Ask A Scientist© Weather Archive

> > >  name       Jeanne
> > >  status     educator
> > >  age        50s
>
> > >  Question - I am enrolled in "Physics for Teachers" at Central Missouri
> > > State
> > >University, Warrensburg, MO. I have been researching a personal inquiry
> > >for this class, with no success. I hope you will be able to provide
> > >some information for me, or give me some thoughts on where to direct my
> > >search.
> > >
> > >My inquiry is this:
> > >   We relocated to Missouri in 1984. I experienced my first ice storm
> > >ever, that first week-end in March. I have noticed in the subsequent
> > >years, that when the wind blows from the east, especially during the
> > >winter months, our weather is more severe than usual. It seems those
> > >are the times when we receive significant amounts of ice or accumulating
> > >snows. Is there a meteorological reason for this phenomena, and does it
> > >have a specific name?
>
>Most ice storms are associated with
>fronts revolving with one tail in a low pressure center. It would strike me
>that an easterly (or maybe even more a northeasterly) wind would indicate that
>the air would associated with a low moving north of you. I would assume in
>this scenario that the you would have a wind shift - SE to NE. This represents
>frontal passage and colder air would move in from the north. If the pressure
>system were to move south of you, you would have winds from the west or
>southwest - most likely bringing you Gulf of Mexico air and little chance of
>ice.
>
>Watch where the lows move and see if this holds true.
>
>Larry Krengel
=========================================================

  > >>  name       Jeanne
  > >>  status     educator
  > >>  age        50s
  >
  > >>  Question - I am enrolled in "Physics for Teachers" at Central
Missouri
  > >> State
  > >>University, Warrensburg, MO. I have been researching a personal
inquiry
  > >>for this class, with no success. I hope you will be able to provide
  > >>some information for me, or give me some thoughts on where to
direct
my
  > >>search.
  > >>
  > >>My inquiry is this:
  > >>   We relocated to Missouri in 1984. I experienced my first ice
storm
  > >>ever, that first week-end in March. I have noticed in the
subsequent
  > >>years, that when the wind blows from the east, especially during
the
  > >>winter months, our weather is more severe than usual. It seems
those
  > >>are the times when we receive significant amounts of ice or
accumulating
  > >>snows. Is there a meteorological reason for this phenomena, and
does
it
  > >>have a specific name? I have tried searching at the web site for
the
  > >>National Weather Service and the NOAA, but apparently I am not
phrasing
  > >>my search request correctly.
  > >>
  > >>I appreciate any help you are able to provide for my quest.
  >
  >Jeanne,
  >
  >What you appear to be describing (east winds) is a situation when a low

  >pressure
  >area is passing directly through or just to the south of where you live. This
  >is very common in the central to southern Midwest during late winter
  >especially,
  >with cold air pushing down out of Canada against moist air pushing up out
  >of the
  >Gulf of Mexico. The overrunning of warm air over the cold air can result in big
  >ice storms or, if the low pressure system and associated cold front are strong
  >enough you can get significant snow. Although I don't know of a specific name
  >for the condition, these storms tend to track up the Ohio River valley after
  >leaving your area, dumping large accumulations of snow throughout southern and
  >central Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio and into western Pennsylvania and
  >lowe New York. I live near Chicago, and in Illinois, these storms are legend for the
  >amounts of snow that they can dump in the central part of the state.
In fact, sometimes we meteorologists in Chicago complain that these storms always seem to
  >give the central part of the state more interesting winter weather than we get
  >in the northern parts (I know that saying that sounds a bit deranged, but we
  >like "BIG" weather). I hope that this information helps you.
  >
  >David Cook,
  >Meteorologist working at Argonne National Laboratory