CONTENTS
Guide
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Adams Media
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Copyright 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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First Adams Media hardcover edition SEPTEMBER 2017
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ISBN 978-1-5072-0463-4
ISBN 978-1-5072-0464-1 (ebook)
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Contains material adapted from the following title published by Adams Media, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.: The Everything Weather Book by Mark Cantrell, copyright 2002, ISBN 978-1-58062-668-2.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Lightning. Supercells. Blizzards. All of its weather, and all of it affects your life. But what exactly is weather?
Its one of the most complicated and difficult-to-predict systems in existence. Since the beginning of the human race, people have tried to understand it in order to benefit from good weather and protect themselves from bad. Todays scientists have come a long way in predicting major weather events, but they still cant make accurate long-term forecasts.
This is despite the fact that theres a lot of information today about the weather: its on television, on the radio, in newspapers, blogs, vlogs, and on YouTube . Thats why many people want to know more about how weather works.
In Weather 101 youll find out such things as:
The causes of storms such as hurricanes and tornadoes
What the different kinds of clouds mean
What terms like high-pressure front, the jet stream, and El Nio mean
How to stay safe in a storm
Weather 101 will also tackle issues like pollution, acid rain, damage to the ozone layer, and climate change. The more you learn about the weather, the stranger things youll find: from supercells to exotic lightning forms (called sprites, elves, and blue jets), from polar vortices to microbursts. Scientists have developed sophisticated devices to study and measure all these things and more; including not only instruments here on Earth but also weather satellites that can look at atmospheric changes from space. All of this helps them understand the complexity and ever-changing nature of weather systemsand relay this information to you so you can plan accordingly: everything from your vacation to when to start your drive to work in the morning.
If youre fascinated by the range of global weather patterns, if you want to learn about important weather-related disasters, or if you just want to know how to cope with the weather in your area, youll find the answers to your questions in Weather 101 .
Knowing more about the weather isnt just importantits essential in our rapidly changing world. Its time to get started.
WHY DO WE HAVE WEATHER?
Something We All Have in Common
Dont knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldnt start a conversation if it didnt change once in a while.
Kin Hubbard, US journalist, humorist
Simply put, weather is whats going on in the atmosphere in any one location at a particular time. Understanding weather allows us to plan our day, our vacations, and our crops. And its a handy conversation starter.
WHY ITS A BIG DEAL
In fact, weather is a complex and dynamic process driven by the Sun; the earths oceans, rotation, and inclination; and so many other factors that many of its mysteries still remain unexplained. Being prepared for what the weather brings can be as simple as turning on the TV to catch the latest forecast before heading for the beach, or as complicated as examining long-range forecasts to decide which crops to plant. Weather constantly affects people in small ways, but weather can also have major consequences when hurricanes or tornadoes threaten their well-being and livelihoods, or even their lives.
The weather can even affect your health, especially during extremes in temperature or precipitation. If youre not dressed properly in cold weather, you can fall victim to hypothermia, which occurs when the bodys core temperature drops below the point where things function normally. The flip side of hypothermia is hyperthermia, where the bodys core temperature rises too high. Hyperthermia can cause heat exhaustion or even heat stroke, which can be fatal.
A Cold? Or Allergies?
During the summer, a stuffy nose and postnasal drip may have you convinced youre suffering from a cold. But the same symptoms may be due to allergies. Remember that colds last an average of three to seven days, while allergic reactions can go on for ten days to several weeks. If youre still miserable after a week, chances are youve got allergies.
Weather can also affect your health in less obvious ways. Long spells of gray winter weather can lead to seasonal affective disorder ( SAD ), a malady that causes depression and a debilitating lack of energy; its thought to be caused by lower light levels during the winter as the days become shorter and the Sun rises lower in the sky. Many arthritis sufferers complain of worsening symptoms when atmospheric pressure falls, and there is a statistical rise in the number of heart attacks after abrupt weather changes such as passing storm fronts.