Weather Forecasting By: Jessica

What is one way to forecast the weather?  One way is to look at the clouds, but there are many others.

How many cloud types are there? There are six types of clouds that bring different types of weather. There are six types of clouds that bring different types of weather.

What are the six types of clouds? The six clouds are cirrus clouds, cumulus clouds, stratus clouds, nimbus clouds, cumulonimbus clouds, and nimbostratus clouds.

What do the clouds tell us?  They tell us what kind of weather is going to happen. Rain or shine?

Are there any advanced or more accurate ways to forecast the weather?  Yes, satellite photos. They can show us if there are any storms coming our way to warn us to take shelter.

Who forecasts the weather? Meteorologists are the ones who come up and actually forecast the weather. Meteorologists are the ones who come up and actually forecast the weather.

How is some of the data collected? People at the National Weather Service all over the world collect the data by sending huge balloons up into the air at a specific time everyday! One at 7 o’clock in the morning and again at 7o'clock in the afternoon. Eventually the balloon pops, and down comes a styrofoam box.

How far do they go up before they bust? Twenty-two miles up in the air! Twenty-two miles up in the air!

Do the people at the National Weather Service ever get their styrofoam box or radiosondes, back? They get some back, but not many. Most land in unpopulated areas.

What happens when the data is collected from the balloons? The data is then put into maps on computers and meteorologists forecast that weather. The data is then put into maps on computers and meteorologists forecast that weather.

What, your senses can help you forecast the weather? Yes, your senses can actually help you out when forecasting the weather. All five!

Is forecasting more than just a prediction? No. For example, they don’t know exactly where the hurricane is going. It’s just a prediction. They predict where the hurricane is going to end up, in say, three days.