unit 3 lesson 4 how do weather patterns help us predict weather? copyright © houghton mifflin...

Unit 3 Lesson 4 How Do Weather Patterns Help Us Predict Weather?

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


Florida Benchmarks


• SC.5.E.7.3 Recognize how air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation determine the weather in a particular place and time.

• SC.5.E.7.7 Design a family preparedness plan for natural disasters and identify reasons for having such a plan.


Windy Weather


• Air is made of matter. It has mass and volume.

• Air pressure is the weight of the atmosphere on Earth’s surface.

• The sun does not heat all parts of Earth evenly. This causes changes in air pressure.


Windy Weather


• Wind is moving air.

• Differences in air pressure cause the air to move.

• Wind blows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.

Local Winds

• Land heats up more quickly than water does during the day.

• A sea breeze forms during the day when warm air over land rises and cool air over water moves inland to replace it.



Local Winds

• Land loses heat faster than water at night.

• A land breeze forms when cool air over land moves out to sea to replace the warm air rising from the water.




Windy Weather


• Use the image below to describe how temperature affects air pressure.


Battling Bodies of Air


• An air mass is a large body of air that has the same temperature and moisture properties throughout.

• An air mass that forms over warm land will be warm and dry.

• An air mass that forms over cold water will be cold and wet.




• The boundary where two different air masses meet is called a front.

• A cold front forms where a cold air mass moves under a warm air mass.

• A warm front forms where a warm air mass moves over a cold air mass.




• Describe what is happening in the diagram.


Mapping the Weather


• A weather map is a map that uses symbols to show weather data.

• Different symbols show warm fronts and cold fronts.


Mapping the Weather


• Describe the weather in three places.


Mapping the Weather


• Meteorologists get data from weather tools located at weather stations.

• A weather station is a structure that has tools for measuring and recording weather data at a given location.

• Satellites and Doppler weather radar are also used to gather weather data.


When Disaster Strikes


• Tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards are types of severe weather.

• A tornado has a funnel shape and can form from violent thunderstorms.

• A hurricane is a strong low-pressure storm that forms over warm water.




• A blizzard is a strong winter storm with high winds and heavy snowfall.

• Preparedness plans help people stay safe when disaster strikes.




• You should try to be indoors for severe weather.

• Prepare an emergency kit with water, food, and a first-aid kit.

• Listen to the radio for storm warnings.