Weather Conditions
Essential Question: What changes occur daily and seasonally in our weather?
Weather changes from day to day. It also changes from season to season. But weather changes follow certain patterns.
Kinds of Weather Conditions
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place. Weather scientists study weather conditions. Weather conditions include temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation.
Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold something is. In the case of weather, scientists measure the temperature of the air.
Wind is moving air. Wind speed is how fast the wind is blowing. When we say the weather is windy, we mean that wind speeds are fairly high. Wind direction is the direction the wind is coming from. It is described in terms of the compass directions north, south, east, and west.
Precipitation is water that falls from clouds. It can take the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
Weather conditions also include the amount of sunshine or clouds. Fair weather usually means lots of sunshine with clear skies, few or no clouds, and no precipitation.
Daily Weather Changes
Weather changes from day to day. The weather may be cloudy one day and bright and sunny the next. One day may be hot, and the next day may be much cooler.
Below you will create a table to shos how weather conditions might change over three days. Notice that air temperature is measured in degrees Fahrenheit (F). Wind speed is measured in miles per hour (mph). Precipitation is measured in inches (in).
Seasonal Weather Patterns usclimatedata.com holidayweather.com tripadvisor WeatherAverages
Weather changes daily, but similar patterns repeat in the same way every year. In most places, winters are colder than summers. That is true in South Carolina. Winter may not be as cold this year as it was last year. But you can predict that it will be colder in December than in July.
You can study the past patterns of South Carolina’s weather. You can use what you learn to predict the type of weather you will see in each season. For example, the mountains of South Carolina sometimes have snow in winter. You may see snow fall in January, but you would not expect to see it in July.
South Carolina’s weather is fairly mild. Winters are cool, and there are days that are cold. The temperature in Columbia in winter is well above freezing. Summers in South Carolina are hot.
South Carolina gets lots of precipitation. Most of it is rain. Snow falls at times in the northern mountains but not usually in the rest of the state.
The chart below shows some weather conditions for each season in South Carolina. Notice that the last column lists storms that are likely in each season.
Seasonal Weather in South Carolina
Temperature Precipitation Dangerous Weather
Spring Mild Rain Thunderstorms, tornadoes
Summer Hot Rain Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes
Fall Mild Rain, some snow Hurricanes, some snowstorms
Winter Cool to cold Rain, freezing rain, some snow Snowstorms
Essential Question: What changes occur daily and seasonally in our weather?
Weather changes from day to day. It also changes from season to season. But weather changes follow certain patterns.
Kinds of Weather Conditions
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place. Weather scientists study weather conditions. Weather conditions include temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation.
Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold something is. In the case of weather, scientists measure the temperature of the air.
Wind is moving air. Wind speed is how fast the wind is blowing. When we say the weather is windy, we mean that wind speeds are fairly high. Wind direction is the direction the wind is coming from. It is described in terms of the compass directions north, south, east, and west.
Precipitation is water that falls from clouds. It can take the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
Weather conditions also include the amount of sunshine or clouds. Fair weather usually means lots of sunshine with clear skies, few or no clouds, and no precipitation.
Daily Weather Changes
Weather changes from day to day. The weather may be cloudy one day and bright and sunny the next. One day may be hot, and the next day may be much cooler.
Below you will create a table to shos how weather conditions might change over three days. Notice that air temperature is measured in degrees Fahrenheit (F). Wind speed is measured in miles per hour (mph). Precipitation is measured in inches (in).
Seasonal Weather Patterns usclimatedata.com holidayweather.com tripadvisor WeatherAverages
Weather changes daily, but similar patterns repeat in the same way every year. In most places, winters are colder than summers. That is true in South Carolina. Winter may not be as cold this year as it was last year. But you can predict that it will be colder in December than in July.
You can study the past patterns of South Carolina’s weather. You can use what you learn to predict the type of weather you will see in each season. For example, the mountains of South Carolina sometimes have snow in winter. You may see snow fall in January, but you would not expect to see it in July.
South Carolina’s weather is fairly mild. Winters are cool, and there are days that are cold. The temperature in Columbia in winter is well above freezing. Summers in South Carolina are hot.
South Carolina gets lots of precipitation. Most of it is rain. Snow falls at times in the northern mountains but not usually in the rest of the state.
The chart below shows some weather conditions for each season in South Carolina. Notice that the last column lists storms that are likely in each season.
Seasonal Weather in South Carolina
Temperature Precipitation Dangerous Weather
Spring Mild Rain Thunderstorms, tornadoes
Summer Hot Rain Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes
Fall Mild Rain, some snow Hurricanes, some snowstorms
Winter Cool to cold Rain, freezing rain, some snow Snowstorms
Discovery: Weather Maps
Discovery TechBook: How Much? Discovery: Weather Smart: Heat, Wind, and Pressure Virtual Lab: What Shall we do tomorrow? Interactive Weather Maker Scholastic: Weather & Climate
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Read Works: An Introduction to Weather
Weather Data: Constructed Response Write Like a Scientist: Look at the class Weather Data chart. Analyze the temperature and precipitation data. How is precipitation related to temperature? What are some other weather patterns that you observed? (DOK 3) Students examine the class Weather Data chart, discover relationships among weather factors, and look for shortterm and longterm weather changes. (DOK 4) *Students can continue to add the weather patterns in their notebooks to see how weather patterns are changing over a period of time. (DOK 4) |