Suspicious squirrels and weather chasers
Neither can be stopped.
The Fake Science Laboratories ask you to respect Bernoulli's principal, who taught at Bernoulli’s elementary school for almost 30 years.
Today’s Lesson
This Day in Science History: The Kinda Icky Weather Chasers
March 10, 1997
Science history isn’t just about scientific discoveries, but about the courageous scientists who’ve advanced it. And in recent history, it’s impossible not to mention the Kinda Icky Weather Chasers.
Shortly after the release of the movie Twister in 1996, weather scientists around the world were inspired to pursue weather phenomena as doggedly as the “tornado chasers” in the film. One group became the most renowned.
Formed in a suburb of Cleveland, three average-looking scientists jumped into their 1994 Kia Sephia and christened themselves the “Kinda Icky Weather Chasers.” They sought out weather alerts reported to their hotline. Locals called in, and if they reported “I don’t know, it’s fine, it’s like, a little muggy? I don’t know, maybe I’ll just stay in,” the KIWC crew raced to traffic-jammed toll roads until they reached the weather situation.
During their time, KIWC succeeded in tracking dozens of weather events, including a day when people couldn’t tell if it was raining or not, a summer night that was pretty humid, a winter day where it was raining but not cold enough to snow, and, on one particularly notable morning, it was gray until almost 9:30 AM.
The KIWC’s work helped create a national index of places to avoid on vacation.
Their studies continued unabated until 1999, when the KIWC lost crucial funding for their “extra jacket fund,” despite the eloquently worded grant request that it would be used, “just in case it’s colder than the weather report.” Today, private individuals provide most Icky Weather reporting, usually while sighing as they fill up their gas tank and stare, zombie-like, into the near distance, considering whether or not to buy a disappointing cup of gas station “French Roast” coffee.
From the Lab
Would you forward this newsletter to a sentient creature?
Here’s a link.
Today’s Classic Lesson
