Guided Notes on Weather Analysis

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Guided Notes on Weather Analysis

• Chapter 12, Section 4

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• 1. To plot weather data, meteorologists use
  isopleths, which are lines that connect points of
  equal or constant values.

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• 2. Lines of equal pressure are called isobars
  and lines of equal temperature are called
  isotherms.

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• 3. You can tell how fast the wind are blowing in
  an area by noticing how closely the isobars are
  spaced. If they are close together, they indicate
  a large pressure difference over a small area,
  which causes strong winds.

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• 4. Digital forecasting is the main method used
  by modern meteorologists. It is highly dependent
  upon the density of the data available---the more
  data, the more accurate the forecast.

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• 5. Analog forecasts involve comparing current
  weather patterns to patterns that took place in
  the past. It is useful for conducting monthly or
  seasonal forecasts, which are based on the past
  behavior of cyclic weather patterns.

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• 6. All forecasts become less reliable when they
  attempt to predict long-term changes in the
  weather. The most accurate and detailed forecasts
  are short-term in nature.

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• 7. Forecasts in the one- to three-day range are
  dependent on the behavior of larger surface and
  upper-level features. At the four- to seven-day
  range, forecasts must predict changes in the
  weather based on circulation patterns throughout
  the troposphere and lower stratosphere.