Local Weather Reports
By Hanna Nilson

With today’s advanced weather technologies, finding your local weather is a cinch! Within seconds, practically anyone can access local weather reports via the web, TV broadcasts and even on their cell phones. Local weather reports effect everyone, so we all know that understanding your local weather is crucial for keeping up with your busy schedules.

When it comes to your local weather, geographic location is one of the signal most important factors. Your location may drastically influence the kind of local weather patterns that you experience on a regular basis. Seasons, temperatures, precipitation rates and amounts as well as wind patterns are all elements that change differently as a result of various geographical locations. For example, in the 48 mainland states of the United States, local weather reports are widely divers because weather tends to shift from the west to the east. As such, while local weather reports in California may predict rain from the Pacific Ocean, the east coast may get their rainstorms after they’ve passed from the North West.

For anyone who finds themselves frequently interested in accessing their local weather reports, there are several sites and channels you may want to keep in mind:

-         The Weather channel: This TV station broadcasts 24 hour local and global weather news. You can find the weather channel on Direct TV channel 362 and Dish Network, on channel 214.

-         Weather.com: This domain is the web extension of The Weather Channel and it is currently the most popular website used to access local weather.

-         NWS.noaa.gov: This Weather.gov site is a national weather service i.e. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; it’s a great way to access you local weather.

-         Accuweather.com: Another familiar local weather site is Accuweather.com which is promoted as being the world’s weather authority.

While any of the above local weather resources are a great way to get local and international weather news. It is important to have at least some minimal knowledge of your local weather. For example, did you know that local weather in the West Coast of the United States is mainly controlled by two factors - the Pacific Ocean and the coastal mountain ranges? Combined, these two things create the weather that is unique to this particular region. These mountains have an effect on the local weather of states surrounding the mountain range on both sides. Accordingly, this mountain range causes cities, such as Seattle, to have a lot of rainfall with temperate summers and winters, while areas like Death Valley see little or no precipitation and extreme temperature conditions with every season.

Across the US, people will find that their local weather reports increase temperatures as they travel south. However, on the East Coast, the farther south you travel, the more precipitation there is. For example, in Miami (the southern most tip of Florida) there is more than twice as much rain in June (on average) as there is in Maine. This local weather phenomenon is due to wind patterns which are unique to this location. In the winter, the winds come from the west. When they reach the ocean, they circle around in a clockwise direction and come back inland to the south of Florida, near Mexico. If people are aware of these trends, local weather becomes easier to predict through the seasons.

In conclusion, your local weather reports are a testimony to the power of Mother Nature. The more we learn about the weather and local weather patterns, the more efficient we become in dealing with what might be in store for the future. Local weather is a daily mystery, but this doesn’t mean that it’s completely out of our hands.

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