http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com science writer and book author Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:51:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-heating-cooling-degree-days http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-heating-cooling-degree-days#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 00:47:57 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=2515 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-heating-cooling-degree-days/feed 2 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-finding-wind-data http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-finding-wind-data#comments Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:47:40 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=2348 Q: What is your favorite source for near real time surface wind visualizations in the mid Atlantic region. I need the information for balloon flight planning in the field. Curt, Falls Church, Va. A:  I’ve yet to find any really good visualizations for surface winds because none show the winds in any real detail. That [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-finding-wind-data/feed 0 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-supercooled-water http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-supercooled-water#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:42:14 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=2255 Q: How can water that is below 32 degrees F (zero degrees C) remain in liquid form and not freeze? That is, become “supercooled”? Matt, LaGrange, Ga. A: The best way to begin understanding how supercooled liquid water forms is to forgot what you’ve been told about water “freezing at 32 degrees F.” This is [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-supercooled-water/feed 8 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-aircraft-altimeter-errors http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-aircraft-altimeter-errors#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:36:54 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=2205 Q: Can you help me understand in very simple terms altimeter error when flying from high to low pressure areas and from low to high areas?  I am studying it but its just not clicking.—Mark, Noblesville, Ind. A: To answer  your question I’ll begin with some basic information about aircraft altimeters and then use the [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-aircraft-altimeter-errors/feed 14 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/help-on-reporting-on-gulf-storm-threat http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/help-on-reporting-on-gulf-storm-threat#comments Sat, 26 Jun 2010 00:10:00 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=2145 With Hurricane Alex no longer a threat to the people and vessels working to stop and clean up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, reporters, newscasters, editors, and other news people can take a breather and think about ways to improve coverage when the next hurricane moves into  the Gulf of Mexico. One of the [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/help-on-reporting-on-gulf-storm-threat/feed 3 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-arizona-tornadoes http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-arizona-tornadoes#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:47:00 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=2103 Q: Do tornadoes occur in south-west Arizona, including in the Yuma area? Chris,  Yuma, Ariz. A: A few tornadoes have occurred in Yuma County in the past, which means that they can  occur in the future. Nevertheless, the record shows they are rare and usually weak. If  you go to the National Climatic Data Center’s [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-arizona-tornadoes/feed 3 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/when-seasons-begin-revistited http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/when-seasons-begin-revistited#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:06:51 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=1933 Q: Hello Jack. I was wondering if anyone ever turned in an answer on your “official seasons” proposal from last summer. I am doing my senior research project on the seasons, and would like to know what you found out. Thank you for your time. Justin, Redwood Falls, MN A: The question refers to an [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/when-seasons-begin-revistited/feed 1 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-weather-balloons-and-airplanes http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-weather-balloons-and-airplanes#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:04:36 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=1855 Q: Hi, I enjoyed “Rise Up” in the March 2010 AOPA Flight Training magazine.   I wonder about  the danger of those weather balloons and noted your  comments about there being “no danger” as it’s floating down under parachute. But really, hasn’t there ever been an incident or accident associated with one of these balloons [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-weather-balloons-and-airplanes/feed 3 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-storm-winds http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-storm-winds#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:12:04 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=1264 Q: Why doesn’t an extratropical cyclone continue to rotate around a 360-degree axis, like a hurricane?  I’ve always wondered why a cold front begins to the northwest of the low center and then dies out on the northeast side. Why doesn’t it continue to just rotate?  How does the Coriolis effect play into all of [...]]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/answers-storm-winds/feed 1 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/why-humid-air-is-lighter http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/why-humid-air-is-lighter#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:24:56 +0000 Jack Williams ©2012 http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/?p=654 Q: Why is humid air less dense than dry air? Matt, LaGrange, Ga. ]]> http://www.weatherjackwilliams.com/archives/why-humid-air-is-lighter/feed 1