Autumn leaves pop up throughout the United States during the months of September, October, and November. There's even fall color in Florida, where I live, during the late autumn. But tracking down those pretty fall leaves just as they reach peak color is easier said than done! … [Read more...]
How The Heat Index Works & How To Make Sense Of Dew Point And Relative Humidity Numbers
Have you ever heard about the heat index? It's basically the summer version of the wind chill factor. When a weatherperson mentions the heat index on the news, they're talking about how hot it feels outdoors. … [Read more...]
31 Deadly Weather Facts + A List Of The Most Dangerous Weather Events
I love finding interesting weather facts. The ones that I'm going to share with you in this post (unfortunately) have nothing to do with pretty rainbows, awesome sun dogs, amazing clouds, or beautiful sunsets. These facts cover some of the most dangerous and deadly weather conditions that many of us face each year. I'm talking about rain, snow, cold snaps, heat waves, lightning, hail, strong winds, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other deadly forces of nature! … [Read more...]
How The UV Index Scale Works & How To Use UV Index Reports To Avoid A Sunburn
One of the best tools to help you assess your risk of getting a sunburn is the UV index scale. I've come to learn that the UV index is just as important to pay attention to as any other part of the weather forecast on TV or online. But what, exactly, is the UV index scale and why should it matter to you? … [Read more...]
Ice Quakes, Ice Booms & Other Mysterious Winter Weather Phenomena… Should We Be Worried?
Have you heard a loud boom outside recently? If you're experiencing extremely cold winter weather, then you might be hearing ice quakes -- also called frost quakes. What's an ice quake? Scientifically known as a cryoseism, an ice quake (or frost quake) is a rare but surprising phenomenon that is caused when water seeps into the ground and then quickly freezes and expands, cracking the ground around it. … [Read more...]
What Is A Polar Vortex & Why All The Hype?
It seems like the media has helped make the words polar vortex another popular weather phrase that everyone is using now to describe really cold weather events. Don't forget, there was also snowicane, snowpocalypse and snowmageddon... It may just be me, but there's much more fuss about cold weather these days than there used to be. The Weather Channel didn't help when they started naming winter weather systems during the 2012/13 winter season. … [Read more...]
4 Sizzling Facts About Summer Weather That May Surprise You!
Down in Florida, where I live, we seem to have summer weather for about 8 months out of the year. My friends up north say they’re lucky if they see any signs of summer for more than a few weeks at a time. Of course, no matter where you live in the United States, sooner or later, hot, summer weather will find you -- even if only for a short period of time. But when exactly is summer? What causes summer weather? And what's up with those "dog days" of summer? … [Read more...]
What Is A Galileo Thermometer? How Do Galilean Thermometers Work?
Looking for a great piece of art that can also tell you the temperature? If so, then a Galileo thermometer is exactly what you need. As a weather bug, I was quite excited to receive a Galilean thermometer as a Christmas gift. While Galileo thermometers measure indoor temperatures, they also make a fantastic complement to an indoor porthole barometer and/or a home weather station receiver. It’s sort of a lava lamp for weather geeks like me, I’d even say! … [Read more...]
10 Exosphere Facts: The Transition Between The Atmosphere And Outer Space
At roughly 300 miles from sea level to the top of the thermosphere, the bulk of Earth’s atmosphere is relatively thin compared to the 8,000-mile diameter of our planet. At the very top of the atmosphere is the exosphere, which is usually considered as the lower boundary of interplanetary space. The exosphere is a relatively mysterious place, at least compared to the lower layers of our atmosphere. Considering that we live in the troposphere, and that 3 other atmospheric layers divide us … [Read more...]
What Are Sun Spots? (The Kinds The Sun Gets – Not Your Skin!)
What are sun spots? No, I'm not talking about those flat gray or brown skin spots we get as we age, also called sunspots. I'm referring to dark spots that pop up on the sun. The sun may look pretty peaceful from 93 million miles away, but if you were to get a little closer to it, not only would you likely end up charbroiled, you'd also see that the sun is actually a very active place indeed. From streams of particles in solar wind to massive solar flares, the sun is literally the … [Read more...]
