Atmospheric Visibility, or "Where did the mountains go?"

A good question from Carrie,
"I'd like to know why you can see the mountains to the south (like the Spanish Peaks) only on certain days. It seems like the best times to see them are on cold, partly cloudy days in winter. I'm really curious as to the science pertaining to this!"
And the answer is...
How well you can see the mountains depends on a number of factors that affect the visibility, such as dust and haze…but the situation you describe, “partly cloudy [or clear] winter days” is all about the amount of water in the air. When it’s colder, there’s usually less moisture = better visibility. Good job on spotting the key!

El Nino, La Nina and your weather

You've probably heard of either El Nino (according to the old Chris Farley SNL skit, that's Spanish for "The Nino"), or La Nina. I'll give you a brief overview and point you to a great source for more information. Why do you want to know more? Because these are two global weather conditions that affect what happens in your backyard.

Let's start with the more famous El Nino, which we diagnose by observing warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures off the coast of South America. The worldwide effects include reversing the flow across the Pacific Ocean and causing drought (usually followed by wildfires) in Australia and Indonesia. I'll point you to a source where you can see what El Nino effects tend to be closer to where you live in just a paragraph or two.

Then there's La Nina, the other side of the coin. These conditions result when we measure COOLER-than-average sea surface temperatures off the coast of South America. We've been in La Nina conditions for the past few months.

The effects tend to be less dramatic than with an El Nino, and, in fact, the La Nina appears to be weakening, but in the past, the condition has lead to...
Lower than average precipitation in the southern United States
Lower than average temperatures in the Pacific Northwest
Higher than average temperatures in the southwestern and southcentral states (that's us)

To find out more, point your browser to www.elnino.noaa.gov (it will tell you about both El Nino and La Nina, and give you access to lots of other information about past, present and future conditions.

The weather and your health

I write this note on Tuesday, March 10, 1009, and we've been through some wide swings of weather over the past few days...from hot and dry to bursts of snow and cold (sometimes on the same day).

So...how do you feel? Tired, cranky, achy, unfocused? (I know that the change to Daylight Saving Time may play a role here, but let's leave that for another post).

It could be the connection between the weather and your health. Ever since Hippocrates, scientists and physicians have been registering the connections between weather conditions and your general health, and changes in pressure often come to the top of the list as triggers for many of the things you may be feeling...if you're sensitive to them.

The pressure HAS been changing dramatically from day-to-day; falling in advance of the latest surge of cold air or wintry conditions; rising behind them. Again, if you're sensitive to changes in pressure, you may be feeling the effects...so what can you do?

Now, I'm not a doctor (and don't even play one on TV), but realizing what's going on is the first step, making sure you get some sunshine and fresh air won't hurt, and get all of the sleep you can will move you in the right direction.

Once we get through the typical Spring-like changeable weather and settle into our Summer pattern, it should be a big help in getting you feeling like you again.

To see how serious some European countries get about the way the weather affects your health, you might peek at www.donnerwetter.de and click on "biowetter". Speaking a little German will help, and the forecasts are only for how conditions will affect people in different parts of Germany, but it will show you how seriously some take "the weather connection"

Saturday was an interesting day, WeatherWise

As the amount of water in the air increased and a cold front raced across southern Colorado, we experienced a wide range of weather conditions (Saturday, 3/7).

Wind gusts were over 50 mph in some areas (not surprising), temperatures fell by 15 degrees over Friday's readings (again, no big deal here), there were bursts of snow, that in most cases didn't last very long, and at the same time that many of us were dealing with wintry weather, thunderstorms were rumbling across the eastern Plains.

Yoder and Ellicott reported thunder and lightning, and in the middle of the morning, a tornado warning was issued for Baca county after various observers reported funnel clouds.

Fortunately, at this point, no damage or injuries reported, but it's a wake-up call that we're getting into the season when we need to be even more weather-aware.

One of the phenomena I saw on the west side of Colorado Springs was "graupel". You've probably seen it before too. It's either hard snow or soft hail. You often see it as little pellets coming from a snowstorm that crunch or go to powder when they hit the ground.

As we get into thunderstorm season (soon), you'll be able to tell the difference between hail and graupel by picking up a piece and trying to crush it with your fingers. If you can crush it, it's graupel, if not, it's hail.

Global climate change, local weather changes and the quest for the perfect portable gaming device

Was that a long enough title? Probably the longest you'll see. A couple of notes for you today. As the battle for the hearts and minds of the citizens of the world goes on, the latest salvo has been fired by Bob Ryan, on-air meteorologist at WRC in Washington DC.

Bob did a series of online reports that are outstanding. He's a scientist himself (he doesn't just play one on TV), and he walks you through the process of how to evaluate the information that's available, the difference between a "fact" and a "theory" (and the way that scientists, as opposed to the general public perceive those terms), and more. I was very impressed.

If you'd like to look for yourself, you can start your journey with a visit to http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2009/03/bob_ryan_weighs_in_on_climate.html
an article by Washington Post blogger Andrew Freedman. You'll find links inside the article that will direct you to Bob's material. Definitely worth a look.

Thought #2...The changing weather in southern Colorado for the weekend of March 6,7 and 8, 2009. With moist air approaching from the southwest, and cold air racing in from the north, changes are definitely moving in. Colder? YES, Windy at times? YES, Heavy snow at times over the mountains (where your summer drinking water comes from)? YES, Snow on your yard? MAYBE. Many of us from El Paso county northward will see some rain and snow, but the best chance for being able to say "hey look, it's snowing" will reach from northern El Paso county to Wyoming (and, of course, over the mountains and foothills). Looks like it will be over by Sunday, though.

Now, on to that search for my own personal portable gaming device. I'm a researcher at heart, so I analyze all factors to the nth degree before laying down any cash. The contenders are...
1) Sony PSP
2) Nintendo DS Lite
3) ipod Touch

Besides hands-on testing, I'm able to solicit input from current owners of each device, hard-core techno geeks in all walks of life and my students at a local community college and a full University.

Here's where I am so far.

1) Sony PSP - superior graphics (and price), nice library of "shooters" (which is the genre I prefer for those few spare moments of leisure time), multimedia options, including movies, etc.
Analysis: A few great games, GREAT looking screen, unimpressive battery life, unprotected screen and pricy...fading in the running

2) Nintendo DS Lite. I know there's a new DS coming out in April (The DSi), but it seems that the real draw for this one is the enhanced multimedia suite, and that's not what I'm buying a portable for...I already have devices that will do that, so I continue to focus on the Lite, whose price will hopefully drop.
Analysis: Interesting touch-screen interface. Nice, bright colors, though not up to the standards of the PSP. HUGE library of games, some of which fill the bill for my leisure moments. (I was almost insulted when most of my students who suggested it as my best option did so because of all of the "train your brain" software, obviously worried that I'm racing toward total mental shutdown, and they just want me functional until final grades are in ). Reasonable price and wide availability. This one is in the lead right now.

But, wait...there's also...

3) The ipod touch. Suggested by one of my electronically aware co-workers at the TV station. Great screen, super music playback, fun interface, but not many games yet.
Analysis. I guess in the final analysis, I'm not ready to surrender to the Apple empire yet. I want those games NOW, and can always shift to whatever the current ipod is in a few years.

Looks like the odds-on favorite at the moment is the Nintendo.....now if the price drops dramatically when the new model comes out.........
I'll keep you posted.

Colorado's warm, dry spell

At least 2 record highs today in Colorado. Colorado Springs tied it's 1901 record of 72, and Pueblo put a new page in the record books with an 80 degree reading (78 was the old record, set in 1904).

When I'm out and about, I've been getting the question "is this REALLY unusual?", and "is this proof of global warming?"

Let's deal with those one at a time...The answer to the second one is NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Now then, back to the first one. We can go through wide swings of weather this time of the year, as we begin to transition from cold, wintry weather from the north and more springlike conditions, usually caused by high pressure to our southwest driving warm, dry winds down the eastern slopes of the Rockies...and that's the case at the moment. (See "Chinook Winds" in the previous blog entry).

We've had a persistent weather pattern that has favored these warm, dry winds blowing, but the pattern can change just as quickly to one where we get storm after storm and wonder where the snowplows are.

Southern Colorado's long-term weather records show that we've done this before (weather tends to run in cycles), and we'll certainly do it again, with some cooler, wetter periods in-between.

In the meantime, enjoy the warm and wait for the storms (and remember that snowpack in the mountains is either right where we expect it to be, or perhaps even a little bit above that level).

Chinook winds

The first few days of March will see highs reaching the 60s and 70s in eastern Colorado, boosted by gusty "Chinook" winds. These winds are a fact of life for cities east of the Rockies. Here's a little insight into how they work.

1) The word "Chinook" comes from an aboriginal American dialect, and loosely-translated means "snow eater". That's because these winds are so warm and dry, that when they encounter snow, it doesn't melt, it goes directly from snow to water vapor.

2) The east slopes of the Rockies aren't the only place that experiences this effect. Various warm-dry winds are also in California (Santa Ana) and Austria (Foehn).

3) Here's a simple explanation of how they work. When moist air is forced to ascend a mountain, in our case, on the western slope, it cools until its temperature equals its dew point, at which point we say it's saturated, and a cloud begins to form. From this point on, it cools more slowly until it reaches the top of the mountain.

4) As this air is forced down the "lee" side (in our case, the eastern slopes of the Rockies). It's never saturated, warms and dries dramatically, and, in fact, ends up warmer and drier than it was on the other side. (Search "Chinook Wind" on the web, or see any 101-level meteorology textbook for more details).

It's one of the phenomena that makes living along the east slopes of the Rockies so interesting.

Now on to another matter. In the world of technology, the jury is still out on the matter of adults (in my case ADULT+) and portable video game systems. There are strong feelings on both sides. ("They're for kids" and "I LOVE THIS THING"). I've decided that I need one for those rare spare moments when I just need to take a break and lay waste to large areas of real estate (digitally only, of course).

I'm comparing Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS Lite. I'll keep you posted as the decision process evolves.