Weather History

Nowadays, or about a decade ago and still counting, it is pretty hard for us to actually predict the weather wherever we are on the planet. Yes, this is true even if we have the latest satellite technology. This may probably be because of the actual ozone being continually depleted ever since the invention of CFCs and other shit. Particular events were record-breaking low pressure levels on the Iceland region, or in the areas in its vicinity. This happened in the year 1986, and happened again in 1993.

Scientists say there are other factors to consider on such weather mood swings which we have been experiencing for the past few years now. They say the sun doesn't have the heat it previously had in the actual past years of its existence. With this, such record-breaking pressure lows in Iceland could now be explained. Plus, the heat wave surprises, along with the unnatural cold weather in tropical countries, are also probably the result of the sun not being able to give off the heat energy it previously had.

The ozone protects our planet from the highly radioactive ultraviolet rays which the sun continuously emits. But with CFCs and other stuff, the actual ozone layer is rapidly being destroyed. Without this protective layer on top of us, we'd all end up with fried and toasted asses. It doesn't necessarily mean that it would be an unending heat wave, in case it is totally destroyed, you know. Hell, we could even have the same great flood back in biblical times! In addition, unnatural pressure lows would severely affect the ecosystems of the planet. So here's a mental note for all of you: think of the actual environment!

Most people blame it all on global warming, but some think it's God's wrath which triggers these unnatural events. It's hard to actually know, but I think it has something to actually do with technology, or at least the improper use of it. This is because in this modern information age, countries are trying to outdo one another when it comes to technological innovations. This is why some crackpot government department of some country funds an experiment that could severely damage the planet, such as nuclear weaponry and CFC efficiency.

The England storm back in the year 1987 is a prime example of such an effect global warming has on the planet. I mean, how could a storm with wind power that reached 220 km/h strike a country which has been storm-free for more than a damn decade! Well, a storm that has not quite reached even the 100 km/h mark, that is. Anyway, what's there to look forward to when the ozone has been completely destroyed? Extinction?

I don't think the people in Greenland know a lot about summer, but I think they do now with a record-breaking hot summer. It happened on the summer seasons in the years 1994 and 1995, wherein an astounding 24 degrees Celsius was recorded. This evidently caused a lot of damages on their fishing systems, a prime source of this country's food production. I think the seafood-loving people of Greenland just had a good fish treat less than what they usually had, with the perfect food system this country has, you know. Plus, this also caused small floods to pop up here and there, but I think it was contained because of the good drainage systems this country has, you know. If it happened somewhere that's either in a poor region of the planet, or in a less-developed country, I'm sure those floods wouldn't be as small as what they had in Greenland.

I think this may very well be because of global warming. You see, global warming fucks up the natural system of the weather or climate each country has. But most scientists are also considering effects of our sun's waning intensity. You see, all stars die out, and our sun isn't scheduled for an exit at least in the next billion years or so. But it has well exhausted at least an eighth of its energy, and that's why these scientists think it isn't as hot as it used to be.

There are certain fuck-ups when it comes to the routinary system of the damn weather. Sometimes, a tropical country would be experiencing sleet and snow at the time which should have been the hottest season of the country. But in the Western countries, where cold weather is often the case, the summers usually start off as burning hot it fucks up our natural system to cope with most weather changes, you know. Plus, there are even times when winter seems to last forever, and the freezing weather seems to be getting colder and colder as each day passes. This is what happened in New England in 1816, the year in which the people back then had no summer. I don't think they would have avoided this unnatural fuck-up even if they had modern electronic devices that we have now.

This year has been documented in history books as the year of poverty, sickness, and extremely bad weather! This year started out fine with a short dry summer stint, but was eventually replaced by freezing weather that it was a good thing the people didn't freeze their asses back then. This is because the freezing weather lasted for an entire year, thus historians have called this year the time when no summer came to New England. This ultimately damaged the food system of this country because the weather did serious booboos to the country's crops. This year has been documented in the history books with the help of the newspaper archives that were kept in the libraries of this country. It should happen anywhere in the world, especially with the damage those asswipes are doing to the ozone and all, you know. So I think you should always prepare for the worst, and being prepared gives you a step ahead of disaster.

Nature has made countless statements in which to show off its sheer power. We still have not fully controlled nature, more so functionally prevented disastrous events from damaging human property or even taking people's lives. Earthquakes and similar events still can't be accurately predicted despite the advances of modern digital technology. With this, we are left to study past disastrous events of nature so as to have at least a means of planning ahead and reformulating systems in which to save more human property and a lot more human lives.

I think you would be very much interested in the strongest damn storm ever in Western history! I believe the sheer brute force of such a storm would generally spark more interest from you than how much lives and property it took and damaged. The storm was given the name Gilbert, which hit the western area (or geographically speaking, hemisphere) of the world in 1988. It had wind power of more than two Category 2 storms combined, and it would've blown a truck full of cows straight to damn cow heaven! Since we have more advanced equipment nowadays, we now have better systems in alerting the people and preparing them of such storm hit possibilities. But believe me, if you knew which storm was the strongest ever in human history, you wouldn't even trust a Russian cosmonaut, complete with high-tech equipment, to save your soul from a drizzle! After all, isn't the greatest storm ever the one that flooded the world during biblical times, and wouldn't you have no power at all to save anything from the sheer power of God?

Have you ever wondered how much noise it would take for it to be given a prime post as the loudest noise ever in history? Well, I think that would be more than just give you an ear-splitting headache! What I know is that the loudest noise ever in history involves a massive volcanic explosion which caused such tremendous weather changes to the areas near the volcano, not to mention lots of people dead, and even more eardrums severely damaged! Even to this modern digital age, the record has yet to be surpassed. Thank God for that one, though!

This event happened in the late 1800s, and involved a volcano in a small island near Java named Krakatoa, a name well-suited for the massive explosion it had encountered! Unfortunately, the explosion also left more than 436,000 people dead, and a thousand more critically wounded. Such was supposedly the force of the volcanic explosion that it wiped the island off the face of the world, not to mention the noise being heard across the planet! The explosion generally caused flash floods, heavy rains, and earthquakes even to the countries far from this island! I do hope this is the last of those massive volcanic explosions. But a scientist claims that the volcano has again risen from the seas, ready to explode well within this century!

Have you ever thought of what is the hottest year so far? According to scientists, 2005 is the hottest year ever recorded. many scientists claimed that even during the middle part of 2005, it has broken already the records dating back to the Great Depression when record heat caused the "Dustbowl Effect." This effect turned large amounts of the United States into desert that took decades to heal. In Australia alone, the average temperature last was 22.89 degrees. This is the highest average temperature in Australia since comprehensive record keeping began in 1910. Previously, 1998 was the hottest year in the history.

Studies tell that year 2005 exceeded previous global annual average temperatures despite experiencing weak El Niño conditions at the start of the year and normal conditions for the rest of the year. Accordingly, this 2005 record is part of a longer-term warming trend exacerbated by the rise of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere that is due primarily to our burning fossil fuels and clearing forests. Completing the top ten as the hottest years since 1880 are 2002, 2003, 2004, 2001, 1997, 1990, 1995, and 1999. Scientists are predicting that this record indicates that global warming is coming.

So what about a well-known statesman that goes with the name of Benjamin Franklin and a stormy day? This man was the first to conceptualize that lightning was made out of electricity, and proved to one and all that it certainly was! This famous experiment was never accounted for by Franklin himself, but an account from a certain Joseph Priestley on the experiment was, 15 years later, written and distributed for the world to know.

June 15, 1752 was the stormy day picked by Franklin himself to conduct the experiment which prove to one and all that electricity was indeed electrical in nature. This great moment in history only involved a man, a few spectators, an idea, a kite, and a stormy weather. This paved the way for lightning rods, and also reconstituted the then concepts behind electrical force and simple heat energy.

Benjamin Franklin attached a metal key on a kite, which he flew on that stormy day. No, he was not under the influence of drugs or anything, but took one step beyond death so as to achieve scientific enlightenment. Dangerous as it was (because, of course, this is not one endeavor that would be included in a list of healthy practices, you know), Benjamin Franklin stood his ground and proved to one in all that lightning couldn't just be a flash of light, for this vulgar display of power should definitely appear to come from the heavens!

As I was walking past the roads of the city of Leeds, my atention was caught by an advertisement hanging by the Weather Shop. The said shop is actually selling basic weather instruments for academic and laboratory purposes. Anyhow, back to the advertisement. It said that the shop would be happy to serve its customers by purchasing for them a sunshine recorder. Instinctively, I went in the shop and inquired for the said offer.

The owner, as if to satisfy my curiosity, immediately asked me if I am interested with the sunshine recorder. At the back of my mind, I am still asking my self if the shine of the sun could really be recorded. The shop owner showed me the replica of the real instrument. It is called Campbell-Stokes Sunshine Recorder. According to the manufacturer, it records sunshine jsut like how a magnifying glass.

I was intrigued by the look of the sunshine recorder. It appears like a crystal ball. It sure is funny to have it in a home, but the fascinating thing it does justifies its every aspects. The big ball made of glass is resting on an aluminum base. On the other hand, I find the recording process very simple, yet intricate. The instrument is actually recording sunshine by burning images on a paper provided for by the manufacturer. I was not able to test it, but based on what I have seen, the already recorded sunshine is burned on the paper beside the ball. The owner further explained that what has been recorded is the actual period of sunshine. I still do not see its significance, but it is really expensive and rarely sold.

The standard rain gauge is said to have been invented by a king named Munjong in order to improve the technology of the agriculture of the kingdom to bring out the best harvest and produce enough raw materials for clothing as well as food. Meteorology has become the inspiration for such device. The king provided each of the village such precipitation measuring device to help farmers monitor the harvest.

In actuality, a standard rain gauge consists of three main parts. Firstly, a funnel is used to direct the rain drops to the next part which is the tube that measures the rain fall. The tube can hold up to an inch of precipitation. It has marks or increments that determine the exact volume of the rainfall.

Such marks provide an accurate reading of the precipitation. Once the water overflows, it goes to the overflow tube that can hold up to four times what the measuring duct can contain. The common mistake, however, in recording the precipitation level is the inclusion of dew drops that entered the gauge after the rain especially at night. That is why, meteorologist must immediately record the precipitation after the rain stopped.

Meteorologists use several instruments in studying and predicting the weather. These range from the simplest up to the most sophisticated and highly advanced devices. Among the most basic tools of these weather scientists is anemometer. The name is derived from the Greek term "anemos" (wind). It is no wonder then that the prime function of the instrument is to measure the speed and velocity of the wind. The device consists of 3-4 small metal cups that revolve whenever they catch the wind. Meanwhile, another electrical instrument connected to the rotating rod calculates the velocity of the wind.

The first anemometer was invented in 1450 by Leon Battista Alberti, an Italian architect. The original wind instrument used disks instead of metal cups in catching the wind. The instrument was later developed by Robert Hooke. Wolfius also re-invented the device in 1709. The present form of anemometer was designed by John Thomas Romney Robinson in 1846. His anemometer had four hollow hemispheres.

Through the centuries, the instrument has undergone a series of developments. Today, there are several major types of anemometer namely: rotational, pressure tube, deflection, thermoelectric, and the ultrasonic and LASER Doppler.

Lightning is one of nature's most powerful phenomena, but also one of the most destructive. The danger posed by lightning can be prevented by planning ahead. One way of securing a safety procedure is using a lightning detector. Lightning detectors help in early detection and tracking thunderstorms.

Lightning detectors use antenna or the telescopic antenna that extends to two or three feet. A resistor is connected from the antenna to ground that senses the radio-frequency of the lightning bolt. This device was already invented during 1970's. The lightning detection system consists of several antennae, separated by hundreds of kilometers that give the direction of a strike; the strike's actual location is where the vectors intersect whose displays often show up on television weathercasts.

Satellites can also observe lightning. Two NASA satellites are now keeping tabs on lightning around the globe. The Optical Transient Detector was launched in 1995 and provides daytime as well as nighttime reports of lightning activity. A similar, recently upgraded instrument, the Lightning Imaging Sensor, was deployed on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission in 1997; it correlates total lightning with rainfall amounts and locations.

Thermometer is one of the common and simplest weather instruments. It's prime function is to measure temperature by using elements sensitive to heat. Currently, mercury is the most common material found in thermometers.

The weather instrument traces its origin back in the late 15th century. It was Santorio Santorio, a Venetian scientist, who made the first thermometer. The device was called "thermoscope" during that time.

Weather information is essential since it helps you in setting your daily schedule and planning your activities in the succeeding days. This important information is relayed through TV, radio, newspaper, internet, and other media.

Yet how is weather predicted?

A meteorologist is someone who specializes in weather study. In order to get an accurate analysis of the weather, he utilizes various weather instruments. The most common and basic devices used by a weather man are thermometer (for measuring air temperature), barometer (for measuring air pressure), and finally, psychrometer (for measuring humidity).

Wind vanes are very common in farmhouses and they come in various shapes and sizes. The image of a village home, perhaps, is not complete without a weather vane adorning its roof top. One of the simplest life pleasures is simply watching a vane move as it dances with the wind.

Yet did you know that the wind vane is one of the world's oldest weather instruments?

The earliest known wind vane is said to be that of the Athens Tower. Andronicus, an astronomer, made the instrument in honor of Triton, a Greek god. The figure which resembles a merman dates back to 48. B.C.

The most memorable weather conditions in history are those which are in extreme. Recorded weather parameters such as precipitation, cloudiness, temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, etc. links to the past that create clearer picture of life then.

Some of the notable weather conditions in the past are the following: 1916 - drastic temperature drop in Browning MT which plunged 100 degrees from 44 degrees above zero to 56 degrees below zero in 24 hours; 1935 – snowstorms resulted to 52 inches snow fall in Portland ME in 24 hours; 1956 - Kilauea Sugar Plantation in Hawaii was deluged by 38 inches rain fall in just 24 hours.