4.3
Weather Dynamics
Climatographs in Excel 2010
A climatograph (or climograph) is a common tool in the keeping of meteorological records. It is the visual
representation of the mean monthly temperatures and precipitation amounts in a given area expressed on
one chart. The temperature values are measured on a line, and the precipitation values expressed in the form
of vertical bars. You can make a climograph using the Chart Wizard in Microsoft Excel 2010. However, it
requires a bit of tinkering with the chart's options.
Instructions
1 Open a new worksheet in Excel 2010. Create three column headings:
Month, Temperature and Precipitation.
2 Enter 12 rows of data consisting of
• the 12 months of the year in the 1st column
• the mean monthly temperature in the 2nd column
• the precipitation amounts in the 3rd column
3 Click and drag the mouse across your entire range of data in all three columns.
4 Click on the chart button in the toolbar to start the Chart Wizard. Select a
clustered column type chart and click "OK."
You will see the data grouped in two rows of vertical columns.
5 Right-click on the temperature bars (the “left set of columns”) and select
"Format Data Series" from the submenu.
Select the option for "Secondary axis" in the pop up window and click "Close."
6 Right-click on the data series marker for temperature and select
"Change Series Chart Type" from the submenu.
Select a "Line With Markers" data series type from the pop up window and click
"OK."
You now have a completed climograph.