Transcript Wind and Clouds

Chapter 3 – page 39
READING A WEATHER MAP
TODAY’S OBJECTIVES
• LOOK AT A COUPLE OF WEATHER MAPS
1. From your textbook from chapter 3, page 39
2. Another from the NOAA website
• DEFINE SOME TERMS
• MAKE WEATHER PREDICTIONS
1. With the maps
2. With our senses
• TAKE A SHORT QUIZ
• HOMEWORK
SURFACE MAP
SURFACE CHART SYMBOLS
• LOW PRESSURE AREA
• HIGH PRESSURE AREA
• WARM FRONT
• COLD FRONT
• STATIONARY FRONT
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• WIND DIRECTION
SURFACE MAP
CURRENT FEATURES
@ www.weather.com
WORDS TO KNOW
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Meteorology –--------
The study of weather and climate
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Low Pressure---------
Winds that blow inward and counter-clockwise
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High Pressure---------
Winds that blow outward and clockwise
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Front-------------------
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Warm Front-----------
The boundary between two air masses of different
densities that move from west to east
Warm mass of air- slower and lower density
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Cold Front-------------
Cold mass of air- faster and higher density
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Wind Direction--------
Always labeled by the direction from which they blow
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Humid-----------------
Air with lots of water vapor
NOW SOME AMATEUR
FORECASTING
• 1ST – CLOUD FORECASTING
• 2ND – WIND FORECASTING
• 3RD- SENSES FORECASTING
Cirrus Cloud
The first kind of cloud is a
cirrus cloud. Cirrus clouds are
thin and wispy, and are found
very high in the sky. Cirrus
clouds point in the direction the
wind is blowing. No precipitation
falls from cirrus clouds. They
are a sign of fair weather for now
and the very near future.
Altocumulus Clouds
Next are the altocumulus clouds.
These clouds are like fuzzy bubbles
in long rows or strings. If you see
altocumulus clouds, it usually
means that a cold front is coming. If
it's summertime and warm and
humid, altocumulus clouds may
turn into thunderstorms when the
cold front approaches.
Nimbostratus Clouds
After that are the nimbostratus
clouds. These clouds are dark and
low-hanging clouds that cover the
whole sky. They bring with them
light to moderate precipitation.
Cumulus Clouds
Then there are fair weather
cumulus clouds. These
clouds look like big cotton
balls in the sky. They have
very large spaces of clear sky
in between them. Normally
they don't carry any rain, but
during the spring and summer
they can change into
cumulonimbus clouds.
Cumulonimbus
Cu-mu-lo-nimbus clouds
are thunderstorm clouds.
They are tall and wide clouds
that have heavy rain,
thunder and lightning. If
you see these clouds on the
horizon, it is likely it will rain
very soon.
The Funnel Cloud
THE TEST
• PART ONE – YOUR DAD
• Hope you remember your lesson about cloud
forecasting, because now you’re going to need
it! Your dad wants to spend the afternoon
resting in his hammock. He wants to know if it
will rain this afternoon, or if it will be clear.
• So you look at the sky and see if there are any
clouds floating above you. You see long strings
of clouds that stretch across the sky. The spring
day is warm but not humid.
• What do you tell your dad?
PART ONE - YOUR DAD
• If you told your dad it was going to rain, he spent the
day sleeping in the tent. He woke up hot and sweaty
calling your name.
• If you told your dad that it was going to be a nice and
warm afternoon, you were right! Good job! The clouds
you saw were altocumulus. They are a sure sign that a
cold front is coming, and a cold front can sometimes
cause rain. But remember that is was warm but not
humid. That means that there wasn’t enough moisture
in the air for it to rain. So the afternoon may have
gotten a little cooler, but should have stayed nice and
sunny.
WIND FORECASTING
WIND FORECASTING
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Forecasting the wind is simple, but it only works if the wind is strong enough to feel
it. Early in the morning, the wind can tell you how warm a day will be.
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1st– Know which direction is north – use a compass!
2nd– Face that direction – the direction behind you will be what? To your left is west
and to your right is east.
3rd– Then feel which way the wind is coming from – wet your finger if you have too!
4th– A south wind usually means that warmer weather is on the way soon.
A north wind usually means that cooler and drier weather is on the way.
East or west winds can mean a variety of things, which makes it difficult to
forecast.
5th– If there’s a large body of water to your south, then this rule won’t work. Wind
that travels across a body of water will feel cooler in the summer and warmer in
the winter.
6th– Hope you remember your wind forecasting tricks!
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THE TEST
• PART TWO – YOUR MOM
• Hope you remember your lesson about wind forecasting,
because now you’re going to need it! This morning your
mother wants to collect pine cones for her collection.
It’s a cold morning, and she wants to know if it will get
any warmer while she’s picking pine cones.
• So you find a clearing where you can stand still and feel
the wind. You find what direction is north, and notice
that there is large lake to your south. You feel a strong
wind coming from the north.
• Based on the wind, what do you tell your mom?
PART TWO – YOUR MOM
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If you told your mom that the weather would get warmer while
she’s out hiking, boy are you trouble. She went out wearing a tanktop and shorts. When she returned to the camp site, she was very
cold because the weather didn’t get any warmer. She also walked
through poison ivy and got it all over her bare legs.
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If you told your mom that the weather would stay cold while
she was out gathering pine cones, you were right! Good job! When
you made your forecast, you were facing the north. The wind was
hitting you in the face, so the wind was coming from the north.
This typically means that the weather will be cool and dry. If the
wind was coming from the south, you shouldn’t trust it. Wind that
crosses a body of water takes or loses heat from the water, and
won’t be the real temperature of the air. You should find another
place to check the wind or check the clouds as well.
SENSES FORECASTING
• SIGHT-is the easiest to use when you forecast. You use
your sight when you watch clouds to forecast the
weather.
• TOUCH-is another easy one. Like when your face gets
cooler on a hot day when a cloud passes over. You also
use touch to feel the wind direction.
• HEARING-is useful for hearing an approaching storm.
You can hear the wind blowing through the trees.
• SMELL-can help you predict the weather. Rain and
snow have a distinct smell.
• TASTE-You really can’t predict the weather with this
sense. If you insist on trying it, don’t eat the yellow
snow.
THE TEST
• PART THREE– YOUR BROTHER
• Hope you remember your lesson about senses
forecasting, because now you’re going to need it! Your
brother wants to go canoeing this afternoon, and wants
to know if it’s going to rain this afternoon. He wants you
to use your senses forecasting lesson to see if the
weather will stay nice this afternoon. And if you don’t
get it right, he’s going to make you use your sense of
taste to eat dirt.
• So you use your senses forecasting lessons to see what
the weather will be. With you sight, you see dark clouds
that are covering the sky in the distance. With your
sense of touch, you feel a warm wind coming from the
south. With your sense of hearing, you hear a dull
rumbling off in the distance.
• So what do you tell your brother?
PART THREE YOUR BROTHER
• If you told your brother he could go canoeing,… bon
appetite’.
• If you told your brother that it is likely to rain, you were
right! Good job! Your brother decided not to go
canoeing and played cards with you instead. When it
started raining you moved your card game inside.
• There were many signs it was going to rain. Your sense
of sight caught the nimbostratus clouds, clouds that
usually bring rain. Your sense of hearing let you hear
thunder from the storm in the distance. If your sense of
smell was keen you would have been able to smell the
rain, too.
THE QUIZ
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Where are cirrus clouds usually found?
In a thunderstorm
Very high in the sky
Close to the ground
Altocumulus clouds often come before what?
A cold front
A warm front
A bus
What kind of precipitation is a nimbostratus cloud associated with?
Hail
Heavy thunderstorms
Light to moderate precipitation
What kind of clouds look like big cotton balls?
Cirrus clouds
Fair weather cumulus clouds
Dense fog
What direction does warm weather usually come from in the Northern
Hemisphere?
North
West
South
Which of your five senses doesn’t help you forecast?
Sight
Touch
Taste
THE QUIZ CONT’D
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What is a weather front?
It is a mirage
When two air masses overlap
The boundary between two air masses
What is meteorology?
The study of meteors
The study of weather and climate
It is a rocket science
What is a low pressure center?
Winds that blow inward and counterclockwise
Winds that blow outward and counterclockwise
Winds that blow inward and clockwise
What is a cold front?
A cold mass of air that is slower and higher than a warm front
A cold mass of air that is faster and lower than a warm front
A cold mass of air that is faster and higher than a warm front
What’s another name for a thunderstorm cloud?
Cirrus cloud
Chuck
Cumulonimbus
What can a large body of water do to the air during the summer?
Increase the air temperature
Decrease the air temperature
Create a snow storm
HOMEWORK
• After school today, make a weather
prediction for tomorrow’s weather, using
what you have learned today. How did
you make your prediction?
• Then later listen to or watch a weather
forecast on radio or TV.
• Compare the two predictions.
• Did you agree or disagree?