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Harmattan
~1.9 mins read
The Harmattan is a season in West Africa, which occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea . [1]
The name is related to the word haramata in the Twi language. [2] The temperature is cold in most places, but can also be hot in certain places, depending on local circumstances. [3]
Harmattan haze surrounding Abuja National Mosque in Abuja
The Harmattan blows during the dry season, which occurs during the months with the lowest sun. In this season the subtropical ridge of high pressure stays over the central Sahara Desert and the low-pressure
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) stays over the Gulf of Guinea. On its passage over the Sahara, the harmattan picks up fine dust and sand particles (between 0.5 and 10 microns). It is also known as the "doctor wind", because of its invigorating dryness compared with humid tropical air.
Effects
This season differs from winter , because it is characterized by cold, dry, [4] dust-laden wind, and also wide fluctuations in the ambient temperatures of the day and night. Temperatures can easily be as low as 9 °C (48 °F) all day, but sometimes in the afternoon the temperature can also soar to as high as 30 °C (86 °F), while the relative humidity drops under 5%. It can also be hot in some regions, like in
Sahara desert .[5]
Harmattan haze over Ho, Ghana
The air is particularly dry and desiccating when the Harmattan blows over the region. [4] The Harmattan brings desert-like weather conditions: it lowers the humidity, dissipates cloud cover, prevents rainfall formation and sometimes creates big clouds of dust which can result in dust storms or
sandstorms . [citation needed ] The wind can increase fire risk[6] and cause severe crop damage. [7] The interaction of the Harmattan with monsoon winds can cause tornadoes . [1]
Harmattan haze
In some countries in West Africa, the heavy amount of dust in the air can severely limit visibility and block the sun for several days, [8] comparable to a heavy fog. This effect is known as the Harmattan haze. It costs airlines millions of dollars in cancelled and diverted flights each year. [9][10] When the haze is weak, the skies are clear. [11][12] The extreme dryness of the air may cause branches of trees to die. [13]
Health
Humidity drops to as low as 15%, which can result in spontaneous nosebleeds for some people.[7] Other health effects on humans may include conditions of the skin (dryness of the skin), dried or chapped lips, eyes, and respiratory system, including aggravation of asthma.[14]
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10 Women Share Their First Love Kiss
~3.9 mins read
1. “My first kiss was right after my senior prom with my date, because I'm a walking cliche.
He kissed me at the end of the night before I went home, and I was absolutely terrible at it. †—Mackenzie M., 29
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2. “I had the biggest crush on a high school junior who I knew from the debate team (I was a freshman). One evening, he came over to my house for pizza and a movie. The night went on and nothing was happening as we sat with a 10-foot pole between us, so he decided to call a cab home. As I went to hand him the phone, he leaned in to kiss me. Panicked, I said, ‘whoa, what are you doing?!’ and threw the phone at him. He replied, ‘...okay then.’ After he called the cab he said, ‘let's try this again,’ and leaned in and planted one on me. I can't remember anything about it except that it was happening and how hard I was concentrating on not making his entire face wet with slobber.†—Meagan D., 31
3. “ My first kiss was at a Taylor Swift concert during the song ‘Love Story’—how romantic, right? I was in my junior year of high school and was (still am) the biggest T. Swift fan. I was thriving in that moment!†—Kayla, H., 25
GIPHY
4. “I was 13-years-old when I had my first kiss ever with my then (and now!) boyfriend. I walked with him to the bus stop, hugged him, and he complimented my top from Wet Seal before our final goodbye for the day. We stared at each other, holding hands and giggling, and suddenly there it was—our first kiss on the bus steps in front of all our peers. We parted ways as planned, but felt the butterflies in my stomach and continued to think about that one kiss. It was just a peck on the lips and not a make out, but still so special. We texted each other about it seconds later.†—Laura G., 26
5. “ My first kiss ever was in the back of my family-friend’s pickup truck, parked in a field in Pennsylvania . He became my high school boyfriend… and eventually, an aspiring country rapper, which makes me think he set that stage for a future song. But who’s to say?†—Rosie B., 24
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6. “Not my first kiss ever, but my first kiss with a certain someone... I was visiting family in Sweden, and I was out at a bar with my cousin. I was introduced to a friend of my cousin’s, who happened to be from the Netherlands. He grabbed my hand and asked if I wanted to take a walk so he could give me a quick tour of the city. Little did he know, I had visited pretty much every summer since birth—but I went with it. We ended the ‘tour’ with a romantic kiss by the canals in old town.†—Kristina K., 30
7. “Our first date was on a Monday night in November. We couldn’t stop talking and closed down a wine bar in NYC. We stumbled outside and it was brisk, so I started shivering in my leather jacket. Noticing, she took off her scarf, swung it around my neck, and pulled me towards her. As we kissed for the first time, she told me she enjoyed how slow we took things. And who in New York takes their time?†—Jenny P., 31
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8. “After just moving into our first apartment, my roommate and I threw a housewarming party. While everyone was throwing down winter sangria, a tall, unfamiliar male guest immediately caught my attention—my roommate’s college friend from out of town.
We started flirting and with each drink, our courage increased and any concern about PDA decreased. The night ended with a ‘romantic’ first kiss-slash-make-out... with me sitting on top of my stove in the middle of the party. We are still together four years later and will be making that sangria at our housewarming party!†—Courtney S., 27
9. “It’s New Years Eve 2013, I’m recently single, devastated, and at a party where I only know a few people. A cute red-haired boy starts flirting with me and we’re having a good time, until his friends decide they want to go elsewhere. We say an awkward goodbye with a hug and he leaves—and I’m bummed because he was the first guy since my breakup to show interest and I was hoping for something. The next thing I know, there’s a knock on the door—he flies back into the apartment, says ‘what was I thinking?’ and pins me to the wall in the most romantic kiss I’ve ever had. I mean, hands holding my face gently, and passionately making out with me in front of everyone left at the party. Then he hands me a piece of paper with his number before he left. It was perfect.†—Giselle C., 31
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10. “I had just started hanging out with this guy and one night, we snuck off to my parent's lake house, but I had been up since 4:30 a.m. for work and was exhausted. There was only one couch, so we were laying together with a movie playing, but I rolled over to cuddle and fall asleep; our faces were basically touching, and he just had to move his lips ever so slightly to kiss me. It still makes my day to think about that memory!†—Lindsey M., 30
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