Atmosphere Tools
This instrument measures how fast the wind is blowing.
What is an anemometer?
The main source of energy that drives Earth's weather.
What is the Sun?
The stage of the water cycle when water vapor cools into droplets.
What is condensation?
Short-term forecasts (next day or two) are usually more accurate than this type of forecast.
What is a long-term forecast?
Warm air usually does this: rises or sinks?
What is rises?
This tool tells meteorologists how much rain has fallen.
What is a rain gauge?
Heat always moves from this temperature to this temperature.
What is from hot to cold?
The stage when water changes from liquid to gas.
What is evaporation?
Weather lore example: finish this phrase — "Red sky at night, _______."
What is "sailor's delight"?
Explain briefly why islands often stay cooler than deserts.
What is because water heats and cools more slowly than land, so islands stay cooler?
This device measures air pressure and helps forecast storms.
What is a barometer?
Name the type of heat transfer that happens when warm air rises and cooler air sinks in a fluid.
What is convection?
Name three forms of precipitation.
What are rain, snow, and hail? (or rain, snow, sleet)
Two things meteorologists use to make forecasts (name any two from instruments, satellites, radar, computer models).
What are instruments and computer models? (e.g., thermometer and radar)
True or False — Water heats up faster than sand.
What is False — Sand heats faster than water; water heats more slowly.
This instrument measures humidity (the amount of water vapor in the air).
What is a hygrometer?
This surface (water, grass, sand, or forests) heats up fastest and explains why beaches can be hot.
What is sand?
Explain how rain forms in 1 sentence.
Rain forms when water vapor in clouds cools and condenses into droplets; droplets grow and fall as precipitation when they become heavy enough.
Give one reason why long-term forecasts are harder to predict.
What is because weather changes constantly and small changes grow over time, making long-range prediction harder?
Give one real-life example of conduction.
Example answer: What is touching a hot pan and feeling the handle heat up (conduction)?
This tool shows large-scale cloud patterns from space.
What are weather satellites?
Define thermal energy in one sentence appropriate for Grade 5.
What is thermal energy? (Energy from the movement of particles in matter.)
Which form of frozen precipitation is made of layered balls of ice?
What is hail?
Describe what satellites help meteorologists do in one sentence.
What is observe large areas of Earth and clouds from space?
Explain why deserts get hotter than forests during the day in 1 sentence.
Sample answer: Deserts have little vegetation and dry soil that heat quickly in sunlight; forests have shade and moisture that absorb and hold heat, so forests stay cooler.