1. Investigation 1 What is weather?
Weather and Water
Investigation 1
What is weather?

2. What is Weather? Well? Write in your journal what weather is.
What factors would you need to consider if you were going to describe or forecast weather?
Have one person from your table login to the computer.

3. Part 1
Into the Weather

4. Today’s Weather
Is today’s weather normal for this time of year? If not, what weather would you expect?
Is this the kind of weather you would expect to happen everywhere on Earth today?
Australia
Brazil
Russia

5. Things that fall from the sky
What are some things that might normally fall from the sky?
What do we call that stuff?
Video Clip
What surprised you about the weather shown in the video?
Weather that is dangerous or causes damage is called severe weather. Describe any severe weather you have experienced.
What other types of severe weather have you heard or read about?

6. Hurricanes Video Clip What is a hurricane?
What conditions are necessary for a hurricane to form?
What kinds of damage occur during hurricanes?
What are some things people have done to try to lessen hurricane damage?
Where have some of the most devastating hurricanes occurred and when?
How do meteorologists know when a hurricane is coming or where it might strike land?

7. What is a hurricane?
An area of low pressure into which air rushes, creating powerful winds that spiral around a central eye.
The wind blows at least 75 mph or 120 km/h.

8. What conditions are necessary for a hurricane to form?
An ocean with water temperature at 81 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) or higher
An area of low pressure

9. What kinds of damage occur during hurricanes?
Wind damage
Water damage
Property damage
Flooding

10. What are some things people have done to try to lessen hurricane damage?
Moved entire cities inland in Belize
Improved hurricane forecasts
Help people prepare for securing property or evacuating
Built seawalls in Galveston
Built houses on stilts
Tried to fix levies in New Orleans

11. Where have been some of the most devastating hurricanes occurred and when?
Galveston 1900
Belize – Hurricane Hattie – 1961
Galveston – Hurricane Alecia – 1983
Caribbean Islands and Yucatan Peninsula – Hurricane Gilbert – 1988
Bangladesh 1991
Florida – Hurricane Andrew – 1992
Gulf Coast – Hurricane Katrina

12. How do meteorologists know when a hurricane is coming and where it might strike land?
Ground observations
Aircraft observations
Satellite images

13. Video Reflection
The two video segments gave us some things to think about and may have raised some questions. You might have some other questions about weather that we experience where we live.
In your journal title a page – Weather Questions. Write down three to four questions.
Share with your table – write down any more questions you come up with.

14. Question Categories Write your questions on a stick ‘em
One question per stick ‘em
Put your question under one of the following categories.
Weather conditions
Local weather
Severe weather
Definitions
Other?

15. Hurricane Homework
Bring in an article, picture, etc of current hurricane information happening right now.
Hurricane Dean!

16. Meteorology What do you think of when you see that word?
Meteorology is the scientific study of Earth’s weather.
A person who studies the causes and effects of weather is a meteorologist.
The word literally means study of meteors.

17. Huh? What do meteors have to do with weather?
In ancient Greece, anything that fell from the sky was considered a meteor, whether it was what we know as a meteor today, rain, snow or hail.
Today meteorology includes only the study of weather.
Planetary scientists study meteors now.
Some meteorologists study weather to make forecasts to let people know what kind of weather to expect in the next day or week.
Name some of our local meteorologists on the Seattle TV stations.

18. Using Weather Forecasts
In your journal, write down why people listen or look at forecasts. What kind of decisions are made based on weather forecasts?
How to dress
Travel plans – especially air
Health considerations – allergies, colds, flus
Business considerations such as seasonal goods like umbrellas, snow gear, swimsuits
Vacation or recreation plans like camping, sailing or picnics
Agriculture or gardening plans, spring planting, harvesting

19. Naming Hurricanes Read pg. 3-4 in the book
In your journal write down the old rules for naming hurricanes,
And today’s rules for naming hurricanes.
What happened to naming hurricanes in 1978?
What happens to the names of the most severe storms?
When do storms get their name?

20. Homework Bring in a weather report from a
Newspaper
Online source
Other
We will be using these reports in class tomorrow
It would be bad if you forget.
Very, very bad

21. Part Two
Local Weather

22. Your Weather Report
In your journal write down your version of today’s weather report for the weather right now. Today’s weather is…
Share your weather report with your table.
Use your highlighter to highlight any common words in your weather reports.
Write your table’s common weather words on your whiteboard.

23. Weather Reports
Pull out the weather report you obtained for your homework.
Answer the following questions in your journal:
What types of information are included in your weather report?
What was the source for your weather report?
How does this weather report compare to the report you wrote.

24. Today’s Weather Report
Weather Underground rocks
Write down the following in your journal, then record the data from Weather Underground
Temperature – how hot or cold the air is
Humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air
Wind direction – the compass direction from which the wind is coming
Pressure – the force of the air pushing in all directions
Visibility – the distance one can see through the air

25. Weather Underground
Here’s the report from Weather Underground for us today.
As you look at this page, write down what other information it includes other than what we already wrote down

26. Weather Tools Thermometer – temperature Barometer – air pressure
Hygrometer – humidity
Anemometer – wind speed
Wind vane – wind direction
Open your books to page 5 and follow along as we go through these tools

27. Class Weather Chart What do you think visibility means?
What weather factors might limit visibility?
How can we determine what the visibility is?
What additional information might be included in the column headed “Other Observations”?

28. Daily Measurements
Tables will take turns collecting weather data and recording it on the class weather chart.
How to do this:
Go outside to the tables
Carefully take out the tools
The anemometer and compass should be used together to determine wind speed and direction.

29. Scientific Measurements
Temperature in Celsius
Pressure in millibars (mb)
Humidity in percent
Wind speed in km/h
Wind direction is the compass direction form which the wind is coming

30. The Weather Machine Video
Take notes in your journal of what drives weather in our world.

31. Storm Chasers
Storm chasers are people who intentionally try to get in the path of severe weather. As you watch this segment, try to figure out why they do such apparently foolish things.
What kind of weather do storm chasers study?
Why do storm chasers engage in such dangerous activities?
What weather factors do storm chasers measure?
Write down three things you already knew about weather.
Write down three things you didn’t know about weather.

32. World Weather
You are going to collect weather data for any city in the world you want to.
You are going to make your own data sheets.
You can do your data sheets by hand or on the computer.
Write down what city you want to track.
What kind of data should you collect?
How long should we collect data?

33. Weather Lore Sky Watch: Signs of the Weather
Weather Sayings and Folklores
Weather Folktales