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Weather Forecast for the Birds Weekly Weather Brief for Migrating Eagles The Weather Channel Forecast for the Week of February 16, 1998 Produced by U.S. Satellite Laboratory Tarrytown, NY Technology for Remote Sensing in Schools Glen Schuster, Meteorologist Josh Danziger, Student Meteorologist satlab@ns.computer.net WEST To soar eagles need thermals, which result from heat of the sun reflecting off the earth's surface. This just didn't happen in the region last week and this week does not look much better. El Niño has affected the weather patterns in the West tremendously and have caused one storm system after another in the Pacific Northwest. Once again, it looks as though it will be a wet week in Washington, and on the few days where there will not be precipitation, clouds should prevail over the area, making it very difficult for any thermals to form. The map for Thursday looks ominous--it could indeed be stormy! It doesn't bode well for the eagles this week....will you be surprised if they've moved when you check the data next Monday? If you were an eagle, would you want to go out and use a lot of energy to travel---especially in the rain? Answer that question, and then make your guess as to how the eagles in the west will move. Review of Last Week's Weather As expected, multiple storm systems moved through the state of Washington throughout the week. When the eagles were spared any precipitation, the skies were cloudy either from the storm that just left, or the storm that was about to come in. One would have to say that the weather did not give the eagles much of a chance to move. New information from buoys taking water temperature samples is in. It appears El Niño will be staying around for much of the migratory season. That means that the waters of the Pacific off the coast of Peru and northward are warmer than normal. This in means lots of evaporation over the ocean, and thunderstorms! Thunderstorms affect the jet stream. Northern California and the Pacific Northwest could be in for a rough stormy late winter. EAST The week ahead does not look favorable for the eagles to trek North. There is a good chance that another storm just like last week's is coming. It is scheduled to get to the Northeast very late Tuesday , and carry over into Wednesday. The map for Tuesday morning (see above) shows the main circulation (or LOW) spinning over the Kentucky/Tennessee border. This time the temperatures should be colder in the Northeast to start. So the places where our eagles are will probably receive a mixed bag of precipitation including rain, sleet, and snow. This will carry into Wednesday Look where the sunshine will be in the East on Wednesday. It looks like Florida is the place to be! Like the storm last week, this storm will leave high winds with us for a while after it passes. That should take us right into Friday. Can you guess if and how the eagles are going to move when the new data comes in? You can see if you are right next week. Review of Last Week's Weather The nor'easter predicted for last week hit the entire state of New York hard. The storm hit with a fury leaving heavy rain in its wake. The wind spun counterclockwise around the circulation (LOW pressure center). The worst of the storm struck on Thursday leaving the skies mostly cloudy until late Friday. From Friday into Saturday, high winds were still plaguing our area. If you guessed that the entire Northeast would experience a biting Northerly wind, then you are correct. With cloudy skies and winds coming out of the North, do you think that the eagles might have had a real opportunity to move much, or even at all? The direction of the wind can play an important role in the movement of bald eagles. Soaring eagles like a tailwind. So the least favorable wind direction for a flight north would be form the North. Eagles like heat radiating from the surface of the earth so as to glide like an old Wright Brothers' plane. Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, but a cold front had just moved through the area. This shifted the winds again. Now the winds were coming out of the Northwest. This might make for a bit easier travel Northward. We know that a cold front moved through. This means that cold air slipped underneath the warmer air ahead of it--because cold air is heavier than warm air. But besides the shifting wind direction, what else happened? Were the temperatures affected? If so, how? The temperatures dropped as a result of the cold front, and that is not favorable weather for eagles to move Northward. Do you think the eagles moved this week in the East? Produced by U.S. Satellite Laboratory Tarrytown, NY Technology for Remote Sensing in Schools Glen Schuster, Meteorologist Josh Danziger, Student Meteorologist satlab@ns.computer.net