The Human METAR

Happy 4th of July Eve…Eve………Eve everybody! Either way we are halfway through the year of 2010. Wow is all I have to say.

The first of July tells me that I only have 29 days until my new job starts. Yup, that’s right, I got a job offer a few weeks ago and have officially accepted it. I will be working with the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, which is located in downtown Asheville, North Carolina (same building where NCDC is located). It’s going to be a new adventure for me, as I will be permanently moving to western North Carolina. While I am excited, I am also sad to leave my friends and family behind.

On another topic, I have created a BETA version of the RUC map room. Take a look at it here and let me know what you think. My next step is to try and mix and match different displays, as the only map that is different is the RUC SBCAPE.

Temperatures in New England are already creeping into the upper 80′s (and even 90 at Boston’s Logan Airport). This is creating an unstable airmass that could produce scattered thunderstorms for the area this afternoon.

All that is needed is a lifting mechanism to trigger these storms. A cold front is typically the culprit in New England summers, but normally it comes from the the west. Today it’s a different story:

This phenomenon, known as a “backdoor” cold front, typically occurs once or twice every year. Why does it happen? Well it is because of an upper level low to the EAST of the area. Normally, these storms move from west to east due to vorticity within the system. However if the vorticity is too weak, the system begins to move slightly from east to west, otherwise known as “retrogression.” Since cold air is located to the west of these upper level lows, cold air is advected over New England.

If the area is unstable enough during a backdoor cold front event (like today) there is a chance for the production of storms that move towards the south or southwest. So while it seems like a nice day now, don’t be surprised if you hear thunder rumbling today.

One of the biggest weaknesses I have is lack of knowledge with the Geographic Information System (also known as GIS). There is no undergraduate or graduate meteorology class that deals with programs like ArcGIS or ArcView. There are 2 GIS labs on the Plymouth State campus, but we do not utilize them with the meteorology department.

I think that this is a big flaw in the meteorology curriculum. Everywhere I look at to apply to I feel that GIS is one of their top priorities. Especially with the National Weather Service, who now uses Google Maps for their detailed point forecasts. Many maps provided by NOAA and the NWS can now be added to Google Earth for real time visualization.

More importantly, many companies, such as the NH Department of Transportation use Google Maps to plot information about weather stations, road closures, and traffic notifications. This is starting to become a large part of the workforce and I feel that all meteorology students should at least have a handle with Google Maps.

Because of this, I have taken it to the next level. Using the Google Maps API, I have started to get a handle of the syntax and logic of Google Maps. It uses the Javascript language, and since it is similar to Java, I can learn the constructs fairly quickly. My overall goal is to plot data on specific points on the map, but I am slowly getting there.

For a look at what I have been working on, take a look at this. Obviously all credit goes to Google, and it is nowhere near the goal I would like it to be. But if you haven any suggestions let me know!

The lower troposphere wants to show it’s love for the northeast. Look at this morning’s 850mb temps above (SOURCE Plymouth State Vortex) The -20 degree fill is in the shape of a heart *cues studio audience’s aww* Too bad they are 9 days short. (AND 11 days short of Jared Rennie Day…the nerve)

But doesn’t it just warm you up? Speaking of that. The ridge of warm temperatures are forecasted to clip the NE over this weekend. The 850mb temps could reach ABOVE freezing! This means that if we mix well, Highs could reach the low to mid 40′s this Saturday and Sunday!

In the meteorology world, Omega is a term used to describe vertical motion. When there is rising motion, an air parcel will cool down, and eventually reach the environmental dew point. Saturation occurs and generates clouds and precipitation. This is very important for any kind of weather system. Without rising motion, there are no awesome weather events to talk about.

Finding omega is tedious, and not very accurate, but there are a few methods out there to use. The most common one is the Quasi-Geostrophic Omega equation which determines vertical motions by two main terms: thermal advection and differential vorticity advection. However there are a few problems with this equation, so others have been created.

Trenbirth: The advection of vorticity due to the thermal wind. If this advection is positive, then w is positive, indicating rising motion.

Q-Vectors: These vectors point towards rising motion. Q-Vector convergence will indicate rising motion

For those meteorology nuts out there, we know that the thermal wind runs parallel to thickness. SO plotting both the 700mb vorticity and 1000-500mb thickness, we can subjectively determine where there is rising motion. We can also confirm by overlaying Q-Vectors.

Therefore, I present my 3rd Gempak Map (CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL RESOLUTION IMAGE):

The white lines are 1000-500mb thickness, the yellow colors are 700mb vorticity (relative, not absolute), and the arrows are q-vectors. This map could be used as a creative way of determining rising motion. While subjective analysis is needed, the Trenbirth and Q-Vector equations don’t have as many assumptions as the traditional form of the omega equation.

To look at live maps, you can check them out on my map wall by clicking here