Warmer days still ahead, weather expert says Mallory Womer, Staff Writer

The… Warmer days still ahead, weather expert says Mallory Womer, Staff Writer

The above-average temperatures that Pittsburgh has been experiencing lately should continue through the end of the month, according to Richard Kane of the National Weather Service.

“We had below-normal temperatures in the first half of December,” Kane said. “We actually finished the month at about 4 to 5 degrees below normal. But in the last week of December we came back to normal to above-normal temperatures and we have been there ever since.”

Kane said the higher temperatures are caused by a phenomenon known as zonal flow in the jet stream.

“The jet stream is a river of weather that undulates up and down,” Kane said. “Where it undulates determines who gets the warm weather and who gets the cold weather.”

As a result of zonal flow, air in the jet stream – which is located 30,000 feet above our heads – flows from west to east as opposed to the usual north to south. This means that Pittsburgh is receiving weather patterns that originated over the Pacific instead of those that arose from the frozen tundra in Canada.

According to Kane, another result of zonal flow is a greater frequency of storm systems. The systems are relatively calm, but tend to blow through the Pittsburgh area every three days.

Ultimate breaks into the top 25 Meaghan Dorff, For The Pitt News

The National Ultimate Media Panel named Pitt’s Ultimate team, En Sabah Nur, the 25th best in the country in the first poll of the season, released Friday.

Already this season, Pitt has beaten some of NUMA’s higher ranked teams, including University of North Carolina, ranked 19th and Ohio State, ranked 20th.

Next up for En Sabah Nur is the Queen City Tune Up tournament, set to take place Feb. 11 and 12 in Charlotte, N.C.

If the team emerges victorious from that contest, it will advance to the Terminus contest in Georgia, the Centex competition in Texas and Easterns in North Carolina.

A release from the team said, “All of these tournaments are merely high profile warm-ups for the big dance.”

Still, later in the season comes a shot at the coveted national college series title. To reach this level, Pitt must first win in the Western Pennsylvania section, then win the Metro-East regional tournament.

Such a win would snag Pitt the chance to compete with 15 other top schools for the 2006 National Championship.

Of the 15 members on last year’s national qualifying team, 13 have returned for another winning season; several freshman additions gave up varsity scholarships to join En Sabah Nur.