Purpose

To learn  about the various factors that interact to cause weather (heat energy, air pressure, winds, and moisture) and how to interpret data from radar and satellite images to make weather forecasts.

Introduction

You have the opportunity to become one of hundreds of students involved in reporting the weather in N.J.  Your assignment is to collect weather data using the Internet and your school weather station to predict the weather for the next week.

Objective

Through this activity, students will be able to explain how meteorologists interpret weather data to make weather forecasts.
They will be able to describe several instruments meteorologists use.

Materials

Weather instruments
Barometer
Thermometer
Rain gauge
Journals
Pencil or pen
Computer with Internet connection

Procedure

With the Internet connected computer, compare your readings with current time data from the Weather Channel, CNN or Intellicast.  Look at the radar image for the USA.  Answer the following questions.

Questions

1. How often is the map updated?
2. Using the color key, what does the radar detect on this map?
3. What does the color key represent?
4. Located at the bottom left hand corner of the image this key indicates the date and time of the most recent national radar (NATRA) image. What is the date and time? How is the time displayed?
5.  Where do major storms appear to be in the United States?

Look at the satellite image for the USA.  Answer the following questions.

 Questions

1. What does the satellite image show?
2. Do you see any color on this map?
3. What do the colors represent?
4. If could set this into motion which direction do you think the clouds would move?
5. Start the satellite image and look what happens? What direction are they moving? How might this be useful to a meteorologist?

Journal Activities
• Conditions for Daily Predictions
• Week of Daily Predictions
 

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