Weather 101 for Kids

Weather 101 for kids is a four-part streaming video series here. Watch it and be smarter in weather.

We live on a very special planet. The planet Earth. It’s the only one we know of that has weather. Most of the time weather is quiet and people don’t really think about it but whenever it gets too hot or too cold or wet and stormy then everyone has questions about the weather.

What are clouds made of?

Where do tornadoes come from?

What is wind?

There are 3 things you need to make weather. Sunlight to give off heat, air that we breathe and water to make clouds. These things are around us every day but when you get too much of one or another, the Earth tries to smooth things back out. Just stop and think about it. If we didn’t have weather some places would never get rain. Other places would be too cold. Trees, plants, animals, and people would have a hard time living in certain parts of the planet.

When we take the sun heating the Earth at the equator we see that the warm air starts moving. At the same time the colder air at the Poles also moves because too much of it builds up. Both the warm air and cold air carry water vapor in the air, and make clouds. Since the Earth is spinning the cold air meeting the warm air forms storms that can deliver strong wind, heavy rain, big snow or tornadoes. Even though storms might bother people they are all a natural part of the Earth trying to balance everything.

Weather is meteorology and it is also called atmospheric science. While you might see a meteorologist on TV giving the weather forecast, most meteorologists are not on TV. Some work for the National Weather Service, or the Coast Guard, or the Air Force, while others are professors in colleges. Other meteorologists help to make computer models that show how weather works. Others work at airports and others work for oil companies, big farms, and even for sports teams. A meteorologist has a job studying the one thing that affects everybody.

The best thing about weather is there's always something new to see in the sky and enjoy. Many times we don't notice things because they happen slowly. Everything in the atmosphere is always moving and changing. Enjoy the weather. Keep your eyes to the sky, and make sure to stay safe.