8.4 Weather maps and weather prediction

air temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, clouds, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, visibility

8 elements of weather

true

True or False: two types of weather maps that meteorologists use to show the weather are surface weather maps and upper-air charts

False

True or False: weather balloons and aircraft allow for surface weather observations

lines of equal pressure

What do the curved concentric lines on weather forecast maps show?

radar

____ works by bouncing radio waves off prescription; provides data on intensity and direction of a storm

aircraft

_____ can carry a variety of weather sensing instruments and collects data in places far from ground stations, such as over oceans; used to collect weather at mid to upper levels of the atmosphere

station model

a set of meteorological symbols that represent the weather at a particular observing station/ a small circle surrounded by a set of symbols and numbers that represent current weather data at a specific site.

develop a plan and continue to listen to the radio

as you listen to the radio, you hear an announcement for a severe weather watch. What shuold you do upon hearing this announcement?

long-range forecasts

can range from weeks to months into the future; can predict if the weather will be warmer or colder or wetter or drier than average, but not the temperature ad rainfall on a particular day

weather balloon

carries a small instrument package called a radiosonde; used to collect weather at mid to upper levels of the atmosphere

Doppler radar

important for detecting and tracking sever storms and tornades

weather watch

issued when severe weather conditions are possible over a large area; people should have a plan of action in case of a storm

weather advisory

issued when the expected weather conditions will not be a serious hazard, but may cause inconvenience

weather warning

issued when weather conditions that pose a threat to life and property are happening or are to happen

automated surface station

land-based ground station that collects weather data from the lower atmosphere 24 hours a day

Isobars

lines that connect points of equal air pressure used to show air pressure; marked in units called millibars

short-range weather forecasts

makes predictions 0-3 days into the future (0-72 hours)

medium range forecasts

predicts 3-7 days into the future (72-168 hours) temperature, wind, cloud cover, and precipitation are predicted iwth different degree of accuracy

orbiting weather satellites

provides data on water vapor, cloud-top temperatures, and the movement of weather systemns

cold fronts

shown using blue lines and blue triangles

warm fronts

shown using red lines and red half-circles

Weather forecasting

studying data to predict likely future weather conditions

meteorology

the study of weather and earth's atmosphere

true

true or false: 3 types of hazardous weather forecasts are weather advisories, weather watches, and weather warnings

upper-air chart

used to analyze weather based on the data collected by weather balloons; shows wind and air pressure at middle and upper levels of Earth's atmosphere

dropsonde

used to measure temperature, humidity, wind speed and air pressure

surface weather maps

used to show forecasts; displays air pressure and the locations of fronts

tornado warning

what kind of hazardous weather forecasts would the NWS issue if a tornado has been spotted and may be headed in your direction?