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!