How to Forecast the Weather

Forecasting the weather with reasonable accuracy requires the work of thousands of meteorologists around the world and thousands of machines based on the ground, the air and in space, whose data is gathered and coordinated by a network of computers. Preparing a weather forecast combines knowledge of meteorology with careful observation.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Thermometer
• Barometer
• Anemometer
• Rain gauge
• Weather balloon with radiosonde
• Weather satellites
• Doppler radar
• Computer network

1. Observe the weather with thermometers, barometers, anemometers (wind-speed measurers), rain gauges, weather balloons and satellites and plot changes at regular intervals, assuming that what is happening will continue to happen. This is called persistence forecasting. For examples of types of weather to observe when forecasting, see the related eHow article "How to Predict the Weather."

2. Apply knowledge of how the atmosphere works against these observations to produce a short-term forecast. This is called synoptic forecasting.

3. Compare the weather patterns at this time of year against those at this time in previous years to establish what "normal weather" is. This is called statistical forecasting.

4. Plug the observed temperature, air pressure, wind speed and other meteorological values into complex equations.

5. Run these equations on several high-speed computers to produce a model from which a weather forecast can be made.

6. Test the computer model against the observations made by individual and collective observers to determine the validity of the equations used to make the model.

7. Deliver the forecast via computer network to the parties it is intended for, such as businesses, government agencies and television stations.