Diana Craig

don’t always get the weather forecast correct, but you can bet that when it isn’t spot on, there’s no one more frustrated than a Met Office forecaster!

A red sunset sky is usually caused by reflections from minuscule dust particles trapped high in the atmosphere by conditions that occur before fine weather.

In fact, the Met Office’s latest supercomputer is projected to become the second most powerful system in the UK and within the top twenty most powerful systems in the world.

Later, wind vanes were a popular addition to the European churches of the Middle Ages.

Here are just a few examples…

It will be rainy and stormy if:

• flowers close up.

• the cows are lying down.

• there’s a ring of cloud around the moon.

• the swallows fly low (if they are flying high, the winds are light).

It will turn into a fine day if:

• it rains before seven.

• it’s foggy in the morning.

Winter will be severe if:

• squirrels store large quantities of nuts.

• squirrels have bushy tails.

• there are lots of berries on the trees.

• ant hills are high in July.

• hornets build their nests high.

In other words, the whole swirling atmospheric mass is so sensitive to infinitesimal changes within it that everything affects everything else.

the weather today will be much the same as the weather yesterday.

Meteorological organizations and museums may offer some equipment, or look online. Organizations and websites are also a good source of inspiration for experiments and homemade equipment. You could start with the following:
www.salemclock.com/weather/weather01.htm
www.miamisci.org/hurricane/weatherstation.html
www.rmets.org/weather/observing/index.php

‘It is best to read the weather forecast before praying for rain.’

a metaphor used to explain one aspect of chaos theory