Quick quiz.You're taking a ski trip Ski Trip is an episode from That 70s Show. Jackie invites the gang on a ski trip then un-invites Kelso after learning he made out with another girl behind the gym. Plot summary January 13, 1977 Thursday afternoon. to Denver the next day. But what should you pack? Try your hand at meteorology meteorology, branch of science that deals with the atmosphere of a planet, particularly that of the earth, the most important application of which is the analysis and prediction of weather. , the study and prediction of weather to decide. Rumbling thunder, or even a snowstorm, results as air pockets with differing temperatures trek across a region. The air's journey balances out Earth's heat. Weather maps are snapshots of the marching air masses. By observing the map's current weather patterns, Edwin Danaher, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Noun 1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - an agency in the Department of Commerce that maps the oceans and conserves their living resources; predicts changes to the earth's environment; provides weather reports and forecasts floods and hurricanes and , can forecast approaching weather. Use the map above and weather-science basics from Danaher below to forecast the weather for your trip. MERCURY RISING? Check Denver's air temperature, or the measure of the speed of air molecules (particles of two or more atoms joined together). Chilly air is tightly packed with molecules, meaning it has a high density (amount of mass per volume). Should you pack a parka?-- MOVERS When two air masses nudge each other, a front (boundary) forms between them. Look out: Fronts can bring a change in weather. A warm front happens when hot air replaces cooler air. To replace the cold heavyweight, hot air rises. As it climbs, the balmy vapor chills and condenses (changes from vapor to liquid) into clouds and rain. A cold front forms when chilly air swoops beneath warm air and replaces it. Once the front passes, temperatures drop and skies clear. When two fronts collide, the hotter air settles above the frostier air. That forms an occluded front oc·clud·ed front n. Meteorology The front formed when a cold front occludes a warm front. occluded front Noun Meteorol . Expect cold-front weather. Is Denver in for a weather change?-- UNDER PRESSURE Air pressure (force over an area) is one factor that determines whether skies are clear or cloudy. As a cold front passes, a high-pressure system can follow. The "H" signals that the air is jam-packed with molecules. The heavy air sinks, holding back the rain. Expect sunny skies. A lingering low-pressure system means less push on the ground-hugging air. That shallow air can rise easily, turning skies rainy. Will the passing front bring a high or low pressure system to Denver? Should you pack rain gear or sunglasses sunglasses A tinted pair of glasses used to ↓ light arriving at the eye, which are labeled according to the amount of UV light blocked; nonprescription glasses are classified according to use and amount of UV radiation blocked Sunglasses ?-- ANSWERS 1. Yes, pack a parka. The high in Denver is just 39[degrees]F. 2. Yes, temperatures will drop and skies will clear. 3. The passing cold front will bring sunny skies. Pack sunglasses. Did You Know? * Relative humidity relative humidity n. The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air at a specific temperature to the maximum amount that the air could hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage. is the amount of water in the air compared with the maximum amount of water that air can hold. And the warmer the air, the more water droplets it can hold. * The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -89[degrees]C (-129[degrees]F) at Vostok Station Vostok Station (Russian: Станция Восток) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) research station located near the South Geomagnetic Pole, at the center of the East Antarctic in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. * Snowflakes snowflakes small patches of gray or white hair acquired after birth. Skin color is unchanged. See also achromotrichia, vitiligo. form when water vapor in clouds freezes around grains of dust to form ice crystals. The crystals fall from the clouds. During the descent, the crystals bump into each other, and clump together into flakes. Resources * Try your hand at changing sunny skies to dreary with this Scholastic interactive weather maker: www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/ * This USA Today USA Today National U.S. daily general-interest newspaper, the first of its kind. Launched in 1982 by Allen Neuharth, head of the Gannett newspaper chain, it reached a circulation of one million within a year and surpassed two million in the 1990s. site is packed with weather information and interactive graphics: www.usatoday.com/weather/wresources.htm |
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