The Stickiness of Water
Water rises up and forms individual droplets on leaves because it is ‘sticky’, it is literally attracted to itself. The hydrogen atoms in each molecule…
Tag: weather
BUMPER HOLIDAYS PUZZLE
Here is a bumper photo puzzle that went out in my newsletter email earlier this month (you can sign up for that at the bottom…
The Meaning of Ice Patterns
If we look closely at ice we will often find patterns and patterns in nature always have meaning. In the photo above there is an…
The Temperature Rises Before Snow Arrives
The temperature often rises just before it snows, but why? When it is very cold in winter, we instinctively feel that snow is likely. It…
What do Scientists Read on Holiday?
Dear Mr. Gooley,I have stumbled upon your book on the secret world of weather in a small bookstore in Flagstaff, Arizona on a road trip.…
Dew Maps the Cold Pockets
Dew shows us the places that remain cold even after the rest of the landscape has warmed up. On sunny days in autumn it is…
Frost in Coleridge’s Cottage
It was great to visit Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s cottage in Nether Stowey, Somerset. He wrote the poem ‘Frost at Midnight’ in this room. The first 3…
What are Lens Clouds? (Altocumulus lenticularis)
Lens clouds are saucer, lens or lentil-shaped clouds that form when wind blows moist air over mountains. Their formal name is Altocumulus lenticularis (lenticula means…
EasyJet Calms Orographic Storms
My thanks to all the team at the Mosto Festival in Italy for organising such a fun event based around the theme of water. I…