Question.3719 - Visit the Winter Page for the National Weather ServiceLinks to an external site. and select two types of winter storms (e.g., nor’easters, ice storms, lake effect snow, ground blizzards, avalanches, snow squall, extreme cold/wind chill, etc.). Describe the atmospheric conditions that cause these winter storms to occur. Dedicate approximately 250 words to each winter storm type for a total of 500 words.
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Essay: Winter Weather Rodney Stithem Mid-American Christian University NATS 2503 09W1 24F1 Professor John Ensworth October 12th, 2024 Essay: Winter Weather Noreasters According to NOAAs National Weather Service (n.d.) data, Noreasters tend to form around colder Arctic air from the polar jet stream, meeting warmer moist air from the Gulf steam region alongside the U.S. East Coast. The interrelation between these contrasting air masses establishes a steeper temperature gradient, causing instability. NOAA (n.d.) implies that whenever humid air that is warmer tends to be lifted over the denser Arctic air that is colder comparatively, intense cyclogenesis occurs, which in turn results in a rapid deepening of the low-pressure system.?? Due to the dynamic fluctuations in the environment, it produces gale-force winds from the northeast, along with heavy precipitation (rain or snow) and coastal flooding. The most intense Noreasters tend to occur between September and April, driven by enhanced thermal gradients and oceanic energy; these storms frequently lead to heavy snow or rain, coastal flooding, and wind speeds exceeding 50 mph, causing significant disruptions to the I-95 corrido (NOAAs National Weather Service, n.d.). Ice Storms According to NOAAs National Weather Service (n.d.), ice storms tend to be formed whenever a warmer layer of air is sandwiched between two cold layers, resulting in supercooled raindrops that freeze upon contact with sub-freezing surfaces, wherein the phenomenon typically occurs along boundaries because of warmer moist air that overruns a shallow dome of cold air near the surface, generating freezing rain. Although severe storms produce hazardous conditions like black ice on roadways, small ice accumulations could bring down power lines and trees. NOAA (n.d.) implies that heavier ice accumulations threaten infrastructure and hamper transport flow because ice thickening in glaze as minimum as 0.25 inches can disrupt power for days. References NOAAs National Weather Service. (n.d.). Ice storms. https://www.weather.gov/safety/winter-ice-frost. NOAAs National Weather Service. (n.d.). What is a Noreaster? https://www.weather.gov/safety/winter-noreaster.More Articles From Science