Stationary Boundary and Convective Development

This short lapse segment photographed from atop NIU's Davis Hall looking east-northeast shows a stationary boundary that promotes convective development as unseasonably warm, moist air converges, is forced upwards, reaching the level of free convection. This day also was unique in that it featured a convective shower produced by the Byron Nuclear Generating Station cooling towers. An animated gif for PPT lecture embed is provided below.

Animated gif:
2012.03.23_NIU_Boundary.gif

Cold Front Passage Traced by Power Plant Plume

Dan Robinson of StormHighway.com shot this cool segment of a cold frontal passage near the Prairie State Power plant in Marissa, IL on 25 October 2012.

Power Plant Storms

Dan Robinson of StormHighway.com provides a thorough overview of power plant-induced convection at this page. Perhaps the most dramatic example of this human-induced weather is this time-lapse of a shower produced by the John Amos Power Plant near Poca, WV.  These types of events have been documented during all seasons throughout the U.S.  Events include:

• Man-Made Snow in Green Bay - January 15, 1999
• Storms Over Wood River, IL Refineries - July 21, 2002
• Power plant plumes in Minnesota - November 10, 2008
• Unusual Snowfall in Dodge City - January 19, 2011
• Nuclear power plant produces snow in southwest Pennsylvania - January 22, 2013
• And, a recent case of lake-effect snow from power plant "cooling ponds" in Illinois ...

Such observations are not new as illustrated by the research here and here.