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Weather Tools

Meet the thermometer, rain gauge, wind vane and anemometer.

  • Define and explain Weather Tools in your own words
  • Use key terms such as weather accurately
  • Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
  • Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic

This lesson focuses on Weather Tools: meet the thermometer, rain gauge, wind vane and anemometer.

Definition: Weather Tools

Meet the thermometer, rain gauge, wind vane and anemometer.

Key ideas

Instruments measure the weather

A thermometer measures temperature, a rain gauge collects and measures rainfall, a wind vane shows wind direction and an anemometer measures how fast the wind blows. Using instruments turns 'it feels cold' into a number you can compare.

Weather changes, seasons repeat

Weather can change from morning to afternoon, but the seasons follow the same pattern every year. In the UK, summers tend to be warmer with longer days and winters colder with shorter days. Recording the weather every day helps you spot these patterns.

Key term — weather: What the air outside is like at a particular time: its sunshine, cloud, rain, wind and temperature.

Reading a week's weather diary

Your class recorded the weather each day: Mon — sunny; Tue — sunny; Wed — cloudy; Thu — rainy; Fri — rainy; Sat — windy and rainy; Sun — sunny. Which days were wet, and how many sunny days were there?

List the days with rain: Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Saturday had both wind and rain, but it still counts as a wet day. Count the sunny days: Monday, Tuesday and Sunday. Wednesday was cloudy but neither sunny nor wet.

Answer: Thursday, Friday and Saturday were wet. There were three sunny days: Monday, Tuesday and Sunday.

Common mistakes
  • Saying 'the weather is climate' Weather is what is happening today; climate is the usual pattern over many years. A cold day in summer does not change the climate.
  • Reading the thermometer upside down On most thermometers the liquid rises as it gets warmer. Read the number at the top of the liquid, at eye level.

Practice

Which instrument shows which way the wind is blowing?
It spins round on a rooftop.

A wind vane.

Name three types of precipitation.
Think of water falling from clouds in different forms.

Rain, snow, sleet and hail (any three).

Which instrument measures temperature?
It has liquid that rises and falls.

A thermometer.

Which season usually has the longest days in the UK?
Think about when the Sun is up latest.

Summer.

Quick check

Weather Tools — quick check

Which of these best defines "weather"?

What the air outside is like at a particular time: its sunshine, cloud, rain, wind and temperature.

Is fog a type of precipitation?

No — fog is cloud at ground level; precipitation must fall from clouds.

What causes the seasons?

The tilt of the Earth's axis.
Key takeaways
  • Weather Tools: meet the thermometer, rain gauge, wind vane and anemometer.
  • Instruments measure the weather: A thermometer measures temperature, a rain gauge collects and measures rainfall, a wind vane shows wind direction and an anemometer measures how fast the wind blows.
  • temperature: How hot or cold the air is, measured in degrees Celsius (°C) with a thermometer.
  • Watch out for: saying 'the weather is climate'
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