Cool but not cold

by sandra
(newcastle, NSW, Australia)

Definitely cold here!

Definitely cold here!

I have experienced cold, but not the true, bone-deep, cold of a Canadian winter. I lived on a boat in London for a year, and although people always say "that sounds really great", it was only great some of the time.


In summer it was warm, but not too bad. Being right on the water meant that any breeze cooled the air . In winter, the paucity of insulation really kicked in. When the thermometer dropped below freezing, two doonas and a sleeping bag was barely enough!

It was at times like that that I could have used some weather reports similar to those described in the article - if I knew ahead of time how cold the night was going to be, I could turn up the heater in preparation. One night it snowed and the water on the pier formed black ice - I almost fell in the Thames when I stepped on it!

I like your article, it explains the technical terms pretty well, but the writing seems a little stilted. Is English your first language?

I would be interested to hear how the information provided by weather stations is used by air-controllers - how do they interpret the information so as to be able to give advisories to aircraft? Or are pilots alwasy given the information directly? Are generalised warnings issued by control towers if there are specific hazards in their area?

Barry's Response - That'd be a chilly place to spend the winter. Experience Canada for yourself. Thanks, Sandra.

Search this site for more information now.

Your description of the bone-deep cold you encountered on your boat in London paints a vivid picture of what living in a cold Canadian winter can be like.


It's understandable that accurate weather reports would have been helpful during those freezing nights. How do aviators use this info?

- Air-traffic controllers and individuals alike rely on weather stations for valuable information about temperature fluctuations. To make air travel safer and more efficient, they use this official data.

- Meteorological services, which operate stations near airports, provide real-time weather info to air traffic controllers. With this information, they can assess current weather conditions and anticipate any potential hazards. The meteorological staff interpret the data to provide pilots with weather advisories, such as noteworthy wind patterns, temperature changes, visibility conditions, and storms or fog. These conditions may require additional attention during flight procedures.

- Pilots also have access to weather reports and forecasts, but air-traffic controllers relay vital information to them in real-time. Pilots can be aware of any hazards or changes in weather conditions that could affect their travel. Control towers can also issue warnings if specific hazards are identified in their areas.

- Maintaining aviation safety and efficiency requires coordination between air traffic controllers, meteorological services, and pilots. By checking weather reports and getting real-time updates, pilots can make informed decisions about their flight paths, altitudes, and potential deviations.

To put it simply, weather stations provide the foundational data for weather reports and forecasts used by air-traffic controllers. Pilots use weather information to navigate while mitigating weather-related risks by using information collected from weather stations. Collaboration amongst the entities listed helps keep aviation safe.

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For those wondering...
by: Barry

The original article referred to by all comments on this page is located at https://www.stuffintheair.com/weatherstations.html

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hoe
by: Harun

Well I feel that it is all about personal comfort and nothing but that. Most people think of it differently and thus have typecast it as something that should not be done and so on. Just avoid that completely and move on.

From Barry - If the utmost priority happens to be comfort, no one should be judged for it. And if you look at it from a more productive angle, you can see how much more productive you can be in a comfortable environment. It's up to you to figure out what works for you.

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Confused
by: Raven

The author mentions liking your article but finding it stilted. Which article is she referring to? Is this article a reply to something else on the sight?

I would prefer to read something more detailed and clear.

From Barry - Because the author refers to the article in the past tense, it's probably a response to something on the site. Try the link in the first comment above. Maybe the original version of the article was too vague or didn't provide enough info, so the reader wants something more detailed.

Over the years, it's been revised. Take a look at it now.

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Off Point
by: Vicky

This article seemed to have little to do with either the photo or the title, and by the end, I was unsure of what the point was meant to be. Much of what she said was stating the obvious and gave no real insight into specific climate challenges of living on the water in London.
The website, stuffintheair.com, offers an interesting way to explore more about weather, how it affects our daily lives, and the ways our daily lives affect the climate. I would like to be able to find honest and non-politicized information on global warming on this website, along with ways we as individuals can be kinder to the Earth.

From Barry - To help visitors learn more about the climate, I've tried to provide data-based research, facts, and figures. Information on controversial or contentious topics is hard to provide in a completely unbiased fashion.

It's best to use a variety, even hundreds, of sources.

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No Response?
by: Nichole

This page seems a little disjointed. I'd like to see a response to these thought provoking questions about weather stations. I would explore this site some more, as I'm a teacher, and I love to teach weather! Please post a response to the questions in this article.
If I were to search this site, I would like to find some good weather videos and simple explanations of weather phenomena. I recently taught a group of eighth graders about weather, and I was shocked by how hard it was to find good visuals of weather events online!
Good luck with your revisions :)

From Barry - Generally, The best way to explain weather concepts to students is with visuals. I hope I can find some good videos and images that make the topic more engaging as I continue expanding the website. I'll make it available as I find relevant and interesting things.

There are a many sites that specialize in providing videos and images of weather events. You can also find explanations of various weather phenomena on these sites.

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Thank you to my research and writing assistants, ChatGPT and WordTune, as well as Wombo and others for the images.

GPT-4, OpenAI's large-scale language generation model, helped generate this text.  As soon as draft language is generated, the author reviews, edits, and revises it to their own liking and is responsible for the content.