Online Weather Learning Center

Is it going to rain today? Is it going to be a cloudy day? Every day, people have to deal with the weather. Sometimes, the weather can be dangerous-- as in hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, or heavy snowfall. Weather can also be fascinating and fun to learn about. Here, at the online weather learning center, you can learn about clouds, fog, hurricanes, and other weather phenomena. Read on to learn some interesting facts about the weather!

Clouds

• A cloud is made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals.

• Clouds are formed when billions of water droplets gather together after water vapor condenses onto tiny dust particles.

• What are the different types of clouds? Take a look at these cool pictures and take the quiz to test yourself.

• Can you tell what the weather will be like, just by looking at the clouds? Find out on this page!

• What about cloud colors and what causes the difference in colors?

• Try this fun “Cloud in a Bottle” experiment to learn more about clouds.

• Have you ever wondered how clouds move? Find out for yourself!

• Do you know how much of the earth is covered by clouds?

Fog

• Basically, fog is a dense cloud of water vapor which is formed at ground level.

• When there’s cooling at the earth’s surface, the air cools and condenses, forming water droplets. As the water droplets gather, fog is formed.

• Here’s an interesting fog video for kids.

Hurricanes

• What is a hurricane? It’s a large tropical storm that comes together with heavy winds.

• The formation of a hurricane is quite complex. Here’s a very good explanation.

• How does Hurricane Katrina become Hurricane Katia? Discover how hurricanes are named.

• Find a current list of hurricane names here.

• Learn a whole lot about hurricanes in this one-minute video.  

• How strong is a hurricane? Find out how a hurricane is measured.

• Hurricanes can be devastating. Take a look at these pictures taken before and after Hurricane Katrina.

Monsoons

• Monsoon means “season”, and it comes from the Arabic word “mausim”. It is used to describe seasonal wind shift.

• Monsoons can occur in Australia, Africa, Europe, North America, and East Asia, but they are most frequent in South Asia. 

• What are the causes of monsoons? Read this brief article to find out!

• Have you ever wondered what monsoons can do? Take a look at this video about India’s worst monsoon, taken in 2005. 

Rain & Snow

• Rain and snow are classified as precipitation. Other types of precipitation include hail, freezing rain, and sleet.

• Both rain and snow are composed of water. In low temperatures, water will freeze, so we get snow instead of rain.

• Here are some pictures of various types of precipitation.  

• Take this interactive lesson to understand all about the water cycle.

• You can make it rain! Try this fun little experiment at home, with adult supervision.

• Learn how to grow your very own snow crystals in this fun experiment! Make sure you have the help of an adult for this experiment.

Thunder & Lightning

• The simplest way to think of lightning is to think of it as a huge discharge of electricity.

• After you see the lightning, you will then hear the thunder. In fact, thunder is described as the sound which is caused by lightning.

• Take a look at some awesome lightning pictures.

• What are the different types of lightning? Find out for yourself!

• Explore this fun page on lightning safety with games, experiments, and more.

• Try making your own lightning with this fun experiment.

Tornadoes

• A tornado is described as a violent column of air that rotates around a center of low atmospheric pressure.

• Now, you may be wondering about how a tornado forms. Here’s a very good explanation.

• Have you ever seen a tornado? You can view videos of some terrifying tornadoes here.

• Do you know how tornadoes are rated? This is a good place to read about the Fujita Scale.

• Perhaps, you have heard of the famous “Tornado in a Bottle” experiment? Find out how you can do it!

Wind

• On a windy day, you may have your hat blown off by the wind. What is wind, exactly? It’s air in motion.

• Why are some winds stronger than other winds? To answer this question, you have to know a little more about the origin of wind, and the three forces that influence the way wind moves.

• Surely, you know about windmills, and you know that wind can be used to do work. Here are some interesting facts about wind energy.

• How do we measure wind direction and wind speed? Take a look at these wind devices and how they are used to measure the wind.

• Wind experiments are always fun because you get to go outdoors. In this wind experiment, you will learn about how a wind meter works.