The Unofficial Student Activity for
Bob Ryan's 1999 Almanac & Guide for the Weatherwise

by Walter Sanford
Planetarium Teacher, Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness
Fairfax County Public Schools

(Teacher's Answer Key available upon request.)

By completing this activity, you will become more familiar with weather in general, and Washington, D.C. weather in particular. You will also learn about how the weather in Washington, D.C. compares with the weather in other parts of the United States and the world.

Sources of Weather Information

  1. What is the Internet address (also known as the Uniform Resource Locator or URL) for WeatherNet4?

  2. What are the URLs for the following National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Web sites?
    1. National Weather Service (NWS)

    2. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

Weather Terms

Personal Almanac Data

Temperature & Precipitation - What's Average
and What's Unusual?

  1. In the following data table, record the duration of insolation (number of hours of daylight) in Washington, D.C. for the 21st of each month. To calculate the number of hours of daylight, subtract the time of sunrise from the time of sunset. (Hint: Before subtracting, times should be expressed in 24-hour format. Be careful--times are tricky to subtract!) Construct a line graph.

    Data Table - Duration of Insolation

    Month | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC 
------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
# Hrs |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |

    Line Graph: Duration of Insolation & Average High Temperature
    Washington, D.C.

    H  16 --|
O      -|
U  15 --|
R      -|
S  14 --|                                               |-- 90  T
       -|                                               |-      E
D  13 --|                                               |-- 80  M
A      -|                                               |-      P
Y  12 --|                                               |-- 70  E
L      -|                                               |-      R
I  11 --|                                               |-- 60  A
G      -|                                               |-      T
H  10 --|                                               |-- 50  U
T      -|                                               |-      R
   09 --|-----------------------------------------------|-- 40  E
        | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
                          MONTHS OF YEAR

  2. In the data table below, record the average high temperature in Washington, D.C. for the 21st of each month. Construct a line graph (using the graph in Question #1, Temperature & Precipitation - What's Average and What's Unusual).

    Data Table - Average High Temperature

    Month | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC
------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
Temp. |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |

  3. In Washington, D.C., on average, which month is the COLDEST? The HOTTEST?

  4. When/where/what was the lowest temperature ever recorded in the contiguous United States? (Hint: This record-setting temperature was observed during the average coldest month of the year in Washington, D.C.)

  5. What are the world's records for temperature extremes? 
    Highest__________ Location______________________________
    
Lowest___________ Location______________________________

  6. In Washington, D.C., on average, during which month does the MOST precipitation (average rain) fall?

  7. Calculate the total ANNUAL precipitation (rain) in Washington, D.C. by adding the monthly average rain amounts.

  8. Which U.S. city (among those cities listed in the almanac) receives the LEAST average annual precipitation?

  9. Which U.S. city (among those cities listed in the almanac) receives the MOST average annual precipitation?

Washington Winters

  1. For each month listed in the data table below, record the average snowfall for Washington, D.C. Construct a bar graph. (Note: "Trace" equals less than .1 inch.)

    Data Table - Average Monthly Snowfall

    Month    | OCT | NOV | DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR |
---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|
Snowfall |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |

    Bar Graph: Average Snowfall - Washington, D.C.

       7"--|                                          
      -|                                          
S  6"--|                                          
N     -|                                          
O  5"--|                                          
W     -|                                          
   4"--|                                          
A     -|                                          
M  3"--|                                          
O     -|                                          
U  2"--|                                          
N     -|                                          
T  1"--|                                          
      -|                                          
   0"--|------------------------------------------
Months | OCT | NOV | DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR |

  2. On average, during which month does the MOST snowfall typically occur in Washington, D.C.?

  3. To determine the total ANNUAL snowfall in Washington, D.C., add the monthly average snowfall amounts (from the data table in Question #1, Washington Winters).

  4. List the name/date/snowfall amount for the GREATEST recorded snowstorm in Washington, D.C. (Hint: This event is listed under "Strange Weather, Events, and Happenings" for January, or refer to the feature article on pp. 4-5.)

  5. At Dulles Airport (IAD) in suburban Washington, D.C., the Winter of 1996 was the snowiest ever recorded. What was the total annual snowfall? (Hint: This information is listed under "Strange Weather, Events, and Happenings" for March.)

  6. For the following U.S. cities, list the total ANNUAL snowfall:
    1. Buffalo, NY:
    2. Dallas, TX:
    3. Kansas City, MO:
    4. San Francisco, CA:

  7. If we assume that 1 inch of liquid precipitation equals approximately 10 inches of snow, then what percentage of the total annual precipitation in Washington, D.C. (refer to Question #7, Temperature & Precipitation - What's Average and What's Unusual?) falls as snow? [Hint: To solve this problem, the first step is to convert the total annual snowfall (refer to Question #3, Washington Winters) to its liquid equivalent.]

"La Nina" and the Coming Winter
by Bob Ryan

  1. What is El Nino?

  2. What is La Nina?

  3. What is Bob Ryan's long-range forecast for La Nina's effects on the '98-'99 winter weather in the Mid-Atlantic states?

  4. For North America, list three effects of La Nina in winter.

Winter Storms
by Paul Kocin, National Weather Service

  1. During the snowless El Nino winter of 1997/98, how many inches of snow fell at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport? (Contrast this amount with the average total annual snowfall, Question #3, Washington Winters!)

  2. Where do the worst winter storms that affect Washington, D.C. typically form?

  3. On average, Washington, D.C. experiences 1-2 freezing rain events (known as "icestorms") annually. During the winter of 1993/94, how many icestorms occurred in Washington, D.C.?

The Snowflake Man
by Duncan C. Blanchard

  1. Who was "the Snowflake Man?"

  2. Snow crystals are symmetrical with how many sides?

  3. What is the well-known expression about snowflakes coined by the Snowflake Man?

Washington Summers

  1. On average, during which two months do we have the GREATEST number of thunderstorms in Washington, D.C.?

  2. What is the HOTTEST temperature ever recorded in Washington, D.C.? (Hint: This record-setting temperature occurred on 6 August, but is listed under "Strange Weather, Events, and Happenings" for 9 August.)

  3. In 1999, what will be the FIRST named Atlantic hurricane?

  4. Define the following terms:
  5. If a strong hurricane is currently located at 35oN latitude, 71oW longitude and moving northwest at 10 miles per hour, then a hurricane watch would be most likely in effect for which East coast United States cities? (Hint: The scale of the map can be approximated by knowing that 1 degree of latitude equals nearly 70 miles, 5 degrees = 350 miles, etc. Ignore the fact that the value of one degree of latitude is slightly greater at the top of the map than at the bottom, due to the map projection used for the Channel 4 Hurricane Tracking Chart.)

  6. In a hurricane, what is the "STORM SURGE?"

Project Impact: What it Means for You
by James Lee Witt, FEMA Director

  1. FEMA is an acronym (a word formed from the initial letter or letters of other words); for what does it stand?

  2. What is the URL for the main FEMA Web site?

Chesapeake Bay: It's Mixed up in Everything We Do!
by Dr. Kent Mountford, Senior Scientist,
US EPA Chesapeake Bay Program

  1. The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary; what is an estuary?

  2. How many major rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay?

  3. Which is "heavier" (more dense), fresh water or salt water?

  4. List three man-made pollutants which reduce the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.

Sky Awareness (including Astronomy)

  1. For the MONTH IN WHICH YOU WERE BORN (e.g., August), list THREE astronomical phenomena that you may observe in the night sky in 1999.
    1. MONTH ____________________


  2. "Once in a Blue Moon" a "Blue Moon" occurs. What is a Blue Moon? (Refer to The Night Sky in 1999, specifically January.)

  3. For the month of FEBRUARY, record the dates of the phases of the moon.

  4. Every year, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox.
    1. What date is the Spring Equinox?

    2. On what date is the NEXT Full Moon AFTER the Spring Equinox?

    3. What date is Easter Sunday? (If necessary, refer to a calendar.)

  5. What is astronomically significant about June 21st, 1999 at 3:49 p.m.?

  6. If the distance around the Capital Beltway (I-495/95) is 66 miles, and the distance to the moon is approximately 240,000 miles, then how many times would you have to go around the beltway to "travel to" the moon?

  7. Most days, how many high tides occur? Approximately how many hours apart?

  8. Most days, how many low tides occur? Approximately how many hours apart?

  9. Approximately how many hours pass between one high tide and the next low tide?

  10. The greatest tidal range (difference between high and low tide) occurs during the New and Full Moon phases. For the month of May, on which dates will the tidal range be greatest?

  11. Assume that you would like to go fossil shark tooth collecting along the Potomac River near Colonial Beach, VA, and you know that the best time to go collecting is during low tide. Use the "Tide Correction Table" on page 2 of the almanac to find the best times (there are two times!) to go collecting on 4 July 1999.

Left Your Watch Behind?
by Dr. Michael C. MacCracken

  1. How can you tell when it is midday (apparent local noon)?

  2. To tell time by star-gazing, what three pieces of information are needed?

From StormCenter4 to You

  1. How fast does a radar signal "echo" travel?

  2. Explain how the special effect known as "chromakey" is used during a typical weathercast.

Tom Kierein's Top 10 "Fast" Facts

  1. What is the speed of a falling raindrop?

  2. What is the speed of a falling hail stone?

  3. In miles per hour (mph), what is the Earth's speed as it orbits the Sun?

WeatherNet4 is Growing!
by Dave Jones

  1. What is the WeatherNet4 Interactive Satellite Link?

  2. What is the Storm Display System (SDS)?

Copyright (c) 1999-2010 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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