
This book was created and published on StoryJumper™
©2014 StoryJumper, Inc. All rights reserved.
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What is the weather like today?
Let's take a look outside. Is it cloudy or sunny out? Does it feel cold or warm? Sometimes the
weather can change from minute to minute, or from day to day. The weather in other places can
be different then where we are also. Why does the weather change so much? Well this is because
the air around and above us changes. Weather describes the air in one place at a particular time.
Today's weather will not be the same as the weather tomorrow. The weather in New York will be
different than the weather in California.
Weather describes all the different things that the air around us does. When you think about the
weather, what do you think of? We could look and see if it is windy, sunny, or rainy outside. But all
of these type of days have the same three things in them. Water, sun, and air are the things that
create the weather all over the world. The Earth's water, the air, and the heat from the sun all
affect each other. They mix and churn, cool down or heat up, moisten or dry. And when they mix
together they make all kinds of weather like thunderstorms to blizzards.

Why is the Equator hotter than the North Pole?
The Sun powers all the weather. Our planet gets light and heat from the sun, but it does not
reach all over the earth at the same time. The sunlight soaks the warm belt around the Equator,
the Earth's middle area. The top and bottom of the Earth, the North and South Poles, are always
cold. Why? The light from the sun hits directly on the Equator, and it is very strong there. The
North and South Poles get less direct light from the sun. Heat and light are spread out more and
weaker than in the middle.
Temperature is how hot or cold something is. The air inside your home has a temperature,
and so does the oceans around the world. Depending on where a place is on the globe affects its
temperature as well. The type of land or watering in that place affects whether the temperature is
warmer or cooler. Have you ever felt a cold swimming pool on a hot day? This is because water
whether in a swimming pool, lake or ocean takes more time to warm up than the ground outside
the pool does. Colors make a difference in temperature also. Like a black car can get really hot in
the summer than a white car. It is the same with dark rocks and soil because they soak up more
heat than lighter colors do.








What causes the seasons?
Is it warmer where you live in June or January? Temperatures go up in the summer
and down in the winter. This happens in most places. The Earth has a tilt that creates the
seasons. Earth spins around like a top and moves around the sun. It takes a whole year to
complete one circle around the sun. Our planet turns around on a tilt, leaning on one side.
This means that for part of the Earth's yearly path around the sun, the top half leans
towards the sun. This part of the Earth will get more sunlight from the sun, so it is warmer,
and has summer. During this part of the year, the bottom half has less sunlight, is colder,
and has winter. Six month later, we will be on the other side of the sun and Earth's tilt will be
opposite.

Why does the weather start in the sky?
Air is where weather happens. Air is all over around us- and above us. The Earth is wrapped in a
blanket of air called the atmosphere. The atmosphere is 300 miles or 483 kilometers (km) thick. That is
about as wide as the state of Pennsylvania. Outer space begins where our atmosphere ends. Most of
our weather happens in the bottom part of the atmosphere, or the bottom 10 miles (16 km). This is the
part that stretches up from the land and oceans.
The atmosphere is made up of invisible gases. Air is mostly oxygen- the gas you breathe in- and
nitrogen gas. When the sun lights up air, it scatters blue light which colors the sky up above us. Since
these gases are invisible, we cannot see them. Even though we don't see air, it takes up space and has
weight. When you fill up a balloon or a bike tire with air, we can see what the air is doing. Or when wind-
moving air- blows on us or on the trees we can see and feel it. Air is powerful stuff!
All the air in the atmosphere that is above the Earth is very heavy. Like a heavy blanket is pushes
down and creates what we call pressure. This pushing down force is called atmospheric pressure, or air
pressure. It is a big player in our weather because air pressure makes the temperature change. Warm
air weighs less and is lighter, so it rises up. A hot air balloon floats because it is warmed up air, lighter air
has less pressure. Cold air is heavier and has more pressure, so it sinks. The differences in the
temperature creates differences in the air pressure that make the wind, form clouds, and causes
storms.



Why does it rain?
Water is really amazing stuff. It does what no other substances can do. It can change
from being a solid, a liquid, or a gas in natural conditions. Icicles can melt, lakes freeze, and
ponds dry up. Water can easily switch from ice to liquid to gas creates weather. It makes
moving water between Earth's atmosphere and surface possible. When water does this, we
call it the water cycle.
The heat from the sun powers the water cycle. When the sun comes out, what happens
to puddles, seas, rivers, soil, and plants if they are heated up? The water evaporates, which
is the change of water from a liquid to a gas. When this gas cools, it becomes condense in
clouds, then changes back to a liquid. This is why when you wake up in the morning to see
drops of water on the ground, and why bathroom mirrors fog up. Clouds form when this
cooling water vapor becomes thick or condenses into tiny floating drops of liquid. When
these drops grow too big and heavy, they fall back down to the Earth as precipitation- rain
or snow. Rain refills the ponds, streams, and seas that continue the water cycle when the
sun shines.



What makes the rainbow during a rainstorm?
Rain showers sometimes end with the beautiful rainbow. Raindrops create these
lovely surprises. The raindrops act like tiny prisms, splitting sunlight into all its colors.
The rainbow is really a full circle, not an arch. Only the bottom half disappears into the
Earth. In order to see a rainbow, the sun must be at your back while you look up
toward the rainy sky.

Why do clouds float?
Clouds are just big floating heaps of water droplets. The key to making clouds is called
condensation. This happens when rising and cooling water gases or water vapor, changes into
water droplets. When these tiny droplets clump and collect together, they form a cloud. How
many water droplets can a cloud hold? Thousands of gallons of water. How does this much
water stay up in the air? A helium filled balloon floats because the helium is lighter than air. A
cloud floats for the same reason. The moist, or humid, air in these clouds are less dense than
the dry air that surrounds them. These clouds float because they are lighter than the air around
them.
Clouds form many shapes and range in color from dark gray to white. Clouds make weather
and are made by weather. When we see clouds that tells us what is happening in the air above
us. The clouds have many different kinds of names to describe their shapes and where they are
in the sky. Stratus clouds are layered and flat. Cumulus clouds are fluffy piled-up lumps. Cirrus
clouds are thin and wispy. Clouds high up in the sky often begin with cirro-, like cirrostratus.
Below them are the clouds that start with alto-, like alto-cumulus. A cloud name with nimbo
means it's making rain or snow, like cumulonimbus. Fog is a cloud very close to the ground.


Is each snowflake really different?
It's true! Snowflakes are frozen water crystals that have shapes with six sides.
Tiny single snow crystals look very similar, but those that grow into snowflakes
become very complex. There are so many patterns of combinations possible when
crystals grow that each snowflake that falls will most likely never be repeated. Snow is
just one of the forms of water falling form clouds called precipitation. Whether the
cloud droplets become rain or snow, drizzle or hail, depends on the weather. The
temperature of the air around the water droplets as they fall makes a difference as
well. So does the type of cloud it falls from.
What is the difference between rain and drizzle? Drizzle becomes rain once the
water droplets become bigger than 0.02 inches (0.5 millimeters) across. When
raindrops freeze as they come down from the clouds, this is called sleet. If raindrops
freeze as it hits the ground, it is called freezing rain. This is the slippery stuff that
gives branches and sidewalks a coat of ice. Black ice is formed this way also. Snow is
made of ice crystals that fall from clouds but don't melt on the way down. Hail is
made inside a thunderstorm cloud as balls of ice. Each hailstone has layers of ice
added as winds toss it up into the clouds coldest parts over and over again, until it
falls to the ground. Which kind of precipitation do like the best?



What causes stormy weather?
Storms are changes in the weather that become violent. A storm is a major change, or
disturbance, in the atmosphere that creates wind, clouds, rain, snow, and other dicey weather.
The atmospheric upset comes from battling air masses. An air mass is a huge body, or area, of
air with the same temperature and humidity. An air mass gets it temperature and humidity from
where it is formed. If an air mass is created over a tropical ocean, it becomes warm and humid.
While if the air mass is created over Antarctica is cold and dry. Once an air mass is made, it
begins to move. When different air masses meet, they don't mix very easily. They crash into
each other, pushing and shoving. The border where these two air masses meet and fight for
space is called a front.
Fronts are where air masses cause a little war. A front gets its name from the winning air
mass, the one that keeps moving forward. A warm front has a warm air mass sliding up and
over the cold air mass. Warmer, moist air behind the warm front pushes it forward over the
colder air mass and replaces it. But in a cold front, a cold air mass is the advancing invader. It
sneaks under and shoves the warmer air mass up. Cooler, dry air behind the cold front drives it
forward.
Whichever way the wind is blowing makes a difference in the weather battlefield too. Which
storm front has the stronger winds behind it will continue to move forward and become the
winner of the weather war. With either kind of front, warm air ends up rising, which creates rain
or snow clouds. When neither air mass is winning, a stationary front forms. Then we have a
weather stand off the can last for days.

Thunder or Lightning: Which comes first?
There is a thunderstorm that happens every second somewhere on the Earth.
Thunderstorms are the most common kind of storm. Thunder gives the storms their name, but
its the lightning that causes all the noise. Thunder is the sound of exploding air. Super-hot
lightning heats up and blows up the air it travels through. Lightning is hotter than the surface
of the sun. The exploding air creates a shock wave of sound that we hear as rumbles or
crashes. Lightning happens in the big storm clouds. Ice and water zip up and own inside the
storm cloud as winds mix and swirl around. All this movement build up electric charges in the
cloud. Lightning gets rid of this charge, like the shock from a doorknob in a carpeted room.
The sound wave of thunder is created at the same time that the lightning strikes. What we
see first though is the flash of light because light travels faster than sound. This is why
counting between flashes of light and rumbles gives us an idea of how far away the lightning
struck. The longer we have to count, the farther the sound of thunder had to travel to reach
our ears. Thunderstorms bring more than noise and light flashes. They also dump lots of rain,
heavy hailstones, and whipping winds, and can even spin out tornadoes.




What causes a tornado to twist?
Tornadoes are violent thunderstorms with the fastest winds on Earth. the air inside a
tornado twirls at speeds up to 300 miles per hour! Winds that are that fierce and fast can do
a lot of damage. They can turn chunks of wood into missiles, or even pencils into darts.
When a tornado is twisting on the ground, it can flatten houses and flip cars or trucks. They
can rip through town buildings too. Most tornadoes do not last very long or go too far. A
tornado can start suddenly out of a dark cloudy sky.
Tornadoes come from thunderstorms. Most of the thunderstorms we see don't make
tornadoes, or they only make small ones. Large, forceful and dangerous tornadoes are made
in really big thunderstorms that we call a supercell. These huge storms reach high up in the
Earth's atmosphere. These type of storms are sometimes miles wide. Inside these supercells,
the winds mix in a spinning, pushing ans lifting movements to twist and stir up tornadoes.
Usually in the spring, over the Great Plains area of the United States, giant supercell
thunderstorms show up in the skies up above. Kansas, Tennessee, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas
and Oklahoma make a line on the map called Tornado Alley. Tornadoes that are very powerful
and dangerous develop here in these states. Tornadoes can be found in Australia, New
Zealand, northern Europe, and Western Asia, too.
When a tornado forms, the warmer air mass stays to the top of the storm, while the
cooler air stays to the bottom of the storm. The winds start turning in a circular way, as the
warm and cold air masses battle, the rotation of the winds continue to increase causing a
downward funnel shape to form which can touch down on the ground.

Are there storms bigger than a tornado?
Yes! Storms called hurricanes are so big that astronauts can see them from space. The
largest storms that are seen on Earth can stretch hundreds of miles across. If we were in a
spaceship, a hurricane would look like a giant disk of swirling thick clouds that are white with a
blue hole in the middle. This hole is called the Eye of the Storm. The blue at the bottom of this
hole is the ocean. Hurricanes are made from warm seawater near the equator. Warm, humid air
rises up above the sun soaked seas that evaporate and form clouds. As the heat in this air
mass causes more water to evaporate and move up to the sky causing the storm to grow
bigger. Once the winds start to swirl at a speed of at least 74 miles per hour, scientists call this
a tropical storm, or tropical cyclone.
In the Americas, tropical cyclones are called hurricanes. In East Asia, these tropical cyclones
are called typhoons, and cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Australia. These storms are bigger
and last longer than any other storm. These types of storms cause more deaths and
destruction, too. A tropical storm can move on the ocean and land for weeks, making a huge
mess over thousands of miles before it stops. Even though the hurricane's winds are strong
and cause a lot of damage, the storms causes flooding rains and sea surges that often destroy
seaside homes and towns.





What is a Blizzard?
In the winter, a ferocious snowstorm may
develop. If that storm has winds that blow
faster than 35 mph and the snow fall lasts
for 3 hours or more, then scientists call it a
blizzard. During a blizzard, it is very hard
to see what is in front of you. If the
visibility is less than 1/4 of a mile away,
then it is not safe to drive in the storm.
What is a Nor'easter storm?
Another winter storm that can be
dangerous to travel in is called a Nor'easter.
This kind of storm only happens along the
eastern coast by New England. It has very
strong winds that blow in from the east off
the Atlantic Ocean. Why is it called a
Nor'easter? This storm has the name
Nor'easter because it has rain, snow, ice,
sleet, and flooding rain to the North Eastern
part of North America. The high winds can
rip up homes built on the beach and huge ocean
waves crash on the beach washing it away.
Winter storms can bring cold
temperatures and slick roads which can be
dangerous to travel on. Often times winter
storms bring a mix of liquid with freezing
precipitation that is hard for the scientists
to predict. Only a small change in
temperature can turn rain into snow, or
freezing rain into sleet. Sometimes these
storms produce large amounts of freezing rain
that layer ice all over everything from cars
to electric poles. This makes it difficult to
keep our homes warm.


-35+ mph winds
-Falling snow
-Visibility less than 1/4 mile

Snow, sleet, ice,
flooding rain
strong winds,
damaging waves


Where does it snow in a warm climate?
Where do you live? Is it cold like Alaska?
Or hot like the desert? If you look out the
window, you will see the weather but not
the climate. Weather and Climate are two
different things about where we live.
Weather is what is happening now, like it is
sunny, or rainy. Climate is what we usually
see outside during the winter, spring,
summer, or fall.The climate in the summer
is usually very warm, and you may buy a
swimsuit. But the weather will tell you if
it is warm enough to go swimming or not.
The climate is what happens over a longer
period of time. The weather is what happens
day to day. Desert climates are warmer and
sub-arctic climates are colder. Tropical
climates are warm and humid. The farther
away from the equator there is less sunlight
and the climate is colder. The closer to the
equator, the more sunlight there is and the
climate is warmer.The climate in the
mountains is because of how high they are.
Coastal climates are because of the oceans.
The global winds that circulate around our
Earth makes a difference in the climates
also. If the winds blow dry for a long time,
then rain will not fall in the deserts.
The climate is determined by the average
temperature and rainfall over a long time. A
day's weather does not change the climate.
Even though deserts have a very dry climate,
today it just might snow because of today's
weather forecast.

What is global warming?
The weather changes all of the time. Climates all around the globe should stay the same,
but they don't. Why? The Earth's climates are changing. The temperatures all over are
starting to get warmer. This is caused by global warming. Global warming means many
places that were warmer are now getting colder, and many colder regions are getting much
more colder or even warmer. Climate change refers to general changes in climate patterns,
including temperature, precipitation, winds, and other factors. Global warming (as well as
global cooling) refers specifically to any change in the global average surface temperature.
Do not confuse the two.When humans burn gas, oil, and coal (fossil fuels), these create
electricity, power our cars, warm up our homes, and help factories to work making things
that we use. But as these fuels are burned, a gas called Carbon Dioxide goes into the air.
The carbon dioxide is traps heat in out atmosphere, which causes the Earth to warm up
also. Each year scientists measure how much carbon dioxide that is in our atmosphere and
keep a record. The temperatures on Earth have continued to go up because the amount of
carbon dioxide has also continued to increase.
Climate change happens when global winds and ocean currents go into climates that are
changing too. Storms have become more extreme causing a lot of flooding. Some places
that had a lot of precipitation, rainfall, are having dry spells called droughts. Since our Earth is
mostly covered in glaciers that are melting, the sea levels have been rising. This also
changes the temperatures along the coastlines. Islands are shrinking.

Climate change happens when global winds and ocean currents go into climates that
are changing too. Storms have become more extreme causing a lot of flooding. Some
places that had a lot of precipitation, rainfall, are having dry spells called droughts. Since
our Earth is mostly covered in glaciers that are melting, the sea levels have been rising.
This also changes the temperatures along the coastlines. Islands are shrinking.
What can we do to help reduce these global climate changes?
We can turn of the lights when we are not using them, recycle our cans and bottles,
and sharing rides or walking. If we use less energy, then we can help reduce the amount
of carbon dioxide that goes out into our atmosphere.



Can weather be predicted?
Have you ever watched the weather report on TV? Scientists called meteorologists are
people who study the weather patterns. All over the world, meteorologists have weather
stations where they can constantly see and measure the air pressure, the temperature, the
rainfall, and the wind speed. Scientists also use satellites, radars, weather balloons, airplanes,
and ships to measure the weather and practice predicting what the forecast, or the weather, will
be like in a few days. Meteorologists also collect data and study the weather patterns all over
the Earth.This also helps them to make predictions about our weather.
Climatologists are scientists that study the different climates all over the Earth. The difference
between a meteorologist and a climatologist is time. A meteorologists studies what the weather
is like now and in a few days. A climatologist studies what the average temperatures and
precipitations were in the recent past, and decades ago. As the climatologists study how the
climates were in the past, they will compare that information with the climate patterns now. This
helps them to determine how much the climate has changed, or is changing now. A person can
learn
about the Ice Age by becoming a climatologist. And
a person can learn how to track storms all over
by becoming a meteorologist. Some
meteorologists become storm chasers and
track storms all over to see how they
develop, and the destruction they cause.



Study the climates
of the world, to
see if there are any
changes happening on Earth.


Scientists who study
what is happening right
now with the weather.



Meteorologists use a variety of tools to help them determine the weather patterns that are taking
place. Listed below are just a few instruments that these scientists use.
Barometer: is an instrument meteorologist use to measure the barometric pressure in the air. The
barometer tells us if the weather is going to change. It helps to predict what the weather will be like
over the next few days.
Weather Balloons, which are specialized balloons which are filled with helium or hydrogen, and a
radiosonde (a special weather instrument) which measures temperature pressure and humidity in the
air. Each balloon rises in the air until it breaks, and once it breaks that helps the meteorologists to
determine if a storm is developing, or if the winds are changing.
Automated weather stations: automatically keep track of weather patterns in the area they are
located in. They are powered by solar panels.



Air- the mixture of gases that make-up the earth's atmosphere.
Air Mass- A large body of air that has similar horizontal temperature and moisture characteristics.
Air-mass Thunderstorm- Generally, a thunderstorm not associated with a front or other type of synoptic-scale
forcing mechanism. Air mass thunderstorms typically are associated with warm, humid air in the summer months; they
develop during the afternoon in response to insulation, and dissipate rather quickly after sunset.
Air Pressure- (atmospheric pressure) air pressure is the force exerted on a surface by the weight of the air above it.
The internationally recognized unit for measuring this pressure is the kilo-pascal.
Air-stream- A significant body of air flowing in the same general circulation.
Altitude- Height expressed as the distance above a reference point, which is normally sea level or ground level.
Altocumulus- Mid-altitude clouds with a cumuliform shape.
Altostratus- Mid-altitude clouds with a flat sheet-like shape.
Arctic Air- a mass of very cold, dry air that usually originates over the Arctic Ocean north of Canada and Alaska.
Atmosphere- The mass of air surrounding the earth and bound to it more or less permanently by the earth's
gravitational attraction.
Atmospheric Pressure- (also called air pressure or barometric pressure) The pressure asserted by the mass of the
column of air directly above any specific point.
Atmospheric Stability- An indication of how easily a parcel of air is lifted. If the air is very stable it is difficult to
make the parcel rise. If the air is very unstable the parcel may rise on its own once started.

Automated Weather Station- An unmanned station with various sensors that measure weather elements such as
temperature/wind/pressure and transmit these readings for use by meteorologists.
Barometer- An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure.
Barometric pressure- The actual pressure value indicated by a pressure sensor.
Black Ice- thin, new ice that forms on fresh water or dew covered surfaces; it is common on roadways during the
fall and early winter and appears "black" because of its transparency.
Blizzard- Includes winter storm conditions of sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more that cause
major blowing and drifting of snow, reducing visibility to less than one-quarter mile for 3 or more hours. Extremely
cold temperatures often are associated with dangerous blizzard conditions.
Blizzard warning- Issued when blizzard condition are expected or are occurring.
Blowing Snow- Wind driven snow that reduces visibility to six miles or less causing significant drifting. Blowing
snow may be snow that is falling and/or loose snow on the ground picked up by the wind.
Breezy- Wind in the range of 15 mph to 25 mph with mild or warm temperatures.
Brisk- Wind in the range of 15 to 25 mph when the temperature is cold.
Calm- the absence of apparent motion in the air.
Ceiling- The height of the lowest layer of broken or overcast clouds.
Cell- Convection in the form of a single updraft, downdraft, or updraft/downdraft couplet, typically seen as a vertical
dome or tower as in a cumulus or towering cumulus cloud. A typical thunderstorm consists of several cells
Celsius- a temperature scale in which zero is the freezing point of water and one hundred is the boiling point.
Chance- A 30, 40 or 50 percent chance of occurrence of measurable precipitation.
Circulation- The pattern of the movement of air. General circulation is the flow of air of large, semi-permanent
weather systems, while secondary circulation is the flow of air of more temporary weather systems.
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This book was created and published on StoryJumper™
©2014 StoryJumper, Inc. All rights reserved.
Publish your own children's book:
www.storyjumper.com



What is the weather like today?
Let's take a look outside. Is it cloudy or sunny out? Does it feel cold or warm? Sometimes the
weather can change from minute to minute, or from day to day. The weather in other places can
be different then where we are also. Why does the weather change so much? Well this is because
the air around and above us changes. Weather describes the air in one place at a particular time.
Today's weather will not be the same as the weather tomorrow. The weather in New York will be
different than the weather in California.
Weather describes all the different things that the air around us does. When you think about the
weather, what do you think of? We could look and see if it is windy, sunny, or rainy outside. But all
of these type of days have the same three things in them. Water, sun, and air are the things that
create the weather all over the world. The Earth's water, the air, and the heat from the sun all
affect each other. They mix and churn, cool down or heat up, moisten or dry. And when they mix
together they make all kinds of weather like thunderstorms to blizzards.

Why is the Equator hotter than the North Pole?
The Sun powers all the weather. Our planet gets light and heat from the sun, but it does not
reach all over the earth at the same time. The sunlight soaks the warm belt around the Equator,
the Earth's middle area. The top and bottom of the Earth, the North and South Poles, are always
cold. Why? The light from the sun hits directly on the Equator, and it is very strong there. The
North and South Poles get less direct light from the sun. Heat and light are spread out more and
weaker than in the middle.
Temperature is how hot or cold something is. The air inside your home has a temperature,
and so does the oceans around the world. Depending on where a place is on the globe affects its
temperature as well. The type of land or watering in that place affects whether the temperature is
warmer or cooler. Have you ever felt a cold swimming pool on a hot day? This is because water
whether in a swimming pool, lake or ocean takes more time to warm up than the ground outside
the pool does. Colors make a difference in temperature also. Like a black car can get really hot in
the summer than a white car. It is the same with dark rocks and soil because they soak up more
heat than lighter colors do.
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