St. Paul Pioneer Press, 5-26-2002

Book by local author helps travelers find perfect weather

Bloomington author aids
search for 'comfort paradise'

By Harvey T. Rockwood
Sun Newspapers

    Tired of arriving at a vacation destination only to find that the weather is as extreme as Minnesota's?

    James Kennedy of Bloomington contends he's got the answer to that predicament. He's written a book that he said will lead travelers to climate nirvana.

    "How's The Weather? Find Your Outdoors Comfort Paradise in the U.S.," is designed to steer readers to avoid sweltering heat in summer and bitter cold in winter, Kennedy said.

    "The book is a quick directory," he said. "Whether you're going to Portland, Maine, or Portland, Ore., you can find your personal comfort zone.

    "If you're planning a family reunion or a picnic, you can pinpoint the place you want to go to be in comfortable weather," Kennedy said.

    "How's the Weather" includes maps of the entire country for each month of the year, along with weather averages for each region and time of year. The data includes not only temperature but relative humidity and dew points, which Kennedy uses to calculate a "thermal comfort value."

    "Virtually every location in the U.S. is a comfort paradise for at least a brief period throughout the year," Kennedy said.

"On the other hand, most regions can exhibit very unpleasant weather at times. This resource book enables the reader to conveniently evaluate the comfort conditions at a given destination."

    The book includes numerous contour charts and tables to express the outdoors leisure thermal comfort levels for more than 300 U.S. cities.

    Thermal comfort, referred to throughout the book, is computed from up to 50 years of historical dew point and ambient temperature climate data as recorded by the Federal Climate Complex, Asheville, N.C.

    Kennedy spent 28 years with Honeywell Inc. and Alliant Techsystems Inc., where he served as a principal systems analyst, technical staff engineer and principal design engineer.

    He has been awarded five patents. He holds a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from National Technological University.

    Kennedy will discuss his book at 7 p.m. Monday, June 10, at the Oxboro Community Library, 8801 Portland Ave. S.; at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, at Valley View Middle School, 8900 Portland Ave. S.; and at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, July 24, at Creekside Community Center, 9801 Penn Ave. S. All locations are in Bloomington.

    The book sells for $29.95 and is available at major Twin Cities retail book stores. More information is available online at www.askanalytic.com.

Phone: 952/392-6417
E-mail: suncurrentcentral@mnsun.com