TODAY'S TOP WEATHER STORIES
On Weather & Climate Through the Eyes of Mark Vogan
Radiation from Fukushima, Japan travels across Pacific Ocean, North America, Atlantic Ocean and now traced in Glasgow, Scotland, other areas of Europe
The headquarters building of the Tokyo Electric Power Co., also known as TEPCO, at the base of the communications tower in the middle, is seen in TokyoMonday, March 28, 2011. The company, which runs the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant at the center of the country's nuclear crisis, has issued a series of botched radiation readings from the plant in recent days
How has this radiation, albeit fractional quantities made it all the way over to Scotland? Blame the wrong time of year! Huh? Well our hemisphere is undergoing large-scale seasonal changes. As winter retreats and warmth builds north from the equator as summer approaches, the imbalance that occurs when converging warm air with cold air masses results in the strengthening of both the upper-level steering winds and ocean storm systems that circle the world. Thanks to the volatile spring atmosphere, the transport potential of storm bearing jet stream winds means a more conducive transporter of such entities as the airborne Fukushima radiation. Scotland is really just the latest in an ever lengthening list of countries which are reporting traces of this iodine 131. We should just be grateful that we're too far away and the release of this radioactive substance is low in concentration.
By Mark Vogan
Low levels of radiation from Japan detected in Glasgow
STV
'Fukushima nuclear plant' radiation found at UK sites
BBC
Fukushima fallout reaches Europe, but traces tiny
PUBLIC OPINION
Find out more about Fukushima:
Fukushima Fallout - How Dangerous Is Japan's Creeping Nuclear Disaster?
FREE INTERNET PRESS
Fukushima I nuclear accidents
WIKIPEDIA
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Given the overall pattern, the breaking down of the La Nina and other factors, it would seem that the East will remain under a persistent trough whilst ridging will begin to build, pumping heat up from the Baja and northwest Mexican deserts into the Great Basin. We may be be looking at an East-West slide from below normal to above normal with records possibly breaking over the next 15 days...
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WEATHER TALK
By Mark Vogan
If Radiation can float from Japan to Britain via the jet stream and storm systems, what else can?
Today's annoucement that small quantities of radiation that originated from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan which has been detected here in Glasgow made me think a little about what else must be transported here from thousands of miles away and float through our air in which we breathe it in.
Whether it be the smoke from distant wildfires burning across the tree lined plateaus of the American West or in the tinder-dry brush of Greece, Or the toxic smog from heavily polluted cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Mexico City or even Tokyo. Or the desert sand which becomes airborne from those violent dust storms that rage across the deserts of the Middle East and the Sahara of North Africa?
These are all events that can, do and have effected our air quality here in the UK in the past. Well, perhaps not the smog from Beijing, Shanghai, Mexico City or even Tokyo, however, it would likely amaze you at what really floats through the air in which you and I breathe in, day in and day out.
Acid rain, must come from somewhere right?
We just need to remember back to around this time last year when it all kicked off with the flight chaos created by our volcanic friend up in Iceland. That is perhaps the most well know entity to us in which a disruptive substance becomes airborne via an eruption and gets injested along with other chemicals up into the jet stream or prevailing wind flow, if one is nearby.
Even under a high pressure cell, a volcanic ash cloud and wildfire smoke often rises up into the atmosphere, getting so far before spreading out. Eventually a change of wind flow, direction or speed will then transport the smoke or ash downstream. Last spring's Icelandic ash cloud just so happened to get caught up in a northwest flow which brought the cloud down over Britain and much of Europe.
If one looks at the path and movement of the radiation from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant, you can see clearly the very prominant west to east flow of 'overall weather'. When looking at the movement of this radiation plume you can visually see the t potential of storm bearing jet the same powerful storm system which rolled into the America West Coast producing the vast amounts of snow in the Californian Sierra. Amazingly he radiation can be seen clearly spiralling and wrapping around the low pressure center as it approaches the US West Coast.
VAGARIES OF THE WEATHER
INDIA & SUB-CONTINENTAL ASIA WEATHER
BY RAJESH KAPADIA
B1 Latest Position: Very sluggish, and refusing to gain momentum. Reason. Bay waters SST not very conducive at 29c. And resistance wind from a very stubborn M3.
Core pressure at 1006 mb, down 2 points, wind at 20 knts and situated at 8.9N and 98.6E.
Should roughly follow the forecast pattern put up, may end up a day early.
Even though it has slid into Nepal, M3 still precipitating rain/snow in Kashmir and H.P.Even Northern regions of Pakistan had medium precipitation on Tuesday.
Should move away by now, and make way for A1, coming to N.India/Pakistan around 2nd. April.
The high (43c) anticipated in Sindh before Wednesday was recorded on Tuesday at Nawabshah, at 43c. Strong 33 kmph winds kept the day temperature down to 33c in Karachi.
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THE EXTREMES OF THE DAY
TODAY'S US EXTREMES
COURTESY OF ACCUWEATHER
HIGH: 90 degrees at Yuma, AZ
LOW: -8 degrees at Merrill, WI
TODAY'S EXTREMES HERE AT MY HOUSE
HIGH: 50 degrees
LOW: 42 degrees
Thanks for reading.
-Mark
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