North Carolina Weather and Climate

Peter J. Robinson

Description

From blue skies to raging hurricanes, from ice storms to droughts, North Carolina's weather varies widely from season to season and from day to day. In this delightful and informative book, Peter Robinson provides a layperson's guide to the state's weather and climate and an introduction to the science that describes it.

What is North Carolina's "typical" weather? How does it vary from the coast to the mountains? How do we forecast it? With dozens of color maps and tables to make understanding easier, Robinson covers big issues such as the role of weather and climate in daily life, severe weather threats and their causes, and the meteorological effects of seasons. He also explains more specific phenomena including the causes of heating and cooling, the effects of acid rain, and the role of groundwater in weather.

Robinson addresses the state's weather history as well as long-term concerns associated with how air pollution affects weather and our health, and he explores why issues of local and global climate change matter. Throughout, he discusses weather in ways that can inform daily life, whether you're planting a garden, building a climate-friendly and energy-efficient home, or choosing a time and place for vacation.

Sujets

• Sciences de la nature
• Géologie
• Science de la Terre
• Sciences et techniques
• Carolina del Norte
• Weather
• North Carolina
• Nature
• Caroline du Nord
• géologie

Informations

• Publié par: The University of North Carolina Press
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798890874658
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 15 Mo

Extrait

North Carolina Weather & Climate

Published

in association

with the State

Climate Office of

North Carolina by

The University of

North Carolina Press

c h a p e l h i l l

Peter J. Robinson

© 2005 The University 0f North Carolina Press All rights reserved Designed by Heidi Perov Set in ITC Charter and The Sans

Manufactured in Korea

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for

permanence and durability of the Committee on

Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the

Council on Library Resources.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Robinson, Peter J.  North Carolina weather and climate / by Peter J. Robinson.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn0-8078-2961-7 (cloth: alk. paper) isbn0-8078-5625-8 (pbk.: alk. paper)  1. North Carolina—Climate—Popular works.  2. Meteorology—North Carolina—Popular works. I. Title. qc984.n8r63 2005  551.69756—dc22 2005008003

Publication of this work was aided by a generous

grant from Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc.

cloth paper

09 08 07 06 05 09 08 07 06 05

5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

 for Shirley,

who has experienced all types of weather

with me and asked all the hard questions

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Weather around the State and through the Year151

a p p e n d i xa

4c h a p t e r  Our Common Daily Weather81

A Practical Guide to Observing the Weather208

3c h a p t e r  Water in the Air and at the Ground53

c h a p t e r1

c h a p t e r2Seasons, and Temperature Sunshine, 23

Weather in Our Lives1

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Foreword by Greg Fishelix

Getting Information205

 c h a p t e r 7 Forecasting the Weather177

c h a p t e r 5 Severe and Hazardous Weather109

 c h a p t e r 6

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TwentiethCentury Hurricanes Influencing North Carolina226

Climate Data for Selected Stations214

a p p e n d i xb

Prefacexiii

Index231

a p p e n d i xd

a p p e n d i xc

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When I first came to the South in 1981, two things troubled me. First, I wondered if I’d be here for longer than a year (I was on my third job in two years after gradu- ating in meteorology from Penn State). Second, I wondered if I’d ever see snow again (the South to me meant palm trees and temperatures that seldom got below 50°f). I could hardly have been further off, on both counts. I’ve found a home in North Carolina and withwraltv. By the time this book comes out, I’ll be approach- ing my twenty-fifth anniversary with the station. And I had come to a state that not only received several snowstorms in a typical winter but that experienced all manner of storms and extremes of weather—more than enough to keep this self- professed “weather junkie” interested and occupied. For example, the mercury plunged to 4°fon January 11, 1982 (the winter after I arrived), setting the stage for a two-day onslaught of ice and snow. The culmina- tion of this winter weather event was five inches of snow in as many hours! But that five-inch snow was nothing compared with January 2000. What looked to be a nuisance snow event the day before turned out to be the single heaviest snowfall in the history of Raleigh. A tad over twenty inches fell in less than twenty-four hours, leaving many to ask, “How did Greg miss that one?” (Ahem.) An ice storm, which seems to be a North Carolina specialty, took our station off the air for a time. In December 1989, severe icing occurred on our 2,000-foot transmission tower. The next day, when the sun rose, ice began to melt at a dis- proportionate rate on one side of the tower, creating an imbalance that led to the complete collapse of our tower. A couple of weeks later, up to twenty inches of snow fell along the southern coast of North Carolina—the southern coast! One more snow note: in May 1992, nearly sixty inches of heavy, wet snow fell in our mountains at Mt. Pisgah. Of course, having the tallest mountains east of the Mississippi River brings its own extremes. Does it ever get really cold here? How does -34°f hit you? That