Weather Break

From the Creighton University Department of Atmospheric Sciences

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Entries Tagged as 'Uncategorized'

Wind and the Collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

November 10th, 2009 · No Comments

Click here to listen to episode 617 of Weather Break.
When you think about the extremes of weather that a bridge needs to be able to withstand, it’s actually pretty amazing that more bridges don’t collapse during severe weather events.  Probably the most famous weather-related bridge failure would be the case of the notorious Tacoma Narrows [...]

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Tags: Technology and High-Impact Weather · Uncategorized · Weather History

Unusual Weather and Climate Change

August 11th, 2009 · No Comments

Click here to listen to episode 572 of Weather Break.

For much of the Great Plains, this really has been an unusually cool summer.  Sure, there have been a couple of really hot days, but overall the temperatures have been running several degrees below normal.  Combine that with the memories of some of the really cold [...]

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Tags: Climate Change · Uncategorized

Classic Weather Break: Why Humid Air is So Uncomfortable

July 14th, 2009 · No Comments

Click here to listen to this episode of Weather Break.
In the summer, you’ll often hear people complain that “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”  it’s true that humid air generally feels hotter than dry air does.  On today’s episode of Weather Break, Dr. Jon Schrage takes a look at why humid air is so [...]

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Tags: Uncategorized · Water and Weather

CAPE

July 10th, 2009 · No Comments

Click here to listen to episode 560 of Weather Break.
Like most features of the atmosphere, thunderstorms are fundamentally about energy.  The kinetic energy of the updraft of the thunderstorm is one of the most important parameters that meteorologists need to be able to predict if they are going to make useful forecasts during severe weather [...]

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Tags: Basic Meteorology · Uncategorized

Sun Safety

July 6th, 2009 · No Comments

Click here to listen to episode 556 of Weather Break.
At this time of year, everyone needs to be thinking about protecting themselves from the potentially harmful radiation from the sun.  Ultraviolet radiation can lead to skin cancer and sunburns, but it’s relatively easy to prevent these conditions with a little bit of sunscreen and a [...]

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Tags: Health and Weather · Uncategorized