What is the weather like today?
Sunny, rainy, windy or snowy? Find out where rain comes from, why the wind blows and which tools measure the weather. Then make your own rain gauge.
Read
Weather is what the air outside is like right now: sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy or snowy. The weather can change from one day to the next.[1][2]
Clouds are made of lots of tiny drops of water. Millions of tiny drops join to make one raindrop, and then it falls as rain. Snow and hail fall from clouds too.[5]
Wind is moving air. The Sun warms some places more than others, and that makes the air move.[7]
We measure the weather with tools. A thermometer shows how warm it is. A rain gauge catches the rain. A weather vane shows where the wind comes from.[3]
To see how much of the sky is cloudy, weather watchers split the sky into eight parts and count the cloudy parts.[3]
Weather forecasters use satellites in space and very big computers to work out what the weather will be like tomorrow.[11]
Try it: Make a rain gauge
You need
- A clear plastic bottle (the teacher cuts off the top)
- Pebbles or sand for the bottom
- Sticky tape and a ruler
- A permanent marker
- A weather diary sheet
Safety
Only the teacher cuts the bottle; cover the cut edge with tape. Stay with an adult outside. Do not drink the water in the gauge.
What to do
- The teacher cuts the top off the bottle. Turn the top upside down and put it in the bottle like a funnel.
- Put some pebbles in the bottom so it does not blow over. Pour in water up to the top of the pebbles and mark this line as 0.
- Tape a ruler on the side, with 0 at your line.
- Put the gauge outside in an open place, away from trees and roofs.
- Every day at the same time, read how high the water is. Draw the weather in your diary. Then pour the water back down to the 0 line.
Play: Which weather tool?
What do you need to find out? Pick the right tool.
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 10–11 · Ages 15–16