eddies as gusts with sudden changes in speed and direction, and the size of an object and velocity of the wind can determine the eddy’s intensity.
The NWS says this type of turbulence can cause dangerous impacts when flying. Aircraft can fail to gain enough altitude to clear low objects. When landing, aircraft can experience drops.
Wind around bigger objects, such as mountains, is more noticeable. The wind moving up the windward side helps planes and other aircraft get over the peak.
But on the leeward side, the wind blowing down can cause problems for pilots. The downdraft can push an aircraft into the mountain or cause the pilot to not clear the peak.
Pilots often will gain enough altitude in advance to prevent this.
Your next trip on an airplane
I hope this information will help you relax the next time you fly.
If you experience turbulence, you’ll now know that it’s just wind, and your pilot knows how to manage it.
Engineers also designed and built your airplane to handle it.
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 Shelly Lindblade
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FSU board backs lawsuit challenging contract that binds school to ACC
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida State Board of Trustees on Friday cleared the way for a lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference, challenging a contract that binds the school to the league for the next 12 years and creating a potential path to leave without paying more than $500 million in penalties.
What You Need To Know
- FSU trustees Friday approved a legal challenge to the contract that ties the Seminoles to the ACC
- The university seeks a way to potentially leave the conference without paying over $500 million in penalties
- The lawsuit says the ACC’s grant of rights violates antitrust law and its penalties are unenforceable
- The ACC said the move violates FSU’s commitments to the ACC and its members and that the program re-signed the deal in 2016
“I believe this board has been left no choice but to challenge the legitimacy of the ACC grant of rights and its severe withdrawal penalties,” Florida State Board of Trustees chairman Peter Collins said during a trustees meeting.
The lawsuit was filed soon after in Leon County Circuit Court, claiming the ACC has mismanaged its media rights and is imposing “draconian” exit fees
Florida State outside counsel David Ashburn said a lawsuit was ready to be filed that claims the ACC’s grant of rights violates antitrust law and has unenforceable withdrawal penalties. Ashburn said it would cost a school $572 million to withdraw from the conference. The lawsuit also accuses the ACC of breach of contract and violation of public policy.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips and Virginia President Jim Ryan, chairman of the conference’s board of directors, posted a response to the lawsuit on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Florida State’s decision to file action against the Conference is in direct conflict with their longstanding obligations and is a clear violation of their legal commitments to the other members of the Conference,” the ACC said in the post. “All ACC members, including Florida State, willingly and knowingly re-signed the current Grant of Rights in 2016, which is wholly enforceable and binding through 2036.”
🔗 https://t.co/1AGjYqbZS9 pic.twitter.com/7J9axUix29
— The ACC (@theACC) December 22, 2023
Florida State is looking for a way out of the conference it has been a member of since 1992 because it believes the ACC is locked into an undervalued and unusually lengthy media rights deal with ESPN that runs through 2036. The school leaders also say the league refuses to change its revenue distribution model to match FSU’s value.
“It is a simple math problem,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said. “A very clear math problem.”
FSU leaders have been pushing for unequal distribution of revenue for more than a year. The ACC has agreed to create a bonus system that would direct more revenue to schools that have postseason success in football and basketball, but that has not solved the frustration at FSU.
“It’s time for us to try to do something about it,” Florida State President Richard McCullough said.
McCullough said the trustees’ approval of the legal challenge was not a direct reaction to FSU recently being left out of the College Football Playoff, despite having an undefeated record. Florida State will play Georgia at 4 p.m. Dec. 30 in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
“This is not a reaction, but something we’ve done a lot of due diligence on,” he said.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said on X, “Proud of Florida State, Pres McCullough and the FSU BOT for their bold action today to take a stand against an untenable situation. Unfortunate that it came to this, but college athletics is changing by the second and Florida must once again lead the way.”
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INTERalliance Announces TechOlympics 2022: BYTE Back
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CINCINNATI, January 17, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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INTERalliance announces TechOlympics 2022: BYTE Back is back! The region’s premier high school technology conference, usually held as a two-day event in late February, will now consist of a virtual event from February 19th and 20th and the inaugural TechOlympics Hackathon on Feb. 25 – 27.TechOlympics 2022: BYTE BACK consists of a two-day conference and a three-day hackathon that offer high schoolers, regardless of experience, the opportunity to explore the technology industry. TechOlympics includes a wide range of workshops, competitions, speakers, keynotes, and breakouts presented by industry experts and educators. In addition to these sessions, students are given invaluable opportunities to network with and learn directly from local professionals from over 30 companies such as GE, P&G, and Anthem and educators from universities like UC, NKU, and Xavier. TechOlympics offers the opportunity to connect with over 300 driven, passionate students from all over the region. TechOlympics is only possible with our fantastic sponsors in the Cincinnati area, including our Presenting Sponsor GE.
Students get to choose what sessions they attend at TechOlympics. Sessions include Software Development, Cybersecurity, Career Readiness, Data Science, AI, Bio-Med, and Entrepreneurial Tech. Career Readiness sessions such as “Don’t Spit in the Wind: An Intern Survival Guide” and Software Development sessions such as “Creating a data-driven, AI-powered website with Amazon Web Services” are available for students to attend. Whatever a student’s passion, there are many sessions suited for them at TechOlympics. The event also features a variety of competitions ranging from code-golf and hacker heaven to wiki races and speed texting.
TechOlympics will be held virtually this year, on Feb. 19 – 20, from 9 am – 5 pm, and the TechOlympics Hack-A-Thon on Feb. 26 – 28. TechOlympics is accessible to all students and educators and is free to attend. Find out more by visiting https://techolympics.org.
INTERalliance would like to thank the following sponsors for supporting TechOlympics 2022: BYTE Back:
Presenting Sponsor: GE
Gold Premium Sponsors: Anthem Digital, Procter & Gamble
Gold Sponsors: Xavier University, FIS, Ascendum, Western & Southern Financial Group, and ITA
Silver Sponsors: 84.51, Fifth Third Bank, PCS Technical Services, MAX Technical Training, and Kable Academy
About INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati:
The mission of the INTERalliance, a student-run nonprofit, is to inspire and assist young talent to pursue an IT career in Greater Cincinnati. INTERalliance produces programs such as the IT Careers Camp, Paid Summer Internships, and TechOlympics, the nation’s largest student lead IT conference for High School Students. Member companies of the INTERalliance include Procter & Gamble, Great American Insurance, FIS, GE, Ascendum, Fifth Third Bank, Western & Southern Financial Group, among many others. You can learn more about INTERalliance at www.interalliance.org.
For more information about the event, don’t hesitate to contact Heather Ackels at Heather.Ackels@INTERalliance.org.
Contact Information:
Heather Ackels
Heather.Ackels@interalliance.org
513.415.7707
Source: INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati
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