Dear Tom,
Why are weather people called meteorologists? Since they deal with the weather and not meteors, it seems more appropriate to call them "weatherologists."
Claire Gerbeck, Oak Park
Dear Claire,
The derivations of many words in the English language can be traced to the languages and literature of ancient cultures, and such is the case with "meteorology." It dates back to early Greece, when anything that was suspended in the air or fell from the sky (clouds, rain, rainbows, meteorites, etc.) was referred to as a "meteor."
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) presented a series of treatises on natural phenomena in 340 B.C. Entitled "Meteorologica," they covered that era's knowledge of weather, astronomy and related subjects. Because much of "Meteorologica" dealt with weather, the term meteorology became linked with weather and atmospheric studies.
Why are weather people called meteorologists? Since they deal with the weather and not meteors, it seems more appropriate to call them "weatherologists."
Claire Gerbeck, Oak Park
Dear Claire,
The derivations of many words in the English language can be traced to the languages and literature of ancient cultures, and such is the case with "meteorology." It dates back to early Greece, when anything that was suspended in the air or fell from the sky (clouds, rain, rainbows, meteorites, etc.) was referred to as a "meteor."
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) presented a series of treatises on natural phenomena in 340 B.C. Entitled "Meteorologica," they covered that era's knowledge of weather, astronomy and related subjects. Because much of "Meteorologica" dealt with weather, the term meteorology became linked with weather and atmospheric studies.
Dear Tom,
We were camping this past weekend in The Kettle Moraine State Forest near Kewaskum, Wi. I awoke Sun morning to the sound of steady rain on the tent. This puzzled me since the early morning sun was clearly shining brightly on the East side of the tent. Upon getting out of the tent, I discovered that it was clear as a bell, and the "rain" was dripping off of the trees. I'm still very puzzled about this, I'm an ardent camper, and never experienced anything like this. It "rained" for around an hour before the sun rose enough to dry everything out. What could have caused this? Was the dew that heavy that it rained from the trees that much for that long? Was it frost that the sun then melted? It had been clear and cold overnight, had obviously gotten below freezing due to some water that had been left out and started to freeze. I've seen dew dripping off trees before, but the ammount of moisture raining down as well as how long it rained threw me for a loop.
Tom,
Has anyone produced a computer model of what Chicago weather would be like without the Arctic ice. You show the jet stream usually touching the Arctic Circle before it curves downward to our area.
Thank you, David Jahntz
Hey Tom,
The other night you reported no wind at all at O'Hare. If it were possible to have no wind happening anywhere would our current / existing weather not change and remain the same day after day or does it travel west to east even if there is no wind to carry it?