3. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:  Define vocabulary words cited.  Discuss the use and necessity weather instruments  Distinguish between weather and climate

4.  Forecaster: A person who calculates or predicts the weather in advance.  Atmosphere:  Climate: The prevailing weather conditions of a particular region  Celsius: The temperature that registers the freezing point of water as 0C and the boiling point as 100 C under the normal atmospheric pressure.

5.  Wind vane: A wind vane is an instrument that measures wind direction.  Seasons: One of the four equal divisions of the year. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter  Hurricanes: A cyclone with heavy rains and winds exceeding 75 mile per hour.

6. TTTTemperature: The degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment TTTThermometer: An instrument for measuring temperature RRRRain gauge: rain-measurement device: a device used to measure the amount of rain that falls in a location

7.  In Book 2 you began to learn about weather. Today Mr. Williams from the Meteorological Department has come to talk to the class about climate.  ‘Hello boys and girls. I am a weather forecaster. I study the atmosphere and tell everyone, through radio and television, what the weather will be. I am also the leading expert on The Bahamas’ climate.

8.  ‘Mr. Williams, what kind of climate do we have in The Bahamas?’ asks Marlene.  ‘First, let me explain the word climate. Climate describes the kinds of weather a place has in general. For example, if a place has more dry weather than wet, we say it has a dry climate. If it has more hot weather than cold, we say it has a hot climate.

9.  In  In the Bahamas we have long periods of sunshine. The temperature usually rises to 32 degrees Celsius Celsius in the day and falls to about 26 degrees Celsius at nights. Our winter temperatures seldom fall much below 16 degrees Celsius. Our climate is warm and sunny.’  ‘has  ‘has the temperature temperature ever fallen below 10 degrees Celsius in The Bahamas?’ asks Henry.

10. ‘‘‘‘Yes,’ said Mr. Williams. ‘In 1977 and 1981 thermometers recorded temperatures as low as 5.5 degrees Celsius. Now look at these photographs – one was taken in the Bahamas, one in Canada. How do you measure the rainfall of a country, Mr. Williams?’ asks Paul. ‘‘‘‘I use a rain gauge. This is a can with a funnel, which measures the amount of rain that falls in a particular place.

11.  In the Bahamas, rain showers may occur at any time of the year, but most rain falls between May and October. Rainfall usually comes in the form of heavy showers or thundershowers, which clear up very quickly. The average rainfall is about 50mm each month from November to April, and 150 mm each month from May to October.’

12.  ‘How  ‘How is wind measured?’ asks Lisa.  ‘Wind  ‘Wind direction can be measured by a wind vane. vane. In the Bahamas, the winds blow most often in the winter from the northeast, and in the summer from the south-east. Wind speeds are not usually more than 18 km per hour in any season, season, but wind speeds do increase in the winter months.

13.  The  The Bahamas are affected by hurricanes between June and November. We are at greatest risk from hurricanes in August, September and October. Who knows the date when hurricane Andrew hit the country? Everyone must know what preparations to make when a hurricane is heading towards us.

14.  I  I must leave you now, children. Remember to listen to your radio or watch television for the weather report.’  Mr.  Mr. Williams referred to three instruments to measure certain aspects of weather. Name each one and say what each instruments measures.  Look  Look at the following figures, which show the monthly temperatures for Nassau, then answer the questions:

15.  (a)  (a) Which months had the lowest temperatures?  (b)  (b) Which months were the hottest?  (c)  (c) Name four of the summer months.  (d)  (d) Name two of the winter months.