Kevin Selle
Wichita Falls, TX
Male, 55
I've been a broadcast meteorologist on television since the early 1990's. Happy to answer any questions about the weather or local TV news. Yes, I often wear sneakers on set just out of view of the camera.
Great question. All cloud drops form on a speck of something called a condensation nuclei, dust, smoke, sea salt, etc. The idea with seeding is to introduce these particles, often silver iodide, to encourage the water vapor in the air to condense into a cloud droplet and then merge with other drops to form rain. A lot of question as to if it works but there is enough evidence that people keep trying. Thanks!
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Different computer forecast models will give guidance on the amount of liquid. Snow totals are variable based largely on the temperature profile of the atmosphere above the ground. A general rule is about 9-10 inches of snow per inch of liquid, variable based on several factors, including forecaster experience in the area. Great question.
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I'd need a little bit more information, including location and time. That said, if you think it was not hail there is something called "graupel". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graupel
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Thanks, Marty. Not really as you've described. I do know there is some evidence, and research, that shows that the heat island effect of cities can affect local weather. I remember one study showing the increased heat radiation from Atlanta on a hot summer day has been shown to create small thunderstorms just downstream. Buildings can certainly affect wind flow and some coastal buildings have been seen to create some small cloud or fog formation as air moves past them. Good question.
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For weather the primary tools are satellites, radar and computer forecast models that use weather balloon data and many types of other sensors.
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Complicated answer, Richard, but a good question. There are quite a few and I really can't give a number off the top of my head. Easily more than a dozen It is complicated because different models offer different solutions. Some are short range, some are longer range. Some are US based, others European and Canada and Japan. To further complicate the issue some models are run as "ensembles" meaning they are run from the basic initial data but small variations are introduced to give different solutions. The basic input data is collected twice a day from about 900 upper air sites, or weather balloons, launched twice a day, noon and midnight Greenwich mean time. The idea is to take a snapshot of the entire planet atmosphere at the same time. Also, more and more data, from satellites and radar for example, is now ingested into the models to varying degrees. A shorter answer is, on a regular day I'll look at three or four.
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Yup! Not too crazy. The rain has to start and stop someplace, why not over your house?! Thanks!
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