6
University Daily Kansan / Monday, March 30, 1992
Jet streams' clash creates erratic weather
High temperatures expected for April
By Erik Bauer
Kansan staff writer
Two jet streams, one from the South Pacific and one from Canada, are responsible for recent erratic changes in Kansas weather.
Although warm, sunny weather is in the forecast for today and tomorrow with highs ranging from the upper 50s to the lower 60s, temperatures will begin to drop back into the 50s on Wednesday with a chance of rain, William Barlow, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in Topeka, said.
The highs on Thursday and Friday are predicted to be in the 40s.
But Barlow said temperatures and precipitation throughout the month of April would be above average despite cooling low temperatures later this week.
Barlow said the unusually warm
day of April became the El Niño Effect.
The phenomenon, which occurs every four to five years, begins in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean because of a lack of cloud cover, he said. The absence of clouds causes an increase in the ocean's surface temperature.
The warmer water surface causes widespread thunderstorm and tropical storm activity. Barlow said the atmospheric energy released from the storms altered the easterly jet stream pattern.
A jet stream affected by El Niño begins farther south than usual. Because of this, the jet stream steers more low-pressure systems and moisture, abnormally warm temperatures and unusual weather patterns to the United States.
"This phenomenon takes several months before it affects the conditioneri.
This year, the United States experienced the warmest winter temperatures in 50 years. Barlow said.
He said the jet stream had confined cold arctic air north of the Canadian border.
"It affects my mood, and I get upset because I don't know which clothes to wear. This weather is driving me crazy."
Maria Pareja Barcelona, Spain, sophomore
In northeastern Kansas, the average April low temperature is in the lower 40s, he said. The average high is in the upper 38s, the average precipitation is 3.08 inches.
Barlow said that this week's drop in temperature will be because of another jet stream that began in Canada. The jet stream will bring cold air to Kansas.
He said these kinds of drastic weather changes were not unusual during March and April.
The weather changes have affected students at KU in different ways.
Maria Pareja, Barcelona, Spain, sophomore, said that she often had to turn on her heater at night and turn on her air-conditioner during the day.
"it affects my mood, and I get upset because I don't know which clothes to wear," she said. "This weather is driving me crazy."
Brian Howard, Overland Park sophomore, said the weather changes mainly had an effect on his mood and he suppressed his motivation for activity.
"On an activity level or a mental level, it affects me more directly rather than just having to adjust my thermostat," he said.
Marnee Dietrich / KANSAN
At the Kappa Delta twister tournament, clockwise from left, Jeremy Fort, Ulysses sophomore, John Bar-tels, Kansas City, Kan., Junli, Dave Conne, Madison, Wis., senior, and John Walsh, Topea senior, compete for the championship. Proceeds from Saturday's tournament benefited the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
Twist and shout
Marine copter crashes at sea on way to Kenya
MANAMA, Bahrain — A U.S. Marine helicopter crashed at sea yesterday off the Somali coast with 18 people on board, the U.S. Navy command announced. Fourteen were rescued, and four were missing, officials said.
The Associated Press
Four of the survivors suffered burns, said Chief John Kenney from the Navy Central Command aboard the flagship USS LaSalle. He said the helicopter was a CH-46E Sea Knight from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The group was in transit from the Gulf of Arabia to Mombasa, Kenya, for a scheduled port of call, said Maj. Olin Saunders at the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.
The crash occurred during routine operations about 60 miles off the Somali coast at about 9:30 a.m., Kenney said. Helicopters from the amphibious assault ship USS Okinawa and other ships in the area were conducting the search and rescue, Kenev said.
An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the crash. Names of those aboard the helicopter and those pending notification of next of kin.
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit is composed of Marines from Camp Pendleton and the Marine Corps Air Station in El Toro, both in California.
Shuttle mission extended for extra day
The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Atlantis' environmental mission was extended yesterday from eight to nine days so its crew can make extra measurements of Earth's endangered ozone layer and other parts of the atmosphere.
The shuttle's crew of six men and one woman have done everything possible to save enough power for an additional day in space, including turning off the cabin lights and galley equipment when not in use.
It is only the fourth time a shuttle flight has been prolonged for scientific purposes. The last occasion was Discovery's biomedical research mission in January.
When told of the extension, Commander Charles Bolden Jr said, "That's great news. The guys are happy."
Atlantis was supposed to return Wednesday after eight days in orbit, but scientists involved in the mission asked for a ninth day. Landing is now scheduled for just after sunrise Thursday at Kennedy Space Center.
Nine other shuttle flights have been extended at least an orbit, but only because of technical problems on the U.S. airways.
As Atlantis whizzed around the world for the sixth day, the astronauts tried again to communicate by radio with the two cosmonauts aboard the Russian space station Mir.
Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, who speaks a little Russian, said she thought she heard a return signal as the spacecraft passed within 62 miles of one another and was struck by. But she said the signal was very weak and garbled.
The astronauts tuned in to Miron on Thursday, but their signals were not acknowledged.
Astronauts and cosmonauts have talked ship-to ship just once, during the 1975 Apollo Soyuz mission.
The four scientists aboard Atlantis spent yesterday photographing both the southern lights and airglow, a shimmering layer of light above Earth.
Scientists attribute the increased number of auroras to high solar activity. The colorful streaks of light are sometimes called "aurora borealis."
poles, when atmospheric atoms and molecules interact with charged particles from the sun.
Most of the 13 scientific instruments in Atlantis' cargo bay are studying solar energy and the middle-to-upper atmosphere. Researchers are particularly interested in the ozone layer, a stratospheric shield against harmful ultraviolet rays that is being eaten by manmade chemicals.
Although most of the instruments have flown on previous shuttle flights, a mission has never revolved around their use. Atlantis' voyage, 184 miles above Earth, used the 46 shuttle trips dedicated to a atmospheric research.
The only astronomical instrument aboard Atlantis, an ultraviolet telescope, was aimed yesterday at a large spiral galaxy 2 million light-years away. The galaxy hashad four supernovas, or exploding stars, in the past 50 years, a much higher number than average.
Such observations are impossible from the ground because ultraviolet light cannot penetrate the atmosphere.
There are hundreds of questions on the GMAT, GRE and LSAT. This checklist will help you answer all of them.
√
✓
Kaplan makes test prep convenient. With 150 centers and thousands of class schedules the odds are we'll be ready to teach when and where you need us to be there.
√
Kaplan helps you manage your time. Diagnostic tests and personalized counseling help you recognize stumbling blocks early on, before they hurt your performance.
✓
Kaplan offers the best value. Courses are competitively priced and offer the complete preparation that has helped more students get into the school of their choice than anyone else.
Kaplan offers the best value.
1000 Massachusetts
Lawrence, KS 66044
842-5442
Kaplan is the industry leader. 53 years of experience and 2 million graduates prove we've got the experience and resources it takes to help students succeed.
1900 W 75thSt.,STE5 Shawnee Mission,KS 66208 (913) 262-8378
Kaplan Test Prep The Answer
© 1992 Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Center Ltd