Interesting Facts About The Weather

• The Word "Monsoon": The term for weather was popularized by Arab sailors. About 500 years ago, an Arab scientist wrote a detailed book about when the monsoon arrives on various islands in the Indian Ocean.

• The Rooster on Weather Vanes: Have you wondered why there is often a rooster on top of houses to show wind direction? It comes from a story about Peter, a disciple of Jesus. When he betrayed Jesus, a rooster crowed three times as a warning. Thus, the rooster became a symbol of "watchfulness," leading to the tradition of putting them on weather vanes.

• Measuring Rain: A tool to measure rain was actually invented in India 2,000 years ago! It was a bowl-shaped vessel 18 inches wide. Today, we use a cylinder that is 20 inches deep and 8 inches wide to measure rainfall.

• El Niño: In the ocean near Peru (South America), warm currents occasionally emerge. This causes rain even in the Peruvian deserts, allowing life to thrive there. This effect is called "El Niño" (meaning "The Christ Child") because it usually occurs around late December (Christmas).