We’ve gathered extensive links to digital resources designed to help everyone learn the science of weather, help educators reinforce their own content knowledge, and get kids engaged in science that affects us all each and every day.
Weather Basics
The Weather Channel defines more than 800 weather-related terms.
Kid-friendly definitions for basic weather vocabulary.
This printable resource from NASA and NOAA’s National Weather Service provides both a basic introduction to the identification of clouds and a detailed cloud chart (also available in ).
Get the basics on the specialized equipment meteorologists use to gather information about weather conditions (also available in ).
Hurricanes
Web Weather for Kids provides the how, where and when on hurricane formation.
NOAA Education Resources provides real-world hurricane data, lessons and activities, video and animations as well as detailed hurricane science and safety information.
This interactive tutorial from USA Today shows the inner workings of a storm. The Hurricanes: Science and Society website provides information on the science of hurricanes, methods of observing hurricanes, modeling and forecasting of hurricanes, information on how hurricanes impact society, and how people and communities can prepare for and deal with the impacts of hurricanes.
Lightning
The National Weather Service JetStream Online School for Weather provides clear information and detailed graphics about the conditions needed to produce lightning, lightning safety and an online quiz.
The Global Hydrology and Climate Center Lightning Team at NASA describe the characteristics of lightning and provide information on recent activities in lightning research.
This Severe Weather Primer from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory offers detailed questions and answers about thunderstorms, including information on thunderstorm climatology, detection and forecasting.
FEMA offers fast facts about thunderstorms, lightning, and how to stay safe before, during and after a storm.
Find out more about lightning and thunder from The Weather Dude, meteorologist for The Weather Channel Nick Walker, and sample his Musical Meteorology — .
Floods
FEMA provides information on flooding factors such as rainfall, river-flow and tidal-surge, topography, flood-control measures, and changes due to building and development.
This Severe Weather Primer from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory explains the formation of the number one weather-related killer in the U.S.
Get the basics about rain and flooding from Weather WizKids as well as links to rain-related science activities.
Good introductory article and related multimedia on floods and their impact.
Tornadoes
This Severe Weather Primer from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory answers frequently asked questions about tornados and provides detailed information on tornado formation.
This interactive feature from the Discovery Channel features a slideshow, a survival quiz, and a “grow your own tornado” activity.
Learn about the Fujita Scale of tornado intensity and use this interactive from NOVA with students to assess the level of destruction left in the wake of actual tornadoes (interactive board-friendly).
From the National Weather Service’s Storm Predication Center, this quick-reference summary of tornado knowledge also provides links to more detailed information.
Winter storms
Weather WizKids provides background information on snow, freezing rain, sleet, ice, blizzards, and wind chill along with suggestions for winter weather experiments and activities.
The Weather Channel Kids’ Weather Encyclopedia entry on Winter Storms offers extensive details of winter storm formation and development, types of winter storms, historical storms, and winter climatology.
This Severe Weather Primer from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory provides interesting winter weather facts as well as information on forecasting and winter weather patterns.
This National Snow and Ice Data Center website presents a variety of general information about snow.
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