Maryland Weather: Straight winds or rotating? It matters - Weather forecast: Meteorology and climate conditions in the Baltimore region from reporter Frank Roylance

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September 23, 2011

Straight winds or rotating? It matters

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Dan Swegon, in Fallston, asks: “Why is there so much interest, after the event, as to whether heavy wind was a tornado? Severe windstorms cause damage whether the winds were twisting or straight.”

It’s for science and safety. Tornado winds are Nature’s most sudden and powerful. Saving lives and property demands accurate and timely warnings. That requires an understanding of when, where and why tornadoes occur. And scientific understanding demands precise, reliable data.

(PHOTO: Tamara Ivan, in Ocean City, Md., Sept. 15, 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: From the Sun's print edition, Sky Notes, Tornadoes

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About Frank Roylance

Frank Roylance is a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. He came to Baltimore from New Bedford, Mass. in 1980 to join the old Evening Sun. He moved to the morning Sun when the papers merged in 1992, and has spent most of his time since covering science, including astronomy and the weather. One of The Baltimore Sun's first online Web logs, the Weather Blog debuted in October 2004. In June 2006 Frank also began writing comments on local weather and stargazing for The Baltimore Sun's print Weather Page. Frank also answers readers’ weather queries for the newspaper and the blog. Frank Roylance retired in October 2011. Maryland Weather is now being updated by members of The Baltimore Sun staff

Follow @froylance on Twitter

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