Weather

I've been trying to explain to my science-oriented friends who complain about climate change denial that a lot of people who have doubts about global warming are not so much anti-science as they are suspicious of scientific claims coming from people with an ideological agenda.Imagine for a moment that your least favorite right-wing pundits -- Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann … [Read more...] about The People’s Climate Change

Here's something to think about if you're in Chicago like me, and you're thinking of going outside:Go to your kitchen and fill a pot with water. Put it on the stove and turn the burner up to high. Bring it to a boil. That water is now at about 212°F. Given that your internal body temperature is just under 99°F, the boiling water is about 113°F hotter than your body.As I … [Read more...] about The Opposite of Boiling Water

I have to drive to a client's office today. They say it's -17° F outside today. (For my non-U.S. readers, that's -27° C.) That means the air is 115° below my body temperature. If it suddenly got 45° warmer, it would still be 4° below the freezing point of water. I am really, really glad I bought the remote starter for the car. Update: Made it in without incident. It's funny how … [Read more...] about 17 Degrees Below Zero

Hurricane Ike turned out not to be as bad as predicted. Aside from a lucky shift to the east just before landfall, it also appears that the computer models made an inaccurate prediction about the height of the surge around Galveston. Now some people are complaining that Ike was over-hyped by the major news media, the National Hurricane Center, perhaps in furtherance of some … [Read more...] about Hurricanes and Bad Luck

I'm reading stories that up to 24,000 people may have decided to stay on Galveston Island. There are rumors that fires have broken out. Ike's storm surge is huge. The last time a surge this big struck Galveston, 8,000 people died. That's about 20% of the population. Building construction is a lot better now---lots of stilt houses---but that won't help you survive if your … [Read more...] about Those That Remain