Tag Archive for 'weather'

Winter travel

Published
by
Barbara
on December 21, 2008
in around the world and info.gov
. 1 Comment

Plan to drive safely this winter! Look up weather ahead of time.

picture of winter driving Check road conditions ahead of time. The Wis. Dept. of Transportation’s Driving Conditions web site provides a map showing conditions on interstates and other major highways in Wisconsin, info on work zones, links to traffic cameras and congestion maps for Madison and Milwaukee, and links to weather sites. Other states may have similar sites, e.g., Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan.

There are often toll-free phone numbers to call also, e.g,. for Wisconsin’s road report call 1-800-ROADWIS (762-3947).

And don’t forget to prepare for cold weather by dressing appropriately and having a winter survival kit in your car, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Watch for flooded roads…

Published
by
Barbara
on June 13, 2008
in around the world and info.gov
. 0 Comments

There are maps/news releases online to show where roads are flooded…

Also see the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation’s “Incident Alerts” site which includes a link to a map of the incident sites and links to county web sites with flooding information.

The NOAA National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan station has maps of warnings (see detailed text of warnings by clicking on “Read watches, warnings & advisories” at the right).

Wisconsin Emergency Management has a web site on the current storm situation, with a list of Red Cross shelters, dam conditions, and park closures, and a web page with other flood information for the public (what to do, safety information, etc.).

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Tornado season…be prepared

Published
by
Barbara
on June 12, 2008
in around the world and info.gov
. 0 Comments

It’s peak season (May-August) for occasional tornadoes. Be prepared!

Know the difference between a watch and a warning:

tornado imageA Tornado Watch or Severe Weather Watch means a tornado may develop. Be alert and be prepared to take action if the watch becomes a WARNING. (It is not necessary to seek shelter for a severe weather watch.)

A Tornado Warning means a tornado has been spotted in the area. Immediate action may mean the difference between life and death. (It is not necessary to seek shelter for a thunderstorm warning.)

What does the University Library do when there is severe weather?
Our weather radio alerts us when severe weather threatens Walworth, Jefferson, and Rock counties, and we follow procedures in our emergency manual. If there is a tornado warning, and it is heading towards Whitewater, we make an announcement over the public address system directing people to go to the nearest tornado shelter area within the Library (marked with large blue signs). The elevator should not be used, and no one should exit the building until the warning has ended.

If you are interested in knowing more about tornado preparedness, you can search the Library Catalog for tornadoes. A basic explanation of what you need to know about tornadoes is available from the Milwaukee/Sullivan office of the NOAA National Weather Service. The Milwaukee/Sullivan site also lists current watches and warnings (tornadoes, flash floods, severe thunderstorms, and marine warnings) for Wisconsin. The American Red Cross has an online preparedness checklist.

Forces of Nature book coverIf you are explaining tornadoes to young children, the University Library has some materials that may help. Search the Library Catalog for tornado? and juvenile for a list of titles, including the National Geographic book “Forces of nature: the awesome power of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tornadoes” (2nd-floor Curriculum Collection, Oversize Juvenile Nonfiction, Call no: 551.2 Gra) and an online coloring book from the National Weather Service “Billy and Maria learn about tornado safety.”

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Travel Safely

Published
by
Barbara
on December 20, 2007
in info.gov
. 1 Comment

If you’re traveling this season, please be safe. There are websites (usually from a state’s department of transportation) that can help you make decisions about when and where to drive.

picture of winter driving

Driving Conditions (Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation)
This site provides a map showing conditions on interstates and other major highways in Wisconsin, info on work zones, links to traffic cameras and congestion maps for Madison and Milwaukee, and links to weather sites.

Other states may have similar sites, e.g.,

There are often toll-free phone numbers to call also, e.g,. for Wisconsin’s road report call 1-800-ROADWIS (762-3947).

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

New Stuff Tuesday – December 11

Published
by
Barbara
on December 11, 2007
in new stuff tuesdays
. 1 Comment

Feeling the chill of winter, are we? Just the time to escape to other, perhaps warmer, places and the people who live there…by reading a good book! Check out these titles and enjoy a little armchair traveling!

Walking the Gobi cover

Walking the Gobi : a 1600-mile trek across a desert of hope and despair
by Helen Thayer
DS798.9.G63 T54 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Walk 1600 miles of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert with 63-year-old Helen Thayer, her husband Bill, and their camels Tom and Jerry. Feel the 126-degree heat. Endure the sandstorms, scorpions, smugglers, dehydration, snakes, and other perils. Meet the nomadic people who populate the desert. Appreciate the scenery (black & white photos, vivid descriptions). And then maybe be ready for some more cold temperatures and that white precipitation here at home.

In the Sierra Madre cover

In the Sierra Madre
by Jeff Biggers
F1221.T24 B54 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor

OK, given the elevation it may not always be warm, but this is still an interesting tale that will get your mind off of our weather for a while. Journalist Jeff Biggers spent a year among the Raramuri/Tarahumara, “the most resilient indigenous culture in the Americas.” Oh, and along the way you learn about the parade of visitors to the Sierra Madre in the past, including Confederate and Irish war deserters, French poets, Apache and Mennonite communities, writers, George Patton, Pancho Villa, and more.

Both books are first-person accounts by experienced travelers. Enjoy.

New Stuff Tuesday – May 1

Published
by
kyle
on May 1, 2007
in around the library and new stuff tuesdays
. 0 Comments

You never know what you’re going to find when you browse the sciences section of the stacks. How’s this for making science fun?

The Physics of Superheroes

The Physics of Superheroes
James Kakalios
QC24.5 .K3 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Studying for a physics exam and it’s not making sense? Well, obviously your instructor should have read this book, which teaches physics using comic book heroes for the examples. Going from Mechanics to Energy to Modern Physics, Kakalios, a physics professor at the University of Minnesota, breaks down the sometimes hard-to-digest equations and principles by giving them life in the form of Magneto and Ant-man and other superheroes. The author accomplishes the task of teaching physics and saving the day at the same time.

How the Weather Has Changed History

Blame It On the Rain:
How the Weather Has Changed History
Laura Lee
QC981.L43 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Ever wonder what this world would be like if Russia didn’t have the extreme climate that it does? If you have any doubts, just ask Napoleon or Hitler. Their defeats were greatly influenced by none other than the weather. The author looks at different historical events and the weather in which they transpired. With chapter titles like The Mud That Made England and Operation Thwarted by Desert Storm, the reader should expect a light read while picking up fun facts about world history.