I Am Blown Away!

The area where I live is known for many things.  Because of the history of the area, people often refer to it as “The Old West.”  “Cowboys and Indians” fought here.  This region is also the Hummingbird Capital of the United States, with myriad varieties of birds.  People come from around the world to see our birds.  Fort Huachuca, home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, is located here.  The San Pedro River, a river of major ecological importance and one of only two rivers that runs north from Mexico into the United States.

Another thing this area is known for is the frequent high winds.  Today’s forecast:

Strong and gusty winds will develop this morning and continue into late evening. A red flag warning and a wind advisory are in effect from 8 am to 11 PM MST. Areas of blowing dust are expected.

We have had a few very windy days this week, and it is expected to continue through tomorrow night.  I really dislike high winds.  Most people are not aware that wind can actually cause many physical and mental problems, because of the positive ions that come along with it.  You’re likely thinking about allergies, and wind can definitely cause allergy flare-ups.  However, in addition to allergies, studies show that the wind can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, respiratory problems, asthma and more.  Those pesky positive ions, for some people, cause nervousness, emotional unbalance, easily irritated, apathy, listlessness, insecurity, anxiety and depression.  I have asthma, and I become anxious when high winds blow for an extensive time – like this week.

Curious about wind, although I’ve always heard something about high and low pressure, I never really paid much attention.  So I did a little research.

I learned that wind is simply moving air (I didn’t need to be told that) and is caused by differences in air pressure within the atmosphere. When air is under high pressure, it moves toward areas of low pressure. The greater the difference in pressure, the faster the air flows.

The highest wind ever measured by Doppler radar is 318 mph during an Oklahoma tornado in 1999.

Wind speeds are based on the descriptions of winds in a scale called the Beaufort Scale, which divides wind speeds into 12 different categories, from less than 1 mph to more than 73 mph.  The lowest wind speed on the scale, less than 1, is considered calm, and the highest, hurricane.

Evangelista Torricelli- physicist mathematician (and assistant to the astronomer Galileo) who lived in France during the 1700’s filled a long glass tube with mercury. He then turned it upside down into a dish, creating a vacuum keeping the mercury within the tube.  Torricelli was amazed to observe that the mercury was not at the same height in the tube every day.

Unbeknownst to him prior to this experiment, the varying levels were caused by changes in the atmospheric pressure. Torricelli had created a very important weather instrument, the barometer, which is still used today to measure air pressure.  The higher the mercury is within the barometer, the higher the air pressure.  Scientists today also use a more modern technique today to measure pressure in units called hectopascals.

My allergies and asthma do not feel any better, and I am still a bit anxious, but I did find it interesting to learn what is causing my problems.  I hope you did as well.

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