Do I Need an Umbrella? I'll Ask My Weather Station!

The weather is something I really never gave much thought to, except to turn on the news via radio or TV to find out how I needed to dress for the day – umbrellas, anyone? But my 8-year-old son recently became very interested in the weather and meteorology. In fact, he watches the Weather Channel more in one week than I have in my entire lifetime because he’s so intrigued by tornadoes, fast moving storms, various fronts, and hurricanes. For Christmas, Santa Claus brought him a wireless weather station. The station’s base is conveniently kept in the kitchen while the thermometer is posted beneath our deck, away from the harsh elements of sun, rain, and snow. Now, we are constantly aware of the temperatures both inside and out, the barometer, and how we need to dress for the day. While this nifty gadget was a gift for my son, I find myself consulting it daily to see what the heavens will bring. So far, the weather station hasn’t failed us. When it displays rain, we know a shower is due in. It’s almost magical to us non-scientific persons, but I suppose meteorologists are magicians in a sense anyway. Most of their work is based on prediction.