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Five explanations of phenomena that weather apps simply skip over. More to come, slowly.
Why cumulonimbus clouds form and why they stop
The tropopause acts as a ceiling for convection. Understanding why that ceiling exists explains most of what happens inside a thunderstorm.
What fog actually is and the three ways it forms
Radiation, advection, upslope. Each type forms through a distinct process and behaves differently once it has formed.
Why lightning picks a jagged path to the ground
The stepped leader does not know where it is going. Understanding that reframes everything about how lightning strikes happen.
Rainbow formation: why 42 degrees matters
Each raindrop returns exactly one wavelength of light to your eye. The arc you see is the aggregate of billions of individual events.
Wind patterns: why the Beaufort scale still holds up
Francis Beaufort designed his scale for sail in the nineteenth century. A modified version still appears in Met Office bulletins today.