Meghan Chada

Meteorologist at KELO-TV (Sioux Falls, SD)

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Articles

Blowing dust creates visibility issues

1 week ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N. D. (KFYR) - Wildfires have a lasting impact on a landscape far more reaching than most would think. On May 5, we had a very rare occurrence in northwestern North Dakota. A video was sent to us by a viewer driving down Highway 2 between Ray and Tioga. In it is not smoke or fog. It is blowing dust. When there are strong winds over dry land that also has little to no vegetation, we could see blowing sand or dust.
How thunderstorms form

1 week ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Last week was Severe Weather Awareness week, which covered topics from severe thunderstorms to tornadoes to extreme heat and fire danger. One question that may remain is: How does a thunderstorm form? Thunderstorms need three ingredients to form. There needs to be moisture, rising unstable air and lift. Think of air in a balloon. If you bump the bottom of a balloon, it stays up in the air. This is similar to unstable air needed for thunderstorms.
Severe Weather Awareness Week: Extreme Heat and Fire Danger

1 week ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Hot summer temperatures can bring several dangers, from heat-related illnesses for people to red flag warnings for fire conditions. It’s important to know the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include dizziness, excessive sweating, cool and clammy skin and muscle cramps. Heat stroke’s symptoms are a throbbing headache, no sweating, red and dry skin and possible loss of consciousness.
Severe Weather Awareness Week: Flash Flooding

1 week ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - There are two main types of flooding. Normal river flooding usually happens in the spring with snowmelt. Flash flooding is when there are high levels of water flowing through a normally dry area. Both watches and warnings for flooding are issued by the local National Weather Service offices. A watch is issued when conditions are favorable for flash flooding.
Severe Weather Awareness Week: Tornadoes

2 weeks ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Tornado watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, when the main threat from severe thunderstorms is likely to be twisters. Warnings are then issued by the local National Weather Service offices. A watch can be issued several hours before storm development and can be issued for a four to eight-hour duration. A watch means the conditions are right to build a storm capable of producing a tornado.
Severe Weather Awareness Week: Lightning

2 weeks ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - While lightning is a very interesting phenomenon to watch, it is very dangerous. Lightning strikes can cause up to 47 deaths every year in the U.S.Lightning is a visible electrical discharge. Electrons, which are negatively charged particles, begin by moving downwards. As the electrons near the ground, they draw the positive charge up from the ground. When the opposite charges meet, that creates the flash of lightning.
Severe Weather Awareness Week: Severe Thunderstorms

2 weeks ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - There are two National Weather Service offices in North Dakota: one in Grand Forks and another in Bismarck. The Bismarck office serves 36 counties and three tribal nations in western and central North Dakota. These meteorologists are the only ones who can issue weather warnings. Sometimes, there can be a watch issued before the warning. A watch means all the ingredients are there for a storm; the storm just hasn’t started yet.
Comparing fire weather concerns this year to previous years

3 weeks ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - The requirements for the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning include sustained winds of 15 miles per hour or higher, with stronger gusts, relative humidity at or less than 25% and warmer than normal temperatures. There is also a possibility for a Fire Weather Watch to be issued before the warning. This year has been very dry with strong winds on multiple occasions.
Early spring planting tidbits

3 weeks ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Since temperatures are climbing, some might be itching to start planting gardens and flowers. But there are several reasons why you should wait. Average overnight temperatures in North Dakota for April 20-25 are 30 to 35 degrees. This means frosts and freezes are still possible each night. However, we are getting closer and closer to when those overnight temperatures will warm up rather quickly.
Record-breaking blizzard of 1966

2 months ago | kfyrtv.com | Meghan Chada

BISMARCK, N. D. (KFYR) - Almost 60 years ago brought one of the worst blizzards of all time to North Dakota. This storm had blizzard conditions for 43 hours. March 1, 1966 started like any other March day. Temperatures were just a few degrees above normal. But a trough, or a big dip in the jet stream, was forming over the West Coast, causing an area of low pressure to form in Colorado and another in the Pacific Northwest. These two lows combined in southeastern South Dakota by midnight on the third.