The Thundersnow Chaser
by Beverley Kreul, posted Feb. 5, 2009
The weather forecast says we will get three inches of snow. Instead we get 15. Why does it always seem like the weather report is never dependable? A joint research study between the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois is trying to make weather forecasting a bit more predictable. MU Professor Patrick Market, associate professor of atmospheric science, began his research on the phenomena of thundersnow in 2003. Since then, he has visited places as far away as Milwaukee to gather information.
“I have been a weather nerd since I was 6-years-old,” Market said. “When thundersnow kept coming up at conferences, I became interested in it. When we found the funding, we decided to go for it.”
Thundersnow is the occurrence of thunder and lightening during a snowstorm. These episodes are extremely rare. Other than the novelty of such an event, there is also particular scientific data to go along with it.
“The weather system is on a grid of about 10 kilometers intervals. Thundersnow storms are only around six or seven kilometers wide. We can very well not know there is a thundersnow storm going on until it has already passed,” Market said. “By tracking these storms we can better predict the amount of snowfall an area will receive.”
In his research, Market found that during 86 percent of thundersnow storms there is an accumulation of at least six inches of snow. And 53 percent of these storms will produce 10 inches of snow. This is due to the atmospheric event known as focus assent. During focus assent the atmosphere in the area is rising much faster than the surrounding area causing an imbalance in pressure. Focus assent was revealed by the weather balloons used in the research.
During Market’s storm chases, he and his team drive around the Midwest in pursuit of thundersnow storms. Once in the area of the storm, a weather balloon is released into the atmosphere in order to collect data. These balloons must be kept at a temperature equal to that of the atmosphere.
“If we do not keep the equipment near atmospheric temperature, it could mean more work for us later down the road,” said Christopher Brame, a sophomore atmospheric science major from Kansas City who is working with Market this year. “We would have to correct the data the balloon gives us if it is not released at the correct temperature.”
This is especially difficult on the research team because they have to drive around without any heat so the balloon and other equipment are not too warm when it is time to release them.
The research ended this past year in 2008, but Market has recently received a one-year extension and hopes that the next year will bring even more information in the world of forecasting.
