Here comes a storm (earth science)

Some people work to predict the weather.. The scientists who study weather are called meteorologists... TV meteorologists tell people about weather conditions, and make forecasts about

Genre Comprehension

Skills and Strategy Text Features

Expository

nonfi ction

• Fact and Opinion

• Main Idea

• Ask Questions

• Captions

• Labels

• Maps

• Glossary

Earth Science

Scott Foresman Reading Street 2.4.5

ISBN 0-328-13291-8 ì<(sk$m)=bdcjbb< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, ™

Lexile, ® and Reading Recovery ™ are provided

in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Here Comes A

S T O R M

by Melissa Burke

Genre Comprehension

Skills and Strategy Text Features

Expository

nonfi ction

• Fact and Opinion

• Main Idea

• Ask Questions

• Captions

• Labels

• Maps

• Glossary

Earth Science

Scott Foresman Reading Street 2.4.5

ISBN 0-328-13291-8 ì<(sk$m)=bdcjbb< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, ™

Lexile, ® and Reading Recovery ™ are provided

in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Here Comes A

S T O R M

by Melissa Burke

1 Look at page 13 Write one fact and

one opinion you find on this page

2 After reading page 12, what questions

do you have about how radar works?

Make a web like the one below to brainstorm your questions Where might you find answers to your questions?

3 What is a forecast? Where can you find

a weather forecast if you need one?

4 Based on both pictures and what you

read on pages 13–15, what can you tell about hurricanes?

Reader Response

Radar

Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois • Parsippany, New Jersey • New York, New York Sales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts • Duluth, Georgia • Glenview, Illinois

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by Melissa Burke

Here Comes A

S T O R M

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correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.

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ISBN: 0-328-13291-8

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2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V010 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

3

What does a meteorologist do?

Have you ever had to change plans because of the weather? Maybe you’ve wished you could change the weather instead of your plans! Of course, we can’t change the weather just because

we don’t like it, but there is something people can do to help with making

plans Some people work to predict the

weather

Predicting the weather is a science

Studying weather is part of the science called meteorology The scientists who

study weather are called meteorologists.

Why do we need to predict the weather?

Maybe you’ve seen a meteorologist

on TV TV meteorologists tell people

about weather conditions, and make

forecasts about the weather Many

people get their weather news from TV

meteorologists

People want to know what the weather will be like today, tomorrow,

and next week They want to know

how to dress for outdoor activities

They need to know there will be good

weather to travel

A meteorologist tells TV viewers about the weather.

5

People also need to know about weather so they can do their jobs

Farmers need to plan the best times to plant their crops They need to know

if they will ripen earlier or later than usual Builders need to know the best time to start construction Truck drivers and airplane pilots must know if it is safe to drive or fly Many other jobs depend on weather too

You can make a weather forecast yourself; just look out your window Do

you see any clouds? Step outside Does

it feel wet or dry? If there are no clouds

and it feels dry, you could predict that it

is not likely to rain

This is a simple weather prediction based on a little bit of information

The kinds of predictions meteorologists

make call for much more information

Meteorologists can tell exactly how hot or how cold it is They tell if it

might rain or snow They tell how fast

the winds are blowing and what kinds

of clouds there are TV forecasters use

a weather map, or they may also use

satellite and radar pictures

6

Weather predictions help you

decide if you need to dress

for rain.

Gathering Information

Meteorologists work at weather stations They are always busy gathering

weather information They record

details about clouds, air temperature, air pressure, humidity, and wind

Special tools are used to collect this information

To make forecasts, meteorologists gather information from around the world Weather in one part of the world can affect weather in other places

Meteorologists work together with scientists from many places

7 TIROS N is a spacecraft that

helps forecast weather.

It is important that all scientists measure weather information the

same way, using the same tools

Meteorologists around the world also

use the same units of measurement

This way they can share the information

they get Let’s look at some of the tools

meteorologists use

Meteorologists use thermometers

to measure temperature Temperature

is how hot or how cold the air is

Temperature can be measured in

Fahrenheit or in Celsius

Thermometer

Barometer 8

Barometers are used to measure air pressure Air pressure is measured in units called atmospheres

Anemometers are used to measure the speed of the wind Wind speed can

be measured in miles or kilometers per hour

Rain gauges are used to measure how much water falls to Earth Rainfall

is measured in inches or centimeters

Rain gauge

9 Anemometer

Some tools are used to gather information above Earth People fly

special planes through clouds The

meteorologists in the planes report

about conditions in the sky Some planes

even fly through terrifying storms to

learn more about them Scientists also

send up weather balloons to get details

at different heights The scientist to

the right is preparing to send a special

weather balloon up into a storm

Weather satellites orbit Earth These machines can measure temperature

and moisture They also take pictures of

clouds and storms Scientists keep track

of how these pictures change so that

they can see how the clouds and storms

are moving, or where they are going

11

This weather balloon is called a Jimsphere

It provides information about the wind.

Scientists are at work creating more advanced satellites all the time.

Meteorologists also use weather radar Radar is a tool that sends out

radio waves from an antenna The radio

waves travel through the air The waves

bounce into objects, such as raindrops or

hailstones When this happens, some of

the waves bounce back to the antenna

The radar changes those radio waves into a picture The picture shows where

the rain or hail is happening Radar can

also tell about how winds are blowing

Doppler weather radar

13

Making Forecasts

All this weather information is sent

to major weather centers Organizing all this information is quite difficult

Meteorologists use computers to help them put it all together

Meteorologists spend a lot of time tracking storms, from simple rain storms

to big, dangerous storms, such as tornadoes and hurricanes Meteorologists need to think about how the storms

might move and change They also think about new storms that may develop

Mir space station over a hurricane

They use what they know about clouds, air temperature, moisture, air

pressure, and wind They try to find

weather patterns They review what has

happened in the past, and then they

predict what will most likely happen

again Computers help meteorologists

make these forecasts, so the

meteorologists can then tell people like

you They can give hurricane or tornado

warnings when they see pictures like the

one below

Hurricane Nora

15

Even meteorologists don’t always get the forecasts right That’s because the weather is always changing Small differences in weather can cause sudden changes that the forecaster doesn’t

expect Forecasters try to use patterns

to tell what will happen next But things don’t always happen in a pattern

Meteorologists make forecasts of hurricanes

Becoming a Meteorologist

To become a meteorologist, you must

go to college and learn a lot of math

and science You also need to learn how

to use computers

If you think you would like to become a meteorologist someday, there

are things you can do right now Watch

weather forecasts Read all that you

can about weather Ask your parents

or a teacher to help you write to a TV

meteorologist Ask him or her questions

Try coming up with your own ideas about weather and writing them in a

journal Make observations Go back

and check if you were right If you want

to give weather tracking a try, do the

activity on the following pages

Practice measuring and recording different kinds

of weather.

17

Now Try This

Be a Weather Watcher

Meteorologists are weather watchers

You can be a weather watcher too! And

what about watching meteorologists?

See what you can learn by comparing

some forecasts to what really happens

S M T W T F S

46o/38o

49o/45o

51o/36o

46o/26o

46o/38o

46o/38o

46o/38o

Partly Cloudy Rain

Showers Partly Cloudy Sunny

Partly Cloudy Sunny

19

1 First, make a forecast chart like the one shown Leave all the columns blank except for the first column—the days of the week

2 Watch or read a seven-day forecast from TV, the Internet, or a newspaper

Write down the forecast for each day

3 Write down what the weather was really like each day

4 Compare the forecasts to the actual weather Did they match? Why do you think this is so?

Her e’s H ow to D o It!

Glossary

way that some

things are

statements of

what will probably

happen

people who study

weather

that repeat; the regular way things happen

about something before it happens;

forecast

down

scary

1 Look at page 13 Write one fact and

one opinion you find on this page

2 After reading page 12, what questions

do you have about how radar works?

Make a web like the one below to brainstorm your questions Where might you find answers to your questions?

3 What is a forecast? Where can you find

a weather forecast if you need one?

4 Based on both pictures and what you

read on pages 13–15, what can you tell about hurricanes?

Reader Response

Radar