1. Instructors: George Crowl
QM-11
Quartermaster
Weather
This PowerPoint is provided for those who may not have appropriate training aids available in a ship or location. This generally follows a companion lesson plan available at I expect you to modify it to fit your situation and teaching style. I am more concerned that Scouts learn than this fit a specific style. I am, however, a fan of the Effective Teaching model. Teaching EDGE is somewhat simplistic in its approach, but that has some advantages.
Note: These lesson plans may also be used for teaching in the ship. For administrative convenience, they cover the entire specific numbered requirement (except one, where Galley is covered separately!). Individual Sea Scout Academy lessons may only cover part of the requirements. Similarly, ships may find that even just a portion of a subrequirement is all that can be done during a particular ship meeting. Adapt these lessons as needed to fit your youth and your situation. Share these plans with your youth who are teaching.
Philosophy: Sea Scout Academy’s primary purpose is to teach the material to the Sea Scout. If the Sea Scout demonstrates mastery of parts of the subject, then the instructor should annotate on the class roster what has been passed, in the instructor’s opinion. Skippers have the right to re-examine any Sea Scout in any requirement. (Knots are not a good subject to give a pass in.) SSA may schedule only portions of ORD-8.
Instructors: George Crowl

2. Course Outline
a. Read and understand a local weather bulletin. Know how to obtain current marine and weather reports from the National Weather Service in your area by telephone, radio, or online.
b. Demonstrate your ability to read a barometer, thermometer, anemometer, psychrometer, and weather vane. Be familiar with the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.
c. Demonstrate your knowledge of the weather signs for your local area, including cloud types. Prepare a 48-hour forecast and compare your forecast with the actual weather that occurred.
Requirements:
Reference:

3. QM-11a
a. Read and understand a local weather bulletin. Know how to obtain current marine and weather reports from the National Weather Service in your area by telephone, radio, or online. D

4. Local Weather Bulletin
The traditional typed weather bulletin is no longer available
A local forecast is available from nws.noaa.gov by entering city and state or ZIP code
It provides current conditions and a week's forecast
That page offers an option to select the marine forecast
is one source for a written weather bulletin. is a source for a telephone number for a telephone weather bulletin. Both are the basic site, you have to customize for the area you are concerned about. Your VHF radio weather channels are your easiest sources for the weather forecast, just turn them on and punch the button. Find the channel with the clearest reception that covers your area of interest.
Most weather forcasting is in plain language, but if you do not understand some portion of it, ask an experienced mariner or weatherman to interpret for you.

5. Telephone Forecasts
is the web page to determine your local phone number for telephone weather forecasts
For Houston / Galveston, the phone number is
Select marine weather forecast A

6. Radio
Marine VHF radios have weather channels specifically identified and selectable
One particular channel may be better reception or provide better coverage of the area you are interested in.
The forecast is repeated at regular intervals. It may take several minutes to get to your area of interest A

7. Internet Go to www.nws.noaa.gov
Select the area of interest by clicking, such as Houston/Galveston
That will give you current observations and the opportunity to click on such functions as radar, satellite, weather map, and marine
Other companies, such as weather.com and weather underground also have good sites A

8. QM-11b
b. Demonstrate your ability to read a barometer, thermometer, anemometer, psychrometer, and weather vane. Be familiar with the Beaufort Wind Force Scale. T

9. Barometer Barometer measures air pressure
Air pressure is an indication of current weather
Air pressure trends are an indication of future weather
Falling barometer = stormy weather
Rising barometer = clearing weather
Steady barometer = steady weather
Many instruments today have digital scales, making reading very easy. However, look at the illustrations in the Sea Scout Manual, which are for analog instruments. The barometer in the PPT reads inches of mercury. You must first interpret between 30 and 31. Both 30.0 and 30.1 are marked. Then, you must look at the scale, which is 0.02 inches, and the needle is about 4/10 of the way from 30.0 to 30.1, or Each analog instrument has its own unique scale, and must be interpreted correctly.

10. Different Barometers Original barometer – mercury
Newest barometer - digital
The original mercury barometer had a scale behind it, measuring the distance above the pool of mercury. Most scales were in millimeters, some in inches. Standard day pressure was 760 mm of mercury, or inches of mercury. A third measure is in millibars, where 750 mm is one bar, or millibars.
The newest digital barometers just read the numbers out directly, so the digital barometer reads inches of mercury. It can be set to express the value in mm or millibars.

11. Different Barometers (2)
Common barometer – aneroid
Has a vacuum cham- ber, moves pointer
30.04” mercury or MB
Hand at 29.00” can be set to track trend
The most common barometer on Sea Scout ships will be the aneroid barometer. It too has a vacuum chamber, which moves in and out, and moves the dial. The one above is calibrated in inches of mercury and in millibars. The reading is 30.04” or 1017 mB. Note also that there is a hand at 29.00”. This hand is settable, to allow the observer to track the trend, in this case a dramatically rising barometer suggesting clearing skies and good weather.

12. Thermometers Outdoor - °C or °F Note funny scale
Engine – highlights high temperature
Digital – direct reading
The thermometer is the most common instrument. Most US thermometers are in Fahrenheit, becoming more common is Celsius scale, where 0° is freezing and 100° is boiling. Some thermometers are dual scale, some digital can be switched, and some have only one scale. Specialized thermometers such as engine temperature will have markings that help alert the operator to problems, such as red for water temperature over 210°.

13. Anemometer Measures speed (and direction) of wind
Analog, vacuum and digital readouts
Normally shows relative wind direction & speed
Can be tied to GPS to provide true wind dir / vel
Mounted on highest mast
The anemometer measures wind speed. The anemometer on a boat only measures true wind speed when the boat is stopped. Any time the boat is moving, the anemometer will read relative wind speed, in relation to the boat. For instance a boat traveling north at 10K in a south wind of 20K will only show a 10K wind. However, tying that to a GPS will allow a display of true wind. When sailing, relative wind is actually more important.

14. Wind Vane Shows relative wind Little red tabs show “eye of the wind”
Does not show velocity unless anemometer is tied into it
Does not show true wind direction
Mounted on highest mast
The wind vane, often a combination wind vane and anemometer, also only measures true wind direction when the boat is stopped. Otherwise, it too measures relative direction. This is very useful in sailing, because the sails react to the relative wind. It is somewhat less useful for weather forcasting.

15. Psychrometer Measures relative humidity
Two thermometers, one wet, one dry
“Sling” them around in the air, one is cooled by the wet bulb, shows a different temperature
Read a table of temperatures, tells relative humidity
New digital ones solve different ways
The sling psychrometer has two thermometers, one “wet bulb” and one “dry bulb.” Slinging the two theermometers around cools the wet bulb thermometer. The operator can consult a table to interpret the temperature readings to get the relative humidity. Newer digital psychrometers use different sensing methods and computer programs to present the infoormation digitally.

16. Beaufort Wind Scale
Invented by British Admiral Francis Beaufort in 1805
Designed for open ocean, bay or lake will be less accurate
Relates wind speed (K) to sea state to wind names
Is still the basis of small craft warnings, gale warnings, storm warnings, etc
Force 5, 16-21K, “Fresh Breeze,” is usually the limit for Sea Scout sailing
The Beaufort Scale regularized wind observations at sea in the early 1800s. It was correlated with wind speeds in the early 1900s. It is designed for the open ocean, so observations on a bay or lake are likely to produce a lower figure for a given wind speed. Sailboats are usually more comfortable in Force 3 winds, and probably should not go out in Force 5 or higher. “Be familiar with” means that you should be able to compare your observation with a copy of the chart and identify the current Force of the wind, and translate that to approximate miles per hour or knots.

17. Beaufort Scale L A

18. QM-11c
c. Demonstrate your knowledge of the weather signs for your local area, including cloud types. Prepare a 48-hour forecast and compare your forecast with the actual weather that occurred. T

19. Weather Cycle Weather goes through regular cycles
Typical would be: clear in high pressure area, becoming cloudy, warm front with rain / snow in a low pressure area, some clearing, cold front with possible thunder-storms, clearing, and back to clear in a high pressure area
Winds and fronts generally go from west to east A

20. Cloud Types L
Cloud types are in the Sea Scout Manual. Teach the difference between stratus and cumulus, then teach the classification of low, medium and high altitude, which makes up the names of many of the cloud types. Then discuss nimbus, as it applies to nimbostratus and cumulonimbus. Once they have figured out the names, then discuss what they portend for weather. Also some sayings, such as “red sky in morning, sailors take warning.” Go over the likely sequence of weather fronts and clearing.

21. Cirrus Cirrus, cirro... = high (18-50,000 ft)
Thin, wispy strands of water vapor or ice
“Mare's Tails”
Appears in advance of fronts, deteriorating weather A

22. Cirrostratus High, very thin, uniform Ice crystals
Often can see through it A

23. Cirrostratus Halo Halo can form around the moon, perhaps the sun
Ice crystals are refracting light (as in a rainbow) A

24. Cirrocumulus High, small rounded puffs, usually in long rows
“Mackerel sky”, often clear, cold weather A

25. Altostratus Alto = middle altitude (6-18,000 feet)
Stratus = level, layered stable air mass
Dark clouds (thick, water inside)
May signal approach of a warm front A

26. Altocumulus Cloud has more vertical development
Weakening warm front or between a warm and a cold front A

27. Stratus
Stratus = low level cloud (below 6000 ft), flat bottom and top, may be layered, stable air
May have light drizzle or snow A

28. Nimbostratus Low to middle cloud
Nimbo = precipitation = rain, sleet, hail, snow
Covers a wide area A

29. Stratocumulus Low, lumpy layer of clouds, little convection
Might have light precipitation
Common in polar and horse latitudes (30-38°) A

30. Cumulus Low clouds, flat bottoms, rounded bumpy tops
Unstable air, can grow in height, become cumulonimbus A

31. Cumulonimbus Dense clouds, unstable air, with cold fronts
Thunderstorms = rain, hail, sleet, even snow
Tornados and water- spouts come out bottom
Lightning, high wind gusts
Dangerous, get off the water A

32. Cloud Types Summary L A

33. Sailors' Aphorisms
“Red sky at night, sailors' delight, red sky in morning, sailors take warning”
“When a halo rings the moon or sun, rain's approaching on the run”
“When the sun draws water, storms will follow”
“Rainbow to windward, foul fall the day, rainbow to leeward, rain runs away”
Mackerel skies and mares' tails, make tall ship take in their sails”
Red sky at night, sailors delight. When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.
Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning. A red sunrise can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving to the east. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain could be on its way.
WHEN A HALO RINGS THE MOON OR SUN, RAIN’S APPROACHING ON THE RUN. A halo appears around the moon or the sun when ice crystals at high altitudes refract the moonlight (or sunlight). That is a good indication that moisture is descending to lower altitudes, where it is likely to take the form of precipitation. A halo is a more reliable indicator of storms in warmer months than during winter months.
WHEN THE SUN DRAWS WATER, STORMS WILL FOLLOW. The sun does not draw water. This saying describes an optical illusion in which the sun’s rays alternate with bands of shadow to produce a fanlike effect. Those shadowy patches are dense clouds, some of which are thin enough to allow sunlight to reach earth. However, the saying is not without merit. If the sun is obscured in the west, it means that moisture-laden clouds have gathered there, and it’s quite possible that rain will follow if the temperature is favorable for the condensation of that moisture.

34. 48-Hour Weather Forecast
Watch the weather for a day or two
Write down what you see – wind direction and speed, precipitation, clouds types during period
Apply personal knowledge of weather cycle
Use history, cloud types, barometer if available
Predict for 48 hours – clouds, rain, relative temperature, etc.
Do NOT use a published forecast, make an honest prediction
Based on all of the above, have them prepare a 48-hour forecast, primarily cloud types, rain, temperature and wind. Ask them to think about the patterns they see in their local area, and where they are in that sequence, and what that means for the next two days.

35. Recommended Format Date, time of day (morning, afternoon, evening)
Types of clouds, cloud cover
Rain possibilities
Temperature trend A

36. Record Your Observations
Match your observations with your predictions (use the same sheet of paper, column for observations)
Highlight similarities, differences
Do not expect perfection (professional meteorologists sometimes get it wrong!)
This is an exercise in thinking
They need to write down the forecast, day by day, preferably into smaller chunks. Then, they must actually record what happens during those same chunks. They are not required to be accurate, but they must make an honest effort, and report the actual difference between the forecast and actual weather. They should not have consulted a weather forcaster during the process.

37. Questions? R