How is Weather Measured and Described?
Learning Target
Students collect data from several cities around the country regarding weather conditions during different times of the year.
Success Criteria
I can describe how different weather variables are related to each other.
I can find relationships between weather from several local towns and cities.
I can compare weather forecasts between different cities around the country.
Questions to Ponder
What do you want to know when you see a weather forecast?
What are several ways that you could describe today's weather?
How does weather change based on your location around the country or the world?
A Local Weather Report
Watch the following weather report for Maryland.
What are some things the meteorologist mentioned that your team did not talk about in the Questions to Ponder?
Local Weather
Click the following links for the weather forecasts for our local weather.
Compare them to the weather forecast for Baltimore.
How is Weather Measured and Described?
In this lesson you will look at different weather maps from cities around the United States. They show a lot of information that comes from data that meteorologists collect.
The data include such factors as temperature, air pressure, wind speed/direction, and rainfall.
During the lesson you will be observing to see if there are any patterns.
Whole Class Warm-up
Observe the three weather maps of the United States on page 11 of the Weather Watch Text. These maps show typical weather over a three-day period.
Notice the different symbols on the maps. Red lines with half circles and blue lines with triangles are scattered on each map.
There are large H’s and L’s, also in blue and red. The map key tells you what each of the symbols represent. The red lines with the half circles are warm fronts and the L’s are low-pressure areas.
Questions - What patterns do you notice over the three-day period? What would you expect to see on a fourth day?
Examine the weather maps for each day and discuss the following with your group:
Your teacher will assign your team a specific city. What are the weather symbols near your city?
What are the locations of each one using the compass points – north, south, east, and west (for example, NW of city; S of city)?
In what direction does each pressure system and front appear to be moving?
Which pressure systems and fronts seem to be moving toward your city on each day?
Cities
Location A: Rapid City, South Dakota
Location B: Burlington, Vermont
Location C: Atlanta, Georgia
Location D: Las Vegas, Nevada
Location E: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Location F: Dallas, Texas
In this activity you will be observing the weather conditions for a particular city over the course of three days. You will need to go back and forth between weather maps and charts with more specific information about that weather.
Use this form along with page 11-16 in in the Weather Watch Text.
Back to Teams
Would you use any other terms to describe today's weather?
How does weather change based on your location around the country or the world?
Weather Variables Exit Ticket
Click the question mark to answer a question about today's lesson.
Meteorology