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SCIENCE ~ CHAPTER 8
WEATHER
Miss Nelson
SECTION 5
Predicting the Weather
ANTICIPATORY SET
How can you use what you’ve learned
about fronts to predict what the weather
will be?
STANDARDS
S 6.4.e –
Students know differences in pressure, heat, air
movement, and humidity result in change in
weather
THE BIG IDEA
How do weather forecasters
predict the weather?
What can be learned from
the information on weather
maps?
KEY TERMS
 Meteorologist – a scientist who
studies the causes of weather and
tries to predict it
 Isobar – a line on a weather map that
joins places that have the same air
pressure
 Isotherm – a line on a weather map
that joins places that have the same
temperature
PREDICTING THE WEATHER
Read Predicting the Weather on page 328
of your textbook
WEATHER FORECASTING
The first step is to collect data
Simple, direct observation
Use of instruments
MAKING SIMPLE OBSERVATIONS
Reading signs in the clouds:
Cumulus clouds form on warm afternoons,
when warm air rises
 If these clouds grow taller and larger…
 Will become cumulonimbus, and produce
thunderstorms
Thin cirrus clouds high in the sky may indicate
a warm front approaching
INTERPRETING COMPLEX DATA
Meteorologists use maps,
charts, and computers to
analyze weather data and to
prepare weather forecasts
INTERPRETING COMPLEX DATA
Meteorologists are able to interpret
information from a variety of sources
 Local weather observers
 Instruments carried by balloons
 Satellites
 Weather stations around the world
Often use radar
 Track rain or snow
 Locate severe storms, such as tornadoes
 Follow the path of the storm
WEATHER FORECASTING
Read Weather Forecasting on page 329 of
your textbook
READING WEATHER MAPS
 A weather map is
a “snapshot” of
conditions at a
particular time
over a large area
 There are many
different types of
weather maps
WEATHER SERVICE MAPS
 Data from many local weather stations all over the country
are assembled into weather maps at the National Weather
Service
 On some weather maps you see curved lines
 These connect places where conditions are the same
 Temperature or air pressure
WEATHER SERVICE MAPS
ISOBARS are lines joining places on the map
that have the same AIR PRESSURE
 Iso means “equal”
 Bar means “pressure”
 Why do you think it’s called a barometer?
ISOTHERMS are lines joining places on the
map that have the same TEMPERATURE
 Do you see the connection between “isotherm” and
“thermometer”
NEWSPAPER WEATHER MAPS
Standard symbols on a
weather map show fronts,
areas of high and low
pressure, types of
precipitation, and
temperatures
NEWSPAPER WEATHER MAPS
View Figure 27 on page 332 of your textbook
LIMITS OF WEATHER FORECASTS
New satellites and radar technologies have
allowed scientists to make better weather
forecasts
However, it is unlikely that scientists will ever
be able to predict the weather a month in
advance
 Small changes can have huge impacts in the future
 Sometimes called the “butterfly effect”
READING WEATHER MAPS
Read Reading Weather Maps on pages 330-331
of your textbook
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
What is a meteorologist?
What tools do they rely on to forecast the weather?
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
What is a meteorologist?
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies
the causes of weather and tries to predict it.
What tools do they rely on to forecast the
weather?
Meteorologists rely on computers, weather
maps, satellites, radar, and weather stations
to forecast the weather.
GUIDED PRACTICE
What is the symbol for a cold front on a weather map?
How is wind direction indicated on a weather map?
GUIDED PRACTICE
What is the symbol for a cold front on a
weather map?
The symbol for a cold front on a weather map is
a line with triangles on the front side.
How is wind direction indicated on a weather
map?
Wind direction is indicated on a weather map
by the direction of the line extending out from a
weather map symbol.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Complete Weather 8-5 Independent
Practice