1. Science Starter: Name the following weather people.
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2. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Iditarod Race 2010
“The Last Great Race”
Official Race Site:
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6. Some features of weather have predictable patterns.
The Main Concept:
Some features of weather have predictable patterns.
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Smaller Key Concepts:
2.1 The atmosphere’s air pressure changes.
2.2 The atmosphere has wind patterns.
2.3 Most clouds form as air rises and cools.
2.4 Water falls to the Earth’s surface as precipitation.
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8. Weather Fronts & Storms
Weatherperson #1
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9. Weather Fronts & Storms
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Weatherperson #2

10. Weather Fronts & Storms
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Weatherperson #3

11. Weather Fronts & Storms
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Weatherperson #4

12. Weather Fronts & Storms
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Weatherperson #5

13. Weather Vocabulary Terms:
Chapter two:
Air Pressure Barometer
Condensation Coriolis Effect
doldrums dew point
evaporation Easterlies
Global Winds cirrus clouds
horse latitudes humidity
local winds cumulus clouds
Jet Stream Monsoon
Trade winds Weather
westerlies Wind
acid rain saturation
relative humidity stratus clouds
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Weather Vocab. Terms
Chapter three:
Tropical storm Hurricane
Storm surge blizzard
Thunderstorm tornado
Meteorologist isobar
Low-Pressure system
High-pressure system
Front (cold, warm, stationary)
Air mass (continental, maritime, polar, tropical)
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15. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Ms. Johnson is here right now. She really hopes the in-flight movie does not star any of the Jonas brothers. That would be bad.
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16. Weather Work Time: Thurs. March 4
Students (this means you!) should work on the following:
Weather Unit Vocab. Flashcards
Find definitions only! We will cut after break! (Ms. Johnson worries when she thinks about you + scissors)
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Ms. Johnson is here right now. She worked on vocabulary flashcards on the whole plane ride though.
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18. Weather Work Time: Fri., March 5
Students (this means you!) should work on the following:
A. Weather Unit Daily Work
All weather unit daily work should be stapled to the weather daily work description worksheet!
B. Weather Unit Vocab. Flashcards
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19. The Evaporation Challenge:
Your task: Brainstorm & create the conditions to allow your wet paper towel to dry completely as quickly as possible.
Materials: Each group will get…
Paper towel, ____ mL water
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Science Starter:
Name at least two factors that affect the rate of evaporation.
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21. Pre-Lab: Absorption of Heat by Water & Land
Today: As a group you will…
Brainstorm, design & write your group’s detailed procedure
Create a neat, organized chart to record your group’s data
All group members must have these items done for tomorrow!
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Science Starter:
In two complete sentences, describe: What causes tornadoes?
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23. Science Starter Challenge:
Name as many words as you possibly can that are related to “weather”.
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24. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
What is Weather?
Weather:
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25. Science Starter: (matching)
Precipitation
Humidity
Evaporation
Condensation
The amount of water vapor in air.
Process where a liquid changes into a gas.
Process where a gas changes into a liquid.
Any liquid or solid that falls to the ground.
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Temperature
You will usually see temperature measured in °F for maps of the United States
Maps of foreign countries will usually be measured in °C
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Relative Humidity
The relative humidity tells us how “full” the air is at the time of measurement.
For example, 90% relative humidity means that at that moment the air is holding 90% of the maximum amount of water it could.
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Sven Asks:
1. Which would heat up more quickly, land or water? Why?
2. Which would cool off more quickly , land or water? Why?
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Weatherperson #4

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Air exerts Pressure
Air Pressure: the force of air molecules pushing on an area.
The greater the force, the higher the pressure.
Air molecules are always moving. Each time a molecule bounces off an object, it pushes, or exerts a force upon that object.
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Air molecules are always moving.

31. Air Pressure is Related to Altitude and Density
Air pressure decreases as you move higher in the atmosphere (less air above you)
Density of air decreases as you move higher in the atmosphere.
Air pressure at any area on Earth depends on the weight of the air above that area.
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Pressure & Air Motion
Differences in pressure causes movement of air.
High Air Pressure
Low Air Pressure
Low Air Pressure
Movement of Air
Air pressure can vary at any two locations at the same altitude.
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33. Uneven Heating Causes Wind to Move
Large pressure difference - strong wind
Small pressure difference- slight wind
Wind
Wind: Air in motion.
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34. What causes local winds?
Local winds: change daily, flow within a small area, typically flow in a regular pattern
How would this local wind pattern change at night?
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36. Uneven Heating of Earth:
N/S poles: spread out sunlight, less of sun’s energy, cool & dense air, high pressure
Equator: direct/strong sunlight, high temp. (warm air rises), low pressure
Where on Earth would you expect > heating? Less heating?
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37. Earth’s Rotation Affects Wind Direction
Coriolis Effect: The influence of Earth’s rotation on winds & objects moving on Earth.
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High and Low Pressure Areas
High pressure- air sinks
Usually results in several days of clear sunny skies
Air rises in low pressure areas and forms water droplets
Usually results in rain and storms
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Science Starter:
How does the uneven heating of Earth’s surface cause winds to flow?
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40. Measuring Air Pressure
Barometer: an instrument that measures air pressure.
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Science Starter:
Two barometers are placed one kilometer apart. One shows higher pressure than the other. What will happen to the air between them?
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Global Winds
Global winds: Travel thousands of kilometers in steady patterns. Global winds are caused by uneven heating between equator & N/S poles.
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43. Calm Regions & Global Wind Belts
(1) Doldrums: Low pressure equator
Warm air rises & spreads toward poles
Rising moist air -->clouds & heavy rain
(2) Horse Latitudes:
High pressure 30˚ N/S
Warm air from equator cools & sinks
Clear & dry weather
Air usually stays calm in high/low pressure zones. Winds are light & often change direction.
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Global Wind Belts:
Trade Winds:
Blow East from Horse latitudes to Equator
Strong & steady. Die out as they reach equator
Westerlies: (blow from the West)
Blow from Horse latitudes to poles
Bring storms across U.S.
Dense air (in horse latitudes & other high pressure zones) moves toward low pressure zones (like the doldrums)
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Easterlies: (blow from East)
Blow from polar regions to mid-latitudes
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46. Science Starter: Calm Areas and Wind Belts
Name
Characteristics
(1)
A low-pressure zone near the equator.
(2)
High-pressure zone at about 30° N and 30° S of the equator.
(3)
Winds that blow from the East from the horse latitudes to the equator.
(4)
Winds that blow from the West from the horse latitudes to the poles.
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47. Jet Streams Flow Near the Top of the Troposphere
Not all long distance winds Earth’s surface.
Jet Streams: Flow in a wavy pattern, move from W -->E, can pull cold air down into US, pull warm air up into Canada, flow faster than surface winds
Each hemisphere has 2 jet streams: (1) Polar jet stream (2) Subtropical jet stream
Jet Stream: Long distance wind that flows in the upper Troposphere.
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Cloud Cover Symbols
You will often see the circles drawn on a weather map
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49. Water Vapor Condenses & Forms Clouds
Water vapor condenses when it reaches air saturation (dew point)
Water vapor must condense on something solid (dust, smoke, solid)
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3 Main Cloud Types:
Cloud sizes/shapes determined by air mov’t Cirrus “Curl of hair”
Puffy clouds--> air moves sharply up/down Feathery/wispy
Flat, smooth clouds --> air rises gradually Contrails show direction of wind
Composition affected by location: high altitudes--> ice crystals Fair weather
low altitudes --> ice crystals & water droplets
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Stratus “spread out” Steady, light precipitation
Form in layers when air cools & is lifted gently
Smooth w/o strong air mov’t
Low stratus clouds (dk. Grey) block out sun
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Cumulus “heap/pile”
Puffy white w/ darker base “cotton balls”
Warm air rises and condenses
Can produce showers or thunderstorms (if it grows tall)
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Clouds: Five Types of Clouds
1. High-Level Clouds: Usually found at greater than 20,000 ft.
Usually made of ice crystals
Examples include Cirrus, Cirrostratus
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Clouds: Five Types of Clouds
2. Mid-Level Clouds: Usually found between 6,500 and 20,000 ft.
Usually made of water droplets, but can be made of ice
Example is altocumulus
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Clouds: Five Types of Clouds
3. Low-Level Clouds: Usually found lower than 6,500 ft.
Low, lumpy clouds that produce weak to moderate precipitation
Examples include Nimbostratus and Stratocumulus
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Clouds: Five Types of Clouds
4. Vertically developed: These clouds are thick and puffy and extend very far upwards
Examples include Cumulonimbus and Fair Weather Cumulus
Ordinary Cumulus clouds can quickly become Cumulonimbus clouds that start strong thunderstorms
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Clouds: Five Types of Clouds
5. Other: These are miscellaneous clouds
These clouds do not really fit into any category, and all have different characteristics
Examples include billow clouds, contrails, mammatus, orographic, and pileus
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Air Masses (2 words)
Air mass takes on characteristics of where it formed:
1. First Word: moisture
Continental (land)
Maritime (water)
2. Second Word: temperature
Tropical (warm)
Polar (cold)
Continental
p. 80 (in text)
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Fronts
A front is the boundary separating air masses of different densities
Fronts extend both vertically and horizontally in the atmosphere
p. 83 (in textbook)
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Fronts:
1. Cold Front: The zone where cold air is replacing warmer air
In U.S., cold fronts usually move from northwest to southeast
Air gets drier after a cold front moves through
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Fronts:
2. Warm Front: The zone where warm air is replacing colder air
In U.S., warm fronts usually move from southwest to northeast
Air gets more humid after a warm front moves through
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Fronts:
3. Stationary Front: When either a cold or warm front stops moving
When the front starts moving again it returns to either being a cold or warm front
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Fronts: Five Types of Fronts
4. Occluded Front: Formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front
This occurrence usually results in storms over an area
In U.S., the colder air usually lies to the west
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Fronts: Five Types of Fronts
5. Dry Line (Dew Point Front): Boundary separating a dry air mass from a moist air mass
This occurrence can result in tornadoes being formed
Usually found in western part of U.S.
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Weather Maps: Pressure & Temperature
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Weather Maps: Doppler Radar Maps
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Summary
Temperature: Usually in °F, need to convert to °C
High pressure areas cause sunny weather; low pressure areas cause rain and storms
Two Types of air masses:
1. Continental Polar
2. Maritime Tropical
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Summary (continued)
Five types of fronts:
1. Cold
2. Warm
3. Stationary
4. Occluded
5. Dew Point (Dry Line)
Five types of clouds:
1. High Level
2. Mid Level
3. Low Level
4. Vertically developed
5. Miscellaneous
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Sources
Palmer, Chad and Evans, David. May 20, Occluded fronts can
signal weakening of storm. Accessed 28 October
Palmer, Chad and Kepple, Kevin. May 20, High-pressure systems
brings sunny days. Accessed 27 October 2005.
Palmer, Chad and Kepple, Kevin. May 20, How low pressure
systems affect weather. Accessed 27 October
Weather World 2010, University of Illinois. No date of publication
given. Reading and Interpreting Weather Maps. Accessed 21 October
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Science Starter:
The eardrum is a thin sheet of tissue that separates air in the middle ear from air in the outer ear. Why do our eardrums make popping noises when we take off in an airplane?
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Science Starter:
Would you expect the air pressure in a valley that’s below sea level to be higher or lower than air pressure at sea level? Why?
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