Weather Fact Sheet

Weather Fact Sheet “The world we live in is a big place… the sun shines on the earth, the rain falls on it and the wind blows over it” (Bendick, 1951, p.5)

Weather is the state of the atmosphere with regard to temperature, cloudiness, rainfall, wind, and other meteorological conditions.

What is the Weather like outside? (Descriptive terms)

Hot & Bright Cold & Snowy Cool & Nice Clear, Sunny & Warm

Is it raining, cloudy, snowing, hailing, and windy?

Rain is water condensed from vapor in the atmosphere and falling in drops from clouds. (Water falling from clouds) Pg. 13 in the All Around You book

Snow is water vapor in the atmosphere that has frozen into ice crystals and falls to the ground in the form of flakes. (Ice crystal flakes) Pg. 17 in the All Around You book As the ice crystals fall from the cold clouds, they bump into other crystals freeze together, making even more shapes. This is one reason why there are no two snowflakes exactly alike.

Hail is small balls of ice and hardened snow that fall like rain. (Pellets of ice) Pg. 17 in the All Around You book Wind is air moving across the surface of the planet or through the atmosphere at a speed fast enough to be noticed. (Moving air) Pg. 12 in the All Around You book Wind Speed is also measured with a Beaufort scale. The Beaufort scale is named after an 1805 British admiral and hydrographer, Sir Francis Beaufort. What direction is the wind blowing?

Cloudy means that the sky is covered with or full of clouds. Pg. 11 in the All Around You book There are four basic cloud types: Cumulus, Stratus, Cirrus, and Cumulonimbus In Latin Cumulus means “heap”, Stratus means “covering or blanket”, and Cirrus means “curl”

What is precipitation? Precipitation is rain, snow, or hails, all of which are formed by condensation of moisture in the atmosphere and fall to the ground. *Which of these are forms of Precipitation Rain Sunny Cold Bright

What is the temperature outside? Temperature is the degree of heat measured on the Fahrenheit scale.

Tools used by Weather Forecasters A Thermometer measures temperature A Barometer measures Air Pressure A Rain Gauge measures precipitation Your Eyes and Ears are probably the most accurate tools. Some questions to think about when doing your Weather Journal.

What did you wear today? (Did you put on a coat or did you wear shorts)

How does the weather make you feel? (If it is sunny are you happy? If it is rainy and cloudy do you feel sleepy and sad?)

****Note: BE A WEATHER REPORTER: Watch local T.V. Weather Reports for the next few days forecast to check and see if your weather observation matches the professionals.