Sara E. Tonks

1 week ago | weather.com | Sara E. Tonks

How Jaws Shaped A Meteorologist’s CareerEven after fifty years, Jaws is as fresh and pervasive as the summer it first came out. You recognize the iconic theme. You quote some of the lines. You may even have a lasting fear of the film’s toothy antagonist. Jaws swam into theaters on June 20, 1975, and it continues to make a splash even now, on its fiftieth anniversary.

1 week ago | weather.com | Sara E. Tonks

Severe Threat Shifts South And East MondayAfter days of devastating flash flooding in parts of the country, a new multi-day severe weather threat is kicking off today from the Central and High Plains into the Upper Midwest. Here are the latest radar and current active alerts from the National Weather Service:Through Early Tuesday: Monday’s severe threat includes damaging winds, large to very large hail and isolated tornadoes across the Central and Northern Plains and the Upper Midwest.

1 week ago | weather.com | Sara E. Tonks

(Illustration by Madie Homan)Here at Ask A Met, we get lots of questions about hail, but none as unique as this one from Morning Brief reader Tim from Illinois, who writes in to ask, "If someone were to drop frozen peas in a cloud, would they come down like hail, perhaps adding extra layers before falling?"Digital Meteorologist Sara Tonks: OK, so I actually did the math for this question. Which might sound unnecessary, but I really like math problems that are kind of gratuitous.

2 weeks ago | weather.com | Sara E. Tonks

Soggy Weekend For Rain-Weary NortheastAfter a morning of rain and stormy skies, conditions will improve for Saratoga Springs, New York, ahead of the Belmont Stakes horse race Saturday evening. But while the skies may be dry, the track may not be. A weather station in Saratoga Springs recorded nearly 1.5 inches of rain since midnight at noon ahead of the race, which could contribute to muddy track conditions.

4 weeks ago | weather.com | Sara E. Tonks

The green flash is a rare optical phenomenon above the horizon directly at sunrise or sunset. The color is caused by green light from the sun that survives atmospheric refraction so that it can make it all the way to our eyes. By Sara Tonks less than an hour ago If you’ve ever found yourself wishing for the ability to read other people’s thoughts or the ability to see into your own heart, all you have to do is stare at the horizon directly at sunrise or sunset and look for a green flash of light.