Strange Rotational Weather Patterns

Anyone else notice that our weather fronts are now giant swirling masses instead of actual fronts that drop down out of the arctic regions, or come straight from the oceans? I have been watching this for a few years. They look like giant land based hurricanes. Is something happening to the jet stream to cause this? Just check Accuweather anytime and see it on radar.

a reply to: standingwave

Give us a bit more please. I don't know this accuweather you are talking about and what am I looking for. Screenshots of particular patterns might be helpful. I'm not going to google stuff, because I'm not interested enough and with nothing else to convince me that this may be interesting. I'm out.

You have got to be fekking kidding me. These systems (aka FRONTS) have centers of circulation.

Edit: I was going to continue on with the thought, but I don't feel like a mod spank this morning. Here's some entry level reading instead.
okfirst.mesonet.org...

a reply to: Nyiah

No, I am not kidding you. Where I live it is normal for fronts to come from the SW, not from the north and east like they have for most of the summer.

a reply to: Hecate666

I dont know how to do "screen shots", but here is a link:

www.accuweather.com...


Currently, where I live ( near St.Louis), there is a huge thunderstorm coming directly from the north.

originally posted by: standingwave
a reply to: Nyiah

No, I am not kidding you. Where I live it is normal for fronts to come from the SW, not from the north and east like they have for most of the summer.

Without knowing what continent you're even on, google up some detailed maps of the meteorology variety rather than satellite, and figure out where the blocking highs are. They do shift.

originally posted by: standingwave
a reply to: Hecate666

I dont know how to do "screen shots", but here is a link:

www.accuweather.com...


Currently, where I live ( near St.Louis), there is a huge thunderstorm coming directly from the north.

That doesn't look like it's moving from the north. It's certainly looking stationary (or damn near it) to me at the moment, and doing a nice amount of overnight convection.

Even your local NOAA doesn't say what you're claiming. It sounds like you have a back door warm front hanging around. They're not new.
forecast.weather.gov...

originally posted by: Nyiah

originally posted by: standingwave
a reply to: Nyiah

No, I am not kidding you. Where I live it is normal for fronts to come from the SW, not from the north and east like they have for most of the summer.

Without knowing what continent you're even on, google up some detailed maps of the meteorology variety rather than satellite, and figure out where the blocking highs are. They do shift.

Jeeze!
Usually you aren't this cranky!!!

Accuweather is a pretty well known weather site & St Louis is in the USA. I think what the poster is noticing is more & larger almost stationary systems. Used to be the OP is correct in saying generally most of our weather here DID go west to east, or follow the jet stream boundary swinging down out of the Canadian NW.

Seems this year the jet stream is squirreling all over the place so we are seeing different patterns set up.

Where the OP is, lots of "weather" is generated over the Gulf and heads straight up thru TX & OK to Missouri.

a reply to: Caver78

Thank you! I was wondering if anyone else had noticed. If you will look at this time , there is a front covering the whole 4-state area in the west and it is actually moving east to west. At almost anytime in North America, half the clouds and "fronts" are moving "backwards" due to this gear-like rotation. One goes clockwise, the other goes counterclockwise. And this create "fronts" inside of "fronts"!

a reply to: Nyiah

Ive been reading those, and it looks like they are having trouble forecasting because of all the rotation. Its hard to predict weather when you have clouds going 360 degrees in a two or three state area.

a reply to: standingwave

Yes I've noticed.
It came up this past winter as some friends of mine & I were trying to remember what kind of summer we would have if it was a el nino winter. Most of us are older so this isn't our first one an "wetter" was the consensus.

That led to me watching the weather patterns as they started rolling thru.
Most of us are gardeners with some farmers tossed in, so this kind of thing is important.


Anyways, the meteorological explanations are nice & all, but the circular systems seem to both be larger than in the past years and much more slow moving if not stationary for longer periods of time. It's been about 22 years since we've had a summer like this, altho you can consider this antidotal info. LOLOL!!!

I'd have to dig thru old newspapers to "prove " it here on ATS....more laughter!!

One thing I have noticed this year is more lightening fatalities, both here in the US and worldwide.

a reply to: Caver78

My work is very weather dependent, too. I actually got up early this morning to check the weather, and noticed yet another rain storm blooming up. I do not remember a summer as wet as this one. Usually I can pretty much depend on working every day throughout the summer, but it has been rain almost every day here, it just pops up out of no where and sits in one spot, or circles around and hits again the next day.

a reply to: standingwave

I live a couple of states east of you, and yes I have noticed that!

I chalked it up to changes in technology driving what meteorologists show us, but maybe you're onto something.

a reply to: CantStandIt

I thought the same thing, that maybe the radar is better or something, but the way the patterns are aligned like hurricanes all the way across, we would have noticed that a long time ago, even with older technology.

Perhaps there is an archive of older satellite pictures I can find online. I would like to see them of maybe 10 to 20 years ago.

originally posted by: standingwave
Perhaps there is an archive of older satellite pictures I can find online. I would like to see them of maybe 10 to 20 years ago.

Hopefully one of the smarter members can dig that up for you?
Rain here has been pop-up/hit and miss, but all around me it's been as you've described. The flooding in West Virginia and just recently the flooding in Maryland. Only a matter of time before we get nailed, sad to say. I'm thinking beginning of September cause that's usually our "hit" time.

I'm an old timey weather man....yep....it's all different.
the old model of seasons and transition months was getting boring.
as long as we get some rain.....

The only thing I've noticed this summer, is that our storms usually come in from the south west as well, and lately the majority seems to be coming from directly north (Columbus, dayton etc....) Straight down to Cinci and beyond.

I just figured the weather patterns change based on things I am not yet educated on.

-Alee

a reply to: Caver78

Yes, it is expected that global warming will change weather patterns.

The most important basic global physics is the transport of heat from equatorial and temperate regions to poles. It's obviously hotter where the sun shines more, and heat gradients drive convection, pressure and weather patterns.

The physics of the greenhouse effect (re-radiating back infrared) means that the relative effect is more important at the poles than at the equator, where direct sunlight dominates. I.e. at the poles a higher fraction of total energy input day & night is from the greenhouse effect than at the equator.

It is expected, and is observed in the Arctic, that global warming will relatively heat the poles (and for various reasons it's much more prevalent in the North than the South, as Antarctica & the southern ocean contribute their own modulating effect), and this reduces the temperature difference between equator and poles.

And reducing that heat gradient will change the strength and nature of the primary global force driving circulation from heat differences.

Yeah, a long time ago I noticed clouds and weather systems spin.

About the time I got my nose out of my monitor and TV and dumb phone.

Try it sometime, there is a whole world out there that doesn't have to be recharged, ever.