The weather and the humans

Weather is a very important aspect of life on the Earth, as it has a great influence on every life form on the planet. It can certainly have a very positive effect and unfortunately can destroy and kill.

When you are skiing, sailing or sunbathing you are grateful to the weather. When it is beautiful outside you are happy that the weather is beautiful. Winds, an element of it, provide electricity by moving the wings of the windmills.

Unfortunately, winds can do a lot of damage. Everybody has heard about monsoons and hurricanes. These powerful winds are always accompanied by heavy rainfalls, which usually cause floods, a very devastating disaster. Many people drown; even more are searched for. They are marooned on the roofs of their houses waiting for help, which sometimes never comes. The water is contaminated and so is the food, so people suffer from several stomach ailments such as diarrhoea. The authorities lose control and the chaos begins – vicious gangs start looting of abandoned properties. Luckily, the disaster can be predicted by meteorologists, who are now able to warn the people even a week before the hurricane strikes.

Some people are able to tell whether it is going to rain or not the next day – they claim that they ‘feel it in their bones’. The reason is simple – their bodies respond to changes of the weather: every alteration of temperature, air pressure and humidity causes a change of their mood and frame of mind. When it is overcast and it is raining, they feel angry and annoyed, and when the sun shines, they are happy. Nevertheless, there are some exceptions: if someone grew up in dark area of low pressure, he will usually feel angry and annoyed when the sun is shining.

Another example of weather’s association with illnesses are katabatic winds, which form when air flown downward over a mountain. These winds are very fast and quite warm, so they can melt a lot of snow during just one night. They cause increase in strokes, increase in heart attacks and much more. Of course, there are many other winds that have the same effect: they precede a change of pressure, so that’s why many people think that pain in their backs is foretelling rain.

Some scientists link changes of human health with sun activity: sunspots and solar flares. However, other scientists dismiss this option saying it is untenable, but this correlation exists because the sun has a major influence on the whole planet.