EarthStorm

Weather Scavenger Hunt

While checking his rain gauge, Mike the Meteorologist slipped on the wet sidewalk and bumped his head. Now he is having trouble remembering a lot of basic weather information. He is supposed to go to work later today to forecast the weather. Can help Mike get his memory back by answering the following weather questions?

The goal here is to read for information, not skim to find the answers quickly. At the end of your search, write two questions of your own. See if a neighboring group knows the answer without re-searching through the web. The answers to your questions must be included on the links provided below and not on any additional web pages.

Classroom Activities		1) If you want to find the local forecast for the town you live in, where can you look?
		2) In the United States, we measure temperature in degrees Celsius. Who devised this scale and in what year?
		3) Can you help Mike remember the four basic cloud categories observed in our atmosphere? What are they?
		4) A cumulonimbus cloud is a high, mid, or low level cloud?
		5) What causes most flash floods?
		6) Mike needs to know if there are any tornado watches out. Check the map and let him know if there are any and if so, where they are.
		7) What does a tornado watch mean? What does a tornado warning mean?
		8) According to the Glossary of Meteorology, what is the official definition of a tornado?
		9) The F-scale was originally developed by whom? How fast are the winds in an F4 tornado according to the EF scale?
		10) If you do not have a basement, where should you seek shelter if there is a tornado warning?
		11) The NOAA Weather Radio is known as the “______ of NOAA’s National Weather Service”. How often does it broadcast official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard information?
		12) A Doppler radar can detect areas of precipitation (such as rain and hail) along with what type of motion?
		13) Mike seems to remember a type of radar called a SMART-R, but can’t remember what those letters stand for, can you help?
		14) Weather balloons carry a device called a radiosonde in order to measure pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. What do meteorologists use the data for?
		15) Mike knows he saw some weather coloring books online. Can you help him find the title for the one numbered 95-02?

Wow, thanks for all your help. Mike the Meteorologist is feeling much better and remembering more and more weather facts. Is there any other weather information that you saw on the web today that you think Mike should know about? Let us know! Send your scavenger hunt questions and links to earthstorm@mesonet.org, include your name, school, city, state, and grade. Rumor has it that Heidi the Hydrologist wants to challenge Mike to a Weather Knowledge Competition. Who will win?