WEATHER WATCH
Exploring Earth’s Atmospheric System
BACKGROUND
Without looking out the window, do you know what the weather is like right
now? Do you remember what the weather was like when you woke up
today? Were there any clouds in the sky this morning? If so, what did they
look like? If you have trouble answering these questions, you are not alone.
Most people pay very little attention to the weather until it interferes with
something they plan to do. Rain can cause a baseball game to be canceled.
Snow can result in a school-closing. When things like these happen, we
notice the weather, but much of the time, we ignore it.
By not paying attention to the weather, we not only miss many of the
interesting things that go on in the atmosphere; we also might miss the fact
that the weather is not random. There are patterns to the weather, and we
can use those patterns to make short-term weather forecasts. To identify
these patterns, we must first observe the weather.
There are two methods of observation that we can use. One method is to
look at the weather occurring at a single location and see how it changes
from day to day. What kind of pattern might we notice? For example, is it
possible to predict short-term weather changes by looking at the clouds?
The other method is to see how the weather differs from place to place at a
particular time. What kind of pattern might we notice? For example, is it
possible to predict weather changes by looking at the weather in nearby
locations?
In practice, meteorologists (scientists who study the atmosphere) use both
methods of observation. You will explore how the weather changes from day
to day where you live. Using maps that your teacher will provide, you will
explore how the weather differs from place to place. As you make your
observations outside and from the maps, think about how the precipitation
where you live may be related to weather changes both at your location and
at locations around you.
OBJECTIVES

Identify patterns in the weather by carefully observing local and
national weather for several days.

Test the utility of the patterns by using those patterns to make shortterm weather forecasts.

Hypothesize on relationships between weather variables.
Fast Facts
In 1743, Ben Franklin
recognized that storms tend
to move from southwest to
northeast along the eastern
United States.
In 1771, Johann H. Lambert
(the inventor of the projection
map that is used for most
wall maps today) proposed
making weather observations
at different places at the
same time throughout the
world.
Research Earth Science
LVHS
Summer Assignment 2015
PROCEDURE
1. Obtain a weather watch data sheet and a weather map template of
the United States for each day you will collect data.
2. Each day, copy, draw, or outline AND color the information from the
national weather map for that day onto the weather map template.
You might use http://www.weather.com/maps/current or
http://www.wunderground.com/maps/ This may include the following
depending on the national weather map used:
At the conclusion
of this assignment

a. Areas of precipitation
b. Locations of high and low atmospheric pressure (indicated by
H’s and L’s)

c.

Fronts (the boundaries between two air masses, each with a
different temperature and/ or humidity)
3. Each day, record the daily weather conditions at your location on the
data sheet. This includes the following:
a. Clouds – Describe the amount of the sky that is covered by
clouds. Use “clear” if there are very few clouds or no clouds.
Use “overcast” if the entire sky is covered. Otherwise, use
“partly cloudy” or “mostly cloudy.” Also, describe what the
clouds look like. Use words like fluffy, flat, wispy, large, small,
and so on. If you know the scientific names for the various cloud
types (cirrus, stratus, cumulus, etc.) then use them. If the clouds
change during the day, make a note of how the clouds changes
and the general times that the changes occurred.
b. Precipitation – Record the type (rain, snow, hail, etc.), amount,
and duration (steady or intermittent) or any precipitation that
occurred during the day. Also, record the general times it
occurred. If there is a rain gauge at your location or if you can
obtain the precipitation amount from the weather report on
television, radio, or in the next day’s newspaper, record that
information as well.
c.
Atmospheric (or barometric pressure) – Record the pressure by
using a barometer or getting the live reading online. This can be
expressed with various units, just make sure you use the same
unit throughout the experiment.
d. Other – Describe any other weather (cold, windy, warm, etc.). If
you are able to obtain any other measurements, like the high
and low temperatures for the day, relative humidity, dew point,
wind speed and direction, record those as well.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for two weeks, using a new data sheet for each
day.
5. At the end of two weeks, arrange your weather watch data sheets
and weather maps chronologically, with the oldest first and newest
last.
Save electronically and
print this document with
completed discussion
questions.
Organize all your
observations and maps in
chronological order.
Place these in the 3-ring
binder that you expect to
use for class this fall.
This assignment is due
September 15/16.
Research Earth Science
LVHS
WEATHER WATCH DATA SHEET
Date
Cloud
Observation
Time of
Observation
Precipitation
Pressure
Temperature
Other
Other
WEATHER MAP TEMPLATE
Summer Assignment 2015
Research Earth Science
LVHS
Summer Assignment 2015
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(Type your answers in red below each question.)
1. On which days did you observe precipitation at your location?
2. For each day that you observed precipitation at your location, examine data sheets for the day just prior
to it. Is there anything common on those days? For example, where the cloud patterns the same prior to
each day that precipitation was observed? If you observed atmospheric pressure at your location, did the
atmospheric pressure rise (or fall) in the days leading up to when precipitation was observed? If you
observed temperature, did the temperature rise (or fall) in the days leading up to when precipitation was
observed?
3. For each day that you observed precipitation, look at the national weather map for that day. Is there
anything common on those days? For example, if you recorded the locations of fronts on your maps, was
there a front near you at that time? If so, what kind? Was there high or low pressure near you at that
time?
4. For each day that you observed precipitation, look at the national weather map for the day just before it.
Is there anything common on those days? For example, was there an area of precipitation? If so, was
the area of precipitation nearby? If so, was the area of precipitation generally to a particular side, like
west of you or east of you? Was there a front nearby or a high (or low) are a nearby? If so, were they
generally to a particular side, like west or east of you?
5. Look at your first national weather map. Can you find a front or large area of precipitation in the western
part of the nation? If not, look through the rest of the weather maps until you find one.
a. Now look at the national weather maps following the one with the front or precipitation. Has the front
or precipitation moved? If so, in which direction did it move? As it moves, does it change shape? If
so, how?
b. Find other fronts or patterns of precipitation and see if they moved in the same direction. Did they? If
not, describe the direction in which they moved. Do they also change shape? If so, how?
6. From your answers to question 5, would you say there is a general direction of weather movement over
North America? If so, what is the direction?
7. Look at the last data sheet that you completed. Based on your answers to questions 2 to 6, what is your
prediction for tomorrow’s weather in your location?
8. Based on your answers to questions 2 to 6, which is more useful when making a forecast – the
observations made at your location or the weather maps? Why?
9. Are there any areas of the country that you think might be easier to forecast than others? Why?
10. The method you are using to make a forecast is also the method used by meteorologists to make a
forecast. However, they only use this method when making a short-term prediction – a couple of hours or
a day at most. Why might they find this method lacking when predicting more than a day in advance?
11. In this activity, you observed several atmospheric variables that affect weather. Did you recognize any
direct or inverse relationships between two weather measurements or variables? For example, if
temperature increased, then… Can you extend or explain why?
12. How do your observations reflect what is normal for this time of year at your location? You can get
historical data from www.wunderground.com/history/. Create at least one graph below to show how your
observations compare to what is expected.