Weather Patterns and Seasons

Describing the Weather#

Look outside! What do you see? Is it sunny and warm? Cold and snowy? Rainy and cloudy? What you see outside is called the weather.

Weather is what the air is like outside at a certain place and time. Weather can change every day — even every hour!

How We Describe Weather#

Scientists called meteorologists (say: mee-tee-oh-ROL-uh-jists) study and predict the weather. They describe weather using several measurements:

• Temperature — How hot or cold the air is. We measure it in degrees using a thermometer. On a hot summer day, the temperature might be 35°C. On a cold winter day, it might be -5°C.
• Precipitation — Any water that falls from the sky. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are all types of precipitation.
• Wind — Moving air. A gentle breeze or a strong gusty wind. Wind speed is measured with an anemometer.
• Cloud cover — How much of the sky is covered with clouds. A clear sky has no clouds. An overcast sky is full of clouds.
• Humidity — How much water vapor (moisture) is in the air. On a humid day, the air feels damp and sticky.

Weather Tools#

Scientists use special tools to measure weather:

• Thermometer — measures temperature
• Rain gauge — measures how much rain fell
• Anemometer — measures wind speed
• Barometer — measures air pressure (helps predict weather changes)
• Weather vane — shows which direction the wind is blowing

Recording Weather#

You can be a weather scientist! Keep a weather journal. Every morning, write down or draw:

• The temperature
• Whether it is sunny, cloudy, or rainy
• Whether it is windy

After two weeks, look at your journal. Do you notice any patterns? Scientists record weather every day to discover patterns over time.