The ten best weather places in the world

Do you dream of a place that is always sunny? Where the temperature is perfect? Where there is virtually no severe weather? Ed Darack has. His article, "The 10 Best Weather Places in the World," featured in the March/April issue of Weatherwise magazine attempts to name the top ten places in the world that continually experience the best weather.

Darack defines what "best" weather consists of. The basis of this list is founded in weather that has positive effects on human fundamental needs (physical, mental, and emotional). "We can determine meteorological "best" criteria for ideal human physical, mental, and emotional health that includes temperature, humidity, average number of sunny days, and other criteria, by studying the results of research conducted on environmental effects on humans." With this in mind Darack creates a mythical place of weather perfection, 'Anthro-Weathertopia'. Here the temperature never strays too far from 68?F, the humidity is always comfortably 50%, and the clouds are never a threat. Unfortunately this perfect place does not exist, but his article lists the top ten places that come close.

The Manjimup region of the extreme south west region of Western Australia ranks at number ten on the list. It is a piece of lush land off the southern Indian Ocean. In February, the average summer temperature clocks in at 81?F during the day and 56.1?F at night. In the winter, the coldest month, July, records an average temperature high of 58?F and low of 43.5?F. There is an average rainfall of 39 inches per year. The only drawback is that, although rarely, the Manjimup region does experience extended periods of cold and rain.

Number six on the list is one of the most comfortable weather cities on the planet, Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon, located on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, experiences moderate temperature throughout the year. In August, the warmest month, the daily average temperature is 82.9?F with a mean nighttime low of 65.5?F. January, the coldest month, Lisbon experiences a daily high on 58.6?F and a nighttime low of 46.9?F. The yearly average rainfall is 30.5 inches.

Next we visit the northwestern coast of Morocco, which stands at number three. The cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean provide little season variability and extremely mild temperatures year round. The heart of this region is Casablanca which records an average daily high of 63?F and a mean evening low of 45?F. The average rainfall in December, the wettest month, only comes to 5.75 inches and less than .5 inches in July, the driest. In addition, the northwestern coast almost never experiences any type of severe weather.

Can't imagine anywhere else having such perfect weather? Find out which other places made the list by accessing "The 10 Best Weather Places in the World."

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The above story is based on materials provided by Taylor & Francis. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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A whole new meaning to bad weather: Top ten worst weather places in the world

Have you ever wondered what places on Earth experience the worst weather? Ed Darack has. His article, "The 10 Worst Weather Places in the World," featured in this month's issue of Weatherwise magazineattempts to name the top ten places in the world that continually experience the most extreme weather. Inverting our fascination with "the grass is always greener" lists, (best beaches, places to live, vacation, etc.), Darack investigates the top ten places in the world with the worst weather.

Darack defines "bad" weather, what a "place" consists of, and the analysis of the conditions themselves. However, due to the lack of comprehensive global meteorological research, especially in the harshest climates where the risk to human life is significant, Darack relies on the available data and an effort to be objective.

Oymyakon, Republic of Sakha, Russian Siberia ranks number ten on the list. It has been recorded, although with dispute, that Oymyakon has reached the lowest temperature of Earth outside of Antarctica and the coldest permanently inhabited place at -89.9?F. On average, it drops to -50?F every night. Also, it is one of the places on the planet with the greatest annual swing rising to 86?F during the summer.

Number six on the list is Gandom-e Beryan, Dasht-e Lut, Iran, which is known for the hottest land surface temperature ever recorded. Using data from NASA's Earth Observing System's Aqua satellite, measuring the skin temperature of the planet, Gandom-e Beryan reached a staggering 159.3?F over the course of 2003-2009.

Next we visit the entire coastline of Antarctica, which stands at number three, not so much for the temperature, although extremely freezing, as for the storms. The driest continent meeting the world's most tumultuous ocean, the Southern Ocean, results in almost constant storms racing around the continent. In addition, extreme katabatic wind is also a factor. At Cape Dension in Commonwealth Bay in 1995 a wind speed of 129mph was measured. The highest wind speed ever recorded in Antarctica was 199mph.

Find out which other places made the list by accessing "The 10 Worst Weather Places in the World" free until the end of December 2013: http://www.weatherwise.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2013/November-December%202013/10_worst_full.html

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The above story is based on materials provided by Taylor & Francis. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Alabama Schools Chilly Places for Immigrants, Notwithstanding Weather (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | It's not the weather than makes the Alabama schools too chilling for immigrant children this season. It's a new immigration law requiring parents to document citizenship or lack thereof when enrolling their children in public school.

With a judge upholding the state's right to require verification of citizenship status Thursday, Hispanic students fled the schools in droves, according to media reports. Supporters and opponents of the law can bicker over the true intentions behind it, but the people affected by it define its effects. They did so this week in keeping their children away from the school bureaucracy.

There's nothing to fear, school officials keep saying. But take a close look at what they're asking for and their assurances don't ring true. To enroll in an Alabama school, a family must now provide:

* A birth certificate documenting a child's place of birth;

* In the absence of a birth certificate, a signed, sworn statement providing the place of birth.

But that's not all. The failure to provide documentation results in the recording of the child as an illegal alien.

This law can't fulfill its purpose of documenting the undocumented because it relies on faulty methodology. The assumption that anyone failing to supply proof of citizenship is an illegal alien is likely to grossly inflate the number of illegal aliens reported to be attending school. Language and cultural barriers are two likely reasons Hispanic families might not provided documentation, even if their children are in the country legally.

The fact children might be legal while one or both parents isn't is another wrinkle. But might the over-counting inevitably resulting from presumption of illegal states be just what the anti-illegal alien movement wants? It's understandable people would question the motives behind a law so obviously biased.

Alabama's law also requires illegal aliens to incriminate themselves. In the media, the schools promise that parent answers won't be used to support deportation efforts, but that's not exactly what the law says. Under federal law, a state can't refuse this information to Homeland Security and Alabama expressly permits the information to be used for purposes consistent with federal law.

We won't use it against you is also today's answer. What happens next year or the year after when Alabama looks at its inflated count and decides that the cost of educating a slew of illegal immigrants is prohibitive? The Supreme Court has already spoken on the issue of kicking undocumented aliens out of public schools in Plyler v. Doe.

Preservation of a state's limited education budget for lawful students isn't sufficient justification, so Alabama would have to show a substantial state interest warranting exclusion of undocumented alien children from its schools to withstand a constitutional challenge. How much easier to pull out those incriminating documents and turn them over to police or immigration authorities. To do that would require a confidentiality waiver from the State Attorney General, but in a political climate hostile to immigrants, how hard would that be to obtain?

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