Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions, queries, and comments are typical of those that I have received over the years. They have been edited for brevity, clarity, and to remove bad language.

Q. Your Sunshine Guide picked September as the warmest month in San Francisco. Taking your advice, we went there this past September and froze our butts off! Thanks for nothing!

A. September is the warmest month by a small margin, and last September was pretty typical. What were you wearing—T-shirts and shorts? My guide showed daytime temperatures in the damp 50's and 60's, with morning and evening fogs. That's what you got. Dress the way the locals do (jackets and sweaters), and you'll be comfortable. Keep in mind Mark Twain's comment, "The coldest winter I ever spent was one summer in San Francisco."

Q. I'm going to Tulsa in June, right in the middle of tornado season. What are my chances of being hit by one?

A. About the same as getting a date with a major movie star, or winning a million-dollar lottery. People do both, but the odds are way against it. Go ahead and don't worry.

Q. How come you don't have a Sunshine Guide to XXXXX? It's a major ski resort.

A. Because I've never come across any climatic data for it, and I am very uncomfortable in interpolating from other points in mountainous areas. Many popular resorts have no climatic record. As a general rule, weather data is compiled for agriculturists and aviators. If a place has no airport, no significant agriculture, no military installation, and no university, then it's unlikely to have any useful climatic record. The 1960 winter Olympics were held at Squaw Valley, and there wasn’t a scrap of climatic data on the actual site at the time!

Q. You have a Sunshine Guide for Chicago, what about Evanston?

A. There will be no significant difference between the Chicago metropolitan area and Evanston. Unless there are mountains involved, differences within a 50-mile (80-km) radius are not worth bothering with. After all, most city data are now collected at the airports--many of which are way out of town.

Q. I sent you a request a couple of weeks ago. You never even responded. How come?

A. It was probably one of the types of requests that I hate to get. I usually ignore these.

Q. I'm going to be in XXXXX for two weeks in June. Can you recommend some good places to stay and eat? What is there to do there?

A. Sorry, that's not my area of expertise. Ask your travel agent, or—better yet—buy a couple of good guide books. In any case, the places I stay and eat at would send most travelers screaming for the Hilton. I have three different species of amoeba and one of paramecium living in me as proof. Most people think my taste in things to do is pretty weird, too. I hate shopping, avoid museums, and have no interest in historical buildings or sites.

Q. What's the highest temperature ever recorded in the United States? In the world?

A. Sorry, that's one of the "forbidden questions". I don't often answer questions about past weather (as opposed to climate). It's not a subject that really interests me, and I don't collect the data necessary to answer such questions. Besides, almost any almanac or reference librarian can answer that one.

Q. You Sunshine Guide said that XXXXX was virtually rainless in July. I was there for five days and it rained every day! Some weather expert you are!

A. Wow! God must really be ticked off at you! Since weather is legally an "Act of God", you are obviously addressing your complaints to the wrong party. I don't make the weather, I just try to tell people what kind of weather is most probable. Most probable does not mean the only kind that can happen, just the most likely.

Have you ever thought of renting yourself out to farmers in drought-stricken areas?

Q. I am going on a religious pilgrimage to an area in western Tibet, Lake Manasarovar. What can you tell me about the weather there? When would be the best time to go?

A. Not much. That's one of the spots on the map that is blank as far as climatic data goes. Check with those who have been there and see what they have to say about the weather that they experienced.

Q. October is such a nice month in the eastern United States, is it also nice in Europe?

A. Nope. For most of Europe, it is the rainiest month of the year, and marks the start of the winter season. Most of northern Europe gets its sunniest weather in late spring and early summer, but the temperatures are still pretty cool. Much of Europe is farther north than the US, and never does get as warm in the summer. Still, there are other attractions besides weather.

Q. I read in a magazine that there was someplace (I think it was Panama) where you could see the sun rise in the west. This doesn't make sense to me. Is it true?

A. No, it is false. Congratulations on your excellent spatial sense.

Except for the precise North Pole and the precise South Pole, every place on earth will see the sun rise at some point on the eastern half of the horizon and set at some point on the western half. Every sunrise and every sunset, without exception. At the North Pole, the sun will rise in the south and set in the south (one sunrise and one sunset in each year). At the South Pole, the sun will rise in the north and set in the north.

People along the western shore of the Gulf of Panama, can see the sun rise over an arm of the Pacific Ocean (the Gulf of Panama), but that's no big deal. People on the east coast of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, and many other places can see the same.

Last edited in January of 2010