We had clouds, but the west coast got to see one of the biggest and brightest full moons in years Tuesday night. Fortunately for us, we have another opportunity to see this extraordinary moon Wednesday night. Since this is the first day of winter, the Earth and the sun are at their closest point, so moon appears about 15 percent brighter than usual. Another special reason to take a good look is this full moon is the last of the century. This Accufacts file explains how this works.
Meteorologists measure temperature differences at every level of the atmosphere.
They call these measurements the vertical temperature profile. However, these profiles can change completely within hours. For instance, a low pressure system moving into the area can cause the temperature to heat up. This is called warm advection. When warm, moist air moves into a region at high levels of the atmosphere and cold air sticks around on the ground, the stage is set for frozen precipitation.