巴西亚马逊上空巨大的砧状云 Large anvil clouds above the Amazon in Brazil (© NASA)

巴西亚马逊上空巨大的砧状云 Large anvil clouds above the Amazon in Brazil (© NASA)

造雾 Making a fog-cast

世界气象日

“当云层像岩石和高塔一样出现时，地球就会因频繁的阵雨而焕然一新”，这句古老的气象谚语对于雷暴云（又名积雨云或砧状云）来说有几分道理。而照片中展示的正是砧状云。今天，在世界气象日，我们向大气层的这个奇迹致敬。为了纪念世界气象组织于1950年3月23日成立，世界气象日的首次纪念活动于1961年的3月23日举行。但这一天不仅仅是对历史的致敬，还是为了呼吁人们认识到气象学在我们生活中的重要作用。天气预报可能并不总是可靠的，但由于卫星和超级计算机等技术的进步，天气预报已经取得了长足的进步。由于这些进步，全球天气模型可以提供长达16天的预报，龙卷风预警的平均提前时间从1974年的-15分钟缩短到今天的15分钟左右。让我们为气象学已取得的进展和将要取得的进步欢呼吧!

World Meteorological Day

'When clouds appear like rocks and towers, the Earth's refreshed with frequent showers.' There's a whisper of truth to this old proverb for the storm clouds, also known as cumulonimbus or anvil clouds, which are pictured here. Today, on World Meteorological Day, we honor the marvel that is our atmosphere. This observance, first held in 1961, commemorates the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization and recognizes the vital role meteorology plays in our lives. Weather forecasts may not always appear reliable, but thanks to advances in technology like satellites and supercomputers, they have come a long way. Global weather models provide forecasts for up to 16 days and, the average lead time for tornado warnings is now around 15 minutes. Cheers for the progress made and much more to come!