The winds of March [03/09/2002]

By Caleb Boulter

Hold on to your hats, folks, we are in for a ride! The reason is because March is the windiest month during the year. Indeed, this is relative based upon where you live, but what is not relative is the importance of wind. If there was no wind, then there would be no weather pattern. Wind is the driving force behind how cold tomorrow will be and whether there will be any precipitation. Wind also creates comfort for those who are hot during a summertime afternoon and drives sharp chills down the spine of many during the cold days of January. Weather is a constantly changing phenomenon that works properly with its needed and basic supplies. Of course, the same aspect is accountable for the formation of wind. When air flows from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure, wind is created. The gradient of the two pressures is dependent on how strong the wind is. Nevertheless, in order to obtain that position, the sun needs to play a major role. The sun's effect upon the Earth is more than one may think. Not only does the sun create light for those who reside upon this earth, but it also forces the atmosphere to heat up. Unsurprisingly, some areas of the atmosphere receive more warmth and ray then other parts of the atmosphere. Therefore, the air above the "hot spots" on the Earth's atmosphere is warmed, which then forces the air to rise. Once the new step is completed, a low-pressure system is formed. Dependent upon the setup, the low-pressure system can form into a minimal or intense storm. Despite the outcome, the air flows around the low-pressure system, creating wind. One may wonder why March has achieved the title for the windiest month of the year. The answer is very simple and clear. As winter begins to come to a close, March is the time period where the seasons change from winter to spring. Due to this, battles begin to erupt in the atmosphere between cold air masses and warm air masses. The most likely candidate to win is the cold air mass. Usually, the cold air sinks from Canada into the Plains. A frontal boundary is formed where it signifies the separation of the cold and warm air. Depending upon how hard the air masses want to battle each other, wind develops on a southern flow in front of the front. Thunderstorms erupt, which is due in part to the airflow. On the back edge of the front, the wind flows from a northerly direction. Due to the instability of the air masses, powerful low-pressure systems develop during March, producing memorable storms as well as incredible winds. One such event occurred on March 12-15, 1993. Known as the Super Storm, it produced feet of snow, hurricane force winds, and severe tidal flooding for the Eastern United States. Next week will take a closer look at the phenomenal "Storm of the Century." Week in review The National Weather Service offices of New England have verified that the winter season of 2001 and 2002 has been a record breaker, with December and January the warmest on record. February's snow accumulation occurred on the 1st and 28th as both days combined a total amount of snow of at or below one inch. The month was one of the driest Februarys on record for snowfall. March has continued the same pattern of very little snow. The first two days of March were brilliant with mostly clear skies and above-normal temperatures. A semi-powerful storm did arrive during the overnight hours of Saturday, March 3, giving the valley an unexpected 1 to 1.5 inch of snow. However, the nearly 0.75 inch of rain that followed quickly melted the new snow away. A brilliant day followed the stormy Sunday, and clouds returned for Tuesday through Thursday. Temperatures were about average during the week while spring continues to draw near. Caleb Boulter is a 16-year-old, self-taught, web site developer of North Conway Weather (http://www.northconwayweather.com), a web site featuring current conditions from his weather station and sky cam. The site also highlights hours of information with over 100 photographs. Caleb Boulter currently interns at the Mount Washington Observatory and reports daily to Pete Bouchard, chief meteorologist of Our Maine News (WB51). For comments and questions on this article, contact nhweatherman@adelphia.net.