Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [weather]

The state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy.

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Is watering plants under a hot sun bad?

A couple of people have told me that it's a bad for plants to be watered in the middle of a sunny day, i.e. it's not just that you waste more water due to evaporation, but that there are actually bad effects on the plants itself. I've heard this…
GS - Apologise to Monica
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Is ball lightning real?

Over the ages there have been many accounts of ball lightning. Some accounts from Wikipedia are as follows: One of the earliest descriptions was reported during The Great Thunderstorm at a church in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon, in England,…
Ardesco
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Is it safe to stand by the windows during a thunderstorm?

There is widespread belief in my culture that we should not stay near door or windows during lightning. So people advise others to stay inside house with doors and windows closed to be safe from lightning. Is there any scientific basis for that idea…
Four Seasons
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Has it ever rained fish?

There have been several reports of "raining fish" where fish fall from the sky (usually during a rain storm). An example such as this 2010 video from National Geographic seems unlikely at best. Has this really happened, or is it a popular hoax? If…
Logic Knight
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Can HAARP affect weather or earthquakes?

Project HAARP is a favorite target of conspiracy theorists. It has been blamed for causing the Haiti earthquake, the recent Japanese earthquake and many, many other events. The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is an …
FYG
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Was one-third of Pakistan flooded in August 2022?

An Aug. 30, 2022 NBC article says: A third of Pakistan is underwater as deadly floods leave desperate residents facing 'doomsday' The article later attributes the one third claim to a tweet from Pakistan's Climate Minister Sherry…
pacoverflow
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Does wearing summer clothing during the winter increase your tolerance to the cold?

My dad could tolerate long periods of time outside during the winter while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He told me he started wearing warmer-weather clothing during the winter, and eventually his body simply adapted. Is this possible, and if so,…
Voriki
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Is Nikola Tesla the only scientist to successfully create ball lightning?

Related: Is there any scientific proof that ball lightning is real? Someone passed along this The Oatmeal comic about Tesla. It's quite interesting and entertaining. I was curious about a lot of the statements' complete veracity, but this one in…
Hendy
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Do weather changes affect arthritis?

My father always claims he knows when a storm is coming by the pain in his knee. It turns out he might not be as crazy as I thought. Many people with arthritis report varying pain levels as a result of weather changes, as WebMD explains: Many of…
Patches
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Are slick bicycle tires more slippery in the wet?

I always assumed slick (tread-less) tires were more prone to loss of traction in the wet. That is until I read this answer on the bicycles SE which claims that bicycle tires are too thin, round and firm to experience hydroplaning. Is there any…
Nathan Baulch
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Should you get out of your car in a tornado?

Very often on TV news and shows about weather advice is given about what best to do if you are caught in the path of a tornado. Almost always included is instructions if you're driving. Obviously if a suitable shelter, such as a building is…
Tom
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Were 50°C (122°F) days recorded across Australia during the 1800s?

The article Forgotten history: 50 degrees everywhere, right across Australia in the 1800s claims that there were regular recorded temperatures above 50°C across Australia in the 1800s: Australians have been recording temperatures of over 50C since…
user1605665
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Do contrails last long enough to explain chemtrails?

I often hear the claim that "chemtrails" have to exist, because normal contrails don't linger very long. Is there a definitive scientific explanation for why normal contrails sometimes do, in fact stick around and sometimes even seed very large…
mootinator
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Does it rain more often on weekends than weekdays?

Does it rain more often on weekends than weekdays? I don't remember where I heard this, but due to human activity such as Factories not opening on weekends Fewer people traveling in cars Offices closed so air conditioning is less…
Mark Price
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Is the coldest part of the day an hour after the sun comes up?

Popular lore states that generally the lowest temperature of any given day occurs an hour after sunrise, because it takes some time for the heat from the Sun to reach Earth. But, it only takes about 8 minutes for the energy from the Sun to reach…
Patches
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