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Super Size Me!
Mon Dec 20, 2004
Listen in RealAudio 
It’s happening to soft drinks, hamburgers, houses, and cars. Everything in our world
seems to be getting bigger--except maybe our paychecks. What about raindrops? Hi,
I’m Bryan Yeaton, and this is The Weather Notebook.
The average drop may not be getting any bigger, but a team from the University of
Washington recently found two super-sized raindrops, larger than any ever measured
before. Both were observed from aboard a C-131 aircraft. One was detected on a
flight over Brazil and the other from above the Marshall Islands. The two drops each
came in at 8.8 millimeters. That’s around a third of an inch across, or nearly as wide
as a typical adult fingernail.
What’s interesting is that these two megadrops formed in very different weather
situations. The Brazilian raindrop emerged in the midst of smoke from a large fire.
Because of that, scientists Peter Hobbs and Art Rangno believe the drop may have
formed around a large bit of smoke or ash.
That probably wasn’t the case for the Marshall Islands raindrop, which formed far out
above the Pacific Ocean. So how did that drop get super-sized? The two Washington
scientists speculate that the drop may have formed in a narrow zone of enhanced
moisture, perhaps only a few tens of meters across. Such an environment might help
a large drop to grow even larger as it falls and collides with many other, smaller
droplets.
Why is this important? Just a few giant drops could affect the radar data that
forecasters rely on because doubling the size of a raindrop produces a radar signal
that’s sixty-four times stronger. In this case, size definitely matters.
Meteorologist Bob Henson brought us today’s story. The Weather Notebook is
supported by Subaru of America, and Lyndon State College, home of the Northeast’s
premier meteorology program.
Today's Links
Lyndon State College
http://www.lsc.vsc.edu
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