Climatology

LECTURE 3

The Weather
OBSERVING AND RECORDING

What is weather?

Weather describes the

state of the atmosphere
at any particular time.
Weather can be
described in terms of
temperature,
precipitation (snow, rain
& hail), wind speed and
direction, visibility and
cloud amounts.

What is Climate?

Climate describes the

average weather of a
particular part of the
world at different times
of the year
In Britain we would
expect cool summers
and mild winters with
moderate rainfall
throughout the year

The Weather Station

A weather station
makes continuous
measurements of
different aspects of the
weather.

Weather stations use

standard instruments
so that their readings
can be compared.

Temperature

Temperature is
recorded using
thermometers housed
inside a Stevenson
screen

Weather stations record

both air temperature
and the temperature of
the ground

Precipitation

Rainfall, snow, hail and

fog.
Rainfall is measured in
a raingauge.
Some raingauges
record rainfall
automatically whilst
others are emptied
everyday by an
observer

Wind

The Beaufort Scale

The direction and

strength of the wind are
both measured
A wind vane measures
direction

An anemometer
records strength

Wind strength can also

be measured using the
Beaufort Scale

Pressure

Pressure is the weight of

the atmosphere

When air rises pressure

falls

When air sinks pressure

increases

Pressure controls the

type of weather

Barometers and
barographs record
pressure
Recording pressure

Sunshine

A note is made of the

number of hours of
bright sunshine each
day

Sunshine is traditionally
measured using a
Campbell-Stokes
sunshine recorder

Cloud

The amount of the sky

obscured by cloud

Different types of
clouds

Sometimes even the

speed and direction in
which the clouds are
moving are recorded
using a nephoscope

Temperature

In summer it gets
warmer the further
south you go

In winter it gets warmer

the further west you go

In Britain temperature is
affected by latitude
and the sea

Temperature: Latitude

Temperature: Summer & Winter

In winter the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the

sun so the suns rays are weaker
In summer the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the
sun so the suns rays are stronger

Solstices
On June 21 or 22, the axis of rotation of the earth is inclined towards
the sun (Fig. 3). The sub solar point, the place where the sun lies directly
overhead at noon, is located at 23 north latitude. This date is known as
the summer solstice and marks the first day of the summer in the northern
hemisphere.
This is the longest day of the year for places located north of Tropic of
Cancer (23 N latitude). As the noons rays are vertical over 23 N, the
tangent rays in the northern hemisphere pass over the pole. This
phenomenon keeps all places north of latitude of 66 N in 24 hours of
sunlight (polar day), while locations below latitude of 66 S are in
darkness (polar night).

The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 when the earth

has oriented itself so the North Pole is facing away from, and the
South Pole into the Sun (Fig. 4). The Sun lays directly overhead at
noon at 23 S latitude, called as Tropic of Capricorn. The places
pole ward of 66 S latitude receives 24 hours of daylight and the
places pole ward of 66 N are in the darkness. The winter solstice
refers to the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere.

Equinoxes
Midway between the solstices are two dates when the sun shines
directly on the equator. The axis of rotation is still inclined but it is
tilted sideways with respect to the sun rather than towards or away
from the sun. at these times, the tangent rays strike the poles so
that the days and nights are
equal over the entire earth (Fig. 5). The period between summer
and winter is
called as autumn. The autumnal equinox on September 22 or 23
indicates
the beginning of autumn season in the northern hemisphere.
March 21 or 22

Temperature: Summer & Winter

During the course of

the year the Earth tilts
towards and away from
the sun

The mid-points of this

cycle are called the
equinoxes (spring and
autumn)

Winter in Canada & Britain

How it rains

The surface is heated

by the sun
Air rises
Air expands and cools
Air condenses
Water droplets grow to
form raindrops
Air can rise in different
ways

Relief rainfall

Fair Weather

Fair weather is produced

by high pressure

High pressure forms

anticyclones

Air sinks and prevents the

formation of rain clouds

Anticyclones cause
heatwaves in summer
and frosty/foggy mornings
in winter

Forecasting the Weather

Modern forecasts use

computers to simulate
the likely weather
based on careful
observations from 100s
of weather stations
round the world
Satellite images and
radar give a better
picture of the weather
over a wide area

A Satellite Image

A Radar Image

Cyclonic rainfall
moving in from the
west
The brighter the
colour, the heavier
the rainfall
Mountains intensify
the rain such as over
the Scottish
Highlands

The Weather Map

Weather maps
summarise the weather
over a wide area using
symbols