Books on Weather, Nature, and Meteorology

Have you noticed the extremely unusual summer we're having?

All of the crazy weather that Texas is experiencing has made me curious about meteorology and how meteorologists predict storms.

Did you know that the Dick Smith Library has books on weather, nature, and meteorology?

Stop by the library for a dry place to hang out and learn about meteorology.

You can check out any of these great books with your Texan Card or current photo I.D.


The Handbook of Nature 
by Frank R. Spellman and Joni Price-Bayer

QH45.5 .S63 2012  General Stacks










Meteorology Today: an Introduction to Weather
by Donald Ahrens

QC861.2 .A3 1991 General Stacks

Sky Alert: When Satellites Fail
 by Les Johnson

TL796 .J64 2013 General Stacks

Safety First

With another round of snow and ice hitting the area, I thought these winter driving tips from AAA might be helpful.

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly..
• Always look and steer where you want to go.
• Drive slowly
• Use your seat belt every time you get into your vehicle.
• ...there are many more on the website.    

My number safety tip is: Everyone stay safe and enjoy the weather with a warm beverage and a good book!

If you need the library, we encourage you to take advantage of our online offerings. We have excellent electronic resources (e-books, e-journals, databases, etc.) available 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

Tornadoes

Yep, it's that time of year again...the dreaded tornado weather. Are you ready for it? If not, the Library has some resources that might interest you.

First, here's a guide for general information on emergency planning and recovery from natural disasters: Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Then, I found this video that I thought was pretty interesting about a team of scientists trying a different approach to obtaining more information about tornadoes that might help provide faster warnings for people: Inside the Tornado available from Films on Demand.


There are also several electronic resources available on the subject, such as:
Tips for Parenting on Media Coverage of the Tornadoes
Right After a Tornado
Disaster response staff officer's handbook
The Corpus Christi, Texas tornadoes of October 24, 2002
Texas Twisters

I found some regular reading materials as well.
The million death quake : the science of predicting Earth's deadliest natural disaster
The unthinkable : who survives when disaster strikes--and why
Eyewitness hurricane & tornado
Night of the twisters
Tornadoes over Texas; a study of Waco and San Angelo in disaster

And more available from the Dick Smith Library.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Easy Ways to Conserve H2O

With the current drought conditions in Texas and most other southern states, conserving water has become an urgent need, and it's a need that each of us can take steps to address.

For starters, check out the eBay Green Team's 10 easy water-saving tips that can “significantly cut back on the 80 gallons of H2O that the average American uses every day.”

1. Slow the flow
2. Flush smarter
3. Put less down the drain
4. Turn it off
5. Fill ‘er up!
6. Think ahead
7. Check for leaks
8. Raise your glass
9. Catch what you can
10. Grow it out

Information about the eBay Green Team.

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 things to do in the library when it's snowing…

All the snow this year has really been something. It makes you want to stay indoors. The Library is nice and warm so I thought I would post 10 things to do at the Dick Smith Library while it is snowing outside!

• Stay warm and dry
  
• Go ahead and start your research BEFORE it is due
  
• Enjoy a latte or mocha from Suave Café to warm up
  
• Sit in a comfy sofa by a window and watch the snow fall
  
• Make sure your Code Purple is set up and active
  
• Look up weather, road conditions, or school closures
  
  • http://www.kstvfm.com/
    
  • http://www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/road_conditions.htm - (enter the county)
    
  • Hood County News on Twitter - http://twitter.com/hoodcountynews
    
  • wfaa.com - personalized for Stephenville: http://weather.wfaa.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?brand=wfaa&target=wfaa&query=76401&Submit=Submit
    
• Design your snowman for later
  
• Post your pictures of the snow on our Facebook account
  
• Read a fun book or periodical…you never have time
  
• Catch up on all your RSS feeds; including the LOL: Library On Lounge – you might have missed a post or two

Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

Snowy days on the Tarleton Campus

This house, built in 1917 for Dean Cox, was used until 1923 when the new President’s House, now the Trogdon House, was built. This house was then used as the Senior Girl’s residence. The left side of the image shows a girl's dorm, Lewis Hall, being constructed. The Senior Girl’s residence burned in 1935.

Weather and Road Conditions

With the icy weather the past couple days, you might want to bookmark a few of the following websites. Dick Smith Library staff have been updating a number of our selected Internet Resources pages, including our Weather Internet Links. From here you can link to websites to get current weather conditions for Stephenville or other locales (just enter a zip code for the latter).

For road condition updates on state-maintained roads, try this TxDOT/Texas Department of Transportation Road Conditions web page. You can search by any combination of county, road, and/or condition (such as ice/snow, flooding, or construction). There’s also an interactive map available, where you can pan or zoom in for more detail (see the map instructions).

By the way, when the weather warms up, TxDOT also has a great map of spring wildflower and fall foliage sightings.

If you have weather or road condition web sites you like, please tell us in the comments!

Whew! It's HOT! Do you know how your Grandma is?

Given the weather we have been having, it behooves us to review symptoms of heat stress. Perhaps you have been visiting with your relatives. If you think an aunt or uncle or grandparent is not behaving normally, perhaps the heat is taking a toll. Take a look at the symptoms, and be prepared to help anyone in distress. And take care of yourself, as well!

Symptoms of heat stress