World_6HR_Mar_2015
--March is the first month of meteorological autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, and of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. --By tracking the latest hours in white, the overhead sun can be seen to move E to W on a daily basis. --Thunderstorms travel W to E over the middle and higher latitudes in both hemispheres, and more slowly from E to W in the tropics. --The equatorial trough, also called the Intertropical Convergence Zone, is well defined near the equator over the Atlantic Ocean during most of the month. --The major islands of SE Asia have thunderstorms most afternoons due to sea breezes and along the slopes of mountain ranges. --The Andes provide a sharp western boundary in a generally NNW-SSE line; no lightning occurs over the cold water offshore of the Andes. --In the southern portion of South America, clearing of lightning is apparent from S to N as cold fronts and attendant dry sinking air arrives to minimize lightning. ~Ron Holle
Apr 1, 2015 Webmaster Archive