Understanding Weather: Electronic Resources

This is a collection of Electronic Resources (websites, software, etc.) about understanding weather. A separate collection of Print Resources is also available.

Key: E = Elementary (K–5), I = Intermediate (6–8), HS = High School (9–12), C = College, G = General Public

Water in the Air

EXPLORES!. from Florida State University. (E, I, HS)
This web site is an educational outreach program designed to bring weather satellite receiving technology into the K-12 classroom. Content includes resources for the K-12 curriculum, real time high-resolution imagery, a discussion board, and real time tropical updates.
Frank Potter’s Science Gems - Earth Science II. (E, I, HS, C, G)
Contains links to earth science websites. Web pages are grouped by subject and by age group within each subject. Subjects covered include: Atmosphere & Weather, Land & Geology, Oceans & Dynamics; Water & its Effects, and Resources.
KidSpace: Math and Science. from the Internet Public Library. (E, I)
This web site is a starting point for Internet research. The Air & Space section allows students to Learn and read about things in the sky, from planets and stars to airplanes. The Earth Science section allows students to explore the earth and learn about volcanos, hurricanes, weather, or how to save the environment.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (I, HS, C, G)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts research and gathers data about the global oceans, atmosphere, space, and sun, and applies this knowledge to science and service that touch the lives of all Americans. The National Weather Service is a part of NOAA.
The Online Guides: Meteorology. from Dept. Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (I, HS, C, G)
This site contains a collection of web-based instructional modules that use multimedia technology and the dynamic capabilities of the web. Resources incorporate text, colorful diagrams, animations, computer simulations, audio and video to introduce fundamental concepts in the atmospheric sciences. Selected pages link to relevant classroom activities and current weather products to reinforce topics discussed in the modules and allow the user to apply what has been learned to real-time weather data.
PBS: Teacher Source. from Public Broadcasting Service.
Contains 4,000+ free lesson plans and activities. Use quick search feature to limit by age group and subject area (e.g. High School and Weather). Click on Search Options (upper right corner) to take advantage of more search options.

Air Masses and Fronts

EXPLORES!. from Florida State University. (E, I, HS)
This web site is an educational outreach program designed to bring weather satellite receiving technology into the K-12 classroom. Content includes resources for the K-12 curriculum, real time high-resolution imagery, a discussion board, and real time tropical updates.
Guide to the Science of the Atmosphere. (I, HS)
Offered by USAToday.com, this site contains dozens of well-designed and informative pages about weather. Topics include the sun, wind, storms, rains, floods, snow, tornadoes, and much more. Each page usually contains a description and a graphic or animation. [From Scout Report, May 2, 2002.]
National Climatic Data Center. from U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (I, HS, C, G)
The world’s largest active archive of weather data, the NCDC has long served the Nation as a national resource for climate information. As climate knows no boundaries, NCDC works closely with scientists and researchers worldwide.
The Online Guides: Meteorology. from Dept. Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (I, HS, C, G)
This site contains a collection of web-based instructional modules that use multimedia technology and the dynamic capabilities of the web. Resources incorporate text, colorful diagrams, animations, computer simulations, audio and video to introduce fundamental concepts in the atmospheric sciences. Selected pages link to relevant classroom activities and current weather products to reinforce topics discussed in the modules and allow the user to apply what has been learned to real-time weather data.
WINDandSEA: The Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Internet Locator. from U. S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (HS, C, G)
This locator was built in response to the many reference questions that are posed to the NOAA Library and is meant to make Internet searching more efficient for the NOAA community, the academic community, other government agencies concerned with oceanic and atmospheric issues, and the general public. Contains over 1,000 reviews and annotated links to science and policy sites, organized by topics.

Severe Weather

Australian Severe Weather. (E, I, HS, C, G)
Contains vast collection of images, maps and data on Australian weather, storm news and storm chasing, tropical cyclones, weather data, bush fires and wild fires, observation techniques, tornadoes, and video movies and stills. While younger viewers may not be able to read the text, the number and quality of images are captivating to everyone!
Lightning Detection From Space: A Lightning Primer. (I, HS, C, G)
This primer is a historical essay on lightning research that was prepared by the Global Hydrology and Climate Center Lightning Team. The primer describes the characteristics of lightning and provides information on recent activities in lightning research.
Warren Faidley’s Storm Chaser Home Page. (G)
Has media, commercial, editorial, and public storm chasing information. Top 5% of all Web Sites Award Winner. Includes great photographs!
Weather Watch Home Page. from Scholastic, Inc. (E, I)
Weather is wild with hurricanes, winter storms and tornadoes. Learn more about these events with their Weather Watch activities.
One Sky, Many Voices. from University of Michigan. (E, I, HS)
The mission of the One Sky, Many Voices Project is to create innovative, inquiry-based K-12 weather curricula that utilize current technologies such as the web for the interactive study of current weather and air quality.
The Online Guides: Meteorology. from Dept. Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (I, HS, C, G)
This site contains a collection of web-based instructional modules that use multimedia technology and the dynamic capabilities of the web. Resources incorporate text, colorful diagrams, animations, computer simulations, audio and video to introduce fundamental concepts in the atmospheric sciences. Selected pages link to relevant classroom activities and current weather products to reinforce topics discussed in the modules and allow the user to apply what has been learned to real-time weather data.
Web Weather for Kids. (E, I)
Kids can learn about thunderstorms and tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and winter weather, clouds, weather safety, and much more. One of the highlights of the site is the interactive Weather ingredients activity that lets kids explore all of the major weather components. This includes an interactive activity that allows kids to see how molecules change their speed based on temperature. This fun and educational site does a good job of presenting potentially confusing subjects in an easy-to-understand format that is well suited for kids.
Source: NSDL Scout report for the physical sciences, v. 2, no. 10, May 16, 2003.

Forecasting the Weather

Educational Sites for All Ages: Top Sites on the Web. from U.S. Department of Energy. Biology and Environmental Research Program. (E, I, HS)
This web page contains a list of top educational sites for all age groups on these topics: biology, chemistry, genome, global change, and weather. Also includes a section for Kids and another for teachers.
Intellicast.com: Weather for Active Lives. (G)
This web site provides extensive specialized weather information to help plan all outdoor and weather sensitive activities, whether golfing, sailing, hiking, skiing or relaxing at the beach. Drawing on the meteorological knowledge of its staff, Intellicast.com now provides over 250,000 pages of detailed weather information.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (I, HS, C, G)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts research and gathers data about the global oceans, atmosphere, space, and sun, and applies this knowledge to science and service that touch the lives of all Americans. The National Weather Service is a part of NOAA.
The Online Guides: Meteorology. from Dept. Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (I, HS, C, G)
This site contains a collection of web-based instructional modules that use multimedia technology and the dynamic capabilities of the web. Resources incorporate text, colorful diagrams, animations, computer simulations, audio and video to introduce fundamental concepts in the atmospheric sciences. Selected pages link to relevant classroom activities and current weather products to reinforce topics discussed in the modules and allow the user to apply what has been learned to real-time weather data.
PBS: Teacher Source. from Public Broadcasting Service.
Contains 4,000+ free lesson plans and activities. Use quick search feature to limit by age group and subject area (e.g. High School and Weather). Click on Search Options (upper right corner) to take advantage of more search options.

Copyright © 2005 American Chemical Society