ABC7 Viewer Question: Why did Wednesday's rain look like snowflakes?
How temperatures change with height is an important point in Wednesday night's weather
ABC7 Viewer Question: Why did Wednesday's rain look like snowflakes?
How temperatures change with height is an important point in Wednesday night's weather
SOME CHILLY TEMPERATURES. OUR MOST ACCURATE METEOROLOGIST ROB DUNS JOINS US NOW. ROB, HOW COLD COULD GET OVERNIGHT HERE? IT'S GOING TO CHILLY. YOU KNOW, OUR TEMPERATURES RIGHT NOW IN FORT MYERS. >> 47 DEGREES. >> BEEN OUTDOORS MUCH TONIGHT, EN THOUGH IT ISN'T RAINING VERY HEAVILY. WE'VE HAD LIKE A BUNCH OF MIST ACROSS THE AREA. IT'S NOT EVEN ENOUGH TO BE PICKED UP BY THE LIVE RADAR HERE FROM ABC, 7 OVER LEE COUNTY OR ANY OTHER PART OF THE GULF COAST. BUT IT CERTAINLY IS A KEY OUT THERE TONIGHT. NOW WE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE, A MESSAGE TO THE STATION EARLIER TONIGHT SAYING THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD SNOW FALLING AT THEIR I JUST WANTED TO DO A REAL QUICK ANALYSIS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. HIS IT WASN'T ACTUALLY SNOW FLAKES FALLING TO THIS DOWN TO THE GROUND. BUT WHAT LOOKED LIKE SNOWFLAKES? NO, I KNOW THIS GRAPH IS A LITTLE HARD TO TELL HERE, BUT THIS IS CALLED A SOUNDING. SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE ESSENTIALLY IS A PROFILE OF THE TEMPERATURES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ATMOSPHERE, TOO CLOSER TO THE TOP OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THIS LINE RIGHT HERE THAT I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S THE 32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT MARKS AT THE FREEZING MARK. THIS RED LINE THAT YOU SEE ON THE ON THE SOUNDING HERE SHOWS YOU HOW THE AIR TEMPERATURES CHANGE FROM THE EARTH'S SURFACE. VERY, VERY HIGH IN THE ATMOSPHERE. THE POINT WHERE THESE INTERSECT IS WHERE THE AIR TEMPERATURES OVER OUR AREA ARE AT 32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR FREEZING. SO IT'S AT THIS POINT AND ABOVE THE ATMOSPHERE IS COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SNOW THING IS THOUGH, AS OF THIS LINE RIGHT NOW IS SEVERAL 1000 FEET ABOVE OUR HEAD. SO IT'S REALLY TOUGH TO SEE HOW A SNOWFLAKE COULD SURVIVE A TRIP THROUGH 10,000 FEET OF AIR TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. SO WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY WAS HAPPENING TONIGHT IS IT WAS JUST MISSED OR SOME VERY, VERY TINY RAINDROPS. THEY WERE BEING BATTERED AROUND BY THE WIND, WHICH GIVES THE APPEARANCE WHEN THEY'RE LUMEN AIDED BY LIGHTS TO LOOK LIKE SNOWFLAKES. NOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE IN THE 30'S TONIGHT, BUT THE 30'S DO APPEAR IN THE SEVEN-DAY FORECAST. I'LL EXPLAIN WHEN AND WH
Advertisement
ABC7 Viewer Question: Why did Wednesday's rain look like snowflakes?
How temperatures change with height is an important point in Wednesday night's weather
Several ABC7 viewers sent video to the station on Wednesday night asking why the light rain falling over the area resembled snowflakes. ABC7 Meteorologist Rob Duns explains what the temperature profile of the atmosphere looked like on Wednesday night and why what appeared to be snowflakes was actually just mist. See the analysis of the temperature profile over the Gulf Coast in the video above.
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
Several ABC7 viewers sent video to the station on Wednesday night asking why the light rain falling over the area resembled snowflakes.
ABC7 Meteorologist Rob Duns explains what the temperature profile of the atmosphere looked like on Wednesday night and why what appeared to be snowflakes was actually just mist.
Advertisement
See the analysis of the temperature profile over the Gulf Coast in the video above.