Supercells- The Mother of Thunderstorms

    

       Supercell thunderstorms are the rarest and most volatile classification of thunderstorms.  Supercells are the result of mesocyclones that consist of deep, continuously rotating updrafts. They are very strong isolated thunderstorms that can sometimes split into two separate storms and move in opposite directions because of opposing updrafts. These storms are often producers of abnormally large hail and mass quantities of rain. Supercells are often associated with tornadoes and downbursts as well. A main defining characteristic of the supercell is the looming overshooting top, resembling a mushroom. This “mushroom top” is caused by the powerful updraft forming the cloud. Supercells are very common in the plains and Midwest parts of the United States and sometimes in southern Canada, though they can occur elsewhere with proper conditions. High precipitation supercells are particularly dangerous because the high winds and rain can hide tornadoes in the middle of the mesocyclones.

            Having grown up in north Texas, I can remember multiple occurrences of supercells. I remember being afraid of the very severe thunderstorms that knocked out our power, blew down our fence, and blew over trees and power lines. The mushroom-like clouds as pictured above, were very common in the spring and summer months. As noted in the articles, these storms definitely did produce large amounts of rain, often flooding our streets, and large hail that damaged our roofs and vehicles. During one such storm, a baseball-sized hail broke our kitchen window. Depending on where we were in the metroplex, we could often see the supercell moving in and the massive cloud formations before they produced flooding and/or tornadoes. Though the menacing storms threatened danger and despite meteorologists’ warnings, I would venture to say that many Texans and southerners found great entertainment from the immanent storms. And I’m sure that most people in the mid-United States can describe an experience or two of their encounter with supercells and tornadoes.   

Article Links:

Supercell 

Supercell- Wikipedia

Blue Jets & Red Sprites?

              

                 Strange occurrences known as red sprites and blue jets, are weather oddities that have been puzzling airline pilots and scientists for years.  As pilots fly in the evening over thunderstorm clouds, many have reported seeing flashes of red or blue light beaming up out of the top of the clouds (opposite of lightning).  These flashes of lights only last a few thousandths of a second, which makes them very hard for scientists to trace and study.  These light pulses can shoot up to 50 miles above thunderstorm clouds. Scientists do agree that the sprites and blue jets are related to supercharged lightning. The sprites are generally observed at times where thunderstorms produce an excess amount of electricity, setting the stage for the sprites above the charged thunderstorm clouds. The electricity from the blue jets or the sprites is thought to interact with the free-roaming electrons in the ionosphere, which contributes to their magnitude.  Different areas may experience different colors of the blue jets or sprites depending on the negative or positive charge release during the thunderstorms.

                This is an amazing phenomenon that the electrical charges may actually connect from the earth’s surface to the ionosphere in less than a second.  Perhaps the energy and voltage in the blue jets or red sprites could be greater than regular lightning, since they require so much electrical energy to form.  I wonder if they are strong enough to “zap” an airplane or if maybe they don’t last long enough to do any damage.  Pilots can navigate through storms since they are capable of flying above the actual storm clouds, but if the sprites or blue jets are shooting up through the clouds, they could pose a serious problem to air traffic. The existence of red sprites and blue jets was only confirmed in 1989, therefore many questions about them are still unresolved. 

Article Links:

Sprites, Jets and Elves, oh my! 

Thuderstorm's Blue Jet 

Secret Sprites 

Great Balls of Fire!!

                Ball lightning is a natural phenomenon that has been puzzling scientists for many years. There is no known cause of ball lightning.  Ball lightning generally occurs during thunderstorms and it appears as orbs of light floating through the air.  These balls of light can range anywhere from the size of a golf ball to beach ball size.  There are many varying observations of the ball lightning since they are nearly impossible to study.  Some say that they emit an “acird ozone odor” when they appear and can be seen in a variety of colors.  When they disappear they can go quietly or disperse with a loud bang.  When they encounter other electricity, such as tvs and microwaves, they can have a greater explosive ending and potentially start fires.  Some theorize that their formation has to do with lightning striking the ground and vaporizing minerals which then link together as a silicon ball that is light enough to float on the air. The burning of the particles then emits light.

                Personally, I think it would quite frightening to see an occurrence of ball lightning, largely because they’re so mysterious and unpredictable.  After reading this article, I wonder how many house fires could have been caused as a result of ball lightning since it would be relatively impossible to trace. The articles say that there are reports of ball lightning that go back hundreds of years.  As mysterious as this phenomenon is today, I can’t imagine what people of earlier times would have made of it. As scientists continue to study this and attempt to create it in the labs, I wonder if it would be possible to harness the energy these balls create, since lightning itself has so much energy.  It would be very cool if scientists could understand this weather phenomenon, but seeing as how it is so unpredictable and immeasurable, ball lightning might always be a weather mystery.

Great Balls of Fire article
Mysterious Ball Lightning Created in Lab article

Maybe not raining cats and dogs, but fish...

Raining Fish video link

             For thousands of years, an incredible weather phenomenon has been documented in which fish and other small water creatures like frogs and snakes, have literally fallen from the sky.  Although it is not entirely understood how this can occur, most scientists and meteorologists think it is the result of water spouts and tornadoes passing over the ocean or other bodies of water and displacing the animals in other locations.  The winds associated with tornadoes and water spouts are so strong they can lift the water creatures high into the base of their funnels. Because the creatures are so light, they then get caught in the powerful winds in higher levels of the atmosphere until they reach a trough and can plummet back to earth.  Once the animals are caught in the strong winds, they could be journeying on the drafts hundreds of miles before reaching a point when they fall.  As described in the video, it’s not uncommon for an entire school of fish to plummet to one location, as they were abducted from the same water spout and travelling on the same wind currents.

                I have never heard of this weather occurrence before I discovered this video and I think it is absolutely mind-blowing.  It makes sense that a water spout or a tornado would suck fish up as they pass over water, but it never occurred to me that they could stay in the clouds until the clouds disperse.  I have actually seen a water spout before in the ocean, and now I think about all the creatures it could have obtained and displaced with it. The video even said that fish and frogs could survive after going through this!  What’s even stranger is that the fish get caught in wind currents and can travel long distances before returning to earth in such a way that fish and frogs could be raining in area where there is little water.  Now that I know about this, I’d like to see it for myself! It'd be pretty awesome if some fish just showed up in your yard one day and you could cook them for dinner.