All About The Weather: This Time Of Year | Teen Ink

All About The Weather: This Time Of Year MAG

By Anonymous

   Fall begins with the "Autumnal Equinox,"when the earth is not tilted in relation to the sun. This gives both hemispheres of the earth equal light and darkness for 24-48 hours around September 22. After this, days begin to grow shorter than their corresponding nights. As the North Pole tilts away from the sun, the solar rays become less and less concentrated on the Northern Hemisphere, steadily chilling the temperatures.

Arctic air masses begin to move across the northern half of the United States, removing the summer's heat and high humidity and replacing it with cold, very dry air. Northwest winds howling through New England make it feel even colder.

Trees need plenty of cold, dry air when it's time to bring their display of bright colors every fall in New England. Hundreds of tourists from all over the country usually come to see it. This year, many were disappointed because we had too much rain at "foliage time," which brought down the color level. There were not many tourists (that I noticed) who stood in the rain to look at trees this year!

Hurricanes also occur at this time of year. During August and September, the sun's direct rays move form the Tropic of Cancer to the Equator, where they provide heat for such a powerful storm. The heat and moisture are necessary to sustain strong thunderstorms , the beginnings of a hurricane. Between 5 and 15 degrees north of the Equator the prevailing easterly tradewinds blow. When thunderstorms grow in big clusters in this tropical area, they get in the way of the easterly tradewinds. Sooner or later, the easterlies become twisted around the thunderstorms in a column. The air twists around and upward, dropping off heat and moisture before falling again. Air being sucked in spins inward and around faster and faster. The storm is named by the National Hurricane Center once its sustained winds reach 55 m.p.h. This is a "tropical storm." If the winds reach 74 m.p.h., it is called a hurricane.

At hurricane status, it can ride on the easterlies to the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, or the Carolinas. It can also ride on the clockwise circulation around Bermuda in summer and early fall, and go up the eastern seaboard of the U.S.

Once the hurricane comes ashore, or runs into colder waters, its source of heat and moisture is cut off and it begins to die.

Usually by November the sun's direct rays shift south of the Equator and most hurricane activity ends.

In Massachusetts, both D.P.W. crews and school kids anxiously await the first snowflake. n



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i love this so much!