Future of Four Seasons in Maine and the Maine Data Literacy Project
Does a snowy winter mean we will have a wet summer?
Background: After a very snowy winter, I am ready for a dry summer. Can we predict
how much rain we will get this summer based off winter snowfall? Sometimes it seems
like winter and summer weather are related, but what do the data say?
The graph below is a scatter plot of winter precipitation (December, January, February)
and summer precipitation (June, July, August) in inches of water for Mexico, ME from
1949 to 2008.
Data Source: https://weather-warehouse.com/
1. Describe what the graph shows about how winter precipitation relates to
summer precipitation.
Purpose here is to elicit description of what the graph shows. Sample response: On the X-axis (Winter)
the inches of water spans from a little more than one inch to just below six inches. On the Y-axis
(Summer) the data span from about two inches to about nine inches. It seems like there is a clump of
data around two inches to three inches on the X-axis and between three inches and five inches on the Yaxis.
2. I interpret the graph to mean…
(Purpose here is to elicit an explanation (e.g. of the pattern or variability) or interpretation of the
meaning in terms of the context of the question. Sample response: We cannot use winter precipitation to
predict how much rain we will get the following summer. For example, the three wettest summers (7-9
inches) fall mostly in the mid-range for winter precipitation.)