Note: I have collected this information here for my own benefit, but anyone else who chances upon this and finds it useful is welcome to reuse it. This is part of my RoyalRanger sequence of pages.
Terminology
meteorology — The science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially weather and weather conditions. (dictionary.com) metewros, high in the air; metewron, astronomical phenomenon.
weather — The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure. (dictionary.com)
temperature — measure of heat or cold.
air pressure, atmospheric pressure — measure of the pressure exerted by the weight of the air (explain hot versus cold air, damp versus dry, air masses).
humidity — dampness; measure of moisture content of the air, typically expressed as a percentage of total saturation.
National Weather Service. As part of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the NWS records and forecasts weather. NOAA’s mission is “to understand and predict changes in the Earth?s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation?s economic, social, and environmental needs.” Some ways this benefits the country are:
Weather-dependent commerce and industry (e.g., farming, air travel) is more effective.
We are better able to prepare for damage caused by severe weather.
Cloud formation
Principles
Air holds moisture
Warm air holds more moisture
Air, when cooled, can precipitate moisture
Process: evaporation, cooling, precipitation
Weather:
Cold front: a cold air mass pushes a warm air mass aside (and aloft). The warm air cools and precipitates.
Warm front: a warm air mass pushes a cold air mass aside, climbing aloft as it does so. The leading edge of the front cools and precipitates.
Also stationary front (no motion), occluded front (cold front overtakes warm front).
Cloud description, atmospheric location, and weather indications
Cumulus. Isolated, puffy, cotton-like clouds, with flat base and rounded top. They occur low in the atmosphere but may expand upwards. They are due to local thermal convection and as such are often an indication of fair weather. They can, however, develop into cumulonimbus clouds, which cross the entire atmosphere and may produce localized thunderstorms and other severe weather. [1] [2] cumulus, heap; nimbus, rainstorm, cloud
Cirrus. Wispy, light, feathery clouds; cirrus clouds form many patterns but often look like “mare’s tails”. These clouds form high in the atmosphere and are composed of ice crystals. While they only occur in fair weather, they are often an early sign of an approaching warm front. cirrus, curl
Stratus. Flat and broad, covering the sky “like a blanket” [3]. Stratus clouds form low, sometimes very low, in the atmosphere. They may produce rain as part of a warm front. [4] stratus, stretch, extend
Water cycle diagram. Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, saturation (or collection).
Dew, fog, frost, hail, rain, sleet, and snow
Daily weather record for 2 weeks (provide record sheet, or at least annotate the assignment to indicate what they should record)
Record date/time, overall weather conditions (cloud cover/types; precipitation; estimate wind strength/direction; temperature/humidity if significant), temperature, precipitation amount.
Provide links? Or expect them to record data themselves?
Walk through typical observations:
Temperature, wind, wind speed, obvious.
Weather: general description of cloud formations; e.g., overcast, mostly cloudy, light rain, cloudy with haze, fog, mist, mostly clear with stiff breeze.
Humidity: percent of what the air can hold; dew point: how cold you’d have to chill the air to get it to precipitate.
Barometric (air/atmospheric) pressure: “weight” of air. Can be measured in inches (the height of a mercury column the air can support) or millibars (a metric unit of pressure; 1000 millibars is 29.53 inches). Sometimes it is “normalized” to sea level; explain.
Visibility: how far you can see.
Ceiling: how high the cloud base is.
Precipitation: amount since last measurement.
Safety rules for:
Blizzard
Flash flood
Hurricane
Lightning/thunderstorm
Tornado
Causes of rainbows, lightning, thunder.
Read thermometer and rain gauge. Make baromter, hygrometer, rain gauge, or weather vane. Briefly describe instruments.
Note: wind direction is direction wind is coming from.
Note: vertical sides for rain gauge!
Watch versus warning
A watch means that there is a potential for severe weather; be “watchful”, on the alert.
A warning means that severe weather is occurring or is imminent. “Warning! Danger Will Robinson!”
3 scripture references