Tracking Local Weather

Science/Math Activity

What You Need

• wind vane (see Wind Direction activity)
• rain gauge (see Measuring Rainfall activity)
• wind gauge (see Wind Observation activity)
• outdoor thermometer
• observation chart

What to Do

1. 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 your observation chart.
2. Every day you take readings, look up the actual and predicted weather data reported by official sources. Record the relevant data on your chart. You can find data in the newspaper or on the World Wide Web.
3. 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.