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- Click on the real-time weather site above to see a radar map
of the United States which shows current precipitation levels. Radar images
display precipitation whereas satellite images display cloud cover. Sometimes
you will see images that combine both of these into one.
- Note the time and date stamp on the map (top left, right above Canada).
Can you figure out how current this information is?
- To what do the colors correspond ? Note the color scale at the bottom
of the map.
- If you click anywhere on the map, it will zoom in on that area. Note
the time and date stamp of the zoomed-in area. Is it different than what
you saw for the entire map? Some of the local areas update their images
more regularly than is shown on the full state map.
- If you stay on any real-time data site for a while you may want to click
on the "reload" or "refresh" button to ensure you are getting the most
up-to-date information.
- You may want to explore a little more on this site. Use the links above
the map to look at satellite images (cloud cover), surface maps (high and
low pressure areas), upper level maps (jet stream), and radar loop (12
hour animation) as a start.
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Students can learn about weather patterns (e.g. weather typically travels
from west to east across the U.S.) by viewing real-time images over a period
of days.
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By looking at satellite images, the jet stream map, and the radar map,
students can identify significant storms forming in the western U.S. then
predict where (and perhaps when) the storms will arrive in the eastern
U.S.
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Using real-time weather images instead of images out of a textbook brings
a real world connection right to the students. Now they can use the same
maps and images as meteorologists to forecast the weather.
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Geography - Learn states and capitals
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Social Studies - How does weather/climate affect your way of life? What
historical events have been caused or impacted by weather/climate?
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Language Arts - Creative writing assignments centered around weather/climate
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Math - Look at historical weather data to find difference between high
and low temperatures. Practice finding the mean, median, and range.
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