Andrew Odins
General Event Info.
 Understanding of Wx (weather) and climate.
 Team of two.
 60 minutes.
 Must bring writing instruments.
 Hand-on event w/ all necessary items, materials,
questions and response sheet.
 No impound or safety requirements.
Water Cycle
 http://education.jlab.org/reading/water_cycle.html
 Evaporation – caused by sun heating oceans / lakes.
 Condensation – formation of clouds when evaporated
water cools to the dew point.
 Precipitation – rain / snow from clouds.
 Run-off – heavy rain, snow melt, rivers; from high
elevation back to the ocean.
 Infiltration, collection, evapotranspiration, transport,
river discharge, radiative exchange.
Weather Instruments
 Thermometer – measures temperature.
 Barometer – measures atmospheric pressure (high vs. low
pressure).
 Rain Gauge – measure precipitation.
 Anemometer – measures wind speed.
 Windmill anemometer – also measures wind direction.
 Sling psychrometer – measures humidity.
 Hygrometer – measures water vapor content in air
(humidity).
 Pyroheliometer – measures solar radiation.
 Maps, Satellites, Doppler Radar.
Type of Clouds
 http://www.es.lancs.ac.uk/hazelrigg/amy/Observation
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%20Pages/10%20Major%20Cloud%20Types.htm
High: Cirrus, Cirrocumulus, Cirrostratus.
Middle: Altocumulus, Altostratus, Nimbostratus.
Low: Stratocumulus, Stratus, Cumulus,
Cumulonimbus.
Cirrus: curly
Stratus: layered
Cumulus: puffy / heaping
Weather vs. Climate
 Can be thought of as:
 “Average Weather”
 “Normal”
 “Extremes”
 “Long-range Forecast”
 Personal definition: bounds by which weather occurs.
Weather vs. Climate
 “Today’s high will be 85.”
 “Normals for this time of year are 65 and 45.”
 “The prevailing wind over Texas during the spring and
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summer is south-southeast.”
“The greatest snowfall over Raleigh is 21 inches.”
“The average humidity today was 45%.”
“We don’t expect snow out of this system since it is too
early in the year for us to see frozen precipitation.”
“Raleigh has been reporting and average of 2 degrees
warmer than Fayetteville during the last six months.”
Factors that Affect the Climate of a
Region
 Latitude – how far north or south a location is.
 Elevation.
 Topography – both location within or in proximity to.
 Location with respect to water.
 Prevailing winds.
 Aspect – areas/slopes that face the sun.
World Climate Zones
 http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topic
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s/climatezones.html
Polar: very cold and dry all year.
Temperate: cold winters and mild summers.
Arid: dry, hot all year.
Tropical: hot and wet all year.
Mediterranean: mild winters, dry hot summers.
Mountains: very cold all year.
World Climate Zones
 Polar: North and South Poles, Alaska, Siberia, extreme
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northern Asia.
Temperate: Eastern and northern US, central to
northern Europe.
Arid: Desert Southwest, Sahara Desert, AU Outback.
Tropical: central Africa / South America, Indonesia.
Mediterranean: California, southern Europe.
Mountains: Rockies, Andes, Himalayas.
Prevailing and Local Winds
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevailing_winds
 Westerlies: high latitudes from the west.
 Trades: aka Trade Winds
 Northeasterly – northern hemisphere
 Southeasterly – southern hemisphere
 Local Winds:
 Sea and land breezes.
 Near mountain breezes.
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Santa Ana Winds – California
Chinook, foehn – Great Plains, European Alps
Monsoon – Desert SW, India
Maps and Wx Conditions
 http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/sfc2.shtml
 Surface Analysis
 http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/fntcodes2.shtml
 http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/stationplot.shtml
 http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.
php
 Weather forecast map
Maps and Wx Conditions
Maps and Wx Conditions
Questions
 [email protected]