IQ Weather Lessons 19 thru 20

LESSON 19

NWS Balloon Launch

The National Weather Service office in Topeka, Kansas which is one of the 92 locations in the United States where a weather balloon is launched twice each day to collect important weather information from the upper atmosphere. Even though weather balloon technology dates back decades, it is still one of the best ways to collect important information about what is happening is the sky overhead!

IQ Weather takes you to an actual balloon launch to talk with the meteorologists who launch balloons, and to get some insight into how important this information can be to forecasters!

  • Why are weather balloons necessary?

  • How high do the balloons climb before they burst?

  • Why is it important to know what is happening so high in the sky?

Teacher Guide: NWS Balloon Launch
Lesson Resources: NWS Balloon Launch
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Lesson 19: NWS Tour/Weather Balloon Launch

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1. During a normal day, how many times are weather balloons launched from National Weather Service sites?

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2. Why are all the weather balloons launched at the same time each day?

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3. The packet of instruments launched with the balloon is called a:

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4. What information is provided by the weather balloon during each launch? (Check all that apply)

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5. The weather balloon can climb to as high as _______ before it bursts.

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6. Once the balloon data is collected, the information is plotted on a graph called a ________.

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7. Balloon data is used to:

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8. Weather data is always reported using Zulu time, which is also known as:

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9. Weather balloon data is used to create:

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10. How many hours each day are National Weather Service offices open?

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Quiz Answers: NWS Balloon Launch

LESSON 20

TV Weather

The weather segment of any newscast is always the most watched portion of the show. That has been the case for years, and continues to be true…since everyone wants to know what the weather will do…so they can plan ahead for a variety of things. But the high-tech weathercast you see on television today is a far cry from where it all began! This lesson takes a look at the history of TV weather and where it is heading in the future!

  • How long have television weathercasts been available to the public?

  • How was television weather different before there were computers?

  • What information is best provided by a television meteorologist?  Why?

Teacher Guide: TV Weather
Lesson Resources: TV Weather
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Lesson 20: TV Weather

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1. What is the most-watched segment of any newscast?

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2. During what period of time did many television stations across the United States start using more meteorologists to provide the weather report?

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3. What technology breakthrough has dramatically changed the way weather is presented on television?

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4. Why are TV meteorologist still needed for weather reports today, considering all the other ways  ways to get weather information? (check the most important reason)

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5. Can artificial intelligence replace TV weather forecasters in the future?

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Quiz Answers: TV Weather
Go To Experiment #1: Cloud in a bottle