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Do freeways have anything to do with the weather?
Storms can get bigger due to the heat from a big city, what about from the freeway?
In Michigan, it seems like the storms often follow 94 (a freeway) from east to west across the state. Today the weather map shows the storm popping up right over the freeway in Battle Creek and following 94 east along the freeway towards Jackson, Ann Arbor and Detroit.
Coincidence? Or does the heat from the cars mixed with the already hot air have anything to do with it?
It always seems like the storms follow 94.
2 Answers
- Anonymous8 years agoFavorite Answer
Heat from metro areas can actually be an enemy to storms. Heat radiated back up into the atmosphere can help create a cap. A cap is a layer of warm air up in the atmosphere. Once storm systems begin to form or move into the area, the cap keeps them from growing bigger and stronger.
Concrete and asphalt can generate a lot of heat. In some areas, the heat may lend to storm initiation. And in some areas as stated above, it can hinder storms growing.
Source(s): Storm spotter/chaser - ?Lv 78 years ago
The thermal mass from large cities create heat islands which can contribute to somewhat larger storms; however...freeways are much too small to exert any significant influence.
As for why thunderstorms appear to track along I-94 today; it's because the steering winds in the mid-levels are from the west.
10,000' winds...
http://www.aos.wisc.edu/weatherdata/upperair/upper...
(time sensitive link)
Note the wind barb over Detroit pointing to the west.
