A warm front will slide through from south to north on Thursday night bringing us much warmer temperatures Friday through Sunday. Get ready for middle 80s all three days with plenty of sunshine. By Sunday afternoon we’ll include some small chances for showers and thunderstorms, mainly northwest of Rockford.

The last time we had three 80 degree days back-to-back? I had to look back through all of May and April, back to March 16th through the 18th when temperatures were in the lower 80s.

Anybody opening up the pool this weekend? Post some pictures on our Facebook page or share pics weather@wrex.com. -ES

Posted under weather

Once again, another great question was asked on Wednesday during Project: Tornado.  Eric Sorensen and myself visited Meehan Elementary School in Belvidere.  Angel Garcia, a 3rd grader, asked ‘How did the tornado get its name?’

Angel, I looked through the dictionary and encyclopedia and found the origin of the word ‘tornado.’  ‘Tornado’ is derived from ‘tronada,’ the Spanish word for ‘thunderstorm.’  The Spanish word ‘tornar,’ which means ‘to turn or twist,’ also had an influence.  These two Spanish words were molded together over the years to create our English word ‘tornado.’  The precise year when the word ‘tornado’ was first used is unknown, although some evidence points to the early 1600s.

There are other words used to describe a tornado.  Sometimes we use ‘twister.’  Other synonyms include ‘cyclone’ and ‘waterspout’ (which is a tornado over water).  And of course there is the ‘dust devil.’  In Australia, a dust devil is called a ‘willy willy!’

Thanks for that great question, Angel!  And thanks to Meehan Elementary for a great time!

-JA

Posted under Project: Tornado, weather geek

After yesterday’s cold front, conditions will be quite pleasant as our highs reach average this afternoon into the lower 70s.  However, our next low-pressure system will take its time pushing east. This will allow our temperatures to climb back into the mid 80s by Friday and possibly the upper 80s by Saturday.  The combination of a strong low-pressure system to our west and a high-pressure system to our east will create strong southerly winds that will push very warm air into the Midwest.

Posted under heat wave, sunlight, weather, weather geek, Wind

Gusty wind will be possible from these storms as they work toward Delavan, Clinton, South Beloit, and Poplar Grove by 6pm. These will likely remain below severe limits, but bear watching.
If you have anything to report, please e-mail weather@wrex.com or post on our 13 Weather Authority Facebook page.

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A cold front will approach from the northwest later this evening triggering showers and thunderstorms ahead of the front.  Morning and afternoon sunshine will combine with southwesterly winds gusting up to 25 mph, creating an environment that could support some strong/severe storms.  With the storms not passing until later this evening (5-9pm), this will not be a widespread severe weather event.  A few of the storms could become organized enough to produce gusty winds and quarter size hail.  That is with the most organized storms and if we get enough low-level moisture.  Our threat for strong/severe storms will quickly end as cooler and drier air rushes in behind the cold front.  In the meantime, enjoy the warmer temperatures and the sunshine.  We will keep you updated if there are any changes in the forecast.

Posted under rain, severe weather, Threatrack, weather

Even though the atmosphere will remain quite dry, an incoming cool front from the northwest may have enough oomph to spark off a few thunderstorms very late in the daylight hours. Here is a look at Futuretrack’s depiction of the front during the dinner hours. I don’t believe there will be a solid line of storms along the front, rather a few isolated storms out ahead of it. Because freezing levels will be fairly low, some nickel to quarter sized hail will be possible.

Threatrack is at a solid level-two for the possibility of some severe hail. In addition, the Storm Prediction Center has us in a slight risk of severe weather.

Keep in mind that storm chances are only around 20-30% for the afternoon and evening hours so there’s a better chance we’ll remain dry as the front comes through. We’ll just have to watch the isolated storms for some hail. Check back here for more info as we go through your Tuesday. We’ll keep you covered. -ES

Posted under Threatrack

I had the pleasure of going to Taylor Park Elementary School this morning for Project Tornado.  Jonathan from Ms. Avery’s 4^th grade class asked a very good question.  He asked: How fast does lightning strike?

 Answer:  Lightning actually travels at different speeds. The atmospheric conditions determined how fast a bolt of lightning can travel.  On average, a typical lightning bolt moves at 224,000 mph, which comes to about 3,700 miles per second.  Now… that’s fast!

 Here are some other interesting facts about lightning:  A bolt of lightning is no more than an inch wide and is hotter than the surface of the sun; and when you see a flash of lightning, it might actually be three or five strokes of lightning in the same place.  That is why when you see lightning; it looks like its flashing or flickering.

Posted under Project: Tornado, science, severe weather, weather geek

All of the solar heating we received today from the sun will reradiate back into the atmosphere tonight.  Why, you might ask?!

A light to nearly calm wind will keep the atmosphere at a stand still, so to speak.  With a clear sky and no clouds to act as a blanket and keep the warmth near the Earth’s surface, heat projects back into space and our temperatures fall.  This is called radiational cooling.

For Monday, high pressure will remain in control and keep the mostly sunny conditions and warmth in the forecast.  A fairly benign weather pattern will stay in place throughout the work week.  There’s just a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm Tuesday evening thanks to a weak cool front moving south.

-JA

Posted under weather

Sunday looks like it will be a nearly perfect day for all of our mothers and grandmothers!  A cool front that caused mostly cloudy conditions and a few showers on Saturday will continue to push southeast for the second half of our weekend.

We will have a mix of sun and clouds for most of Mother’s Day 2012.  Temperatures will be cool when we wake up tomorrow morning.  However, the mercury will rise into the 60s by noon and by late afternoon we’ll hit that 70 degree mark across the region.  Clouds will decrease throughout the day as well, setting the stage for a beautiful sunset.

Happy Mother’s Day!

-JA

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Our Project Tornado question of the day comes from Paw Paw School.  Jacey who is in Mrs. Moorehead’s 3^rd grade class asked:  How does hail fall out of the sky?

Answer:  Let us start with what is hail.  Hail is precipitation that is formed when the updraft of a thunderstorm carries raindrops up into areas in the atmosphere that are extremely cold.  When the raindrop is carried in the updraft, it begins to grow as it collides with other semi-frozen raindrops.  Once the hail can no loner be lifted by the updraft, it falls to the earth.  The stronger the updraft inside the thunderstorm, the larger the hail it can form. 

Examples:  For a storm to produce quarter size hail, the updraft needs to be at least 50 mph.  Baseball size hail needs updrafts of 80 mph and softball size hail need speeds greater than 100 mph.

Posted under Project: Tornado, severe weather, weather