1. Forecasting the Weather

2. What is a weather forecast?
Forecast: A prediction of weather over the next 3-5 days.

3. What is a meteorologist?
Meteorologist: A person who observes the atmosphere, collects data, and makes predictions—forecasts—based on the data.
You know them as weathermen and weatherwomen.

4. What do meteorologists measure?
Air pressure
Humidity
Precipitation
Temperature
Wind speed
Wind direction

5. Weather instruments
Weather balloon
Thermometer
Barometer
Anemometer

6. Weather balloons Pictures courtesy of http://www. srh. noaa

7. Weather Balloons
Weather balloons: Carry equipment as high as 30 km above the Earth’s surface
Measure temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, wind speed, & direction

8. Thermometer
Thermometer: Used to measure:
air temperature

9. Barometer
Barometer: Used to measure air pressure

10. Anemometer
Used to measure wind speed

11. Wind Sock
Used to measure wind direction

12. Wind Vane/Weather Vane
Used to measure wind direction

13. Radar
Used to find location, movement, kind & amount of precipitation

14. Weather Satellite
Orbit the Earth & send information back to Earth; used to track storms, wind speed, humidity, & different altitudes

15. Collecting & Analyzing Weather Data
2 groups who gather information:
National Weather Service (NWS)
NOAA (National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration)

16. NWS
Produce maps based on information gathered from over 1,000 weather stations nationwide

17. Station Model
A small circle that shows the location of a weather station
Surrounding the small circle is a set of symbols & numbers that represent weather data

18. Example of a Station Model

19. Cold Front
Represented by triangles on a line

20. Warm Front
Represented by half-circles on a line:

21. High Pressure
Usually brings clear, sunny weather

22. Low Pressure
Bring rainy weather

23. Isobars
Lines that connect points of equal pressure on a weather map