2. Contents
• The Weather Forecast.
• What is Weather?
• How do we Measure Weather?
• What Affects Britain’s Weather and Climate?
• Global Temperatures.
• Climate Graphs.

3. The Weather Forecast!
• Most people watch the weather forecast
everyday – but do we really know how
they gather all the information?!

4. What is weather?
• Weather is:

5. What is climate?
• Climate is:
Scotland!

6. How do we measure weather?

7. Temperature
• Air temperature is
measured using maximum minumium thermometers.
• Each temperature is read
from the bottom of the
marker.
• Q: What would the
temperatures be on this
thermometer?
A: Minimum = 9°C, Maximum = 22°C

8. Temperature.
• Thermometers are housed in a
Stevenson Screen. These are
always off the ground and
painted white!
Q: Why are thermometers kept
there? Why is it white?
A: It provides shelter from wind, rain, snow
and animals. The white colour reflects the
sunlight so heat doesn’t build up inside the
box.

9. Precipitation.
• Precipitation is any
moisture that comes
from the atmosphere
(rain, snow, hail).
• The amount of
precipitation is
measured using a
rain gauge.
Q: Where do you think would be best to place a rain
gauge? Beside a building or in an open space?

10. Sunshine hours.
Sunshine
Glass Ball
• The total amount of
sunshine in a day
is measured using
a sunshine
recorder.
• The sun’s rays
travel through the
glass ball and burn
marks onto the
Strip of
card behind it.
card

11. Air Pressure.
• Air pressure is
measured using a
barometer and
recorded using a
barograph.
• It is measured in
millibars (mb).
• Average air pressure is
1000 mb
Barometer

12. Wind.
Wind is measured in two ways with two instruments:
1. Wind Direction – Wind Vane
2. Wind Speed – Anemometer
Wind Vane: the arrow
points in the direction that
the wind is coming from.
Anemometer: the stronger the
wind the faster the caps turn.
The number of turns in a given
time gives us the wind speed in
knots.

13. Cloud cover.
• Cloud cover is
measured just by using
our eyes.
• You look at the sky and
decide how cloudy it is
– and estimate how
many eigths of the sky
are covered.
• Cloud cover is
measured in oktas.
• You also get different
types of clouds.

14. What affects Britain’s Weather &
Climate?
• The British
Weather and
Climate has lots
of different factors
which affect it.
• So why exactly
do we get so
much rain?

15. Where is Britain found?
• Britain lies
between 50 and
60 degrees North.
• These are cool,
temperate
latitudes.
• The British climate
is referred to as a
Cool Temperate
Maritime Climate.
• The Gulf stream
also plays an
important role in the
British climate.

16. The Gulf Stream
• The Gulf Stream
distributes heat
from the equator
north towards
Northern Europe –
and importantly the
UK.
• This helps to give
Britain its mild
climate.

17. Global temperatures
TheWhat do you notice about all thegets in the
further in land you go the hotter it places
along the dotted line?
Summer and the colder it gets in the Winter!

18. What else affects the British
weather?
• High, mountainous areas
interrupt the flow of warm,
moist air from the sea.
• This air is forced upwards
and so cools and
condenses to form rain
clouds. This is known as
Relief Rainfall.
Q: Where do you think the most
rainfall will occur. The east coast
or the west coast? Why?

19. Convectional rainfall
1. The sun
heats the
ground.
3. Water vapor
rapidly rises, cools
2. The hot ground heats
the lowest air and the
water from the ground
is evaporated.
and condenses.

20. Why are some areas hotter than
others?
Sun’s
energy
• Polar areas are cold
because the suns rays
hit the earth at a slant
so the sun’s energy is
less concentrated.
• Tropical areas are hot
because the suns rays
hit the earth at right
angles near the
equator – so the sun’s
energy is
concentrated.

21. Why do we get seasons?
N
MARCH
The Sun is overhead at
the Equator.
S
JULY
The Sun is overhead at the
Tropic of Cancer, 23½ºN
DECEMBER
The Sun is overhead at the
Tropic of Capricorn, 23½ºS
N
N
SUN
S
S
N
SEPTEMBER
The Sun is overhead at
the Equator.
S

22. Climate Graphs.
• Climate graphs
show two different
things – average
monthly rainfall
& average
monthly
temperatures.
• How do you
draw a climate
graph?

23. A bar-chart is drawn to
show the average monthly
rainfall.
A line graph is then added to
show average monthly
temperatures.
Months
Rainfall (mm)
Temperature
(°C)
Drawing a climate graph.

24. Draw a climate graph!
The person nearest the window is to draw the climate graph
for Inverness – the person nearest the door is to draw the
climate graph for Stornoway!

25. TV symbol meanings

26. What air masses affect Britain?
• Britain is affected by five air masses :
–
–
–
–
–
Polar Maritime (mP)
Tropical Maritime (mT)
Polar Continental (cP)
Arctic Maritime (mA)
Tropical Continental (cT)
• Each of the air masses brings a different type of
weather, because each one originally formed
over the land or sea, in a warm or cold part of
the world.

27. Enquiry Skills
• In the exam you could be asked how you
would either gather or process weather
data.
• How would you gather information on :

28. Weather Data