Forecasting the Weather

What Do I Wear To Tomorrow?

Meteorologists can predict the weather by interpreting weather data. Take a look at your school’s data from your school on the Northern Arizona MesoNet. Examine the data from yesterday and then this month. Use the data to predict what the weather will be tomorrow and subsequently what you will wear tomorrow. If time allows, compare your findings to the National Weather Service predictions of tomorrow’s forecast.

The weather data include:

Temperature - The degree of hotness or coldness of a substance as measured by a thermometer.

Precipitation - Any form of water particles – liquid or solid – that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground.

Wind speed, direction, and chill – Wind direction tells us from which direction the wind blows and wind speed indicates the average rate at which the wind blows. If the wind in any place blows more frequently from one direction, it can indicate the prevailing winds. Wind chill refers to how cold it actually feels based on the temperature and speed of the wind.

Humidity - A general term that refers to the air’s water vapor content – or moisture in the atmosphere. The dew point is the temperature at which water vapor condenses. The higher the dew point is an indicator of more moisture in the air. The relative humidity tells us the ratio of the amount of water vapor that is required for saturation (at a particular temperature and pressure).

Barometric pressure – Atmospheric pressure refers to the weight of the air abocve a given level. It is usually measured with a barometer. The higher we climb in the atmoshophere the fewer the air molecules are above us. Usually atmospheric pressure decreases with height. There is a relationship between air pressure, air density, and air temperature. When one changes, the others do as well. Sometimes falling barometric pressure readings mean stormy weather and rising ones clear weather.

1. Examine the data for today, yesterday and this moth. Answer the following questions:

What temperature trends do you notice?

How much precipitation has there been?

What does the past and current wind speed indicate?

What is the trend in the humidity?

What does the barometric pressure indicate?

2. Given all these data, what do you think the weather forecast will be for tomorrow?

3. What will you wear tomorrow?