Q and A

Posted November 20, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Thank your for visiting The Gatesville Messenger
You need to be a subscriber to access our e-editions
To keep reading, sign up today
Get unlimited access
Subscribe
Username:
Password:
Email Address:
The email and password will be automatically emailed to your PayPal email account.
Already a subscriber? Log-in



Corner:

Q:

How fast can the temperature drop when a cold front arrives?

A:

Sometimes amazingly fast, Brent McRoberts, of Texas A&M University, reported. It is not uncommon for the temperature to drop 15 degrees or more in just one hour after a cold front arrives. “There are some incredible stories about temperature changes, with one in particular that stands out” he adds. “On Jan. 22, 1943, the town of Spearfish, SD, was sitting on the edge of an arctic air mass and recorded a temperature of -4 degrees at 7:30 in the morning. Within two minutes, the thermometer shot up to 45 degrees because of strong ‘Chinook’ winds descending down a nearby mountain peak. By 9 a.m. the temperature was up to 54 degrees, but as the winds died down and the cold air mass settled in, the temperature fell to -4 degrees within 27 minutes, a 58-degree temperature drop that is still believed to be a record.”