December 11, 1998 transcript # 263-5
Subject(s): weather sticks
Title: Brainstorm: Weathersticks

It's time for a new Weather Notebook Brainstorm. A question I pose to you, the weather literate Weather Notebook listener, and ask for you to tell me the answer. I'm Dave Thurlow, by the way. If you give us any answer, we'll send you a weather poster and if we use your answer on the air, you get a Weather Notebook magic mug, truly the envy of the office. OK, now the Brainstorm.

You have, no doubt heard signs in nature show changes in the weather. Everything from ants, to plants, from bees to trees can sense very short term changes in the weather. But what can a single stick of wood do for you? Well, in some stores, you can often find what's called a forecasting 'weatherstick.'

Unlike the 'weather rock' which, if it is wet tells you it's raining, and when it's dry tells you it's not, the weatherstick is supposed to bend up in fair weather, down in bad, and stick straight out when the weather is changing. Now my question is this: Does this weather stick really work and if so, how?

Now, the question will be at weathernotebook.org for awhile. So, you can check it out there and you can send an answer from there as well. Or, you can call us with your answer and leave it on the machine at 1-888-724-6001. That's the same as 1-888-RAIN-001. Or, you can send a good old-fashioned letter to The Weather Notebook, PO Box 2310, North Conway, NH 03860.

Again the question is: Does a weatherstick work and if so, how?

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