Intro to Weather Clip

Weather by Brainpop
1) What cycle is the basis of our
weather?

2) What causes precipitation to

occur?

3) Where do storms usually

occur?
Weather
 Temporary behavior of atmosphere
(what’s going on at any certain time)

 Small geographic area

 Can change rapidly

Weather
--The study of weather is meteorology

--Someone who studies weather is

called a meteorologist
Climate
 Long-term behavior of atmosphere (100+
years)
 Large geographic area
 Very slow to change
 POLAR
90o -60o latitude
Cool summers, cold year-round
Dry
 TEMPERATE
60o-30o latitude
True Seasons
Variety of climate patterns
Moderate precipitation (rain/snow)
 TROPICAL
30o - equator
No winter, warm year-round
High temp, rainfall, humidity
Climate Types by Brainpop

1.What is climate?

2.Where are tropical climates

most likely to be?

3.What does “arid” mean?

What Factors Affect Weather &
Climate?
1. The Sun
2. The Water Cycle
3. The Atmosphere
4. The Ocean
How Does the Sun Affect
Weather?
It warms the atmosphere &
oceans
It creates climate zones
It keeps the water cycle going
It affects weather patterns
The Water Cycle
All the water on the planet is recycled in
this manner!
Parts of the Cycle
Evaporation—Water
Evaporation going from a
liquid to a gas (gains energy from
the sun)
Parts of the Cycle
*Transpiration—evaporation of water
from/out of plants. Locate this on the
diagram!

transpiration
Parts of the Cycle
Condensation—Water
Condensation going from a gas to a
liquid (cools or loses energy)
 When this happens in the atmosphere,

CLOUDS form.
Clouds by Brainpop
Parts of the Cycle
Precipitation—when water falls out the
atmosphere. Forms when the water droplets
in clouds become too heavy to stay up.
Precipitation
 Liquid water = rain

Rain Clip

Frozen water = snow or

sleet or hail
The Water Cycle

Water Cycle by Brainpop

Water Cycle Advanced by Brainpop
The Water Cycle by Brainpop

1) What process must happen for

clouds to form?

2) What is “collection”?

3) Name one way to conserve

water.
How does the atmosphere
affect weather?
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surrounds
the Earth
Has five different layers; each has different
properties
We’ll label them in just a minute…
Air Temperature and Pressure change with altitude
Weather occurs in the layer closest to Earth
(troposphere)
 Write in the labels!

Exosphere

Thermosphere

Ionosphere

Mesosphere
Ozone layer
Stratosphere
Troposphere
 Earth’s Atmsophere by Brainpop

1. What is ozone?

2. What layer of the atmosphere

does weather occur in?

3. What 2 gases compose the

most of Earth’s Atmosphere?
Air Masses

= body of air with a certain

temperature and moisture level
Can be warm or cold
Can contain a lot of moisture or
not a lot of moisture
Fronts
= places where air
masses meet
4 Types: Warm, Cold,
Occluded, Stationary
Each kind can bring
different kinds of
weather
Occluded Front: Stationary Front:
Science Saurus 221/222
& Reading a Weather
Map Worksheet
How does Air Pressure affect
weather?
How much the earth’s atmosphere is pressing
down on us

Measured with a BAROMETER

If it CHANGES, then new weather is on the way:

Falling Air Pressure = stormy weather coming
Rising Air Pressure = fair weather coming
Steady Air Pressure = no change is coming
Pressure Systems
Winds = created from differences in
air pressure

Moves from areas of HIGH to LOW

pressure
Greater the difference in pressure, the
FASTER the wind blows
Measured with wind vanes and
anemometers or you can estimate with the
Beaufort Wind Scale
ScienceSaurus 224/225
Beaufort Wind Scale
Global Winds
Thousands of kilometers long; can
cause weather to move in different
directions

Jet stream, prevailing westerlies,

doldrums, horse latitudes, trade winds
Big Winds Blowin’ Worksheet &
Science Saurus Section 217
Global Winds
Caused by the temperature
difference in different regions

 Hot Tropical Regions—causes air to

rise
 Cold polar Regions—causes air to sink
Global Winds
Also affected by Earth’s Spin

 Coriolis Effect = causes winds to

curve to the right in the N.
Hemisphere; to the left in the S.
Hemisphere
Big Winds Blowin’ Worksheet
 Winds by Brainpop

1. What does warm air do?

2. What do you call winds that

blow all the time in the same
part of the world?

3. What are jet streams?

Relative Humidity
 Measure of the amount of
moisture in the air compared to
what the air could hold
 How “full” of water the air is
 Expressed as %
 100% relative humidity =
saturated air
Relative Humidity Test Applet
http://itg1.meteor.wisc.edu/wxwise/relhum/rhac.html
Relative Humidity
Controlled by temperature
1. Warm air holds more moisture than cool
air (more space for water vapor between air
molecules)
2. As air warms,
warms relative humidity
decreases
3. As air cools,
cools relative humidity increases
Dew Point
 =Temperature at which the air is
saturated (100% relative humidity)

Several events can occur when the dew point

temp. is reached:
1. If dew point temp. is above freezing:
a. water vapor condenses as liquid
b. dew will form on surfaces
Dew Point
c. cloud droplets will form in air

2. If dew point temp. is below freezing:

a. water vapor condenses as a solid
b. frost on surfaces
c. snow (or hail) in the air
 Humidity by Brainpop

1. What single factor controls

humidity?

2. What temperature air can hold

the most water molecules?

3. What causes water to evaporate

into the atmosphere?
Rainbows
 Caused by sunshine on raindrops
 White light (all colors) is refracted (bent)
into colors as it enters and exits the drop
 To see a rainbow you must have the sun
behind you and raindrops in the air
 Diagram:
Rainbow by Brainpop
How does the Ocean affect
weather?
Ocean currents affect the temperature of the land
they pass by
Cold ocean currents = cooling effect
Warm ocean currents = warming effect
Temperature changes affect pressure – which then
creates WINDS
Winds blow this cooling or warming effect over the
land

http://earth.rice.edu/MTPE/hydro/hydrosphere/topics/Ocean_Atm_Circ_ElNino.mov
http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/
Science Saurus Sections 203-204-205-206
 Advanced Weather by Brainpop

Violent Weather
Thunderstorms
Requires a mature cumulonimbus cloud

Signs
a. Sudden reversal of wind direction
b. Noticeable increase in wind speed
c. Sudden drop in temperature
 Thunderstorms
Possible weather:
a. heavy rains (flash floods)
b. lightning (forest fires)
c. thunder (frightens animals)
d. hail (crop damage)
e. tornadoes
f. strong, gusty winds

Thunderstorm by Brainpop
Safety Rules
 Stay indoors
 Prepare for lightning, strong winds
 Listen on radio/TV for tornado
watch/warning
 Thunderstorms don’t last long
Lightning Storm
Cumulonimbus cloud becomes electrically
charged and ground below has opposite
charge
Lightning stroke: flow of current thru air (a
poor conductor) from the – to the +
Lightning can flow from cloud to ground,
cloud to cloud,
cloud and from ground to cloud
Bright light is caused by glowing air
molecules heated by the current
Lightning follows the path of least
resistance (easiest way to positive)
Lightning rod offers lightning an easy,
easy safe
path to the ground (+)
Thunder is the shock wave caused by the
explosive expansion of heated air
Sound travels @ about 1100 ft/sec in air
5,280 ft in one mile
Distance from you to lightning = number
of seconds between seeing the flash and hearing
the thunder divided by 5.
(5,280 ft / 1100 ft/sec = 5 seconds)
Types of Lightning
Streak or bolt
a. Single or branched lines of light
b. Common in Puget Sound area
Sheet
a. shapeless flash over wide area
b. is cloud-to-cloud bolt hidden by the
clouds
c. common in Puget Sound area
Other types of lightning

a. heat, ribbon, beaded (types of bolt)

b. ball (only other shape lightning can have)
Safety rules for lightning storms
 Stay indoors
 Stay away from anything that conducts
electricity (stove, sink, telephone, TV)
 Get out of the water and off of small boats
 Stay away from open doors, windows, fireplaces
 Stay in your car (very safe place to be)
 Don’t stand under lone trees or in open places
 Avoid hilltops
 If your hair stands on end, or your skin tingles,
drop to the ground but try to keep as little
contact with the ground as possible
 Lightning Strikes
(17 minutes)
Stories of people hit by lightning
Tornado (a.k.a twister,
cyclone)
 Counterclockwise column of rotating air
extending from cumulonimbus cloud
 Per square foot, is the most destructive
atmospheric event
 Rated by wind speed (F1 to F5)
 “Tornado season” = April, May, June
 Tornadoes that form over water are called
“waterspouts”
 Behavior of a tornado is unpredictable
Typical tornado will:
1. Occur between 3-7 pm
2. Travel 4 miles
3. Be 300-400 m wide
4. Travel 25-40 mi/hour
5. Have wind speeds up to 300 mi/hr
6. Produce extremely low pressure
7. Be dark due to debris picked up
Tornado by Brainpop
Safety Rules
 Rule #1: Take immediate action!
 Move away from tornado’s path

Tornado’s path

Move away at a right angle

Lie flat in nearest ditch, etc.
At home
a. open windows, doors
b. seek shelter in basement or under heavy
table in middle of house

On the trail of a tornado

Tropical Cyclone
Nicknames
1. Atlantic: hurricane
2. SE Asia, Japan: typhoon
3. Australia: willy-willy
4. Indian Ocean: cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Rated by wind speed (category 1 to 5)
Starts and grows over warm ocean water
Composed of bands of thunderstorms
spiraling counterclockwise around a low
pressure center
Characteristics
 Several hundred miles wide
 Last many days (even weeks)
 Winds from 74-200 mi/hr
 Contains an “eye” Hurricances by Brainpop

a. Small region of low pressure

b. Surrounded by highest winds
c. Calm, peaceful, sunny weather
d. Last for about 1 hour as hurricane passes by
Safety Rules
 Prepare for high winds
 Prepare for flooding (greatest source of
damage)
a. Up to 20 in. of rain
b. Flooding by coastal water
 3. Prepare for thunderstorms
 4. Have on hand stored food, water,
blankets, candles, matches, radio, etc.
 5. Seek shelter
Hurricanes Clip