I think I know seven, but my understanding is probably superficial at best. We hear so many of these from the local weather people! I am one of those people who always waits to hear the weather on the local news and then realizes they have moved into sports and I totally missed it! Oh well.

Cynthia

She was making for the trades on the outside,
On the downhill run to Papeete.

C,S, & N

Sailors all know of the trade winds, even if they've never had the pleasure. (Pretty much an ex-sailor, in my case.)

TM

This post was edited by thinman on Sat, Dec 20, 14 at 12:45

We got 80 feet on the waterline, nicely making way. - more CSN

Yes, the ever useful trades!!

El Nino is apropos for the time of year. And did I ever tell ou one of my favourite carols is by the Trans Siberian Orchestra??

Nancy.

Yes, I know trade winds, el nino, la nina, vortex (polar was in the news not too long ago), Alberta Clipper, Nor'easter, lake effect (cousin lives near Buffalo-yikes), and am wondering if Colorado low is related to Rocky Mountain high (sorry, John Denver not CSN). :)

Cynthia

I don't know 3, 8, or 10, and I can't say I know the exact difference between El Niño and La Niña. We get a lot of lake effect snow and Alberta Clippers here, and we all (Maybe not Annette) sure had a dose of the Polar Vortex last winter.

If panhandle hook is connected to tornadoes, I think I know it too.

TM

The Panhandle Hook is also known as the Panhandle Hooker, or Texas Hooker. They are not as localised as one might think!! Vortexes have incredible range both in size and geographical spread!!

Nancy.

Hookers? Now I'm afraid to guess.

TM

I can vaguely answer a couple of these but will trip over my tongue/ fingers in trying to do so LOL.

Annette

Haha, TM, I thought I could make an educated guess on that one, but now, well, I have no idea!

Cynthia

Here are my guesses:
1. Warm ocean temps brings higher precipitation east
2. Cooler ocean temps brings lower precip. East ( although I probably have those backwards-never sure which is which)
3. ???
4. Trade winds-warm south Pacific breezes-sailors appreciate them
5. Vortex is circular movement that carries air in upper atmosphere influencing temps below. Polar vortex brings us your cold air, all you upper mid-westerners and Canadians
6. Lake effect has to do with added moisture and precip from large lakes such as Erie which often leads to lots and lots of snow being dumped.
7. Alberta clipper is a quick moving storm which does not typically drop lots of snow. Not helpful for teachers who may just get a delayed opening from one.
8. Panhandle hook-well, I was thinking this would be air od a storm which moves from going in a relatively straight path to turning like the hook of a shepherd's crook. No idea really.
9. Nor'easter-storm where the winds are coming from the northeast-usually pretty substantial storms
10. Colorado Low-the feeling you get when you run out of something to smoke

Cynthia

Well, I should have been back more often with clues but everything is a struggle right now - I have strep and haven't been able to get in to see my Dr. yet - oh well, tomorrow hopefully.

1. El Nino
The most dominant pattern responsible for interannual, or year-to-year, climate variability across the globe. During an El Niño event, warmer-than-normal sea-surface temperatures occur in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, while cooler-than-normal temperatures are observed in the western part of the tropical Pacific. El Niño (Spanish for "The Baby Boy" of the Christmas story) was named more than 100 years ago by Peruvian fishers who noticed the warming water off their shores around Christmas time.
2. La Nina
During a La Niña event, cooler-than-normal sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) occur in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and warmer-than-normal SSTS are measured in the western part of the tropical Pacific. During La Niña, convection over the western Pacific tends to be farther west than the climatological average, bringing heavier-than-usual and more persistent rains to Indonesia and northern Australia, among other teleconnections. Like its brother, La Niña recurs at intervals ranging from about two to seven years, with events typically lasting from one to three years. Researchers believe La Niña behavior could change with global warming, although the exact nature of this change remains uncertain.

3. Montreal Express
An informal term for the pattern that results when the polar jet stream arcs from northern Siberia across western Canada, then dips southward across central and eastern North America. Along the northeast coast of North America, a similar pattern in which the cold air originates over Canada is called the Montreal Express.

4. Trade Winds - yep, that's one!!
The easterly surface winds prevailing across the tropics. The trade winds, part of the Hadley circulation, got their name at the dawn of the age of oceanic sailing, when cargo traders learned to rely upon them.
5. Vortex
The circulation associated with a surface low-pressure area. Vortices can range in size from dust devils to tornadoes to hemispheric patterns.

Some more localized weather may be referred to as:

6. Lake Effect
Think Buffalo. Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor, which freezes and is deposited on the leeward (downwind) shores. Did anyone see the pictures of the storm-front moving across Lake Ontario towards Buffalo? Truly awesome.

7. Alberta Clipper - An Alberta clipper (also known as a Canadian Clipper) is a fast moving low pressure area which generally affects the central provinces of Canada and parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Most clippers occur between December and February, but can also occur occasionally in November.

8. Panhandle Hook - A Panhandle hook is a relatively infrequent winter storm system whose cyclogenesis occurs in the South to southwestern United States from the late fall through winter and into the early spring months. They trek to the northeast on a path towards the Great Lakes region, as the southwesterly jet streams are most prevalent, usually affecting the Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Panhandle hooks account for some of the most memorable and deadly blizzards and snowstorms in North America, as well as tornado outbreaks in the Midwest on record. The name is derived from the region of surface cyclogenesis in the Texas and Oklahoma "panhandle" regions. In some winters, there are no panhandle hook storms; in others, there are several.

9. Nor'easter - The usage of the term in North America comes from the wind associated with many different types of storms, some of which can form in the North Atlantic Ocean and some of which form as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. The term is most often used in the coastal areas of New England. A nor’easter is a low pressure area that often passes just off the New England and southeast Canada Atlantic coastline. Winds in the left-forward quadrant rotate onto land from the northeast. The precipitation pattern is similar to that of other extratropical storms. Nor’easters can cause severe coastal flooding, coastal erosion, hurricane force winds or blizzard conditions; these conditions are usually accompanied with very heavy rain or snow, depending on when the storm occurs.

10. Colorado Low - You're right Cynthia, not a rock Mountain High - lol. A Colorado low is a low pressure that forms in southeastern Colorado or northeastern New Mexico, typically in the winter. After forming, the system moves across the Great Plains. Colorado lows produce heavy wintry precipitation, and have a general east to northeast movement, impacting regions as far north as Winnipeg and as far east as the Atlantic coast. If upper level conditions are right, the jet stream can push the low farther south, bringing wintry precipitation as far as Texas. When pushed this far south, the system is often referred to as a "blue norther".

Well, thanks for playing!! May the peace of the Season be upon you and yours!!
{{gwi:617456}}Merry Christmas - see you all next week. I'll leave you with a song.

Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Southern Cross - CSN

I love that song!

I am so glad to know all these terms now! Your questions are always fun.

I wish everyone joy and laughter as we move into the new year.

Cynthia

Good song choice. It's one of my favorites.

Sorry I didn't get any actual answers posted, but, when faced with writing ten answers, my inborn lazy streak sometimes rears its ugly head. Not that I didn't like the questions, they were great. I like weather stuff a lot.

Sorry about your strep, Nancy. I hope you can shake it off fast, with the help of some magic pills, maybe. Thanks for going above and beyond to give us our trivia fix.

Wishing you, Annette, Bobbie, and Cynthia peace and solace for the season.

TM