The Weather Companion

Gary Lockhart

Description

The Weather Companion An Album of Meteorological History, Science, Legend, and Folklore Throughout history, as farmer, sailor, hunter, and artist, humans have watched and worried about the weather. We have devised ways to observe it, to predict it, to protect ourselves from it, to take advantage of it. It plays a major role in the science and folklore of every culture. Gary Lockhart's The Weather Companion is a fascinating compendium of meteorological facts and fables, from ancient myths to the latest research, from the rain forests to the desert regions. You'll learn about the meteorology of Noah's flood; methods of forecasting; the behavior of weather cycles; weather predictors such as the thickness of corn husks, the height of saw grass, and the behavior of animals; weather prophets; and much more. Gary Lockhart reveals what makes rain "smell," how natural barometers work, and the long history of weather fish, once kept to predict rain, and revived during China's Cultural Revolution. You'll even learn the best time to go fishing! Beautifully illustrated, captivating and original, The Weather Companion is a delightful experience for all ages. Your skies and sunsets will never be the same.
Weather Past.

Weather Tools.

Weather Phenomena.

Storm Warnings.

Weather and Wildlife.

Botanical Weather.

The Weather, You, and Me.

Bibliography.

Index.

Sujets

• Science de la Terre
• Science
• Nature
• Weather
• Sciences et techniques

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 02 mai 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470355428
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE WEATHER COMPANION
AN ALBUM
OF
METEOROLOGICAL
HISTORY,
SCIENCE,
LEGEND,
AND
FOLKLORE
THE WEATHER COMPANION
GARY LOCKHART


WILEY SCIENCE EDITIONS
John Wiley Sons, Inc.
NEW YORK CHICHESTER BRISBANE TORONTO SINGAPORE
THE WILEY SCIENCE EDITIONS
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, by Thomas R. McDonough
Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, by Bryon D. Anderson and Nathan Spielberg
The Naturalist s Year, by Scott Camazine
The Urban Naturalist, by Steven D. Garber
Space: The Next Twenty-Five Years, by Thomas R. McDonough
The Body In Time, by Kenneth Jon Rose
Clouds in a Glass of Beer, by Craig Bohren
The Complete Book of Holograms, by Joseph Kasper and Steven Feller
The Scientific Companion, by Cesare Emiliani
Starsailing. by Louis Friedman
Mirror Matter, by Robert Forward and Joel Davis
Gravity s Lens, by Nathan Cohen
The Beauty of Light, by Ben Bova
Cognizers: Neural Networks and Machines that Think, by Colin Johnson and Chappell Brown
Inventing Reality: Physics as Language, by Bruce Gregory The
Complete Book of Superconductors, by David Wheeler and Mark Parish
Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System, by Mark Littmann
The Oceans: A Book of Questions and Answers, by Donald Groves
The Starry Room, by Fred Schaaf
The Weather Companion, by Gary Lockhart
To the Arctic: An Introduction to the Far Northern World, by Steven Young
PUBLISHER : Stephen Kippur
EDITOR : David Sobel
MANAGING EDITOR : Andrew Hoffer
DESIGN : Stanley S. Drate/Folio Graphics Co. Inc.
Copyright 1988 by Gary Lockhart
All rights reserved. Published simultaneously in Canada.
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to the Permission Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-ln-Publication Data
Lockhart, Gary.
The weather companion : an album of meteorological history, science, legend, and folklore / Gary Lockhart.
p. cm.-(Wiley science editions)
Bibliography: p. 216.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-471-62079-3
1. Meteorology-Miscellanea. 2. Weather-Miscellanea. I. Title. II. Series.
QC870.L63 1988 88-6884
551.5-dc 19 CIP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
PREFACE
I. WEATHER PAST
Famous Weather Anecdotes
Noah s Flood
Ancient Weather
The Tower of the Winds
II. WEATHER TOOLS
Secrets of the Barometer
Natural Barometers
The Thermometer
Natural Hydrometers
The First Forecast
III. WEATHER PHENOMENA
Weather in the Bathtub
The Way of the Winds
The Sound of the Weather
The Smell of Rain
Cloud Predictions
Prophetic Skies
The Rising of the Mountains
The Ring Around the Moon
The Cross in the Sky
The Tun of the Tide
The Moon and the Weather
Faraday s Weather Updated
Solar Weather
Northern Lights, Southern Winds
Earthquake Weather
The Electrical Sky
The Neon Sky
Radio Weather
IV. STORM WARNINGS
Thermals and Thunderstorms
The Mighty Hurricane
Strange Rains
Lightning and Thunder
Green Lightning Rods
Wind, Water, and Weather
The Sailor s Weather
The Savage Blizzard
V. WEATHER AND WILDLIFE
The Weather Fish
Fishing Weather
Hunting Weather
Insects and Weather
The Predictive Leech
Bird Predictions
Animal Forecasts
VI. BOTANICAL WEATHER
Plants and Weather
The Weather Plant
The Oak and the Ash
Practical Phenology
Rain Trees, Rain Forests
VII. THE WEATHER, YOU, AND ME
Human Weather Reactions
Weather Dreams
Arthritis Predictions
Mystery of Weather Behavior
The Winter Weather Game
The Spring Weather Game
Praying For Rain
Ancient Rain Making
Modern Rain Making
The Great Floods
Weather Words
Indian Summer
Making Money on the Weather
The Weather Kite
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
FOREWORD
The overcast skies on that particular day gave intense anticipation and thrill. Snow was in the forecast. Young Frank Bergmann s vigil was quiet, yet he observed in awe and with wonder the vastness of the sky above him. And, as the day turned into the stillness and cold of night, he continued to search the skies above for the first sign of the storm s arrival.
His world was lit by a lamppost on South Bend s Notre Dame Avenue. Fixation for hours. Continued quiet anticipation.
But now his reward, a long vigil appeased. One snowflake entered, dancing a ballet through the visible light. More began to enter the spotlight of his stage. And then, finally, a wild caper of flakes started falling through the illumination as if to herald the coming of the beauteous theme and its crowning glory of white and purity. It was quiet as he watched this seeming coronation of earth, until mesmerized into his own dark, quiet world of repose and dream. He was indeed content in knowing that the morning would greet him with the surprise he d come to love in his own quiet secrecy.
Frank Bergmann s story truly represents the awakening of a new awareness among literally thousands of people throughout the United States who, until just recently, have not shared such simple tales of the love and appreciation of weather collectively with others. The development of the new Association of American Weather Observers has provided a much-needed forum for such communication. It opened a new door for him.
For, although they have lived with crystal clarity within the soul of the authors, such colorful visions had lacked an audience. Listeners were few and far between. Expression of one s special relationship with the elements was difficult at best. Others would be puzzled by such intensity. Few understood. Until now.
Amid a myriad of scientific strides in weather forecasting, data processing, and satellite meteorology, there is yet another fast-growing interest. For within each and every community, people from all walks of life are now seeking to enjoy and learn about weather and climate on a much different scale. Using non-technical language. On an amateur, face-to-face level. Indeed, on a natural level.
There is something very special about the person who truly sees and appreciates the atmosphere around him. The relationship strengthens the spirit. It promotes a better understanding of self and environment. And it softens the pain in our daily lives.
Author Gary Lockhart s approach to weather study provides a fascinating look at some special and historical relationships with our atmosphere, through stories and shared experiences. Written and graphically presented for all weather enthusiasts and naturalists to share, this book will enlighten you with the experiences of others. Experiences which will indeed enrich your appreciation of not only our wonderful weather world, but also how we view ourselves within it.
S TEVEN D. S TEINKE
Editor
American Weather Observer
(Steven D. Steinke and Frank Bergmann are both members of the Association of American Weather Observers, a not-for-profit organization devoted to the interests of amateur weather enthusiasts. Mr. Steinke is also the Editor of the organization s monthly publication, the American Weather Observer. For more information, write: AAWO, PO Box 455, Belvidere, IL 61008.)
PREFACE
The study of weather in relationship to human knowledge and belief is called ethnometeorology. In ages past and in many cultures it was part of daily experience to have some knowledge of weather lore, but today we depend on forecasts from radio and television. Weather prophets were common in the small towns of America, but they have long since disappeared and have been replaced by weathermen or meteorologists.
Near the Iowa farm of my youth was the Mississippi river town of McGregor. A few feet away from the river was a teepee where a Native American named Emma Big Bear lived. Each fall she was interviewed by the local newspapers for the winter report. Her predictions were probably based on cornhusks, the thickness of squirrel fur, and the time when the ducks flew south.
The rich traditions of Emma Big Bear s and our own ancestors have been replaced by satellites and computers. We do understand the weather better, and we have sophisticated, accurate forecasts. An understanding of natural forces and subsequent influences enriches our feeling for life and enables us to tune into nature. It is my wish that your skies and sunsets will never be the same.
Special thanks go to meteorologist Eric Wergin, whose friendly discussions lead to this book. Another word of thanks goes to Karen Murphy, who turned crude ideas into artful sketches. I have tried to keep the weather expressions of many poets and writers alive, through the use of old journals and records of antiquity. All translations have been put into modern English.
I.
WEATHER PAST

FAMOUS WEATHER ANECDOTES
While living in the mountains, I saw that old farmers could predict both rain and sunshine, being right seven or eight times out of ten. I asked them how they did it, but they said it was only practical experience. If you ask people living in the cities, they don t understand this.
Since I had plenty of leisure time, I usually rose early in the morning, and then with an empty mind concentrated on the beauty of the fields, trees, rivers, mountains and clouds and I found that I could predict the weather right seven or eight times out of ten. Then I realized that in quietness the universe can be observed, the inner moods felt and real truth obtained.
Y EH M ENG-TE A.D. 1156


There are several versions of an old story of Sir Isaac Newton s walk. Beautiful morning, he said to a shepherd. It will rain soon, sir, replied the shepherd. I don t think so, the sky is almost clear, said Newton. No, insisted the shepherd, it s going to rain. Newton continued his walk, but an hour later he was soaked. Returning to the shepherd, he asked how he knew this. The man replied, S