Instructions

• Draw and label the diagrams neatly using a pencil and frame them
• Write correct spellings
• All the notes and diagrams should be handwritten no printing

Measuring and Recording Weather

Temperature

Air temperature is the degree of warmth in the air. It is measured in degrees Celsius
(⁰C). There are two versions of the instrument:
• A minimum thermometer and a separate maximum thermometer.
• A Six’s thermometer (which combines the two)
These instruments are read at the same time of the day, every day, to give maximum
and minimum temperatures for each 24-hour period. It is important to avoid parallax
error by making sure that the reading is taken with the eye at the same level as the
correct part of the index, or the meniscus, as appropriate.
Location

The thermometers are kept in the Stevenson screen. Thus, the thermometers have
to be shielded from direct sunlight and other sources of heat. They also have to be
raised so that their bulbs are 1.2 metres from the ground – to avoid heat being both
radiated from the ground and being chilled by contact with cold ground. They must
also be away from buildings that might radiate heat.
The Six’s thermometer

Is the maximum and minimum thermometers combined into one curved glass tube
that contains both alcohol and mercury. The left-hand thermometer is used to read
the minimum temperature; the right-hand thermometer is used to read the maximum
temperature.
 Minimum thermometer Maximum thermometer

Bulb with partial vacuum

alcohol
alcohol

index Maximum temperature

Temperature readings
Maximum temperature-
Minimum Current/present 35ºC
temperature temperature
Minimum temperature-
15ºC
current/present temperature
25ºC

mercury

magnet

How the instrument works

• When the temperature rises, the alcohol in the left arm expands, while some
of the alcohol in the right arm evaporates into the space in the bulb. The
expanding alcohol on the left is then able to push the mercury up the right
arm. This pushes an index, which is left at the maximum temperature
reached.
• When the temperature cools, the alcohol in the left arm contracts. Some of the
alcohol vapour in the bulb turns back to liquid. The mercury then moves up
the left arm – pushing a metal index as it does so – to indicate the minimum
temperature reached
• Isotherms are lines on the map joining the points with same temperature.

N.B- The instrument is read at eye level from lower (bottom) end of each index. It
is reset using a magnet to draw each index back to the mercury.
Temperature recordings can be used to calculate the following:
Daily temperature range/ diurnal range is maximum temperature minus minimum
temperature for one day
Mean daily temperature is maximum temperature plus minimum temperature of the
day divided by two.
Mean monthly temperature is the total of the average daily temperatures divided by
the number of days in the month.
Annual range is mean temperature of the warmest month minus mean temperature
of the coldest month.
Mean annual temperature is the total of the monthly means (averages) divided by
12

Activity

Using the diagram below to find the following:

1. maximum temperature
2. minimum temperature
3. current temperature
Calculate:

(a)Daily (diurnal) temperature range

(b)Mean daily temperature.
Precipitation
Precipitation is any type of water that forms in the atmosphere and then drops onto
the earth’s surface. Amounts of rain, drizzle, snow, hail, and sleet are
measured using a rain gauge.
Location

The rain gauge is located in an open area so that it is not sheltered by trees or
buildings to avoid runoff from trees or buildings into the funnel. In countries with long
hot dry seasons, surfaces are hard and lack of grass, so the rain gauge should be
raised on a tripod.

How the instrument works

The rain gauge consists of a cylindrical copper container in which there is a copper
collecting can and it contain a glass jar and copper funnel that fits on top of the
container. Copper or plastic and glass are used as they are resistant corrosion/ rusting.
The container is sunk into the ground to prevent the sun’s rays from evaporating any
of the water collected in the glass jar. The top of the funnel projects about 30cm above
ground level to prevent water from splashing into the rain gauge. Rain falling over the
funnel is collected in the glass jar.
 Flat surface Scale in
mm

Part buried in
the ground

Metal cylinder

• The instrument must be read at the same time each day (generally at about 9
am)
• Any snow or frost present must be melted first. The reader should pour the
water from the collecting jar into the tapered measuring cylinder. The measuring
cylinder should then be placed on a flat surface to get accurate readings.
• The water level should be read at eye level- to avoid parallax error. Any amount
too small to measure should be recorded as a trace. This is probably the result
of drizzle.
• Rainfall is measured in millimetres (mm) .The rainfall recorded for a place,
either for a day or a week, month or year can be shown on a map. This is done
by using isolines. Isohyets are lines on a map joining areas of equal rainfall.
• Recordings can be used to calculate the following.
1. Daily rainfall- is the amount that falls each day and is recorded in the
rain gauge.
2. Monthly rainfall/ precipitation- is rainfall that is recorded for each
day of the month and added.
3. Total annual rainfall-is rainfall that is recorded for each day of the year
and totals are added.
4. Mean annual rainfall- is the average of the annual rainfall totals.