Community Magazine December 2016

Excerpts from “Exploring the Wisdom & Wonders of the Universe with Professor Noe Ital”, by Efraim Harari, published by Israel Bookshop Publications. Available for purchase online and at all fine Judaica stores. Professor Noe Ital has the answers to ALL your questions... This Month’s Topic: METEOROLOGY Professor Noe Ital [AKA: Know-it-all] QUESTION OF THE MONTH: This month’s question was submitted by Carl P. of Brooklyn, NY. Dear Professor,What is a windstorm? A windstorm is a storm with little or no rain, but with high, strong winds that usually exceed speeds of 34 mph. Q: A: What causes stormy weather? A storm is a major change or disturbance in the atmosphere that creates winds, rain, snow, and various other types of extreme weather conditions. A storm forms when there are battling air masses. An air mass is a large body of air that gets its temperature and humidity from the area where it is formed. For example, an air mass over the tropical ocean is warm and humid, while an air mass over Antarctica is cold and dry. Once an air mass is created, it starts to move. As an air mass moves, it eventually meets up with other air masses, which have different temperatures and humidity levels. Air masses with differing temperatures and humidity levels push against each other. The boundary where the two different air masses meet and “battle it out” is called a front . A cold front occurs when a faster-moving cold air mass forms a wedge that replaces a warm air mass. This can cause weather changes like thunderstorms and tornadoes. How did farmers predict when it was going to rain before the use computers and technology? Before weather forecasts, farmers had their own methods to calculate if rain was coming. One method was to hang a piece of dry seaweed outside. When rain was on the way, the seaweed felt sticky. Another method was to listen if their chairs would squeak. This is because wooden chairs absorb moisture from the air, which causes them to make a squeaky noise. How do clouds form? When water molecules from raindrops and bodies of water become heated by the sun, they change from a liquid into a gas and rise up into the air. This is called evaporation . Water that has evaporated is called water vapor. Clouds are formed when water vapor rises high up into the air. When the water vapor reaches cold air, it turns back into droplets of water. Those tiny drops of water floating in the air collect and “stick” together up in the sky. That’s what clouds are – a lot of droplets of water all stuck together. When the mass of water droplets – the cloud – becomes so heavy and full that it can’t hold any more, the water falls back down to the ground as rain. Sometimes the water droplets freeze and fall to the ground as snow, sleet, or hail. Water or ice that comes from clouds is called precipitation. 74 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE