Weather Notes 

11/15/07   WHY DRY AIR DEPLETES US 

When we expose our bare heads to the sun on a hot, dry day, they immediately heat up, start sweating, we squint our eyes, and our nasal passages shrink.  That presses on our sinuses, and the dry air takes the mucus along.  Our O₂  intake and H₂0 supply decrease, so fatigue sets in.  This happens to most people after 15-20 minutes in the sun and dry air (e.g., in traffic, walking, working, waiting for buses, etc.). 

It seems like everyone I see during these dry days feels sick, and we don’t need to “fall victim to ‘the weather’!”  Weather systems “like to travel,” like we do; and we don’t have to go to Oregon or Nevada, because their weather comes to visit us.  Wear layered clothing:  otherwise you’ll feel sweaty or chilled, and hats can be our friends during either cold or heat. 

If you feel headache-y and have fatigue and respiratory problems, try sticking to the shade, drinking at least a gallon of water a day, have tea and less coffee, breathe in steam, wash your face often to breathe in moisture and equalize pressure in your head (blowing your nose gently), and put your feet up to stimulate re-circulation into our head.  Sometimes the symptoms will go away by “drowning” them on the inside. 

Following these tips will make our holidays more fun. 

Some people are energized by the feeling of this fall dry weather, but if they were in the sun for a half hour working, they’d change their minds.  The shade is where it feels “fresh.” 

If people around you are too annoying with their cheerfulness, send them on errands in sunny traffic, and then you can be the one to cheer them up when they come back depleted.  (It “equalizes the pressure.”) 

Cheers,

Dr. Renfrew

(not M.D.)

Why weather forecasts are sometimes wrong 

Did you notice in early to mid-October that many weather predictions were about a day off?  For several days in a row, each time the forecast was for “No rain,” we got drizzle and a few showers.  I started laughing, as if we should prepare for the opposite of what’s predicted. 

Earth is changing:  at a recent Geographers’ conference, when asked about global warming’s effect on the jet stream winds, a climate change specialist said they should get faster, because the differences between equatorial and polar temperatures will be greater, increasing the pressure gradient (and therefore, increase speed) of the winds. 

I think this is happening, at least earlier in October.  In general, the more days of the forecast (e.g., 5-7  days ahead), the less accuracy from the day it’s given.  I watched carefully, and repeatedly, the fronts passed through  a ½ - 1 day ahead of what was predicted, which meant the jet stream was faster than the National Weather Service predicted. 

Do you know what “algorithms” are?  I’m sympathetic with the difficulty of “trying to get it right,” as their models are based on advanced math and physics.  I’m not skilled at it.  I just think we should be ready for variability, and learn to adapt. Keep a case of water, and clothes for all weather - hot, cold, rainy - in the trunk of your car.  (It should be there with your earthquake preparation supplies anyway.) 

If you think Earth’s warming is a new thing, go take a look at La Brea Tar Pits.

10/25/07   “Gradients;” “Can’t think of anything?” 

Each time the coastal Low pressure has come in quickly after easterly, desert, High pressure, like this morning, I’ve gotten a headache; and if High pressure chases after it, I can feel it in my cells. A “gradient” is a change in slope or “steepness,” but with weather variables, they are usually horizontal, especially for those of us in the South Bay and Harbor area. A strong pressure gradient means a sharp change in pressure over a short distance, and produces fast winds.  Sharp changes in temperature, humidity, or pressure can also trigger the swelling in and out of sinus or other tissues, and sometimes, they press on the nerves. Cell water loss and re-filling, when we drink water to replace what we’ve lost to the dry air, may also push on nerves.* 

Maybe we should think about the sign on hills,

“HIGH GRADE – USE LOW GEAR,” and ease into the changes more slowly if we can, or be a little gracious to ourselves if we feel pain that’s not our fault. 

* Recommended reading:  WATER: for Health, for Healing, for Life; You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty! 2003.  By F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. New York:  Warner.  Note:  although my experience with histamine has never been positive to my knowledge, I am still thinking about what he said.  He documents how many cases of chronic illness and pain have been cured by drinking 8-10 glasses a day.  Personally, I have a rather quick dehydration-to-dizziness trigger, and get headache-y (like these days after long days of teaching in the dry air); but I’ve found when I drink tall waters (and “venti decafs,” sometimes spiked with a little regular coffee), and relax for a few moments, the headache and dizziness will usually go away without medicine.  It’s just allowing the water to recirculate through my head tissues, i.e., re-hydrating. 

By the way, if someone calls you a “fat head,” it’s a scientific fact, so thank them for the compliment.  Our brains are made from mostly fat cells, and Dr. Batmanghelidj says it’s 85% water.  Ever wonder why, if we’re dry, we “can’t think of anything?”

9/24. Machado/Harbor Lake & wetlands response to the "cut-off low's" rain (9/21-22/07) Geography 1 5:20 Nature walk

Re:  “Offshore Winds” 

Weathercasters who use this term are not really in  touch with how most people conceive of the word, “offshore;” that elsewhere, it means, “situated at some distance from shore, seaward; outside the U.S.;”  i.e., out in the ocean. 

The terms offshore and onshore winds break the tradition of naming winds from their source area, found worldwide.  Rather than calling winds “offshore,” the weather-people would genuinely communicate with a wider audience if they described the E/NE winds in L.A. as “E/NE winds, dry, so remember to drink extra water.”  Often on “Santa Ana “days, the whole city has dehydration headaches; so maybe the winds aren’t as “beautiful” as some proclaim.

“Higher highs and lower lows”: 

This mnemonic phrase (helping the memory) describes the temperature range of a “continental,” inland influence on weather and climate.  When we in L.A. get our winds from the East, they bring dry, desert air; so especially in winter, we’ll get warmer or hotter days and cooler nights. (These are the winds the newscasters confusingly call “offshore.”) The best 2 ways to adapt to this condition are to 1) wear layered clothing, with a cotton or lightweight layer for the hottest part of the day and jacket or sweater for night, and 2) drink a lot of extra water, because body water (sweat) is evaporating so fast from your skin, that most people don’t even realize they’re sweating until acute thirst and a headache set in.  Many people worry they’re getting sick, because the fatigue and “wilted” feeling are akin to it.  (If you like caffeine drinks to help stay alert, be sure also to drink extra water to replace what the caffeine drains out, the “diuretic” effect). 

Land heats up and cools off faster than water does (because of water’s large “heat capacity,” its ability to absorb and retain heat), so continental, inland climates have a greater range of temperatures than coastal, marine ones:  “higher highs, and lower lows” of temperature.  In L.A., coastal locations are not as hot or cold as inland areas, which are farther from the ocean’s influence on the air.