Junio Press The sun, wind and the rain rule our lives

Press, 3 December 1985, Page 18

Junio Press The sun, wind and the rain rule our lives

The weather... whether it be rain or shine, affects everything we do, the way we live, the way countries live. Whether you like it or not it is something we all fall prey to. Rain cancels sports, sun usually means fun.

And someone we rely upon to tell us whether we can do things because of the weather is the weather forecaster.

Let us look at what weather forecasting entails. Predictions of the weather are put on maps called “forecast charts.” The maps show the highs and lows and fronts in the way meteorologists — weather people — think they will be. From these charts written forecasts are made up for various parts of the country.

To put a lot of information about the weather on a map meteorologists use signs that look like contours. The contour lines link places with the same air pressure and show where depressions (lows) are and where anti-cyclones (highs) are. Weather forecasting is not an exact science. Forecasts must be done quickly if they are to be of any help and they are based on limited information. Most forecasts are shortterm, usually for the next 24 hours.

The climate has a big influence on human life, as well as that of plants and animals. It dictates the clothes we wear, food we eat, houses we live in, the sports we play and the diseases that make us ill. Some scientists think people

are most efficient in temperate climates. Some have said people reach their peak of energy when temperatures average around IBdeg. Of all activities, farming is affected most by the weather. Crop, or arable, farming is confined to only 10 per cent of the world’s land area. Pasture covers roughly 20 per cent. The rest of the world is not suited to agriculture, unless special places, such as glasshouses, are built. Old weather sayings

Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. When heavy dew is on the grass Rain will never come to pass. A ring around the moon means rain. The larger the ring the nearer the rain.