Weather Science | Young Meteorologist We’ve gathered extensive links to digital resources designed to help everyone learn the science of weather, help educators reinforce their own content knowledge, and get kids engaged in science that affects us all each and every day. Weather Basics Weather Glossary The Weather Channel defines more than 800 weather-related terms. Web Weather for Kids Weather Glossary Kid-friendly definitions for basic weather vocabulary. Introduction to Clouds and Sky Watchers Chart This printable resource from NASA and NOAA’s National Weather Service provides both a basic introduction to the identification of clouds and a detailed cloud chart (also available in Spanish). Weather Instruments Get the basics on the specialized equipment meteorologists use to gather information about weather conditions (also available in Spanish). Hurricanes How In the World Do Hurricanes Form? Evolution of a Hurricane This interactive tutorial from USA Today shows the inner workings of a storm. Lightning Floods Tornadoes
What are winds? How are winds formed? What are winds? A 'wind' is simply the flow of a huge amount of air, usually from a high pressure-area to a low-pressure area. How are winds formed? Typically, this begins with the sun’s radiation, which is absorbed differently on the earth’s surface. As a result of this uneven heating, there are bound to be earth surfaces that vary a lot in temperature. Important: Hot air rises and cool air sinks. Let us see this illustration below showing pressure and wind direction: In the diagram above, notice how cool air falls, resulting in high pressure, and moving towards regions of low pressure. Anywhere and each time there are differences in atmospheric (air) pressure, there will be a wind, because air will move from the high-pressure area to the low-pressure area. A good example is how tropical depression forms, where warm air over hot tropical waters rise, and high-pressure cold air quickly rushing to fill the space. Did you know?
s Climate Kids :: Weather And Climate energyWeather And Climate The Brief Overview Weather is a specific event—like a rainstorm or hot day—that happens over a few hours, days or weeks. Climate is the average weather conditions in a place over 30 years or more. What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate? 10 Interesting Things About Glaciers What Is Permafrost? How Do We Know the Climate Is Changing? What Can Trees Tell Us About Climate Change? NASA Missions Studying Weather and Climate Airborne Aura CloudSat Suomi NPP For Educators More to Explore A Guide to Climate Change for Kids What Is the Water Cycle? What Is an Urban Heat Island? Why Does NASA Care About Food? Why Does NASA Study Earth? Make a NASA Climate Kids Pumpkin! 10 Interesting Things About Air Coral Bleaching What Is Climate Change? What Is the Greenhouse Effect? What else do we need to find out? Which Pole Is Colder? How Does Climate Change Affect the Ocean? Why Is Carbon Important? Keeping Track of Water in the Soil What do all these graphs mean? 10 Interesting Things About Earth
Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids Wind What is wind? Wind is air in motion. It is produced by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun. Since the earth’s surface is made of various land and water formations, it absorbs the sun’s radiation unevenly. What causes the wind to blow? What is a windstorm? What is a gust front? What is a downburst? What is a monsoon? What are the trade winds? What are the polar easterlies? What is a land breeze? How is wind helpful to Earth? What are some different types of wind names? Beaufort Scale The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for the intensity of the weather based mainly on wind power. Wind Activities Lesson Plan: Here is a great activity the shows students how the winds work across the globe.Wind Experiment: Here is a great experiment that allows the kids to find out what's in the wind. Pinwheel Experiment: Here is an experiment that allows the kids to make a pinwheel to see how wind is created.
Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids Winter StormsHow do winter storms form?Winter storms derive their energy from the clash of two air masses of different temperatures and moisture levels. Winter storms usually form when an air mass of cold, dry, Canadian air moves south and interacts with a warm, moist air mass moving north from the Gulf of Mexico. The point where these two air masses meet is called a front. If cold air advances and pushes away the warm air, it forms a cold front. How is snow formed? How do blizzards form? What are snowflakes? Why is snow white? What is thundersnow? What is an ice storm? How do ice storms form? What is a Nor'easter? What is Wind Chill? Click Here to calculate the Wind Chill.What is frostbite? Click Here to learn more about Avalanche Saftey. Know the Lingo WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES - Issued for accumulations of snow, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and sleet which will cause significant inconveniences and, if caution is not exercised, could lead to life-threatening situations.
Extreme weather - ABC Splash Home > Topics > Extreme weather Extreme weather Image source: Tropical Cyclone Inigo approaching northwest Australia, 2003, courtesy NASA/GAFC (Wikimedia Commons) Cracking up! Watch scientists investigate water movement through soil that has been cracked by drought. Science Year: 7 Tracking ice clouds Fly into a massive thunderstorm with pilots and scientists as they study how global warming could affect storms. Science Year: 10 Cracking up! Science Year: 7 Tracking ice clouds Science Year: 10 Devastating bushfires hit Victoria, 2009 Investigate Victoria's devastating bushfires of 2009 and find out why they have been called Australia's worst ever natural disaster. Science Year: 6 Monster tornadoes tear through America What sounds like a freight train and can pick a house up off its foundations? Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland, 2011 Imagine your house being battered by 285 km per hour winds! Australia's east coast hit by floods, 20... Visit the 'big wet' by camel as the dese... Science Years: 5,6 9
What Causes a Blizzard? Heavy snow, bitter cold, whipping winds … Winter storms are no picnic, but what is the official definition of a blizzard, and what causes them, anyway? The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as any severe snowstorm that is accompanied by strong winds — at least 35 mph — resulting in low visibility. The defining factor of a blizzard is actually the strength of the wind, rather than the amount of snow. While blizzards often feature extreme cold and heavy snow, there are actually no temperature or snow depth requirements for a storm to qualify as a blizzard. Blizzards can be very dangerous. In the United States and Canada, the areas most prone to blizzards are the plains states and provinces, the Great Lakes region, and the Northeastern U.S. and Canadian Maritimes. The Great Lakes region is especially lucky, because it is positioned to be hit by both types of storms.
Subjects - Extreme Weather No matter where you live in the world, weather is something that you are exposed to every single day. Even though weather occurs all around the world, the region you live in can have a different natural phenomenon than another geographical locations. For example, if you live in the Midwest of the United States, it isn't very likely that you'll get hurricanes but you may be very familiar with tornados. Why is it sunny most of the year in some places and rainy in other places? What causes tsunamis and earthquakes? Even though weather is different all around the world, our weather systems are all very interconnected.
Disaster Detector | Smithsonian Science Education Center Note: The Adobe Flash plugin is needed to play this game on the web. Please enable your Flash settings on your web browser. For issues with Google Chrome or Chromebook, please see Google Chrome Help. We recommend using another browser, such as Firefox, or downloading to a mobile device with the links below. The citizens of Smithsonville are in dire need of a Disaster Detector! Help Smithsonville and other cities predict and prepare for natural disasters. Disaster Detector teaches players how to analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and how to implement tools to mitigate the effects of those disasters. Frequently Asked Questions This game was funded under the Investing in Innovation (i3) validation grant (U396B100097) awarded to the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) by the U.S.
Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids Weather Links My other weather site: 7-Day Forecast Do you hate sitting for the news just waiting for the weather segment so you can check out your 7-day forecast? Satellite Images Are you waiting for the sun to come out before you schedule your daily plans? Radar Images Do you hate waiting for your local radar forecast? *The images at these sites don't update as often, but will tell the difference between rain, snow and ice. Forecast Models Have you always wanted to see how meteorologists predict the weather? Lightning Strikes Are storms heading your way? Severe Weather Is severe weather heading your way? Tide Data St.