Weather Interpretation Exercise

56 points total

1)     Begin by picking a location in the continental United States (not in Florida) that starts with the letter G.  

2)     Go to www.weather.com and make sure that the location you have chosen is listed.  You will need to pick a location that is large enough to have its own statistics listed.  Some locations might be too small to have a corresponding set of climatic data; if you type in a location and the website lists the necessary data, it’s an appropriate location to use for this assignment.    

3)     Make sure that all of the data you need to collect for this assignment is provided on the website depicting the “weather” for your chosen location.  If one of the following is missing, pick a new location.  Here’s what you need to record:

0. Temperature

0. Relative humidity

0. Air pressure in millibars or inches of Hg (either is OK to use, just be consistent)

0. Barometric tendency (is the air pressure rising, falling, remaining constant, etc.?)

0. Wind direction and wind speed

0.  

4)     For three consecutive days at approximately the same time of day. You will record these data for the location you chose. 

5)     At the end of the three days, review the data you have recorded.  Write a one to two-page (12 point font, double-spaced) description of your data.  In this essay, address the following:  Over the three days what changes occurred in the weather statistics and how did these changes relate to the movement of High/Low pressure regions, etc?  You do not need to give me a day-to-day account.  Instead, broadly examine the changes and the reasons why.   For example, if you record a 17 degree drop in temperature over the course of two days that was accompanied by falling air pressure, you need to explain why this occurred; was it related to a cold front, a warm front, or something else?  Basically, use the data you have collected, your book, and your budding meteorological savvy to guide your interpretation.     

 Your grade will be based on completeness, and the quality of your analysis.