115

I could swear I knew the answer in grade 5 and no longer remember but like at what point is it one step to the right and no wind and suddenly wind a step further. Like rain starts from the clouds (and I assume thunder too) but what about wind.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Natanael@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

For mere mortals: various exposed land masses gets heated by sunlight, and the air in contact with that land gets heated too.

When air gets warmer it expands (because atoms move and collide faster). That makes it less dense, so colder and denser air (with its slower atoms) falls in under the warm air and pushes the warm air up. If the ground is still warmer then that cold air gets heated too.

When that happens just at one point it makes air move around that warm ground in a "donut shape", up in the center and out and down and back in.

When that happens at many different locations then those air movements collide with each other, and now we have complicated weather which takes big supercomputers to simulate.

this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2023
115 points (93.2% liked)

Showerthoughts

29522 readers
1007 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. Avoid politics
    1. NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
    2. Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
    3. Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct-----

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS