I second that: Rose needs to chime in more often and so does R2B! Rose, I love your reminder of the 'Nimbo Bimbo'... I grew up watching those weather quizzes and loved them. Amazing the things they used to be able to say on TV without offending everyone.
On the ocean's effect we should point out that cumulus clouds and thunderheads (cumulonimbus) DO form over the ocean, but most often in the tropics where the ocean water is in the 80s or 90s. That process (hurricane development) follows a slightly different set of physics rules from what we're having right now, which is why those storms get names. You will also see clouds form over the ocean in winter, when the ocean is significantly warmer than the air. That leads to ocean effect snow, and lake effect snow, and sometimes it is part of a growing snowstorm.
UPDATE: SPC has issued more severe weather watches in a continuous line from Maine down to North Carolina. The tornado watch for western NY state has been converted over to a Severe Tstorm watch. The rest of the tornado watch remains in effect for eastern NY and all of VT. Storms are firing all up and down the east coast.
The storms in VT do appear to be missing us, at the moment. Once the watch box has been issued, it's a dice-roll as to where in the box the "watched" weather will occur. Anywhere in the box, or near it, is the rule, at anytime.
If it does happen, a warning is issued by the local NWS office for the specific county where it's happening.
Currently most of the state of VT is under a severe thunderstorm WARNING in addition to the tornado watch.
Looking at the national map, I'm amazed at the variety of weather on it... the severe weather outbreak here, and the snow in the western states. This is what happens when the late-winter cold hangs around long enough to meet the summertime heat.
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