Why the warm weather?

So a lot of people have been wondering about why today (and even yesterday) was so warm compared to recent temperatures. So I took this as a perfect opportunity to write about a simple type of weather pattern that I have recently learned about in my intro to meteorology class. Basically, what we have experienced is a mid-latitude cyclone. The name tells exactly what it is. It is a weather pattern that spins in a counter-clockwise direction (cyclonic direction) around an area of low pressure (the big, red L's you see on whether maps) in the mid and high latitudes. This type of weather pattern develops along a polar front which separates cold polar air and warm subtropical air. The convergence of these two different types of air causes a Low to develop. This, in turn, leads to the spinning of the system with a warm front on the right/bottom side, and a cold front on the left/upper side (see image "b- frontal wave" below). Rain showers typically form in front of the warm front and thunderstorms typically form along the cold front.

The warmth felt yesterday and today (depending on where you're located) is because the warm front pushed through and we are in a warm sector of air. Here, in Kentucky, today has been very windy and temperatures was at their highest this morning. This is because the cold front from the mid-latitude cyclone was pushing through.  Further south, in Georgia, the cold front is actually passing through as I type and with it will bring cooler temperatures along with it.

Eventually the mid-latitude cyclone will dissipate. Simply put, the cold front moves faster than the warm front, thus it eventually catches up to the warm front which cuts-off the cyclone.

This image shows the process of how a mid-latitude cyclone develops and dies. The more proper, meteorological term for this is cyclogenesis.

The image below shows more closely how the cold and warm front flows and the warm sector of air on the south side of the Low.

Some things that may help you understand a little bit better:
1) A cold front is the leading edge of a cold air mass. Typically, active weather forms along this front.
2) A warm front is the leading edge of a warm air mass.
3) A "Low" is where there is an area of lower pressure of air which basically means the air is less dense. Because the air is less dense, air flows toward, or converges, at the low pressure. The atmosphere likes to be in balance, so air typically flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure in order to balance the atmosphere out.

***My explanation is a very simplified version of what happens. Some of the information is not "technically" correct because atmospheric processes are very complicated and hard to explain with the little knowledge I have (and patience to type it all out).

I hope you learned something!

Sweater Weather

Well it's been a while since my last post.. Sorry but it has been a super busy and tiring week. No complaints though! Last Thursday I actually went to my college's Homecoming Concert where Will Hoge, Frankie Ballard, and Eli Young Band performed! It was a blast. Then my friends and I decided to it would be a great idea to just stay up all night since we had to register for classes at 5 a.m. the next morning anyways.. Yeah that wasn't smart! Then on Friday we watched the homecoming parade and went to a pep rally in downtown Bowling Green. Then on Saturday we went to the football game and watched the Tops win! This week has been filled with projects, homework, and tests so yeah I've been going nonstop for a while now.

Anyways, it is COLD here in Kentucky. Like freezing cold. A cold front passed through mid Tuesday afternoon and then temperatures dropped dramatically. Some places saw temps drop 20° in only an hour. Today actually didn't even get out of the 30s. Tomorrow is suppose to be just as cold! On Saturday, my parents, my sister, and my bro-in-law are coming up for the army game! I hope they come prepared through because the forecasted high is only in the mid 40s! Actually, there is a decent possibility of snow (more likely cold rain and ice) late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Crazy! And this is why this post is named "sweater weather"!

Well that's all for now! Thanks for reading and #GoTops #BeatArmy

Oh and as you can see below, WKU's president is pretty awesome!

Here's To Another Great Week

This past weekend was fun! Halloween was on Friday and I got to hang out with some pretty great people in Logan County (about 45 minutes from campus) that night. My two friends (Jacob and Steven) and I went dressed up as superheroes. I was Superman/Clark Kent, Jacob was Robin, and Steven went as Batman. I think we looked pretty good. Anyways, it was great time but it left me exhausted on Saturday. So both Saturday and Sunday were very chill days for me. I mostly just relaxed in my room and watched various football games both days.

Well now it's Sunday night and it's back to reality.. Classes resume once again tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to them. It's not that they're hard or anything, it's just late in the semester and the routine of going to class is getting very redundant. The good thing about this week is that I don't have any tests or quizzes! So it looks like it won't be a very stressful week, which is good because it is WKU's homecoming weekend and there will be a lot of events going on throughout the week, more so toward the end of the week. I'm not quite sure which events I will be attending but I do hope I'm able to go to the Homecoming Concert on Thursday night where Eli Young Band will be performing. Of course, the main event is on Saturday when the football team takes on UTEP which I will definitely attend! I just hope WKU can play a little defense so we can win..... GO TOPS!

On another note, I'd like to give a shout out to all the awesome people I've already met here at WKU. Western is an awesome place to study on its own, but the people here makes it an even better place than I could have ever imagined. I'm especially thankful for a few specific people I've met and have the privilege of calling my friends (you know who you are). Y'all are the best! Whether we are making a late night run to GADS or Cook Out, cheering on the volleyball team (or embarrassing the other in front of them), watching football, playing video games, or just hanging out, I know it will be a great time! The best part is that we've all got each others backs and for that I want to say thanks!

Welp that is all. I hope everyone has a great week!

Baseball: The Greatest Sport

Well if you know anything about me, you could probably figure a post about sports, more specifically baseball, would be coming soon. Well here it is.

The World Series ended last night in exciting fashion. Game 7. Probably one of the best game 7s played in quite a while. Tons of storyline surrounded the game. Would Bumgarner pitch? How long would he pitch? Would Tim Hudson finally get the ring he deserves? Would Guthrie continue his hot streak? Could the Royals bullpen (aka the three headed monster) shut down the Giants one more time? But probably the most interesting story line is how both teams got here. The Giants and Royals were both wildcard teams who barely snuck into the playoffs. Both teams had to survive the tough one game series just to get into the Division Series. Both teams were underdogs. These team seemed so similar but in all actuality they were completely different. The Royals hadn't won the Fall Classic since 1985. The Giants on the other hand won it in 2010 and again in 2012. The Royals didn't have a single person on the team who had won a ring before. The Giants had 23 players already with rings. The Royals had Ned Yost, a manager with an overall losing record in his career. The Giants had Bruce Bochy, a man who had been here before. Basically these teams were polar opposites. Which makes baseball so much fun to watch. You just never know.

The game itself was just incredible. Both starters struggled out of the gate which made me to believe it was going to be a high scoring game... Man was I wrong. A 3-2 win by the Giants gave them their 3rd World Series title in 5 years. MadBum was rewarded MVP honors for his dominant performance not only in relief in game 7 but also for his shutout complete game game 5 and his 7 inning, 1 run effort in game 1.We witnessed the greatest pitching performance in the history of the sport. BUT I believe the MVP of game 7 was not Bumgarner, but actually Pablo "The Panda" Sandoval. Not only did he go 3 for 3, but he also scored 2 runs. The latter run ended up being the deciding factor. Sandoval only scored that run because of his heads up base running. While on second base a ball was hit to deep left field. Sandoval, a big and slow man, noticed the outfielder was going to have to catch the ball while still backing up so Sandoval got back on 2nd and tagged up to try for third. It was a relatively close play at third but he did make it without a real tag effort. A few batters later, he scored on a Morse single that may not have scored him if he was still on second. Heads up, smart base running won the game. Well that and MadBum's nerves of steel.

You see, here's the thing about baseball. There is no clock. There are nine innings in every single game no matter what (unless it goes into extra innings of course- more on that later). Since there is no clock, you can't just run out the clock to end that game. You have to keep playing. Instead of taking a knee, the pitcher has to throw the next pitch. Instead of just holding on to the ball, the batter has to step up to the plate and take his hacks. That's why it ain't over till it's over! This was present in game 7. With 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth the Giants held a 3-2 lead. In most other sports the game would be basically over. Not in baseball. Alex Gordon stepped up and Bumgarner had to pitch to him. Gordon then singled to center and then advanced all the way to third on an error by the left fielder. The game wasn't over. The Giants still needed that 27th out to win. Luckily for them, they had a man on the mound who wouldn't let losing be an option. Perez eventually popped out in fould ground and the Giants won the Pennant.

The only thing that could have made this game better was if it actually did go to extra innings. Another reason why baseball is the greatest sport. Baseball never ends in a tie. Ties are the stupidest things in the world. The whole point of a sport is to play a game and then crown a winner and a loser. Baseball recognizes this and has extra innings that will go one until there is a winner. Also baseball doesn't change the rules like some sports do during overtime. For example, shootouts are a way some soccer matches (only during tournaments) and hockey games end. Does that really prove one team was better than the other? No. It proves one team got lucky or one team has a better goalie. In baseball, the whole team is involved in every loss and every win.

...wow I didn't know I could write that much! Well I do have more to say but I think I'll stop here. Comments are welcome! Have a good day.

First Post! Here Goes Nothing...

So I've decided to create this blog. There is no specific topic that I am planning on blogging about. One day (or most days lol) I may talk about sports, one day I may comment on my adventures at Western Kentucky University, and then i may talk about my studies in meteorology. The reason for this blog is mostly for me to be able to talk about my opinion. I love tweeting about a variety of subjects but 140 characters are not enough sometimes. So a blog will allow me to expand on my opinions and explain myself a bit more. Another reason for this blog is that it gives me an opportunity to communicate my adventures at WKU with old friends who are back home or at other colleges. I can't promise posts everyday or even often at all. I will probably only post when I'm bored and have no homework or studying to do.We will see how it goes and then maybe I will post more often if I become addicted.

A FEW DISCLAIMERS: I will make spelling errors. I will make grammatical errors. Opinions are open for debate, I won't be offended,
but remember I'm right and you're wrong.

So that's basically it. I hope y'all enjoy!