06 Apr 2012
Become Your Own Weather Forecaster
Have you ever wondered how weather forecasters used to predict weather back in the “old days”? You know - the days before KLYSTRON or VIPER radar. Scary names.
Back in the early days, farmers, gardeners, or any kind of grower used to depend on one thing for their weather forecast. Any guesses?
If you said the Farmers’ Almanac, that’s a pretty good guess - but not quite right.
I am talking about clouds.
That’s right. People used to walk outside of their homes, look toward the sky, and be able to tell what the weather was going to be like for the day - or week. Sounds magical? Not really. It’s actually something that you can still do today - with a little help.
With a little studying, you can tell if hurricanes or tornadoes might be on their way. How about being able to tell when that next big blizzard is going to hit? Does the old saying, “Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning, red sky at night, sailor's delight” hold any truth? Yes, it does!
Did you also know that certain clouds will tell you what way they are moving by the direction in which they are pointing? Clouds can dwell as low as 4,000 feet and reach up into the upper atmosphere around 36,000 feet. Pretty amazing.
If you’re interested in improving your weather predicting skills, do some research online or in your local library. One Web site in particular that I really liked is Instructables.
Give it a try. It can be quite fun and something the whole family can join - not to mention the next time you’re at an outdoor event with friends and you show up with an umbrella. They might all laugh at you. But you'll know something they don’t.
How cool is that?
Join the discussion... How are your weather predicting skills? Is this something you would consider? Why or why not?
Reminder... April is our Blog Comment Contest. The winner of our contest will receive a fabulous Canon digital camera and a Mister Landscaper kit. All you have to do is leave a comment on any April blog post. The winner will be determined by the number of comments each contestant leaves. Each comment will represent one entry for our random drawing. Here is more information and a picture of the prizes.
Good luck to all!