Ok all you amateur meteorologists I have a question

How do they know Wilma is going to turn east and head to Florida? It sure looks like she is headed straight to New Orleans.

eom

and read the information there.
then click blogs and check out dr. jeff master and he explain the wind patterns

LOL I will look there. Thanks.

towards florida.

Thank you.

the direction, such as the highs and lows and their respective pressure and speed that are moving from the West to the East. I presume also in relation to the jet stream movement over the country.

Got it. Thanks.

This is Wilma at 7am Monday morning just at the Florida west coastine.

Let's go from top to bottom in the atmosphere. The top right panel shows the highest level with the Jet Stream (300mb/30K feet). Notice the Southwesterly flow as the front side of the upper level trough is along the eastern seaboard.

Why is the flow this direction? Look at the top left panel, the 850mb level, around 5000ft up. The cold air that is allowed to go south in the upper level trough feature, and just the frontside of this airmass is approaching the east and gulf coasts. Most of the weather tends to happen at areas with some decent temperture and/or moisture-humidity gradients. This temperture difference is the reason for a fast jet stream.

I could go into more specifics but then I would have to derive thermodynamic equations for you, but I do not think that would be a good idea. ;)

I do think I get it now. :)

The visual aids did the trick.

and the answer to all questions is "because that's the way is was designed" of course

-- I found it fascinating to hear that 11 women in Cancun/Cozumel went into premature labor because of the intensity of the low pressure from Wilma. (it was on NBC - I think - news last night)

Can anyone 'splain that, please ??


Thanks !

when the pressure (millibars) drops the relative difference in internal (womb) and external (air) causes the fetus to sort of "pop" right out.
Kinda like a soft vacuum.
That is a real simplification but that's how it works.

Not to mention shock and trauma.

will pull it Eastward.

Think about putting your hand in a swimming pool and moving it through the water. Near your hand (perhaps 15 inches away and off to the side) is a small floating boat. Think of the boat as Wilma. Even though your hand does not push water toward that floating boat but away from it the low pressure or eddies that are formed from your stroke through the water will need to be filled in causing items in the water near your hand to move into the low pressure your stroke formed. Wilma is expected to be pulled by that storm system
in the same way as I explained above. It's very similar to the vacuum your car creates when it cuts through the air. Thats why you will see pieces of paper suddenly sucked toward the back end of a car as it passes bye. The storm system moving through the Eastern US is thus expected to pull Wilma with it in a sense.

I am sure Wilma is effecting that storm system as well.