Weather and Water

Investigation 1What is weather?

What is Weather?

• Well?• Write in your journal what weather is.• What factors would you need to consider if

you were going to describe or forecast weather?

• Have one person from your table login to the computer.

Part 1

Into the Weather

Today’s Weather

• Is today’s weather normal for this time of year? If not, what weather would you expect?

• Is this the kind of weather you would expect to happen everywhere on Earth today?– Australia– Brazil– Russia

Things that fall from the sky

• What are some things that might normally fall from the sky?

• What do we call that stuff?• Video Clip

1. What surprised you about the weather shown in the video?2. Weather that is dangerous or causes damage is called

severe weather. Describe any severe weather you have experienced.

3. What other types of severe weather have you heard or read about?

Hurricanes• Video Clip1. What is a hurricane?2. What conditions are necessary for a hurricane to form?3. What kinds of damage occur during hurricanes?4. What are some things people have done to try to lessen

hurricane damage?5. Where have some of the most devastating hurricanes

occurred and when?6. How do meteorologists know when a hurricane is

coming or where it might strike land?

What is a hurricane?

• An area of low pressure into which air rushes, creating powerful winds that spiral around a central eye.

• The wind blows at least 75 mph or 120 km/h.

What conditions are necessary for a hurricane to form?

• An ocean with water temperature at 81 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) or higher

• An area of low pressure

What kinds of damage occur during hurricanes?

• Wind damage• Water damage• Property damage• Flooding

What are some things people have done to try to lessen hurricane damage?

• Moved entire cities inland in Belize• Improved hurricane forecasts• Help people prepare for securing property or

evacuating• Built seawalls in Galveston• Built houses on stilts• Tried to fix levies in New Orleans

Where have been some of the most devastating hurricanes occurred and when?

• Galveston 1900• Belize – Hurricane Hattie – 1961• Galveston – Hurricane Alecia – 1983• Caribbean Islands and Yucatan Peninsula – Hurricane

Gilbert – 1988• Bangladesh 1991• Florida – Hurricane Andrew – 1992• Gulf Coast – Hurricane Katrina - 2005

How do meteorologists know when a hurricane is coming and where it might strike land?

• Ground observations• Aircraft observations• Satellite images

Video Reflection

• The two video segments gave us some things to think about and may have raised some questions. You might have some other questions about weather that we experience where we live.

• In your journal title a page – Weather Questions. Write down three to four questions.

• Share with your table – write down any more questions you come up with.

Question Categories

• Write your questions on a stick ‘em• One question per stick ‘em• Put your question under one of the following

categories.– Weather conditions– Local weather– Severe weather– Definitions– Other?

Meteorology

• What do you think of when you see that word?

• Meteorology is the scientific study of Earth’s weather.

• A person who studies the causes and effects of weather is a meteorologist.

• The word literally means study of meteors.

Huh?• What do meteors have to do with weather?• In ancient Greece, anything that fell from the sky was

considered a meteor, whether it was what we know as a meteor today, rain, snow or hail.

• Today meteorology includes only the study of weather.• Planetary scientists study meteors now.• Some meteorologists study weather to make forecasts to let

people know what kind of weather to expect in the next day or week.

• Name some of our local meteorologists on the Seattle TV stations.

Using Weather Forecasts

• In your journal, write down why people listen or look at forecasts. What kind of decisions are made based on weather forecasts?– How to dress– Travel plans – especially air– Health considerations – allergies, colds, flus– Business considerations such as seasonal goods like

umbrellas, snow gear, swimsuits– Vacation or recreation plans like camping, sailing or picnics– Agriculture or gardening plans, spring planting, harvesting

Naming Hurricanes

• Read pg. 3-4 in the book• In your journal write down the old rules for

naming hurricanes,• And today’s rules for naming hurricanes.• What happened to naming hurricanes in 1978?• What happens to the names of the most severe

storms?• When do storms get their name?

Part Two

Local Weather

Your Weather Report

• In your journal write down your version of today’s weather report for the weather right now. Today’s weather is…

• Share your weather report with your table.• Use your highlighter to highlight any common

words in your weather reports.• Write your table’s common weather words on

your whiteboard.

Weather Reports

• Pull out the weather report you obtained for your homework.

• Answer the following questions in your journal:– What types of information are included in your

weather report?– What was the source for your weather report?– How does this weather report compare to the

report you wrote.

Today’s Weather Report

• Weather Underground rocks• Write down the following in your journal, then

record the data from Weather Underground– Temperature – how hot or cold the air is– Humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air– Wind direction – the compass direction from which the

wind is coming– Pressure – the force of the air pushing in all directions– Visibility – the distance one can see through the air

Weather Underground

• Here’s the report from Weather Underground for us today.

• As you look at this page, write down what other information it includes other than what we already wrote down

Weather Tools

• Thermometer – temperature• Barometer – air pressure• Hygrometer – humidity• Anemometer – wind speed• Wind vane – wind direction• Open your books to page 5 and follow along

as we go through these tools

Class Weather Chart

• What do you think visibility means?• What weather factors might limit visibility?• How can we determine what the visibility is?• What additional information might be

included in the column headed “Other Observations”?

Daily Measurements

• Tables will take turns collecting weather data and recording it on the class weather chart.

• How to do this:– Go outside to the tables– Carefully take out the tools– The anemometer and compass should be used

together to determine wind speed and direction.

Scientific Measurements

• Temperature in Celsius• Pressure in millibars (mb)• Humidity in percent• Wind speed in km/h• Wind direction is the compass direction form

which the wind is coming

The Weather Machine Video

• Take notes in your journal of what drives weather in our world.

Storm Chasers

• Storm chasers are people who intentionally try to get in the path of severe weather. As you watch this segment, try to figure out why they do such apparently foolish things.1. What kind of weather do storm chasers study?2. Why do storm chasers engage in such dangerous activities?3. What weather factors do storm chasers measure?4. Write down three things you already knew about weather.5. Write down three things you didn’t know about weather.

World Weather

• You are going to collect weather data for any city in the world you want to.

• You are going to make your own data sheets.• You can do your data sheets by hand or on the

computer.• Write down what city you want to track.• What kind of data should you collect?• How long should we collect data?

Weather Lore

• Sky Watch: Signs of the Weather• Weather Sayings and Folklores• Weather Folktales