Predicting the Future

Match the following

• Long-term alteration of temperature

• Meteorologist

• Boundary between air masses

• Interpret

• Explain

• Climate Change

• Weather Detection Technology

• Weather Fronts

• Weather Scientist

• Doppler radar

What do meteorologists first do before predicting weather?

• Build computer models

• Make observations about current conditions

• Study old weather charts

• Ask pilots for reports

Which tool is specifically mentioned for tracking weather using radar?

• Submarine Sonar

• Doppler radar

• Laser radar

• Computer radar

What do weather balloons help meteorologists measure?

• Ocean temperatures

• Upper atmosphere conditions

• River currents

• Wind near the ground

What does the process of interpreting involve in forecasting?

• Building weather stations

• Understanding and explaining data

• Launching satellites

• Designing new computers

Which forecasting method assumes tomorrow’s weather will be the same as today’s?

• Trend method

• Persistence method

• Satellite method

• Data comparison method

When is the persistence method most useful?

• During hurricanes

• In places with very stable weather

• In rapidly changing climates

• For predicting global warming

The trends method of forecasting focuses on:

• Looking at past weather reports

• Studying pressure systems and fronts

• Asking people what the weather feels like

• Using only computer models

What kind of information might a meteorologist use with the trends method?

• The color of the sky

• The movement of a cold front on a satellite image

• How much rain fell last year

• The average global temperature

Why might forecasts from different TV channels sometimes differ?

• They are using different satellites

• Meteorologists interpret data differently

• Some channels guess instead of using science

• Forecasts depend only on computers