Dynamic Weather

Dynamic Weather 0.11.34 - "Fronts & Forecasts" Update

Large-scale atmosphere (new)
- A global weather pattern now drives the regional weather: a meandering jet stream with Rossby waves that slowly travel east.
- Long-lived high and low pressure systems (2-6 days) move with the jet; winds circulate around them.
- Blocking patterns (omega blocks): a strong high stalls for 3-7 days with cut-off lows on its flanks - the weather stays the same for days (announced in chat).
- Clouds, storms and tornadoes move with the jet stream and around highs and lows.
- Highs bring clear, calm weather and suppress storms; lows and the area ahead of troughs bring more clouds, wind and thunderstorms; a strong jet over warm air favours supercells.
- Regional temperature patterns: warm air south of the jet, cold air north of it; heat waves are much more likely under warm or blocking highs.
- Winter thaws (rain instead of snow) in warm air and cold snaps with snow in spring/autumn.

Temperature
- Real air temperature: follows the seasons (warm summers around 25 °C, cold winters around -2 °C), the time of day, the biome and the weather pattern.

Intelligent storm radar
- Storms now evolve: thunderstorms and supercells can strengthen or weaken over time (influenced by the day's risk level).
- Storm cells can merge: the stronger cell absorbs the other and grows larger, stronger and longer-lived; two strong thunderstorms can merge into a supercell, and squall lines absorb cells in their path.
- The radar analyses every storm: strengthening / weakening / steady / dissipating, "merging" and arrival time at your location.
- Tornado chance at your location for the next 30 minutes, including possible EF rating and estimated arrival.
- New mode button: Reflectivity, Highs & Lows (pressure colours, isobars, jet stream, H/L markers) and Temperature; the new modes zoom out up to 30 km.
- The radar header shows temperature, weather pattern, air pressure and jet stream direction at your location.
- Storms started by command keep their settings and do not evolve or merge.

Distant storm perception
- Mountains and terrain block the line of sight to lightning: flashes behind hills only light up the clouds above them.
- Thunder from behind terrain sounds quieter and more muffled, without the sharp crack.
- Distant thunder rolls on longer with a delayed low rumble.
- Distant lightning appears dimmer through the atmosphere, and distant storms fade more into the haze.

Blizzards
- Players outside in a blizzard slowly freeze and take freeze damage once fully frozen.
- Stronger blizzards and colder air freeze you faster; extreme blizzards below -10 °C deal extra damage.
- Protection: a roof, a nearby heat source (fire, lava, lit campfire or furnace) and leather armor (each piece helps).
- New config option "Freezing in Blizzards".

Doors and windows
- Wind no longer blows doors, windows and trapdoors open - it only slams open ones shut.