OBJECTIVES

• Interpret meteograms to describe the current weather conditions for selected weather stations across the United States;
• Discover simple interrelationships among weather variables by studying a time series of meteograms;
• Make short-range (no more than 6-12 hours in the future) single-element weather predictions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, etc.) based upon information obtained from a single meteogram, and optionally, a current surface weather map.

MATERIALS

• A variety of Metgrams for Selected Cities in the U.S. (courtesy the American Meteorological Society's DataStreme Project), including a one- to two-week time series of daily meteograms for a single location (e.g., where you live).
• Meteogram Explanation
• UTC/EST/EDT Time Conversion Chart
• Meteogram Observation Chart for Students

PROCEDURE

Each day for a period of at least one week, students should access and print a hardcopy of a current meteogram and use it to complete the Meteogram Observation Chart for Students.

After several days of meteogram observations, guide students to discover some simple interrelationships among weather variables. For background information, please refer to the Teacher's Guide to Common Interrelationships Among Weather Variables. (The Teacher's Guide should not be shared with students!) After students have mastered these understandings, challenge them to use a current meteogram to make a short-range single-element weather prediction. For example, students could be asked to use the meteogram (or a time series of meteograms) to predict the air temperature three (3) hours in the future.

STUDENT ACTIVITY

1. For a one- to two-week period, access and print a hardcopy of the current (near real-time) meteogram for the surface weather station closest to where you live. (If possible, try to obtain meteograms for the same 24-hour period each day.) Use the UTC/EST/EDT Time Conversion Chart to convert the "Z" times (UTC) to local times (EST). Record the local times above the title at the top of the meteogram.
2. Use the Meteogram Observation Chart to record your daily weather observations.
3. Use a current meteogram (or a time series of meteograms) to make short-range single-element weather predictions.