Lightning, fire vortices, and black hail are some of the frightening features of fire-fueled storms, which may become more common in the future.
clouds
New Type of Storm Spotted on Saturn
In 2018, four massive storms formed near the planet’s north pole, interacting with each other and affecting a full latitudinal band.
Soil Moisture Drives Great Plains Cloud Formation
A new study shows that models that reproduce moisture on land are better at accurately recreating cumulus cloud behavior.
Charging Thunderclouds Affect Ionospheric Conductivity
As thunderstorm updrafts strengthen, electrification of clouds can heat the lower ionosphere, explaining prolonged disturbances to radio waves in the rarefied atmospheric layer.
A “Super” Solution for Modeling Clouds
Climate models struggle to accurately portray clouds because the models cannot resolve the scales at which clouds form. A new study demonstrates a potential fix for the problem.
Capturing Snowmelt Patterns from Cloudy Satellite Images
A new modeling strategy could improve streamflow predictions in places where mountain snow is a critical source of water.
A Better Way to Measure Cloud Composition
An enhanced satellite remote sensing suite accurately measures ice particles, temperature, and water vapor.
Algorithm Spots Climate-Altering Ship Tracks in Satellite Data
Tens of thousands of ship tracks—cloud structures created when ships’ exhaust plumes interact with the atmosphere—are pinpointed automatically, furthering study of these climate-altering features.
Contrails’ Climate Impact Could Triple by 2050
Contrail cirrus clouds have warmed the atmosphere more than all the carbon dioxide from planes since the dawn of aviation and will do so even more in the future.
New Observations of Thunderstorm Updrafts and Downdrafts
Unique measurements of air motion within deep convective clouds offer new insights in our understanding of these storms and provide constraints for weather and climate prediction.