Download Severe Weather

Weather prediction and
Mapping
Forecast
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This is a prediction of what the
weather will be like in the future.
Remember weather and climate
mean two different things.
Station model
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This is an arrangement of symbols
and numbers that how the weather
conditions recorded at a weather
station.
Surface Map
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This includes station models and
information about fronts and about
centers of high pressure and low pressure.
Instruments to record weather
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Thermometer and a barometer
Rain gauge
Anemometer
Dew point
Temperature at which water vapor in
the air will condense.
Weather balloon
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A balloon that carries a package of instruments
that record data about temperature, air pressure,
and humidity.
They work at 30,00 to
100,00 fee above ground.
Weather maps
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Local weather is produced by a
combination of atmospheric
conditions that are both nearby and
far away.
A weather map show data about
recent weather conditions across a
large area. It shows precise data for
separate locations and how this data
relates to each other.
Cold Front not always that cold
A cold front is a warm-cold air boundary with the colder air replacing the
warmer air. The weather map symbol for a cold front is a blue line with
triangles pointing the direction the cold air is moving. In the summer, a cold
front can trigger thunderstorms, hail, winds, and tornados.
Warm Fronts not as nice as they
sound.
A warm front is the boundary between warm and cool, or cold, air when the
warm air is replacing the cold air. Warm fronts often bring days of inclement
weather. As warm air advances northward it rides over the cold air ahead of it,
which is heavier. As the warm air rises the water vapor in it condenses into
clouds that can produce rain, snow, sleet, and freezing rain. The warm front
symbol on a weather map is a read line with circles pointing in the direction
the warm air is moving. Warm fronts move slow because cold air is stubborn,
dense and heavy.
What’s happening inside the highs
and lows.
The pressure is high at the surface where air is slowly descending– much too
slowly to feel. And this is going on over a large area. As air descends, it warms,
which inhibits the formation of clouds. High pressure is associated with good
weather.
As air rises it cools. As the air cools, the humidity in it begins to condense into
tiny drops of water, or if it’s cold enough, into tiny ice crystals. If there’s enough
water or ice, rain, or snow begin to fall. Low air pressure is associated with bad
weather.
High-pressure system brings sunny
days
High-pressure means your region has several partly to mostly sunny days in
store with little or no percipatation. Air tends to sink near high-pressure centers,
which inhibits precipitation and cloud formation. This is why high-pressure
systems tend to bring bright sunny days with calm weather.
How Low pressure systems affect
weather
Low pressure area or a storm usually means cloudy weather and precipitation are
on the way. Low pressure systems have different intensities with some producing a
gentle rain while others produce hurricane force winds and a massive deluge. The
centers of all storms are areas of low air pressure. Air rises near low pressure
areas. As air rises it cools and often condenses into clouds and precipitation.
Usually showers and thunderstorms ahead of the cold front don’t last as long as
the precipitation ahead of the warm front..
How troughs influence weather
Toughs cause low pressure areas and the locations of clouds and precipitation.
Precipitation will fall to the east of the trough while colder drier air will prevail to
the west of the trough. Precipitation is caused by air rises and cools, so its
humidity begins condensing into clouds and precipitation.
Stationary Front
A cold front is the boundary between cool and warm air when the
cool air is replacing the warm air. A warm front is the boundary
when the warm air is winning the battle. When the pushing is a
standoff, the boundary is know as a stationary front. Stationary
fonts often bring several days of cloudy, wet weather that can last a
week or more.
Less air allows baseballs to fly
farther
The lower the air’s pressure, the fewer molecules of air in any cubic foot of
air. As a baseball travels through the air, it collides with the molecules of
nitrogen, oxygen and other gasses that make up the air. This creates friction,
or “drag.” the less drag, the farther a ball will travel for a particular amount of
energy imparted to it by a bat. The opposite is true for airplanes.
11 O’clock last night
12 hours later
24 hours later
48 hours later
Mixed map