The Snowicane

We can all thank last week’s snowicane for our early dismissal on Thursday and our snow day on Friday. Meteorologists named last week’s heavy snowstorm a snowicane. Well, what exactly is a snowicane? According to the forecasting service, AccuWeather who coined the term, a snowicane is a snowstorm with hurricane-force winds and rain which can cause flooding.

Well how did the snowicane formed? Winter storms, such as the snowicane, usually form from the clash of two air masses of different temperatures and moisture levels. The water cycle plays an important part in the formation of snowstorms, like the snowicane. Warm ocean water evaporates into the atmosphere. The water then condenses into tiny droplets. As more and more water vapor condenses, the droplets grow. Cold air freezes this water into ice crystals. As the ice crystals come into contact with a warmer air mass, the air masses combine. They cause the ice crystals to melt a little to form snowflakes. Last week, weather forecasters monitored a low-pressure system, a whirling mass of warm, moist air, heading up the East Coast towards another system from the west. One system had moist and warm air from the Atlantic while the other contained colder air from the northwest. When these two air masses combined the snowicane was formed. The energy source that a hurricane needs in order to form and strengthen is warm ocean water. As ocean water evaporates and forms water vapor, heat energy is carried up into the atmosphere. When the water vapor condenses back into liquid water in a cloud, it releases this stored heat energy. The rising air spirals produce a low-pressure zone at the surface where thunderstorms begin to form. As these thunderstorms become more organized, they produce a cluster called a tropical disturbance. This storm system can continue to strengthen and begin to rotate, leading to the formation of a hurricane. All the earth's weather is dependent on that portion of the water cycle concerning evaporation and condensation (resulting in precipitation). So as you can see, the formation of a snowicane and a hurricane both require evaporation of warm ocean water and condensation resulting in precipitation in order to form.

The snowicane produced wind gusts of up to 91-94 mph in New Hampshire and Maine. These winds speeds were well above hurricane-force winds of 74mph.

The precipitation from a hurricane is heavy rain. The precipitation produced by the snowicane was a combination of snow and heavy rain. It produced a wet, heavy snow.

When a hurricane comes onto land, its heavy rains and strong winds can cause major flooding and wind damage to buildings, cars and trees. The snowicane did a lot of damage to cities along the east coast. Schools were closed. Major businesses and government offices also closed. Like a hurricane, the snowicane’s high winds and heavy rain downed trees and power lines and caused coastal flooding. It brought many forms of transportation to a standstill. It caused numerous power outages.

The global pattern of storms, like the snowicane as well as hurricanes, is affected by a combination of factors. This winter’s severe and more frequent snowstorms were caused by a combination of El Nino, a warm patch of water in the Pacific, the Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation. The Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation are both sending colder than usual air toward the eastern part of the United States. When all three factors are combined, much of the U.S., especially the North and East, experience cold, stormy, and snowy weather.

Meteorologists named last week’s snowstorm a snowicane because of its similarities to a hurricane. Like a hurricane, the snowicane brought with it not only heavy snow it brought hurricane-force winds and heavy rains. It caused major flooding in certain areas. Like a hurricane, the snowicane caused major damages to building and trees. The snowstorm’s similarities to a hurricane are the reason why meteorologists coined the name, snowicane.

By:

greendragon

Resources:

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-hurricane.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35627330/ns/weather/
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/snow-hurricane-threatens-east-coast-snow-flooding-winds/story?id=9931285&page=2
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/02/28/2010-02-28_forecasters_fight_over_storms_call.html
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2006-04-19-global-climate-patterns_x.htm
http://www.learner.org/interactives/weather/iceandsnow.html