Collected Wisdom's Philip JackmanThe Globe and Mail
Here at The Old Wisdomers Almanac, we're working out our weather forecast for the year. We predict a warming trend through summer, a cooling trend in the fall, and a cold trend around Christmas.
That should do it. Now we can take the rest of the year off.
THE QUESTION
A while back, Carl Kennedy of Dartmouth, N.S., wrote, "On Nov. 30, the Weather Network advised that the hurricane season had ended. So what do employees at the Canadian Hurricane Centre do from then until July, 2012, when it starts up again?"
THE ANSWER
Here with all the goods on this is Henry Lau, a spokesman for Environment Canada in Gatineau.
While the active period for tropical cyclones may be finished after Nov. 30, he says, staff at the hurricane centre still monitor the tropics for any storms that may develop outside the "normal" season. "The agency," he adds, "is part of the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre and most of the staff are involved in regularly forecasting severe weather events during the rest of the year."
To close a season, he says, the CHC team develops a report with summaries for each storm severe enough to warrant the issuing of a bulletin. The agency also works with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami to gather and analyze even more data. This combined information is stored in the archives for future reference.
In preparation for the next season, he writes, the CHC tries to improve the way storms are communicated about and forecast, working with interested groups, such as the media and emergency managers, to improve their understanding of tropical events. Also, the centre works with organizations such as museums to share educational materials on tropical storms and hurricanes.
FURTHER NOTICE
A final word on our recent discussion about why the captain of an airliner sits on the left of the cabin.
"In the early days of flying," writes Rey Carr of Victoria, "most airports didn't have control towers to guide planes for landing and takeoff." This meant that a pilot approaching a runway without a control tower had to circle around to check out the airstrip before landing. As propeller-driven planes turned much more easily to the left due to the rotation of the propeller, pilots would turn to the left and be looking out of the left side of the cockpit as they circled counter-clockwise to check out the runway. Thus, in two-seater planes, the pilot sat on the left.
Also, he says, most aircraft before modern jetliners had one set of controls in the centre between the pilot and co-pilot. "For the captain in the left seat, it was much easier to have the dominant hand (which in most cases means the right hand) on the controls."
HELP WANTED
- George E. Findlay of Carlow, N.B., has a question about maple syrup. We know that sap runs best within a temperature range of minus 5 at night followed by plus 5 the following day, he writes. If the temperature is too cold, sap freezes. But if the temperature becomes too warm, why does the sap stop running?
- Michael Moore of Toronto has a query about the distance markers that have appeared every two kilometres along some Ontario highways. What happens when part of the highway is redesigned and becomes longer or shorter? Do all the markers get moved?
Let's hear from you: If you have the answer to one of these questions (or a question of your own), e-mail us at wisdom@globeandmail.com. Please include your location and a daytime phone number.