Weather Analysis Practice: On Tuesday, you will be responsible for developing your own analysis of the weather data you collected. I won’t be able to check everyone’s analysis for each day Your weather project is an assessment…I’m not going to give you answers! This activity is meant to give you practice for that! Come up with an analysis, have me look it over, I’ll give you feedback/tips Take it or leave it, but don’t expect me to cater to you on Tuesday if you’re not practicing today Remember, don’t just regurgitate data…interpret the data. I.e. WHY was it cloudy? WHY was it rainy? WHY was it fair weather? Ect.

Weather Analysis Practice All of the surface maps are the same. If there isn’t a lot going on in the weather, that’s fine! Tell me why there isn’t!

Chicago, Illinois

Laramie, Wyoming

New York, New York

Atlanta, Georgia

Fort Worth, Texas

Salem, Oregon

Did you take into account… High/Low Pressure Compared to surrounding areas Wind direction & speed Dew point/Relative Humidity Fronts Cloud Formation

Ms. Mueller’s Analysis

Chicago, Illinois Ms. Mueller’s Analysis: There is a low pressure center near Chicago. Low pressure centers are associated with light rain and clouds. This could be what is causing Chicago to be mostly cloudy. The wind is coming out of the South/Southeast due to the High pressure center located to the south near Tennessee. The wind is relatively calm. This isobars on the map are not very close together near Chicago, indicating a lower Pressure Gradient Force

Laramie, Wyoming Ms. Mueller’s Analysis: Laramie is experiencing clear weather, likely because of the stationary front and High pressure center nearby. Stationary fronts do not produce clouds and the air masses are running parallel to one another. The high pressure center located to the southwest, near Utah, is likely contributing the clear weather as well. High pressure centers are associated with diverging winds, which will also not produce clouds. The Isobars near Laramie, WY are widely spaced, indicating a low pressure gradient force. This might account for the low wind speeds of 3 mph.

New York, New York Ms. Mueller’s Analysis: Very near the city of New York lies an occluded front and a warm front. Both of these front types are associated with rain, which NYC is experiencing. The Dew point is 53 degrees and the current temperature is 54 degrees. This means that the air has very nearly cooled to the dew point, so precipitation will likely occur (which it is).

Atlanta, Georgia Ms. Mueller’s Analysis: Atlanta, Georgia is very near a high pressure center. This could be why Atlanta is experiencing a sunny, clear day. High pressure centers are associated with fair weather and few clouds because the air is diverging from these areas. The wind speed is low, at 2 mph, due to the widely spaced isobars, which indicate a low pressure gradient force. There are no fronts directly affecting the Atlanta area, meaning very little cloud production will occur. This means Atlanta should have nice, sunny day 

Fort Worth, Texas Ms. Mueller’s Analysis: According to the data, Fort Worth is in the middle of a thunderstorm. This is likely due to the large cold front passing through from the Northwest. Cold fronts move quickly and force lots of air up very rapidly, allowing clouds to build vertically. Clouds with a lot of vertical development are Cumulonimbus clouds, which produce thunderstorms. The low pressure center near Fort Worth indicates that winds are converging here, which causes air to rise and form clouds. As the cold front moves through, it will bring cooler temperatures, which accounts for the low temperature of 49 degrees.

Salem, Oregon Ms. Mueller’s Analysis: Salem, Oregon is very near a low pressure center. This could explain the rain and clouds because low pressure centers are areas that have converging winds. Converging winds force air up, forming clouds. The Dew point is very close to being met, indicating that precipitation is on its way. The cold front passing through is probably what is causing the low temperature, as well as rain and storm. Cold fronts move quickly and rapidly force air upwards to create clouds with vertical structure.