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Did you know you can determine the temperature by counting cricket chirps? Plus, dust from the Sahara travels across Atlantic to Texas and limits tropical activity and a Caribbean volcano gets active and prompts yellow level warning.
Tell the temperature by cricket chirps? It might sound crazy… Or like some kind of old wives tale – but it’s true! You really can tell the temperature by counting the number of cricket chirps and doing a little math.
Meteorologist Tom Skilling from Chicago’s WGN9 explains… “Here is the formula: Count the number of chirps in 15 seconds, then add 39. The result is the air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.”
Skilling says it “all has to do with the insect’s metabolism, which speeds up as temperatures warm, increasing the number of chirps in the process. Tree crickets are so sensitive that they even have been able to react to the minor cooling that occurs when a cloud passes in front of the sun.”
As Trade winds strengthen across the Atlantic, they deliver dust from the Sahara desert. The winds are expected to bring the dust into the Gulf of Mexico and into portions of South Texas. This phenomenon typically happens through August, KIIITV ABC of South Texas reports.
Forecasters are expecting a big plume of high concentrated dusk to enter the Caribbean throughout the coming week.
The Saharan dust could lead people living around the coast of Mexico and Texas to experience allergy-like symptoms of watery eyes and itchy noses. It’s not a good week for trying to reduce wrinkles under the eyes.
The dust will aggravate allergy sufferers or those who have any respiratory issues, with the most vulnerable being young children, the elderly, and pets. Those with allergies or respiratory issues may want to limit their time outdoors.
However, there is actually a huge benefit to this dust – it helps limit tropical activity. The Saharan dust can reduce the likelihood that tropical weather systems will form. When the dust is in the air, it prevents the formation and strengthening of tropical systems by interfering with moist, warm air.
The Kick’em Jenny Volcano in the dual-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, near Venezuela, has seen an increase in activity over a seven-day period in the month of June.
This is according to The National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) of Grenada through Technical advice from the monitoring team at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre St Augustine Campus Trinidad and Tobago (UWI SRC), TT Weather Center reported.
A yellow level alert has been issued, which is a level two of four because the seismic and/or fumarolic activity is above the historical level or other unusual activity has been observed or can be expected without warning.
Scientists will begin monitoring at full capability and an exclusion zone of 1.5 kilometers from the summit of the volcano will be enforced for non-essential shipping.
Authorities encourage marine operators to be vigilant when traversing the area, as increased seismic activity also results in the emission of gases, which can reduce the density of the water around the summit.
Authorities say, at present, there is no danger to Trinidad, Tobago, and the remainder of the Lesser Antilles.
