Let’s hope for good viewing weather on December 21. Nature will put on a great show for free as the Moon goes into the Earth’s shadow.  This will create a total lunar eclipse…and the full Moon will turn a rusty red color.  This image came from the total lunar eclipse that occurred in 2004.  Here is a link for more information on the  eclipse of December, 2010.  http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2010.html#LE2010Dec21T

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Computer forecast model

Mr. Switzer’s 8th grade math class has been studying percentages and integers.  Those are things that we use every day in weather forecasting.  I had the chance to visit with Mr. Switzer’s students On Wednesday, November 17.  We learned  how meteorologists use percentages when talking about precipitation chances, and how we use integers when forecasting temperature.  We talked about how computers help us compile all the weather data and how we use math to help us predict the weather.

Thanks to the fine folks in Dysart for a nice time at school.

Click here to see Mr Switzer’s students saying hello

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On a nice sunny November day I made a road trip to Butler County and stopped in Allison.  I had the chance to visit with Ms. Beck’s 8th grade classes at North Butler Community School.  The students have been studying weather for awhile now, and they had some very good questions for me.  We talked about how our weather changes from one season to another, and what makes the seasons change.  We also learned about severe locals storms, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes.

Many thanks to the fine folks in Allison!

November Sun in Allison

Click here to see the A-B Kids saying hello!

Click here to see more of the A-B Kids II saying hello!

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Monday, November 8th, the sky was clear and the day warm when I visited with the 6th graders at MFL Mar Mac Middle School in McGregor.  What a pretty drive! 

We learned about the Earth/Sun relationship and how that makes our seasons change.  We saw examples of different kinds of storms and different kinds of clouds.  We saw that the Earth is really a pretty small place when seen in terms of the galaxy and known universe, but because of our unique atmosphere our planet is a pretty friendly place for us to live. 

Many thanks to the fine folks in McGregor!

 Click here to see the MFL Mar Mac students saying hello!

MFL Mar Mac school

MFL Mar Mac school

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