Weather Part 5

Weather Tools and Technology S4E4a. Identify weather instruments and explain how each is used in gathering weather data and making forecasts.

Weather Tools and Technology Before the weatherman on TV can tell us what the weather is going to be tomorrow, he needs to check a few things.

Weather Tools and Technology He needs to check the temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and look at the radar.

Weather Tools and Technology Basically he needs to use his Weather Tools.

Thermometer

Weather Tool: Thermometer One of the first tools our weatherman will use is the Thermometer.

Weather Tool: Thermometer A Thermometer tells us what the air temperature is.

Weather Tool: Thermometer There are two different scales used to tell the temperature, Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Weather Tool: Thermometer Using the Celsius scale Water Freezes at 0° and boils at 100°.

Weather Tool: Thermometer Using the Fahrenheit scale water freezes at 32° and boils at 212°.

Barometer

Weather Tool: Barometer A Barometer measures atmospheric air pressure.

Weather Tool: Barometer If you remember when a cold air mass is over the area it is called a high pressure system.

Weather Tool: Barometer When a warm air mass is over the area it is called a low pressure system.

Weather Tool: Barometer The terms high, and low pressure refer to the barometric pressure.

Weather Tool: Barometer When the air above us is cool it falls to the ground, which increases the air pressure.

Weather Tool: Barometer When the air above us is warm it raises upwards, which decreases the air pressure.

Weather Tool: Barometer The barometer measures the changes in air pressure.

Weather Tool: Barometer Lower pressure means there is warm moist air just right for rain or storms.

Weather Tool: Barometer High pressure means there is cold dry air and with it brings fair skies.

Hygrometer

Weather Tool: Hygrometer A Hygrometer measures the humidity in the air.

Weather Tool: Hygrometer Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor that is in the air.

Weather Tool: Hygrometer The warmer the air is the more water vapor it can hold.

Anemometer

Weather Tool: Anemometer An Anemometer measure the wind speed.

Weather Tool: Anemometer The cups on the wheel catch the wind much like a pin-wheel.

Weather Tool: Anemometer The harder the wind blows, the faster the cups spin.

Wind Vane

Weather Tool: Wind Vane A Wind Vane tells us what direction the wind is currently blowing from.

Weather Tool: Wind Vane It uses a weighted end and a fin, that allows the wind to push it in the direction it is blowing.

Rain Gauge

Weather Tool: Rain Gauge A Rain Gauge is used to measure the amount of rainfall, or precipitation, over a period of time.

Weather Tool: Rain Gauge It really isn’t anything more then a tube, with the inches marked off on the side.

Weather Tool: Rain Gauge All you need to do is sit it outside and wait for it to rain. Then measure the amount or water in the glass when it stops.

Radar

Weather Tool: Radar Radar is a system that sends out pulses of energy that bounce off of clouds and return to the radar.

Weather Tool: Radar A computer receives and processes the signals and builds a picture of what the clouds look like.

Weather Tool: Radar The result looks like this.

Weather Tool: GOES Along with Radar our weatherman can also look at images taken by satellites.

Weather Tool: GOES This is a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, other wise known as GOES.

Weather Tool: GOES It orbits the planet at a distance of around 22,000 miles above the surface of the Earth.

Weather Tool: GOES GOES are highly advanced observation platforms supplying detailed imagery of the Earth.

Weather Tool: GOES How advanced?

Weather Tool: GOES There are some 400 military and civilian satellites orbiting above the Earth.

Weather Tool: GOES Satellites can take many different images of the planet at the same time.

Weather Tool: GOES Visible Clouds Hurricane Katrina: August 29, 2005 at 1:15 pm – Category Three Hurricane. Copyright: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Visible Clouds

Weather Tool: GOES Water Vapor

Weather Tool: GOES Infrared

Weather Tool: GOES Satellites can be positioned far enough away that we can see the whole planet at once.

Weather Tool: GOES Or multiple satellite images can be combined with the use of computers, so we can see all over the world, but in more detail.

QUIZ TIME

1) _____ measures the wind speed. Write the name of the correct weather tool in the blank. Use your notes. 1) _____ measures the wind speed. Anemometer 2) _____ measures the air temperature. Thermometer 3) _____ measures the amount of precipitation. Rain Gauge 4) _____ measures the humidity. Hygrometer 5) _____ measures the air pressure. Barometer