Weather Wonderful

Balloon Launch #2

2011-05-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Outreach Program:

Here is a balloon launch with smaller rubber balloon.

Instruments in for the ride were:
-A camera (it took a picture every minute of the ride).
=An ozonesonde (to measure ozone).
=A radiosonde (measure temperature and pressure and has the gps unit to track the balloon).

Here's what filling the balloon up looks like:

3....2...1... launch

Unfortunately, the balloon rose at a much slower rate than expected. We lost contact with the balloon and the gps unit battery only has about a 4 hour lifetime.
Balloon has yet to be found. Bye-bye camera, ozonesonde, and radiosonde. No camera chip found, no atmosphere pictures....sorry.

Balloon Launch

2011-04-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

The best way to study the particles in the stratosphere is to send you instruments up there on a balloon.

There were instruments to measure cloud nuclei, aerosols, and ozone as part of the package. It weighed about 50 pounds. Tin foil looking shields protect temperature sensors from direct sunlight.

Up, up and away!!

Random Salt Lake City Precip facts

2010-06-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

So far this month we have recieved 0.81 inches of precipitation, differing from a normal value of 0.45 from June 1st to June 14th. However, last year we had recieved 1.77 inches by this date since June 1st.

Since October 1st (the beginning of the water year):

Salt Lake has had 11.60 inches of precipitation. Normal is 13.37 inches and last year we had recieved 14.45 by June 14th.

For snowfall since Oct. 1st:

Salt Lake got 36.4 inches differing from the normal value of 62.5 inches. Thats 26.1 inches less. Last year we had recieved 48.3 inches of snowfall.

*(all above statistics from the National Weather Service site at http://www.weather.gov/climate/getclimate.php?wfo=slc )

So despite flooding and lots of rain over the last little while we are below average for Salt Lake City on precipitation recieved for the water year. The little bit of extra rain so far this month is helping us to catch our average amounts.

Historic World Weather June 15th

2010-06-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

1991 - Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines blew its top beginning a rampage that would hurl debris as high as 100,000 feet into the sky. Material from the eruption would spread around the globe, leading to climate changes worldwide as the sun's energy was blocked out and global temperatures cooled by as much as 1 degree F. 343 people were killed in the Philippines as a result of the eruptions and 200,000 were left homeless. *

*(all from http://theweathercompany.com/cgi-bin/wxnotebook.pl , check out this website for more.)

Historic World Weather June 9th

2010-06-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

1989 - This tornado did not stop to pay the toll. After causing some damage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it crossed the Delaware River, passing over part of the Ben Franklin Bridge. It did not damage the bridge, but did drop a lot of debris on it. *

*(all from http://theweathercompany.com/cgi-bin/wxnotebook.pl , check out this website for more.)

Historic Utah Weather June 6th

2010-06-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

1961: Three men were suddenly struck by lightning on Taylor Mountain in Uintah County. They were burned on their shoulders and backs. *

1967: A 47 year-old Copperton woman touched a tree with her lawn mower at the same time lightning struck the tree; she was killed instantly. *

*(Source: Mark Eubank's UTAH WEATHER, By: Mark Eubank and R. Clayton Brough).

Historic Utah Weather June 3rd

2010-06-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

1963: A tornado in Bountiful ripped the roof from Bountiful Elementary School, doing $20,000 damage and scattering debris over a half-mile area. The tornado hit a house across the street, tearing the roof off and dropping it on a car next door. It then skipped over a half block and ripped the roof off a shed, carrying it across the owner's home and depositing it 200 yards away in a small orchard. It then tore the limbs off a box elder tree and broke off a three-foot diameter cottonwood just above the ground, throwing it across another residence. The tornado touched ground again two blocks away, destorying a two-car cinderblock garage. The tornado then skipped about a half-mile uphill, where it completely destoryed one home under construction and damaged several others. Several sheets of 3/4-inch plywood were peeled from a nearby lumber stack and were carried over 300 feet; one was driven six inches into a telephone pole. Following the tornado, 3/4 to 1-inch hailstones broke windows and damaged several cars. No injuries were reported. *

*(Source: Mark Eubank's UTAH WEATHER, By: Mark Eubank and R. Clayton Brough).

Historic World Weather May 25th

2010-05-25T09:18:00.001-07:00

1982 - Dallas/Ft. Worth reported flooding from 2 inches of rain. The rain brought the month total to over 13 inches, which made it the wettest May on record. *

1987 - A man was reportedly struck and killed by lightning on a boat on Lake Bistineau in Louisiana after standing up and asking to be struck. *

*(all from http://theweathercompany.com/cgi-bin/wxnotebook.pl , check out this website for more.)

Historic Utah Weather May 25th

2010-05-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

1954: A tornado in Laketown damaged an eight square block area. Trees were uprooted, buildings flattened, and a new barn was lifted high enough to clear an eight-foot shed, turned halfway around in mid-air, and was dropped to the ground and completely smashed. *

1961: A strong whirlwind lifted a Salt Lake City woman and carried her about 30 feet. She had no significant injury. *

*(Source: Mark Eubank's UTAH WEATHER, By: Mark Eubank and R. Clayton Brough).

RECORD BREAKING SNOWSTORM!!!!!!

2010-05-24T08:33:00.001-07:00

The Salt Lake Valley has never recorded measurable snow after May 18th, until today. We broke the record dating back to 1960, by getting an awesome snowstorm on May 24th. Congrats to the person who got it right in last weeks poll!

Historic World Weather May 24th

2010-05-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

1807 - 10 inch diameter hail at Knoxville TN. In addition, a tornado reportedly sucked fish out of a creek. *
1940 - Hail accumulated to 8 inches near Ada OK. The hail drifted to 5 feet in places. *

*(all from http://theweathercompany.com/cgi-bin/wxnotebook.pl , check out this website for more.)

Recent Record Breakers in Utah

2010-01-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

May 6-9, 2010
Many record low temperatures around the state have been broken. *

May 5, 2010
Record low temperature in Randolph of 13F beating the old record of 17F set in 2001.*

April 28, 2010
Record high minimum temperature for Bryce Canyon Airport of 44F beating the old record set in 1983 of 35F. Hanksville also had a record high minimum of 60F beating the old record of 57 set in 2003. *

Aoril 20, 2010
Record high minimum temperature reported for the Salt Lake City Airport of 55F beating the old record of 53 set in 1980.*

April 11, 2010
Record High Minimum temperatures reported in Utah for April 11th:
Alta - 38F beat 32F in 1992
Salt Lake City Airport - 52F tied 52F in 1985
Tooele - 58F beat 54F in 1916 *

March 20, 2010
A record low temperature was hit at Bryce Canyon Airport of -1F at 7:10pm breaking the old record of 2F set in 1964.*

March 17, 2010
Randolph, Utah hit a new record high temperature of 60F, beating the old record of 59F set in 2007. *

March 9, 2010
A record precipitation of 0.51 inches was set at Ceder City. This breaks the old record of 0.48 inches set in 2006.*

A record snowfall of 2.5 inches was set a Salt Lake City on March 6th. The old record was 2.4 inches set in 1980.

On January 21st at 11:29 pm Salt Lake City recorded an all time low mean sea level pressure of 28.94 inches. The previous record was set in April of 2002 at 29.00 inches. *

*(Source: National Weather Service, http://www.weather.gov/climate/getclimate.php?wfo=slc)