Weather Education & Explanations
Why Does Hot Air Rise? (Hint: Gravity Does the Pushing)
Warm air is less dense, and gravity pulls the denser, cooler air down underneath it, forcing the warm air up. How rising air cools and builds clouds and storms.
Lena Thornton
Weather & Technology Writer
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Weather Education & Explanations
The Hottest Place on Earth: Death Valley's 134°F vs Iran's Lut Desert
The air temperature record is 134°F in Death Valley (1913); the hottest ground found by satellite is Iran's Lut Desert at 159.3°F. Why the two differ, with NOAA normals.
Weather Education & Explanations
What Is an Air Mass? The 5 Types That Shape U.S. Weather
An air mass is a large body of air with uniform temperature and humidity. What cA, cP, mP, mT and cT mean, how air masses change, and how to spot one on your weather station.
Weather Education & Explanations
Layers of the Atmosphere: The Troposphere and the 4 Layers Above It
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere: heights, temperatures and what happens in each layer, from weather and ozone to meteors and auroras.
Weather Education & Explanations
What Is a Waterspout? The Two Types, How Strong They Are and What to Do
A waterspout is a whirling column of air and water mist. Tornadic vs fair-weather waterspouts, the five stages, real wind speeds from the Florida Keys and NOAA safety advice.
Weather Education & Explanations
Hurricane vs Tornado: Size, Wind, Warning Time and Which Is Worse
Hurricanes are 60 to 1,000+ miles wide and last days; tornadoes are a few hundred feet wide and last minutes. Size, wind scales, warnings and tornadoes inside hurricanes.
Weather Education & Explanations
How Does Latitude Affect Climate? Five U.S. Climographs Explain It
Near the equator sunlight is direct, toward the poles it spreads out. How latitude, oceans and land shape climate, shown with climographs from NOAA data.
Weather Education & Explanations
Weather vs Climate: What Is the Difference? (With Real NOAA Numbers)
Weather is what the atmosphere does today; climate is the 30-year average of that weather in one place. Five differences, examples and NOAA normals for five cities.
Weather Education & Explanations
Wind Chill Explained: Can It Freeze Water, Pipes, Plants or Your Car?
Wind chill is how cold it feels on skin. It cannot cool water, pipes, plants or cars below the real air temperature. What it does do, with NWS examples.
Weather Alert Radios & Emergency Alerts
NOAA Weather Radio Off the Air or Not Alerting? What to Check
Is NOAA Weather Radio down, or is it your radio? Six checks in order: transmitter outages, the right channel, reception and antenna, SAME code and alert settings.
