My Science School

Weather Watchers

Everyone is a weather watcher, but almost no one knows how hot, how cold, or how wet it will be tomorrow or next week. But meteorologists can predict the weather.

A meteorologist is a scientist who studies the earth’s atmosphere and its weather and climate. Meteorologists are weather watchers or weather forecasters.

How do meteorologists predict the weather? They search for clues. They check the wind’s speed and direction. They record the temperature of the air, the air pressure, and the amount of water in the air.

Meteorologists also gather information from weather satellites in outer space. These satellites circle the earth and photograph clouds and any gathering storms. The pictures are then sent back to the earth.

Information also comes from weather stations on the earth’s surface. A type of radar called Doppler is used to study winds and storms. It can find approaching storms more than 320 kilometres away from the station.

Meteorologists gather weather reports from all over the world. They use this information to draw weather maps. They also use computers to make forecasts. You hear their forecasts every day on television or over the radio. But since the weather changes quickly sometimes, meteorologists usually update their forecasts.

Weather

Somewhere on the earth right now, it is cloudy and rainy. Somewhere it is sunny. Somewhere it is dark, windy, and snowing.

What is the weather like today where you are? Is it raining? Does it look as if it’s about to snow? Is the sun shining?

Do you ever talk about the weather? Many people do. Almost everyone cares about the weather.

The weather affects us in many ways. Day-to-day changes in weather can influence how we feel and the way we look at the world. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can disrupt many people’s lives because of the destruction they cause.

Weather doesn’t just stay in one place. It moves, and changes from hour to hour or day to day. Over many years, certain conditions become familiar weather in an area. The average weather in a specific region, as well as its variations and extremes over many years, is called climate.

There are six main components, or parts, of weather. They are temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, and cloudiness. Together, these components describe the weather at any given time. These changing components, along with the knowledge of atmospheric processes, help meteorologists - scientists who study weather - forecast what the weather will be in the near future.

Picture Credit : Google