Tag Archives: international

Snow in North Africa

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The severe cold snap that has been affecting a large part of Europe reached the coast of North Africa earlier this week.  As a result, some towns in Libya and Algeria experienced a rare snow event.

Algiers, the capitol city of Algeria, along with a number of neighboring provinces, saw snow and ice accumulations measuring between six and eight inches. Several parts of Libya, including the capitol, Tripoli, received between two and three inches of snow. This was the heaviest snowfall the area has seen in many years. Snow in these cities is very uncommon given their southerly latitudes and position along the relatively warm Mediterranean Sea.

These unusual wintry conditions in North Africa coupled with the snow-drought in much of the United States, highlights how exceptional this winter season has been around the globe.

Wild Winter Weather in Europe

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Last week, following a mild start to the season, winter found Europe.

From the U.K. to Russia and as far south as Italy, temperatures plummeted well below freezing and snowfall accumulated in substantial amounts.  Rome was blanketed by eight inches of snow. That is the most snow the city has seen in over twenty-five years.  Venice was so cold that its famous canals partially froze.  The hardest hit areas, however, were in Eastern Europe.  Places in Ukraine reached temperatures of 33° Celsius below zero, that is -27°F.  These are some of the harshest winter conditions that Europe has experienced in decades.

This intense cold snap caused serious problems in a region that is used to more moderate winters.  Power outages, transportation delays, and sadly over 300 weather-related deaths have been reported across Europe.

While this deep dip in the Jet Stream remains in place, the cold and in some cases, severe weather are forecast to continue.

Jet Stream dipping south over Europe.

Image Credit: wdtn.com

Converting Fahrenheit and Celsius

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There are many different scales by which temperature can be measured.  In weather, we most often use Fahrenheit or Celsius.

Gabriel Daniel, a German physicist, developed the Fahrenheit scale in 1714.  It marks water’s boiling point at 212°F and its freezing point at 32°F.  In 1742, Anders Celsius, a Swedish astronomer, formulated a new scale intended for scientific use.  It designates the melting point of ice at 0°C and the boiling point of water at 100°C.

Today, most of the world uses the Celsius scale.  In the U.S., however, Fahrenheit is still our official unit of measure for temperature.  To convert between the two scales, use the formulas below.

To convert from Fahrenheit into Celsius: Tc = (5/9)*(Tf-32)

To convert from Celsius into Fahrenheit: Tf = ((9/5)*Tc)+32

Image Credit: Gringer

Ground-truth at the Early Bermuda Weather Stone

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Ground-truth, the eyewitness verification of atmospheric conditions, is an important part of weather reporting.  It supplements the data received from remote-sensing equipment like radar and satellites.

On a recent trip to Bermuda, an island that gets its fair share of severe weather, I came across the Early Bermuda Weather Stone in a park near Fort Scaur.  At first glance I thought this was a bit of local humor, but then it hit me.  This hanging rock is exactly what it claims to be, “…the perfect weather indication.”   In essence, it is a ground-truth indicator. The instructions on its sign sum up how to verify the current local atmospheric conditions.  It states:

  • A dry stone means… it is not raining.
  • A wet stone means… it is raining.
  • A shadow under the stone means… the sun is shining.
  • If the stone is swinging it means… there is a strong wind blowing.
  • If the stone jumps up and down it means… there is an earthquake.
  • If ever it is white on top… believe it or not… it is snowing.
The stone may be low tech, but its pretty accurate.

Photo Credit: MF at The Weather Gamut