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closeWhen thunderstorms were forecast last week, I was sure to remind 9-year-old Emma that there might be lightning and hail at night and it would be OK to come in bed and snuggle with us if she were frightened by the noise.
She thought about it for a moment and then asked, "How can there be hail when it's hot out?" We were watering the sunflowers and I took the moment to explain how hail is formed. As we stood in the yard and studied the threatening mass of stratocumulus in silence, it occurred to me how much fun weather observation can be.
Go out to Boulevard Park or the Semiahmoo Spit and watch the setting sun paint the clouds. Better yet, go to the same places on a blustery day and watch across the water as bands of rain pour from the clouds. You could take a weather guide and try to figure out what kinds of clouds you observe. You could bring a camera or paints and make art. Or you could write a poem about the approaching storm. You could even think up a weather-related science project to work on with your child.
This area has some of the most fascinating weather - and some of the most fabulous cloud formations - of anyplace I've lived. I enjoyed the subtle seasonal changes, startling microclimates and pervasive fog of the Central California coast, but I'm entranced by Western Washington's stunning cloud combinations and fickle weather patterns. My favorite new word since becoming a Washingtonian is "sunbreak."
Since we don't have TV for daily weather reports, we rely on textbooks and Mom and Dad's knowledge to explain weather patterns. For reference, we use a moldy 1975 Golden Guide "Weather," by Herbert S. Zim and others. The book is simple and easy to understand, and we can point out climatic phenomena as they arise, whether we're home or out on a trip.
For a selection of reference books, type "weather" in the subject search at the Bellingham Public Library database.
I like to tell the kids about the winter of '67, when the weight of more than two feet of snow in 24 hours collapsed the roof of my little town's only supermarket and Rebecca likes to talk about the spring winds howling between New York City buildings that threatened to lift her off her feet as she clutched a street sign for dear life.
Leah, who has always be entranced by weather, has a weather station we got at Hardware Sales mounted on her bedroom wall. It has old-fashioned gauges for temperature, barometric pressure and relative humidity. Downstairs, we have a digital device that tells the inside and outside temperatures.
When we're not observing weather, we like to read or sing about it. The Banana Slug String Band's "Water Cycle Boogie" can't make it any more fun: "Evaporation, condensation, precipitation. The water cycle boogie goes round and round. The water cycle boogie goes up and down."
As for books, try the lovable "Rain" by Peter Spiers or "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats for younger kids. For older ones, "Isaac's Storm" and "The Perfect Storm" are gripping true stories.
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WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
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