Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sunspots

This story got my attention earlier in the week. It’s always interested me that more sunspots make it warmer on Earth, and less make it cooler. Sunspots are cool places on the big star in our celestial neighborhood. If the sunspots go away for a while, it could make the weather really cold, and even negate the effects of global warming. That kind of sucks; not that I’m a proponent of the greenhouse effect. I mean global warming from pollutants is bad, but here in the Northeastern U.S., the weather is brutal six months out of the year. Europe froze in the 1700s and they thought there was going to be another ice age. Now, scientists say it was because there were no sunspots.

Like I said, I don’t advocate global warming, but I could not stand it if the climate got colder. This may not happen for a while so there may not be a reason worry. The warmth of the summer is here. I’ll keep doing my part to protect the environment, and try not to worry about the sunspots going away.

That being said, any form of weather is fascinating. What else is better to do than start a blog. I used to have a website called Weatherbuffs of America. Somebody out there might remember it. Now it’s fallen apart into disrepair; all of the html and Web parts and their smaller e-components are discombobulated, but the idea lives in spirit. There’s nothing better than the weather.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Post Stormy Day Report



















It is the day after a bout of thunderstorms. The air has cleared out for the most part, which in New York City, doesn’t happen very much. Weather is often a forgotten element here, but we have our share of weather history. Hurricanes, blizzards, and even hail and tornadoes have happened here. Some of these have shaped me as the weatherbuff I am today.

The occasional dark cloud inspires wonder. I was out on the avenue in my neighborhood and some people were taking notice of the dark, fast moving clouds in the afternoon. Bolts of lighting struck in the distance and with a little twist of the imagination, it wasn’t hard to conjure the formation of a funnel cloud, but that didn’t happen. A while after what was the main event, which the pictures on this blog entry show, it poured heavily. The force was almost movie-set like and it seems machines were pumping the rain down. Those kinds of downpours are fun, but it was soon over. Now, we just wait for the next chance to marvel at mother nature.