Every year on 23 March, Meteorologists and weather and climate enthusiasts throughout the world celebrate World Meteorological Day, a holiday of the United Nation's World Meteorological Organization.

Weather is in the atmosphere

The blanket of air around the earth is called the atmosphere. All our weather happens in the bottom layer of the atmosphere called the troposphere, which is six to ten miles thick.

What is Meteorology?

Meteorology is the study of the changes in temperature, air pressure, moisture, and wind direction in the troposphere..

Why do we have weather?

The main reason we have weather is the sun. Weather systems start because the sun's energy heats up some parts of Earth more than others.

What creates variations in temperature and air pressure and winds?

Land heats up faster than water, thus the temperature differences between oceans and continents. This unequal heating creates variations in temperature and air pressure and winds (also ocean currents).

How many Compound weather words can you find?

Some weather words are made of two words put together e.g. sunshine and raindrop. How many of these "compound" weather words can you think of?

Links

Weather in the UK

On this day also .....

23 March 1989 - A mountain-sized asteroid passed within 500,000 miles of Earth. According to NASA it was a near miss. Describe a near miss you may have experienced.