The document provides information about weather terms, weather maps, and weather forecasting. It defines terms like air mass, air pressure, cold fronts, and warm fronts. It describes how weather data is collected using radars and satellites like GOES and POES. Weather forecasting uses data from these satellites as well as tools like the Beaufort scale. Forecasts are aided by understanding symbols on weather maps that represent phenomena like precipitation and high and low pressure systems.

1. Weather
How to read the signs
By Kella Randolph M. Ed.
Photo https://wikitravel.org/upload/en/thumb/1/12/Tornado.jpg/300px-
Tornado.jpg

2. Weather refers to day-to-
day temperature and
precipitation activity.
• Climate is for the averaging of
atmospheric conditions over longer
periods of time.

3. Contents
Terms for weather
maps
How weather data
is collected
How weather
forecasting is done
Some types of
weather and their
weather map
symbols

4. Some terms for
weather maps
Air mass
Air pressure
Cold front
High-pressure system
Knot
Low-pressure system
Precipitation
Warm front

5. Air mass
• – a large body of air that is
similar in temperature,
humidity, and air pressure
throughout.
• Air masses can measure
hundreds or even thousands
of miles across.
• Image courtesy of
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu
/(Gh)/guides/maps/upa/jet.rx
ml
https://goo.gl/images/1TuUSD

6. Air pressure • – the force of air on a
surface.
• Air pressure is equal to the
weight of a vertical column of
air divided by the area of the
base of the column.
• Air pressure is measured in
millibars (mb).
• At sea level, air pressure
averages 1,013 millibars
• Image courtesy of NOAA
https://goo.gl/images/Yh6Mgy

7. Cold front
• Front– the boundary between an
advancing mass of relatively cold air
and a mass of warmer air.
• The denser cold air moves below
the warm air and pushes it up.
• Cold fronts often are associated
with gusty winds, intense rain, and
thunderstorms.
• On a weather map, a cold front
is indicated by a row of triangles.
• Image courtesy of the Cooperative Institute of
Atmospheric Studies https://goo.gl/images/yodiAx

8. High-pressure system
• High pressure system – a region in which
the atmospheric pressure is higher than in
the surrounding areas.
• High-pressure systems are associated with
relatively dry air and sunny weather.
• High-pressure systems are also known as
anticyclones.
• Image: https://goo.gl/images/q33jb5

9. Knot
knot– a unit of speed equal to
1.151 miles per hour.
The barbs on the “feathers”
point to the direction the wind
is coming from.
Image:
https://goo.gl/images/4mYdWY

10. How fast is
the wind
moving?
IMAGE:
HTTPS://GOO.GL/IMAGES/G
LI2XH

11. Low-pressure system
• a region in which the
atmospheric pressure is lower
than in the surrounding areas.
• Low-pressure systems are
associated with relatively
moist air and cloudy
conditions.
• Low-pressure systems are
also known as cyclones.
• Low pressure symbol is in
red
• https://goo.gl/images/JqsfRo

12. Precipitation
• Precipitation is water that
falls to Earth’s surface.
• Types of precipitation
include rain, sleet, snow, hail,
and mist.
• Image:
https://goo.gl/images/aEjEi7

13. • https://goo.gl/images/xt
Dfgf

14. Warm front • Warm front– the boundary
between an advancing mass of
relatively warm air and a mass
of colder air.
• The warm air moves above
the cold air, rising up gradually.
• Warm fronts are often
associated with overcast skies
and gentle showers.
• On a weather map, a warm
front is indicated by a row of
semicircles.
• https://goo.gl/images/6BnUJT

15. https://images.app.goo.gl/cgB8N4UsRcBDd7rQ9

16. https://images.app.goo.gl/HRfGvoNfG9ENREVY8
https://images.app.goo.gl/G9j4YTPMHb1GhS6c8

17. Jet Stream
current of rapidly moving air
• The jet stream is a current of fast-moving
air found in the upper levels of the
atmosphere. This rapid current is typically
thousands of kilometers long, a few hundred
kilometers wide, and only a few kilometers
thick. Jet streams are usually found
somewhere between 10-15 km (6-9 miles)
above the earth's surface. The position of
this upper-level jet stream denotes the
location of the strongest SURFACE
temperature contrast (as in the diagram to
the right).
• Map courtesy of the University of Illinois:
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/maps/upa/jet.rxml

18. Jet streams • During the winter months, Arctic and
tropical air masses create a stronger surface
temperature contrast resulting in a strong
jet stream. However, during the summer
months, when the surface temperature
variation is less dramatic, the winds of the
jet are weaker.
• Below is an ETA Model forecast panel for
300 mb winds and geopotential heights
(white contours). The color filled regions
indicate wind speed in knots and is color
coded according to the legend at the bottom
of the image. The shades of blue indicate
winds less than 60 knots, while winds
greater than 120 knots are given in shades
of red.
• Image:
https://images.app.goo.gl/syvkQ5bRdUJhrtZ
h9

19. How weather data is collected
• Radars have an important role in the field of meteorology.
These devices send out and receive signals providing valuable
information about the location and intensity of precipitation.
Advanced Doppler radar technology goes beyond simple
detection to providing high resolution reflectivity and
estimated velocity data, which is vital to short term
forecasting and severe weather prediction. Satellites
• Graphic by: Steven E. Hall:
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/rs/home.rxml https://images.app.goo.gl/empXefZmYgSKtybZ8
https://images.app.goo.gl/q6hQzN944JvLtdEY8

20. How weather
forecasting is
done
https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/GOES
16_CONUS.php
Photo by NASA / Public domain

21. GOES and POES satellites
• The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)/ Polar Operational
Environmental Satellite (POES) program is a key element in National Weather Service
(NWS) operations.
• The GOES/POES mission is composed of two geostationary satellites and two polar
orbiting satellites. These satellites operate in pairs. The geostationary satellites, GOES-
East covering the East Coast and GOES-West covering the West Coast, provide real-time
weather data for use in short-term weather forecasting (warnings of severe weather) and
space environment monitoring, as well as research and development. The polar orbiting
satellites primarily provide long-range weather forecasting, ensuring that non-visible
data, for any region of the Earth, are no more than six hours old
• NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/programs/goes-poes

22. Weather satellites can see Earth from space.
Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite (GOES)/
Polar Operational Environmental
Satellites (POES
https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Operations/POES/ind
ex.html
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/GOES-8_thru_GOES-
12_Spac0256.jpg/600px-GOES-8_thru_GOES-12_Spac0256.jpg

23. Photo of earth made by the GOES-East Image Viewer
Full Disk View - GeoColor : 7 Mar 2018 - 1700 GMT
https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/
https://images.app.goo.gl/ro2K4zDDmBMBVw5x9
https://images.app.goo.gl/bvfwxUSGrCnxMGg8A

24. GOES
The Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite system (GOES),
operated by the United States'
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's
National
Environmental Satellite, Data,
and Information Service
division, supports weather
forecasting, severe storm
tracking, and meteorology
research.
• Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite -
Wikipedia
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_Operat
ional_Environmental_Satellite

25. NOAA retires polar-orbiting satellite
Satellite exceeded anticipated lifespan by eight
years
April 10, 2013
• It was one of NOAA's longest
operating spacecraft, which have a
typical lifespan of three years. The
shutdown will result in no data gap, as
NOAA-17 was being used as a back-up
satellite and was removed from service
after several key systems on board
became inoperable.
• NOAA and its partners at the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) are continuing
to build the next generation of polar-
orbiting satellites, the Joint Polar
Satellite System (JPSS), which is
scheduled to launch the JPSS-1 satellite
in 2017.
• http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/sto
ries2013/20130410_noaa17retire.html

26. POES Satellite
http://images.slideplayer.com/12/3
384033/slides/slide_4.jpg

27. Sea Surface Temperature
Anne O’Carroll (European Organisation
for the Exploitation of Meteorological
Satellites, EUMETSAT)
Kenneth S. Casey (National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration,
NOAA)
http://ceos.org/ourwork/virtual-
constellations/sst/

28. NASA's Earth science program
uses satellite imaging
• This is a composite image of
the North African Continent. A
dust storm can be seen
blowing off the coast of
Morocco in the northwest
corner.
• Image: MODIS band combination 1,4,3.
https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science

29. Some types of weather and
their weather map symbols
Courtesy of Weather.gov
https://goo.gl/images/gA5TB
N

30. How to Read the
Symbols and Colors
on Weather Maps
• Published January 29, 2016, Written by Tiffany Means,
• https://goo.gl/images/jWSmLt

31. The Beaufort Scale is the standard
measurement for describing wind
speed and associated wave height
with sea conditions on a scale of 1-12
with 1 being calm, flat conditions and
12 being hurricane force winds
greater than 118 km/hour with huge
waves in excess of 14 meters.
Saved from Swimswithseals.com
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/752241943
979266243/

32. Works cited
• Teachers and Educators: Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers to print out,
copy and distribute the pages herein to their students for educational purposes: University of
Illinois
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/terms.rxml?hret=/guides/maps/upa/jet.rxml
• https://goo.gl/images/gA5TBN
• http://ceos.org/ourwork/virtual-constellations/sst/