They say that talking about the weather is the last resort of people making small talk. But I've always thought it was an interesting subject. Take the weather we've been having this winter--people are wearing shorts in New Hampshire in January! On the other hand, Denver is getting socked with blizzards and avalanches. How do we make sense of it all?
For the weather information purist, the National Weather Service is the source to beat. Their web site, www.weather.gov, is a treasure trove of weather information. (Note: be sure to type .gov, not .com--we'll talk about the .com site shortly.) The National Weather Service site provides weather forecasts, but also gives climate information, tracks fire, flood, and storm risks, gives historical weather information, air quality data, and much more.
Television's Weather Channel also has a web site, www.weather.com. One of their specialties is a focus on how the weather will impact your activities. Here you can find the forecast for upcoming events like NFL playoff games. Planning a wedding? You can track the weather forecast for the big day, see what time the sun will set, get tips for an outdoor wedding, and even see what flowers will be in season. Going out of town? Find out what the interstate travel conditions will be like. There's even a section on keeping your pet comfortable. (Oh, and they also have weather forecasts.)
Think this weather has been strange? Check out "Freaks of the storm : from flying cows to stealing thunder, the world's strangest true weather stories" by Randy Cerveny.
Interested in how the weather affects us all? Two recent titles show that it has a bigger impact than you might think:
- The winds of change : climate, weather, and the destruction of civilizations, by Eugene Linden
- Blame it on the rain : how the weather has changed history, by Laura Lee
- Weather : a visual guide, by Bruce Buckley, Edward J. Hopkins, and Richard Whitaker
- Cambridge guide to the weather, by Ross Reynolds.
Or, stop by the reference area for a look at the Encyclopedia of climate and weather, edited by Stephen H. Schneider.
Let it snow!