Jasmine: Hi, I’m Jasmine.
Chrissy: And I’m Chrissy.
Jasmine: We’re here with The Sound of Science on WNIJ. If you’re in Northern Illinois, you might have noticed the white smoke coming from the Byron Nuclear Generating Station’s cooling towers. On chilly mornings, it can look like clouds are rolling in from nowhere.
Chrissy: So, what’s happening there? Nuclear reactors work by splitting atoms to create a lot of heat. This heat turns water into steam under high pressure. The steam spins large turbines, which generate electricity for the power grid.
Jasmine: After the steam passes through the turbines, it either gets reused or goes to the cooling towers to cool down and turn back into water. During this process, some steam escapes into the air and creates visible vapor.
Chrissy: This vapor can actually affect local weather. When it’s warm and humid, the moisture can lead to rain or precipitation nearby. But there’s something particularly interesting that happens in winter.
Jasmine: When temperatures drop below freezing, and with the right wind conditions, a unique phenomenon called “steam-induced snow” can occur. This means that light snow can fall near the cooling towers. For example, on February 6, 2014, DeKalb-Taylor Airport reported snow even though there were no clouds overhead. Meteorologists later found a plume from the Byron cooling towers that explained the snow.
Chrissy: It’s a fascinating connection between energy production and local weather patterns!
Jasmine: Thanks for tuning in to The Sound of Science on WNIJ, where you discover something new every day.
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