How do you forecast the weather?

My parents sometimes refer to a weather app on their phone before we head out cycling or go the beach. They do this to check if it’s going to rain when we get there. I’ve always wondered how people forecast the weather. Do they look at the clouds and guess where they’ll lead to?

Collecting information

In order to forecast the chances of rain, temperature, wind and humidity, special weather men called meteorologists (not people who love meteorites!) collect information about the environment. They do this with special gadgets they use on rooftops (like wind vane, wind socks like the ones you see at the airport), by weather balloons or even satellite pictures. The main things they get information on are wind speed, cloud cover, sunrise, high and low tide and sunset timings and weather in other neighbouring countries.

The coolest thing about it is that they share the information with other meteorologists in other cities and countries. Putting the information together lets them ‘guess’ what the weather will be tomorrow or over the next few weeks.

What for?

Weather forecasts and important not only for us children, but also for sailors, construction workers, event planners and more. Knowing what weather to expect helps other people plan their work around Mother Nature. I think its pretty amazing that they can even tell us the temperature and when it might rain. Looking closely at the weather also allows Singapore to be ready for any extreme weather events around us such as typhoons, floods or even heavy heavy rain.

Who do these people work for?

Singapore has its own special group of people working for the Meteorological Service Singapore. On their website, you can check out their forecasts and also learn about weather systems, climate, tides and many more things. They also allow you to take a look in the past and see what the weather was like in 2015! These special weather people do this every single day so we can plan our weekends at the beach.

So the next time your parents check the weather forecast, think about the people working at the Meteorological Service and appreciate what cool things they do!