Understanding the Science behind the Storm

Everybody talks about the weather. But few people truly understand the science behind stormy conditions. Think about the last time a warning, watch, or advisory was issued in your area - did you pause to wonder what's really going on with the approaching weather?

As such, it's time to take your basic weather knowledge to another level: plus, your safety may depend on it. The United States of America has the world's wildest weather. You're likely to have already endured some of it. From extreme temperatures, to blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and floods - no other country experiences extreme meteorological variations quite like America does. So why is that? Because our country, especially the south and Midwest, contains all the right ingredients and geographical features for severe weather development. In America, we have the Gulf of Mexico that provides warm, moist air to the south, and frigid regions in the north that sufficiently cool the air masses that cross the Canadian border. When these two air masses collide, it forces the lighter air mass (the warm and humid one) skyward. As this warm air escapes into the atmosphere, it begins to cool and the moisture condenses into visible droplets of water, otherwise known as ! clouds. Put simply, clouds are a pocket of warm, humid air that have escaped the earth's surface. The more contrast in temperature and moisture, and the stronger the collision between air masses, and the larger the cloud will be. And as we all can imagine, the larger the cloud, the more potential for a rainstorm.

When two opposite air masses collide, it can result in the strongest of all clouds: the Cumulonimbus. These clouds contain enough energy to sustain themselves for several hours. In fact, the amount of energy released in an average Cumulonimbus cloud is comparable to a 25-kiloton bomb. Cumulonimbus clouds are the type that carries the most dangerous weapons in Mother Nature's arsenal: extreme hail, destructive winds, and the most devastating tornado.

Now that you have a basic understanding of colliding air masses, and their consequences, you can fully realize what the special markers known as Surface Fronts on weather maps are telling you.

Surface Fronts provide forecasters clues as to when and where severe weather may strike next. Named after a concept used in World War I to describe advancing or retreating military positions, Surface Fronts describe the position of warm or cold air masses - in particular, the leading edge of those air masses. They help predict where severe weather might occur several days in advance.

Severe weather goes beyond just a few cloudy skies, as you can see. There are geographical considerations, air masses to take into account, and Surface Fronts that play a role in what type of weather you will experience in your area. So the next time you listen to your local forecast, challenge yourself to explain the oncoming weather. It's an effort worth making when it results in a safer, more prepared citizen.