My guess is you don’t pay attention to the weather as much as I do. We’re about to enter a transition period. Meteorology works a little differently during the warm months.
Because of its tilted axis the Earth is heated unevenly. Its surface is also rough and irregular. All of this creates temperature and pressure differences which cause winds–especially upper air winds. Temperature contrasts are stronger in the cold months and that drives everything!
When the upper winds blow strong weather systems move quickly. That’s what we’re leaving.
From now until the fall weather systems will move slower. Fronts and air masses will be a little more spongily defined.
There are certainly forecasting differences. Timing becomes tougher. On convective days very small, but nearby areas will sometimes have radically different weather.
Of course you’re less critical because the forecast usually has less impact this time of year. I appreciate that.
I’m not sure that the statment that “the forecast has usually less impact” is true.We get some pretty wild weather in the summer too and it is pretty important to get that right.I want to know ahead of time if I need to keep an “eye to the sky”. I appreciate you and your “brothern” being on the ball. I have a feeling this year could be a doozy !!
I understand what you’re saying about the temperature differences and the uneven surfaces of the planet. Makes sense, thanks for explaining that. But I’m wondering why it seems the winds have been so extreme in our area in recent past. I’m 60 and never remember the winds being this strong for such prolonged periods. Seems like most of our weather now comes with high winds.
As a private pilot and an interested meteorology buff (but far from professional at it), I say…more macro-weather insights! I became interested in weather while observing rapidly changing local weather while growing up in Tornado Alley (my family went through the April 10 ’79 tornado in Wichita Falls, TX) and that has been very useful in regular life and in my hobbies of low-level aviation and very-low-level sports car racing (gotta figure out if we’re to run wet or dry tires!)