Education Place Activity: Tracking Local Weather

Tracking Local Weather

Students measure temperature, precipitation, wind direction, and wind speed for one week and compare their results to actual weather data

What You Need

What to Do

Every day for one week (Monday through Friday), take your class outside and measure as many of these variables as you can: temperature, daily precipitation, wind direction, and wind speed. Try to take the measurements at about the same time each day. Record the readings on an observation chart.
Every day you take readings, look up the actual and predicted weather data reported by official sources. Record the relevant data on your table. You can find data in the newspaper or on the World Wide Web.
At the end of the week, challenge your class to analyze the week's data. Find the average daily precipitation for the week. Find the average temperature for the week. Make graphs of the daily temperature, precipitation, and wind direction. Compare your class's data with the official data and lead a discussion to explain the differences.