Weather
A Virtual Field Trip
Welcome to the wild world of weather!
Click on one of the links below to jump directly to a topic.
Use the right/left arrow buttons to move
forward/backward. Underlined hyperlinks within the
text will take you to a site on that topic. Click the house
icon button to return to this menu page, the Start button
to restart, or the Stop button to end the tour. Please
use these navigation button for the tour to work properly.
So, now hold on to your hat and enjoy the
trip...
Climate vs.
Weather
The Water
Cycle
What’s a
meteorologist?
Back to
Start
Student
Activities
(future option)
Clouds
Wind
Teacher
Resources
(future option)
Severe
Weather
Weather
Terms
Climate
Climate vs. Weather
Climate is the average weather condition in a certain place or during a certain season.
Weather changes from day to day, but climate changes only over hundreds or thousands
of years. Many animals and plants need one climate to survive. Dolphins and palm trees
can live only in a warm climate, while polar bears and spruce trees need a cold climate.
The
shines strongest in the tropics, the areas near the equator, and have a hot
climate. The Antarctic and Arctic have less sunshine, so they have cold climates. The
areas in between have mild climates.
Do you know the basic ingredients for weather? Click here to make your
own weather.
How much did you learn about climate and weather?
Menu
Water Cycle
Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com, Content from http://weatherwizkids.com/ & “Wild Weather” by Scholastic Books
The Water Cycle…
It all begins here!
Climate
Clouds
CLOUDS
You may ask yourself - How are clouds formed?
What are the different types and what do they
look like? Click on the cloud to find out!
Now that you’re an expert
on clouds, go to this site
to take a quiz on what you
have learned.
Water Cycle
Wind
Wind
What’s a jet stream? How do windmills work?
Click on the windmill to explore all about wind!
Now, let’s see what you learned about wind:
Clouds
Severe
Weather
SEVERE WEATHER
Tornadoes
Floods
Wind
Thunderstorms
Snow and
Ice
Hurricanes
Be Ready
for Storms
Storms
Quiz
Tornadoes
Tornadoes
Tornadoes can be one of the most scary and exciting type of severe
storm. Learn the basics, tornado words and how tornadoes are
measured. Some other links to tornado sites:
Here’s a link to a cool tornado video:
What does a storm chaser do?
Storm chaser video:
Severe Weather
Thunderstorms
THUNDERSTORMS
Thunderstorms are severe storms that produce thunder
and lightening.
Some other great links:
• National Geographic Lightening Facts and Video
• Web Weather for Kids
Click the lightening bolt to discover:
Why you see lightening before you hear the thunder?
How to calculate how far away a thunderstorm is?
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
Hurricanes
Hurricanes form over the ocean and head for the shore with wind
speeds up to 190 miles/hour where they can cause severe damage. In
the middle of the hurricane is a hole called the eye, which is around
20-30 miles wide and eerily calm. Learn the basics, hurricane words
and watch two videos to see how hurricanes are tracked.
Additional cool sites on hurricanes:
•National Geographic Kids on Hurricanes
•National Geographic Forces of Nature
•Why and How are Hurricanes Named?
Thunderstorms
Rainstorms
Rainstorms and Floods
Did you know that flash floods are the #1
weather-related killer in the U.S.? Click here
to find out how rain forms and more!
Hurricanes
Winter
Storms
WINTER STORMS
Winter storms form when there is a lot of water in the atmosphere
and the temperature is very cold. Do you know what a Nor'easter is?
Learn the basics and winter storm words.
When does a winter storm become a blizzard? How do you calculate
wind chill and what is its role in a blizzard?
Test your knowledge!
Rainstorms
Be Ready
for Storms
Be Ready for Storms!
Do you and your family know what to do when faced with severe weather?
These links will help you to be prepared:
Winter
Storms
Meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the science and study of the atmosphere and
atmospheric phenomena. A meteorologist is a scientist who
studies and predicts the weather using sophisticated equipment,
like Doppler radar but they also rely on old-fashioned sky
watching. (http://weatherwizkids.com)
What are some of the instruments that are used to observe and
predict weather?
Meteorologists use specialized equipment to improve the accuracy
of their predictions. Click the right arrow to move to the next
page and become a Meteorologist!
Be Ready
for Storms
Predicting
Weather
Observing and Predicting Weather
Become a meteorologist! Before you begin, have your teacher print
the cloud observation and weather data sheets so you can record
your observations.
Begin your investigation and make weather predictions:
Predict the weather and have fun with Ms. Weather Head:
Tips for predicting weather:
National Weather Service site on forecasting:
Meteorology
Weather
Terms
Weather Terms
Look up weather terms on these sites:
Predicting
Weather
Copyrights
and Credits
Why do you see lightening before you hear thunder?
Thunder and lightening set off together, but light travels faster than sound.
It takes 5 seconds (3 seconds/kilometer) for sound to travel a mile whereas
light travels at 300,000 kilometers/second. Lightening always arrives first,
So that’s why you see the flash before you hear the boom of thunder.
How far away is a thunderstorm?
When you see the lightening flash, start counting the seconds until you
hear the thunderclap. Divide the number of seconds by five to figure out
how many miles away the storm is. Divide by three to calculate in
kilometers.
Return to
Thunderstorms
Facts from “Extraordinary Wild Weather”, Scholastic, Inc.
Copyrights and Credits
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Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Galleries on DiscoverySchool.com and Microsoft.com
Web Weather for Kids ~ http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather
Weather Wiz Kids ~ http://weatherwizkids.com
The Weather Channel ~ http://www.weather.com/
The Evergreen Project, Inc ~ http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/cycle/index.htm
National Geographic ~ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/
Scholastic ~ http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/
National Geographic Kids ~ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/
FEMA for Kids ~ http://www.fema.gov/kids/
http://skydiary.com/kids/chasing.html
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid263790609/bclid270937301/bctid736245416
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/weather/sun.html
http://www.mcwdn.org/WEATHER/WeatherMain.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/whatisweather/
http://www.brainpop.com/
Virtual field trip designed, created and copyrighted (©2007) by Susan M. MacMillan,
Technology Integration Specialist, NH School System
Weather
Terms
End of
Show
Copyrights
and Credits
Goodbye!