After perusing this article, I must conclude that the information provided is conducive to my furthering education in the often essential field of meteorology. The fact that the torrential winds and storms from last month (January, 2013) occurred in a foreign country, specifically Israel (which has proven a hotspot for cultural, social, and religious controversy--and, clearly now, atmospheric)--just adds to my interest in the subject.
As we are soon to complete the study of Chapter 7 in our textbook, on global wind circulation and the like, I find this article on "stormy weather that causes heavy traffic, shuts down roads, causes damage" (etc.) enlightening, in that I now better understand the methods by which one can determine and predict the results of rainfall and the effect of cumulonimbus clouds (storm clouds with vertical development) on the atmosphere--and therefore the land masses contained within the troposphere (where most weather takes place).
The wide-sweeping impact of this excessive storminess that presented itself recently is shown in the following:
- Individual city roads and highways being shut down
- Continued improvement in basins' water levels
- Extreme snowfall
- Massive flooding
- The need for alternative transportation
- The involvement of the Water Authority's Hydrological Services
- The anticipation of a "winter wonderland"--for the second year in a row
- The city recommending that people check their heating systems to ensure they are working properly and make sure there are no leaks in their roofs or windows
- The increased use of storm hotlines
- Tree-fall
- Driving that is more difficult and less safe
- Impaired visibility of pedestrians alongside traffic
- The involvement of the Road Safety Authority
- Sensitive populations' (such as pregnant women and the physically disabled) need to be especially careful during this time, and in this region
- The damage, yet aid, toward greenhouses and crops