This is how we like it best: blue skies, warm weather, water and beautiful scenery

Image: Hamsterkiste

The Weather

We like “good” weather. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, it’s pleasantly warm, it isn’t raining, and there’s little or no wind. We don’t like “bad” weather. The sky is gray and overcast, it’s raining, it’s cold and sometimes stormy. We also don’t like excessive heat or humid weather.


Some scientists study the weather. We call them meteorologists. They have developed methods for measuring the elements that make up the weather.


Temperature is one of these elements. You probably have a thermometer at home that you can use to measure the temperature. At some point, the difference between the temperature at which water turns into water vapour and the temperature at which water turns into ice was divided into 100 units. Since then, each unit has been called one degree.


Meteorologists also measure air pressure. It is caused by the layer of air surrounding the Earth. Air is made up of tiny, very light molecules that cannot be seen. But they are there, and they have weight. This weight presses down, and the air pressure at ground level is measured with a barometer.


The moisture in the air is measured with a hygrometer. Meteorologists also measure precipitation, its type, wind speed and direction, sunshine duration, visibility and air pollution levels.


All of these data make up the weather. Meteorologists can also use their measurements to forecast the weather, although with reasonable accuracy only about three days ahead. If data is collected over a longer period, averages can be calculated. These long-term averages are no longer called weather, but climate.


Germany also has an agency that deals with the weather: the German Weather Service (DWD). It operates around 200 weather stations for this purpose, evenly distributed across the country. In addition, nearly 300 fully automated weather stations are part of the DWD’s so-called “ground monitoring network.” These are located on private property and are maintained by volunteers. There are also nearly 500 automatic stations that measure precipitation. These are also maintained by volunteers.

Find out:

  1. What do we mean by “nice” weather?
  2. What do you call scientists who study the weather?
  3. What is used to measure temperature?
  4. What is used to measure air pressure?
  5. What does a hygrometer measure?
  6. What else do meteorologists measure, for example?
  7. What is the difference between weather and climate?
  8. What is the name of the agency responsible for measuring weather data in Germany?
  9. How many weather stations does this office operate?
  10. Which other weather element is measured at 500 more stations?