We get lots of questions about the weather. We answer every question and will post several of the questions with answers on this page.

If you have a question about the weather email us at: weather@wnky.net

Q. What's the difference between snow, sleet and freezing rain.

A . It all has to do with temperatures in different layers of the atmosphere. I want you to visualize a three layer cake. The top layer is the upper level of the atmosphere, the middle layer is the middle level of the atmosphere and the bottom layer is the lower level of the atmosphere. All precipitation begins in the form of snow. If the temperature is below freezing in all levels of the atmosphere than the snow will reach the ground in the form of snow. However, things don't always work out that easily. Sometimes the middle levels of the atmosphere will warm above freezing while the lower levels are still below freezing. Than a tricky situation develops. The snowflake will melt and turn into a raindrop when it encounters the warmer air. But as it continues to fall closer to the surface and reaches the lower levels of the atmosphere which are below freezing that raindrop then refreezes into a little ball of ice. That little ball of ice is called sleet. The set up for freezing rain is a little bit different. In this situation it is a raindrop that falls to the surface and freezes on contact because the surface temperature is below freezing.

Q. What is black ice?

A . Black ice is a thin glaze of ice that appears transparent on roadways. Because of it's transparent characteristic the color of the roadway still appears through the glaze making it almost undetectable. It is also unusually slick compared to other forms of ice on roadways.

Q. What is wind shear?

A. Wind shear is the change in wind speed or wind direction with height in the atmosphere. Some amount of wind shear is common, but wind shear is also important when it comes to the formation of tornadoes. Larger amounts of wind shear also exist near fronts and the jet stream. If you have ever experienced turbulence while flying, there’s your wind shear.

Q. Is there a difference between weather and climate?

A. Yes. Weather is a short-term look at the atmosphere and climate is more of a long-term look. Weather canbe defined as a day-to-day observation, like your daily forecast. Weather can also be characterized by hourly or weekly observations as well, for example, the WNKY 5-day forecast or the 10-day trend. Climate, on the other hand, refers to your typical weather over a longer period of time. Climate is an observation of average weather conditions and weather extremes of an area over a time period, which is usually 30 years. Changes in the climate can occur in years, decades, and even centuries. Meteorologists and scientists alike study climate to understand patterns or trends in the weather in respect to possible long term or permanent climate changes, global warming is an example.

Q. How do weather radars work?

A. The most effective tool to detect precipitation is radar. Radar stands for RAdio Detection And Ranging.

The NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar) obtains weather information (precipitation and wind) based upon returned energy. The radar emits a burst of energy (green). If the energy strikes an object (rain drop, bug, bird, etc), the energy is scattered in all directions (blue). A small fraction of that scattered energy is directed back toward the radar.

This reflected signal is then received by the radar during its listening period. Computers analyze the strength of the returned pulse, time it took to travel to the object and back, and phase shift of the pulse. This process of emitting a signal, listening for any returned signal, then emitting the next signal, takes place very fast, up to around 1300 times each second.

~ portions courtesy NOAA

Q. How do weather satellites work?

A. Weather satellites carry instruments (not cameras) that scan the Earth to form images. These instruments usually have some sort of small telescope or antenna, a scanning mechanism, and one or more detectors that detect either visible, infrared, or microwave radiation. These measurements are in the form of electrical voltages that are digitized, and then transmitted to receiving stations on the ground. Most of the satellites and instruments they carry are designed to operate for 3 to 7 years, although many of them last much longer than that.

Almost all weather satellites are put into one of two kinds of orbits around the Earth. One is called a "geostationary" orbit, with the satellite at a very high altitude (about 22,500 miles) and orbiting over the equator. The altitude is chosen so that it takes the satellite 24 hours to orbit the Earth once, which is also the rotation rate of the Earth, so that the satellite appears to be fixed over a ingle spot - thus the name "geostationary". This type of satellite is what produces the cloud animations you see on TV, and can take images as frequently as every minute or so. The other orbit type is called "polar", where the satellite is put into a relatively low altitude orbit (around 500 miles) that carries the satellite near the North Pole and the South Pole. Unlike the geostationary orbit, the polar orbit allows complete Earth coverage as the Earth turns beneath it. These orbits are usually "sun-synchronous", allowing the satellite to measure the same location on the Earth twice each day, and the same local solar time.

Q. Is it possible to be struck by lightning while using the toilet?

A. Yes, it is possible to be struck by lightning while using the toilet. Any contact or close proximity with pipes and water is dangerous. Some50-100 people die per year from lightning strikes, and 400-500 people each year are injured. About 40% of lightning injuries go unreported. And, out of all lightning incidents, less than 3% occur inside a building. The risk is low, but still there!