Transcript Weather Forecasting - YourWritingGuru.com

Weather Forecasting
Warm-Up Questions
CPS Questions 1-2
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Lesson Overview
 The
history of weather forecasting
 The types of instruments used in weather
forecasting
 The various types of communication
methods used to provide weather
information
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Quick Write
Why do you think the military needs its own
weather service?
(Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of USAF
The First Aviation Weather
Forecast
Weather forecasts mostly
supported government flights
 Meteorologists used primitive
means to issue forecast
 Attached instruments to kites and
tethered balloons to find
temperature and wind direction
 First report went to a government
flight carrying mail

Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of NOAA
Weather Reports Address
Safety Issues
By 1920 about half the airmail
service pilots had died on the job
 On 20 May 1926 Congress passed
the Air Commerce Act
 Focus on safety also boosted the
commercial passenger business
 Today US has one of world’s most
advanced aviation weather
forecasting systems

Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of USAF
Air Force Weather Agency
Army set up its first military
weather service
 After Congress authorized
the launch of a civilian US
Weather Bureau in 1890—
Army’s weather arm waned
 AFWA partners with
NOAA’s National Weather
Service to improve weather
science

Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of USAF/A1C Jack Sanders
Learning Check Questions
CPS Questions 3-4
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Activity 1: Evolution of
Weather Forecasting Timeline
 Create
a timeline depicting the history of
weather forecasting
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
The Types of Instruments Used
in Weather Forecasting—Surface
 Observers
are generally looking at an
area within a five-mile radius from a
given airport
 Factors they consider—wind, visibility,
pressure, temperature and dew point,
sky conditions
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
© Hemera Technologies/
PhotoObjects.net/Thinkstock
Tools Used to Study
Surface Weather
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Several types of thermometers
measure temperature
Many barometers use aneroids—
flexible metal bellows that respond
to changes in atmospheric pressure
Psychrometer—uses two
thermometers to measure relative
humidity
Anemometer—measures wind
speed
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Reproduced from NASA
Automated Surface
Observing System
 Weather
reporting system, provides
surface observations every minute
 Works nonstop, 24 hours a day, every day
of the year
 Can’t report weather over the horizon,
above 12,000 feet, tornadoes, freezing
drizzle, or snow depth
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Upper Air
More challenging to make than surface
observations
 Radiosondes—collect data such as air
temperature, pressure, wind speed, and wind
direction
 Pilots are the only real-time source of
information regarding turbulence, icing, and
cloud heights

Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of NASA
Radar
An instrument that sends out and receives
radio waves
 Can identify distance, strength, direction, and
speed of moving and fixed objects —aircraft,
weather formations, and terrain
 It reads reflectivity—the strength of a
returned signal—to gauge a storm’s intensity

Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of USAF/Maj Steve Burke
Four Types of Radar
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Doppler—Its two modes of operation
are clear air and precipitation
FAA terminal Doppler—found at major
airports, provides severe weather alerts
and warnings to air traffic controllers
FAA airport surveillance—detects
aircraft, location and strength of
precipitation
Aircraft airborne radar— can spot a big
thunderstorm, light rainfall, and how big
a storm is
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of NASA/George Shelton
Satellites
In 1975 NASA and NOAA joined
forces to launch, operate, and
monitor new kind of weather
satellite
 It was the Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellite
 NASA launches the satellites for
NOAA
 NOAA uses data collected by GOES
to forecast as well as observe
ongoing weather
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Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Copyright © Boeing. All Rights Reserved.
SIGMET and AIRMET
 SIGMETs—provide
data about severe
and extreme turbulence, severe icing,
and widespread dust or sandstorms
 AIRMETs—report on less-severe
weather such as moderate icing,
moderate turbulence, and look at
sustained surface winds
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Activity 2: Collecting
Atmospheric Data
 Watch
the NASA video “Real World: A-
Train”
 Take notes about your observations and
answer the analysis questions
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
NASA Real World “A-Train”
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of NASA
Learning Check Questions
CPS Questions 5-6
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Activity 3: Elements of a
Weather Station
 Construct
a barometer or anemometer
 Test the operation of your component
and explain its purpose in forecasting
weather for flight
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
NEXRAD
More than 160 Doppler
radars scattered throughout
the US and overseas make
up system
 Converts what the radars
read about a storm or other
target—distance, strength,
and velocity—into images
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Courtesy of NOAA
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Weather Outlets
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Automated Flight Service Station—main source for
preflight weather reports, briefing available 24
hours by phone
Transcribed Information Briefing Service—briefings
are prerecorded, quick rundown of weather
En Route Flight Advisory Service— one of the best
sources for current weather along a route, not
available 24 hours a day
Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service—
broadcasts bad weather alerts 24 hours a day, only
a summary
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Types of Briefings
Standard is most complete
report; it provides an
overall weather picture
 Abbreviated is a shortened
version of the standard
 Outlook is best when a
departure isn’t planned for
at least six hours

Courtesy of USAF/Steven Doll
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Current Weather Reports
 Current
weather reports
 METARs—hourly reports of current
surface weather
 PIREPs—current upper air conditions
 RAREPs—storm detections; current
readings of precipitation and
thunderstorms
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of NOAA/National Weather
Service
Printed Weather Forecasts
TAFs—cover a five-mile radius around airports
 FAs—picture of clouds, general weather, and
visual conditions over large area
 SIGMETs and AIRMETs—data on severe and
less severe weather
 FDs—predict winds and temperatures for
specific spots
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Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Weather Charts
Surface analysis chart assesses current surface
weather
 Radar summary chart is for precipitation only
 Significant weather prognostic charts forecast
weather; they don’t report current weather
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Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Reproduced from National Weather
Service/Aviation Weather Center/NOAA
Learning Check Questions
CPS Questions 7-8
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Activity 4: Weather Forecasting
 Prepare
and present either a weather
forecast or a weather briefing
 Research
and gather weather data from
the internet
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Summary
 The
history of weather forecasting
 The types of instruments used in weather
forecasting
 The various types of communication
methods used to provide weather
information
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Review Questions
CPS Questions 9-10
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Next….
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Done – weather forecasting
Next – the effects of weather on
aircraft
Chapter 2, Lesson 4
Courtesy of AP Photo.