Farmer’s Almanac 2014: Get Ready for Long, Hot Summer

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the New York area will be very hot and humid during this year’s summer. Temperatures are expected to start rising in June and will be accompanied by lots of rain and thunder. The hot and humid weather is expected to last partway into August. Following this, the Almanac predicts there will be a hurricane on the East Coast sometime between September 16 and 19, reports the New York Post.

Meteorologists seem to agree with the Farmer’s Almanac. They predict that there is a 50% chance that an El Nino could form. If it does, it will likely result in higher temperatures, rain and a warmer winter.

One good note for New Yorkers is that the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a clear night for the Fourth of July, the New York Post notes.

 

 

Deadly Tornadoes Struck This Past Weekend

The quiet 2014 severe weather season turned grimly violent over the weekend, as multiple deadly tornadoes ended a record-long start to a year without a tornado fatality. Media reports put Sunday's death toll at 18, with 16 of deaths in Arkansas, one in Iowa, and one in Oklahoma. Hardest-hit were Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas, located about fifteen miles north of Little Rock. A large and powerful tornado that had been on the ground nearly an hour carved through the region near sunset, killing at least ten people.

Spring Cleaning Series - How to improve indoor air quality

Filters, filters, everywhere

To combat poor air quality in your home year-round, a quality air purifier is a solid first line of defense, whether it’s a HEPA model to trap airborne particles or has a carbon filter to eliminate chemicals, odors, and the like. Naturally, no thorough spring-cleaning job would be complete without checking in to see if your air purifier’s filter needs replacement (check with the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding filter replacement or cleaning).

That said, there are other filters and screens around your home in addition to air purifiers that you should remember: furnace filters, air conditioner filters, dryer lint screens, vacuum cleaners, range hood screens, bathroom exhaust fan grilles, etc. And once you’ve finished cleaning or replacing all the filters in your home, why not introduce nature’s preferred pollutant filterer, a houseplant, to your shiny, sparkling and IAQ-improved abode?

Spring Cleaning Series - How to improve indoor air quality

Vapor steam cleaners: A multitasking, IAQ-improving powerhouse

Most of us have been there: On our hands and knees with a bucket and bottle of harsh chemical cleaner trying to restore the kitchen floor to its former, sparkling glory. Vacuum cleaner-esque in appearance and Italian in origin, vapor steam cleaners not only de-germ, disinfect and eliminate dirt, mildew, mold spores and a variety of allergens from hard sealed surfaces such as floors, countertops, and tile … many models work their deep cleaning and, most importantly, dust mite-killing magic on upholstered furniture, bedding and carpets as well. Their one not-so-secret nontoxic ingredient: tap water and not very much of it.

Aside from being more effective than noxious chemical cleaning solvents, vapor steam cleaners work fast, zapping household contaminants before there’s any chance of cross-contamination. Plus, as the preferred cleaning tool in hypoallergenic environments, no air quality-compromising fumes or sticky residues are left behind.