the buzz log

Twisters are getting off to a lackadaisical start this year, but no matter how late, a storm that works itself up into a hurricane frenzy will get attention. Of three Atlantic tempests knocking around, Bill's the one that fulfilled hurricane aspirations and may go beyond a Category 3.

Wild skies don't just kick people into disaster preparedness mode (witness lookups on Yahoo! for "storm doors," "hurricane shutters," and "hurricane supplies"). Nature's ferment also gets minds wondering and searches swelling about weather phenomena in general. An overview of some raging queries, below:

Getting up to (hurricane) speed
The Department of Atmospheric Services at University of Illinois explains the degrees of intensity. Thunderstorms hanging out together over warm ocean waters become a tropical depression, with winds swirling between 23-29 mph. They can gather oomph to become a tropical storm (39-73 mph) within a short period of time (a few hours to two days), then if conditions are right (or not right, depending on your perspective), the rainstorm graduates into a full-fledged hurricane.

Tracking the mighty hurricane hunter
These kinds of hunters may not shoot down and truss up their prey, but they court all kinds of danger by flying into the eye (center) of a raging hurricane. Amateur stormchasers exist, but the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (which runs the Hurricane Hunters Association site) transmits data to the National Hurricane Center. Although the employees and their equipment (like the Lockheed-Martin WC-130J plane) belong to the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce runs the program. For a profile on the first Hurricane Hunter, check here.

Alien ships and other cloudy questions
Some people love an overcast day. Figuring out all the different formations of suspended droplets number among the most popular online weather searches. Some water vapors in question now:
• Billow Clouds are among the rarest, and look like ocean waves. The same winds that cause these clouds also cause a flag to flap.
• Noctilucent Clouds, aka night-shining clouds, take on an "iridescent" glow because they reflect the setting summer sun, as seen in this NASA photo.
• Lenticular Clouds has been likened to a "fleet of alien ships" or pancakes, and typically cling to hills and mountains. Avoided by pilots but sought out by gliders since they portend high winds, they're also attractive to photographers. Check out this cluster.
• Cumulonimbus Clouds literally translate to puffy rainstorms, those familiar, darkly swelling, and foreboding vapors.