8 - Weather Instruments, Weather or Not
Weather balloon
A helium balloon that carries weather instruments (radiosonde) and transmits data back to earth. Used to locate and track the jet stream to help predict the direction of storms.
Thermoscope
An early thermometer used to measure the pressure of the atmosphere on water (not mercury). Instead of accurately measuring temperature, it detected changes in temperature.
Ceilometer
An instrument for measuring height of cloud ceiling above earth.
Snow gauge
An instrument for measuring the depth of snow.
Altimeter
An instrument that indicates the altitude of an object above a fixed level.
Thermometer
An instrument that measures and indicates temperature.
Aneriod barometer
An instrument that measures changes in air pressure WITHOUT using a liquid.
Mercury barometer
An instrument that measures changes in air pressure, consisting of a glass tube partially filled with mercury, with its open end resting in a dish of mercury. Air pressure pushing on the mercury in the dish forces the mercury in the tube to be higher.
Barometer
An instrument that measures the pressure of the atmosphere. The change in pressure is called barometric pressure.
Anemometer
An instrument that measures wind speed.
Rain gauge
An instrument to measure the amount of precipitation that has fallen.
Compass
An instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic "cardinal directions" or "points" (North, South, East., and West).
Sling psychrometer
An instrument used to measure relative humidity.
Hygrometer
An instrument used to measure the amount of humidity or water vapor in the air.
Wind vane
An instrument used to measure wind direction. Shows the direction the wind is coming from. Also known as a weather vane.
100°
Boiling point in Celsius
212°
Boiling point in Fahrenheit
0°
Freezing point in Celsius
32°
Freezing point in Fahrenheit
Celsius
Metric unit for measuring temperature On this scale water freezes at zero and boils at 100°.
NEXRAD
(Next-Generation Radar) is a network of high-resolution, S-band Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service (NWS)
Hurricane Hunter
Air Force group that flies into hurricanes to record data. Aircraft that flies into storms and drops a cylinder (dropsonde) into the storm and collects data.
Weather map
A map that shows the weather in a specific area at a specific point in time.
Radiosonde
A package of instruments that is carried aloft by weather balloons to measure upper atmosphere conditions, including temperature, dew point, and wind velocity and transmit them by radio to a ground receiver.
Doppler radar
A radar system using the Doppler effect to determine the location and velocity of a storm, clouds, precipitation, etc.
Stevenson Screen
A shelter or an enclosure to shield meteorological instruments against precipitation and direct heat radiation from outside sources, while still allowing air to circulate freely around them. It forms part of a standard weather station.
Rawindosonde
A small instrument tethered to a balloon that measures wind speed and direction.
Wind sock
A tapered fabric shaped like a cone that indicates wind direction by pointing away from the wind. It is also called a "wind cone."
Fahrenheit
A temperature scale with the freezing point of water 32° and the boiling point of 212°. The United States uses this temperature scale.
Weather satellites
A tool that orbits the Earth and provide images of weather systems, and can provide wind speeds, humidity and temperatures at different altitudes.
Dropsonde
A weather detection device designed to be dropped from a Hurricane Hunter aircraft to collect data on tropical storm conditions as the device falls to Earth. It collects data on global position, air pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction.
Farmer's Almanac
A yearly calendar and weather forecast that helps farmers know when to plant crops.