Student Worksheet

Overview:
Read a climate report about your country / city to make distinctions and study the differences between weather and climate reports for your particular region.

Materials:

Weather Learning Log or Student Worksheet. Weather data from Activity 3: Track Weather like a Meteorologist. Climate world map: climate map How to Create a Climatogram step-by-step instructions Computer with Internet access.

Instructions:
Part 1: Weather and Climate

Answer the following questions using the weather data that you recorded in your Weather Learning Logs from Activity 3: Track Weather like a Meteorologist. Did the weather report change every day? Every hour? Which day had the most precipitation? The least? Which day had the highest temperature? The lowest? Select one of the climate reports below for the country in which your city is located and read the information. NOAA US Climate Site  (Statistics for all states. Access monthly averages for temperature and  precipitation by clicking on "Basic Climatology"). World Climate (Average temperature for selected US and foreign cities). Regional Climates (US climate data by section of the country) What kind of information is given in the climate description? Locate and read about the climate region for your city using the following world climate map and climate descriptions climate map Name at least three ways how climate reports are different from a weather report. When we look out the classroom window, are we looking at climate or weather? Why? What is the difference between weather and climate?

Part 2: Climate in your Region

Graph the Climate Data: In your Weather Learning Log, you are going to create a comparison chart that displays both the average monthly temperature over one year in the form of a Line graph and average monthly precipitation over one year in the form of a Bar graph. Label the axis as shown in this example. When you graph the data, use the monthly averages of the temperature and precipitation from the links below: (NOTE: If you have access to a spreadsheet program like Excel, you can copy and paste the data directly into the document) www.weather.com --> Enter your city --> Select "Averages and Records" Need help? Follow the step-by-step instructions on How to Create a Climatogram. Temperature Did the average temperature you recorded in Activity 3 fall within the range of averages for the month? Which month had the highest temperature? The lowest? What was the average temperature for the year? How does the line graph for the annual temperature compare with the temperature line graph you made in Activity 4? Be specific. Precipitation Was the total amount of precipitation you recorded during Activity 3 representative of the average for that month? Which month had the most precipitation? The least? What was the total precipitation for the year? How does the bar graph for the annual precipitation compare with the precipitation bar graph you made in Activity 4? Be specific.

Part 3: Final Conclusions
Write a brief report or create a tourism brochure, pamphlet, etc. describing the climate for your country / region. Be sure to include the following:

the difference between climate and weather; the common characteristics of the climate region where your city is located; the average precipitation and temperatures for each month/season (you can include the graphs if you wish); how each of the three factors (latitude, elevation, and local geography) influence the temperature of your country / region; the "best" time of the year to visit your country and why; & and the "worst" time of the year to visit your country and why.

EXTENSION

Compare your climate to that of another region listed above. Select another city and compare and contrast the climate for your region with that of another region / city Use the weather web site --> "Averages and Records" to locate a region for each of the below: A city that has over 800 mm of precipitation a year. A city that has less than 20 mm of precipitation a year. A city that averages a temperature of below zero (-0 ºC) for the year. A city that averages a temperature of above 25 ºC for the year.