Choose which weather-related topic you would like to delve into, and start
preparing your own expert forecast!
How the Experts Do It
When making a forecast about the weather, a meteorologist starts off by
studying the current conditions. There are many ways that forecasters
gather the data they need:
- There are weather stations all around the world — at airports,
on ships, and on ocean buoys. At least once an hour, these stations
record different weather conditions such as pressure, temperature, winds,
and humidity.
- Satellites positioned in outer space can measure temperature,
cloud cover, and wind.
- Twice a day weather balloons are launched into the atmosphere
from locations around the world. Balloon soundings, or readings, provide
data on pressure, temperature, winds, and humidity in the upper atmosphere.
Forecasters use this information to draw maps showing current weather
conditions.
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