World Meteorological Day 2023: Every year, World Meteorological Day is observed on March 23, to commemorate the coming into force of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on March 23, 1950. The theme for World Meteorological Day 2023 is 'The Future of Weather, Climate and Water across Generations'.
This year, World Meteorological Day takes place during the 150th anniversary of the International Meteorological Organization, a non-governmental organisation from which the WMO originated. Founded in 1873, the International Meteorological Organization served as a forum for exchanging weather data and research.
Meteorology is the science of the atmosphere concerned with the physical, dynamical and chemical state of the Earth's atmosphere, including both weather and climate.
On World Meteorological Day, here are some lesser known facts about weather science:
- One can tell the temperature by listening to the chirping of crickets
Since the frequency of the chirping of crickets varies according to temperature, one can get a rough estimate of the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit by counting the number of chirps in 15 seconds, and then adding 37. This number will give the person an approximation of the outside temperature.
- Lowest temperature ever recorded was -89.2 degrees Celsius
On July 21, 1983, the world record for low temperature was set at Vostok Station, Antarctica. The reported temperature was -89.2 degrees Celsius, according to Arizona State University.
- Bigger spider webs are seen ahead of cold weather
Usually, one will see bigger spider webs in their homes if the weather is about to get colder. Spiders search for a sheltered place to spend the winter, and hence, one sees more spiders in their house in autumn. When spiders spin webs that are larger than usual, it serves as an indication for a very cold winter.
- Heat waves can make railways bend
Railway tracks are made of steel, and expand when temperatures are high. A few hours of above-average heat can cause railway tracks to bend. Moreover, if a train moves too fast on its tracks, the chances of buckling increase. In short, railway tracks can buckle under increased stress.
For instance, an 1800-foot length of rail can expand almost one foot if there is an 80-degree change in temperature, according to an article published by Business Insider.
- Lightning strikes the Earth 100 times each second
According to the official website of Otsego County in Michigan, lightning strikes the Earth 100 times each second. It is also estimated that at any given moment, almost 2,000 thunderstorms are in progress over the surface of Earth.
An estimated 16 million thunderstorms occur worldwide each year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
- A raindrop can be as big as a housefly
According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a large raindrop can be about the size of a housefly. It can fall at a speed of about 10 metres per second.
One will not find a raindrop with a diameter greater than about one-quarter of an inch, because when at a size larger than that, the drop will break apart into smaller drops due to air resistance.
Due to the drag forces of air raindrops fall through, they are flattened and shaped like a hamburger.
- Blood red rain in Kerala
From July 25 to September 23, 2002, blood red rain occurred in Kerala. Several people also reported yellow, green and black rains.
According to McGill University, the then Government of India dismissed claims about the rains being coloured due to fallout from a hypothetical meteor burst, and commissioned a study which found that spores from a locally prolific aerial algae had coloured the rains.
Red particles were in suspension in the rain water, making the raindrops blood red.
The study concluded that algae spores, which were successfully grown in medium into lichen-forming algae of the Trentepohlia genus, had coloured the rains.
- Sandstorm in 525 BC buried 50,000 warriors in Egypt
A catastrophic sandstorm in 525 BC buried 50,000 warriors in the western Egyptian desert. The warriors were part of a Persian army.
The soldiers were sent by Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, to attack the Oasis of Siwa, and destroy the Oracle at the Temple of Amun because the priests there had refused to legitimise the claim of Cyrus the Great to Egypt.
The soldiers reached an oasis called El-Kharga, but were never seen again after they left it.
- Sea creatures can rain down from the sky
Tornadic waterspouts, which are huge columns of swirling wind that form above water and move inland, can result in the rain of animals, or seafood rain.
According to an article published by the United States Library of Congress, there have been reports of raining frogs and fish dating back to ancient civilisation.
This is because strong winds, such as those in a tornado or hurricane, are powerful enough to lift animals, people, trees and houses, and could suck up a school of fish or frogs, and "rain" them elsewhere.
A mature waterspout consists of a low-pressure central vortex, or a spinning column of air, which is surrounded by a rotating funnel of updrafts. The vortex is powerful enough to suck up surrounding air, water and small objects like a vacuum, and when the waterspout loses its energy, it can cause the accumulated objects to be deposited back to Earth as rain.
- A 1972 blizzard buried entire villages in Iran
The Iran Blizzard of February 1972, which lasted from February 3 to 9, is the deadliest blizzard in history, and resulted in over 4,000 fatalities. Iran received eight metres of snow, which buried about 200 villages.