BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - Can the eye of a hurricane really be calm? Do bananas secretly control the climate of your fruit bowl?
Weather is full of myths that sound believable, but aren't always true. This week, we're breaking down the biggest weather myths with the facts you need to know.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice
"It is a myth. Lightning can strike the same place multiple times. It can strike the top of the Empire State Building, via the Batman building in Asheville, all these different towers, tall figures, even trees; it can strike twice. That's just normal," Carter explained.
Metal attracts lightning
"Just because something's made of metal doesn't mean that the lightning is going to strike it, but metal is a good conductor. So when you hear thunder roar, you have to go indoors and make sure you're not touching any types of metal, or like, don't go outside and hold on to the utility pole outside, obviously. But yeah, it's a myth," Kat explained.
If you're driving in a tornado, you should hide under an overpass
"It is a myth. This is a very dangerous thing. People often drive, they see a storm, and they're like, 'Oh, no, I gotta hide under something.' Because, you know, if I hide under something, the thing above me will get taken away, and I'll be just fine. Well, when you hide under an overpass, you're looking at stronger winds. It's also a major, major debris trap. So any debris in that storm that is rotating around as it rotates and swings, it'll just get trapped. Sometimes it'll go under and it'll grab you with it and continue rotating," Carter said.
If you do get caught driving in a tornado, Carter advises lying in a ditch.
"In case it ever happens, you should definitely pull over. Get out of your car. I know you're gonna get wet. Your clothes are gonna get wet and muddy. Lay in a ditch. Lie in a ditch somewhere that'll help you lie flat to the ground," he added.
Hot water can sometimes freeze faster than cold water
"It's correct. It's under very specific conditions, such as evaporation, conduction, and the container shape, but hot water can freeze faster than cold water," Kat shared. "So if you put hot water in an empty freezer versus cold water in a crowded freezer, that's all the difference. The hot water is going to freeze faster because all of that cool air is going directly to that one thing, versus, like, a full freezer, it's going to all of these different things, and it's fighting for the cooling effect. So it's pretty cool. There's a name for it. It's called the Mpemba effect."
The eye of a hurricane is completely calm
"It's true! If you guys have ever seen a video of the eye of the hurricane, there are videos of it, because hurricane hunters go in there. They put out measuring devices to measure conditions, and kind of get a feel for what's going on. It's actually, it's pretty incredible," Kat said.
Bananas can influence the weather inside a fruit bowl
"So whenever you have a bowl, it's essentially like its own little microclimate. Each fruit has its own unique thing. Bananas naturally release a gas called ethylene, and other fruits around it are naturally putting out heat. So when it's enclosed, the heat essentially speeds up the gas production of the banana, and it allows humidity and the temperature to change, and that's how fruits rot, and so that's like the little mini microclimate," Kat explained.
The color of the sky can predict storms
The saying goes that a red sky at night is a sailor's delight, meaning fair weather ahead.
"The reason behind the red sky is that the air is drier and there's dust in the air, a lot of dust out here in West Texas, especially when we get those gusty winds. So during the spring, when we get those gustier seasons, definitely pay attention to the sky, specifically at night, because when the sunlight hits that dusk and it reflects off of it, it creates that red hue," Kat shared. "We're expecting a pretty calm day heading into the next day."
However, a red sky in the morning is a sailor's warning.
"That's because there's moisture present in the atmosphere. With daytime heating and the moisture and all of those conditions that bring those thunderstorms that you know, especially if you're out in the ocean and you're trying to travel by boat and you get a thunderstorm, obviously, that's their warning, so they have to take precautions. So red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red Sky in the morning, sailors warning," Kat added.
The color of the ocean mixed with the scattering also affects the blue sky
"It's not true. I remember studying this back in school, but it's been a few years. It's actually the other way around. People think, Oh, the ocean's blue. It's really not if you, let's be honest, how many of y'all ever been to the beach? Unless you're in the Bahamas, it's not the cleanest water. It's green, brown when you're really close to it, and it looks blue because of the scattering happening from the sky reflecting onto the water," Carter said.