Weather Forecasting and Map Analysis
Introduction: The Earth has a variety of climates, defined by average temperature, precipitation, humidity, air
pressure and wind over a time in a particular place. Climate is the long term description of the weather of a
location. Weather is the state of the atmosphere at any given time and place. A complete description of
weather includes the amount and type of clouds as well as measurements of temperature, pressure, wind
speed and direction, and the amount of moisture in the air.
Weather is studied and predicted by scientists called Meteorologists. The science of meteorology is the study
of the entire atmosphere, including weather. To understand and predict the weather, meteorologists must
first understand how the atmosphere heats and cools, how clouds form and produce rain and what makes the
wind blow. The accuracy of weather prediction is improving as technology advances. Weather data at
thousands of locations can be gathered and applied to weather prediction models to make weather maps.
Now that you know all of this, you can be a meteorologist and can predict the weather as well as make
weather maps!
Task: Your job is to choose a city in another country and to chart the weather in that city for 5 days and then
to create a weather map for one of the days (your choosing). Find the weather data in this city every day for 5
days.
Complete the chart and then graph your data on paper using a line graph. Write the date for each day that
you chart in the blank beside Day _________.
Write the name of the city you chose in blank above the table.
Weather in _____________________________
Day 1 _____
High
temperature
Low
temperature
Humidity
Pressure
Dew Point
Precipitation
Other
observations
Day 2 _____
Day 3 _____
Day 4 _____
Day 5 _____
1. What season is it in your city?
2. What is the dew point and why is it important in predicting weather?
3. What is humidity and how does humidity affect the chance of precipitation in a location?
4. How did the weather change over the five days that you were observing?
5. Is this weather pattern normal for this time of year for your city?
6. What language do they speak in your city?
7. Would you like to visit this city? Why or why not?
8. Create a weather map for your city. Find a map of your city on the Internet and then draw in the
following:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Type of front
Temperature
Wind Speed and Direction (look up how to accurately draw this!)
Humidity
Pressure
Dew Point