Weather forecast

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/weather-forecast

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What tools do scientists use to watch the sky?They use satellites, radar, weather stations, and balloons to collect data about temperature, wind, and rain.
2. How do computers help predict the weather?Computers run complex models that use equations of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics to simulate the atmosphere in a 3‑D grid and forecast future conditions.

Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP): Computer-based forecasting that uses mathematical models to simulate atmospheric behavior and predict future weather.
Data Assimilation: The process of integrating real-world observational data into NWP models to create the most accurate initial state of the atmosphere.
Ensemble Forecasting: Running multiple NWP model simulations with slightly varied initial conditions to assess forecast uncertainty and provide probabilistic outcomes.
Chaos Theory: A branch of mathematics and physics that studies the behavior of dynamical systems highly sensitive to initial conditions, explaining forecast limitations.