DAILY 49ER California State University, Long Beach
Vol. LIX, Issue 825
www.daily49er.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
A BRIEF
RAIN
REIGNS ON CAMPUS On average, Long Beach recieves about 2.22 inches of rainfall in March, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Greg Diaz | Daily 49er
A CSULB student dashes for cover as the rain begins to fall in the courtyard between the Liberal Arts 3 and 4 buildings on Monday.
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At approximately 10 a.m. on Monday, an elusive rainstorm accompanied by thunder and lightning plagued California State University, Long Beach. A brief stint of hail followed in the moments before the clouds parted; then the day transitioned into a sunny afternoon. The high temperature peaked at 61 degrees Fahrenheit around 2 p.m., with winds reaching 8 miles per hour.
The national weather service anticipates a 20 percent chance of showers before 10 a.m. Meteorologists estimate the high temperature at 61 degrees with winds of 5-10 miles per hour.
It should be smooth sailing from here on out; sunny skies can be expected through the day. Meteorologists anticipate a high temperature of 65 degrees and winds of 5-10 miles per hour.
Sunshine will kiss the campus throughout the day, accompanied by a high temperature of 70 degrees. The average high for March 5 is typically 67 degrees, according to Wea Weather Spark.
National Weather Station anticipates sunny clear skies and a high of 73 degrees. Meteorologists anticipate a 0 percent chance of rain and winds averaging at about 10 miles per hour.
What the hail? Hail forms when strong updrafts push ice crystals back up into the clouds, accumulating ice until they become heavy. By Danielle Carson Print Manager
A thunderstorm on Monday morning quenched Southern California, but along with it came an icy surprise brewed by the perfect potion for precipitation. With the right combination of moisture and wind, hail momentarily replaced torrents of rain in Los Angeles at around 11 a.m. Monday. “It is a little unusual in Southern California, less usual than in other parts of the country,” Dr. David Pepper of the California State University, Long Beach geography department said. Thunderstorms materialize from low-pressure systems that form when warm, moist air rises from the Earth’s surface, according to the department of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University. Pepper said the low-pressure system creates a “mid-latitude cyclone” that pushes air up through
News 2
the center and directly into the atmosphere. Low-pressure systems differ from high-pressure systems, which have the opposite effect and usually produce the clear skies that Long Beach boasts for the majority of the year. “[In a low pressure system,] air is rising in the center, and air at the surface is rushing in to fill the space as the air in the center rises,” Pepper said. “This causes winds to start to rotate.” Quickly rising winds, or updrafts, combine with condensation of moist vapor to form cumulonimbus clouds. These build further up into the atmosphere, where it is much colder than at the earth’s surface. While Long Beach’s streets were around 55 degrees, the clouds above were below freezing, which made the water droplets in the clouds freeze into ice crystals. “The mechanism is, that these small ice crystals fall, and updrafts carry them back up and keep making them bigger,” Pepper said. As the updrafts continually churn the ice crystals back up into the freezing clouds, the crystals accumulate more layers of ice, getting larger until the force of the up-moving wind can no longer support their weight. The icy nuggets will then fall to the ground.
Men’s Volleyball
Breaking the streak
Bobby Yagake | Daily 49er
Long Beach State looks to snap its four-game losing streak in its upcoming matchup against No. 8 UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday.
See SLUMP, page 8
See HAIL, page 2
Opinions 4
Diversions 6
Sports 8