Weather Report: Norman, Oklahoma, June 26–July 1, 2005
FOSS Weather and Water Middle School Professional Development Workshop at the University of Oklahoma

The FOSS project and Delta Education sponsored a Weather and Water workshop from June 26–July 1 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Climatological Survey and the University of Oklahoma provided onsite coordination for the workshop through the valuable services of Andrea Melvin.

For more information about the workshop, contact FOSS at foss@berkeley.edu. You can also view upcoming events and workshops as they are confirmed at the online FOSS Professional Development calendar: http://www.fossweb.com/news/calendar.php.

Weather Report Sunday, June 26 Temperature: 35°C (96°F) Dew Point: 18°C (65°F) Relative Humidity: 73% Precipitation: None Air Pressure: 1015 mb (29.99 in) Wind Speed: 8 km/h (5 mph) Wind Direction: South Visibility: 13 km (8 mi)

Classroom Conditions Participants arrive for the FOSS Weather and Water Workshop and meet for an orientation session at the Marriott Residence Inn in Norman.They leave behind many different weather conditions, including those on the Big Island of Hawaii, the East Coast (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Carolina), the Midwest (Michigan), the Heartland (Kansas, Oklahoma) and the West Coast (California). After a brief meeting, the group heads off to sample the local Mexican cuisine.

Weather Report Tuesday, June 28 Temperature: 35°C (96°F) Dew Point: 17°C (63°F) Relative Humidity: 69% Precipitation: None Air Pressure: 1014 mb (29.97 in) Wind Speed: 18 km/h (11 mph) Wind Direction: South Visibility: 13 km (8 mi)

Classroom Conditions After a good night’s sleep and hearty breakfast at the Residence Inn, participants return to OU where heat transfer is the topic of the day.They puzzle over topics like density, radiation, conduction, and convection. Andrea Melvin from the Oklahoma Climatological Survey introduces the group to the Oklahoma Mesonet System (http://www.mesonet.org), an online weather data site from which data can be downloaded and manipulated. During the demonstration of the convection chamber with its incensecreated smoke, Kevin Kloesel quietly suggests that we might want to shut down the smoke before the sprinkler system is activated over the 100 meteorologists in another workshop happening in the building atrium. Most of the group chows down on 2-for-1 hot dogs and sodas at Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Ballpark while observing a force-and-motion demonstration with balls and bats.

Weather Report Wednesday, June 29 Temperature: 35°C (96°F) Dew Point: 17°C (64°F) Relative Humidity: 73% Precipitation: None Air Pressure: 1015 mb (29.97 in) Wind Speed: 16 km/h (10 mph) Wind Direction: South Visibility: 14 km (8 mi)

Classroom Conditions The day begins within an overview of the FOSS assessment component.Then Jeff Basara, Director of Research from the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, relates his experiences with meteorological research, including stories about damage to his car from golfball-sized hail while collecting data.The rest of the day is spent exploring water-related topics, including dew point, relative humidity, clouds, and more. An afternoon field trip to the National Severe Storms Lab includes a tour of lab, the phased array radar facility (including a trip inside the Doppler radar dome), and some of the storm-chasing vehicles.Viewing a weatherballoon launch caps the day and provides the opportunity to view what they had learned about in the OU classroom.

Weather Report Thursday, June 30 Temperature: 36°C (98°F) Dew Point: 17°C (63°F) Relative Humidity: 73% Precipitation: None Air Pressure: 1012 mb (29.89 in) Wind Speed: 16 km/h (10 mph) Wind Direction: South Visibility: 14 km (9 mi)

Classroom Conditions Kevin Kloesel provides a riveting look at severe weather, in particular, the tornado swarm that struck the Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999. The videos provide many images that the participants had not seen before of the actual tornadoes and the damage they wreaked.The morning continues with a tour through the water cycle in the Water Cycle Game and a closer look at air pressure and wind. Sue Jagoda of the FOSS staff challenges participants to predict what would happen to the water level in a tube when pressure is exerted on a closed system in an air-tight jar in which the bottle was placed.The group adjourns for lunch to the Sam Noble Natural History Museum where they also have a guided tour of the museum’s dinosaur exhibit and other collections. After the tour, the students head to OU’s Sarkeys Energy Center for some hands-on time in the computer lab with the Oklahoma Mesonet system and EarthStorm, the education outreach component of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (http://earthstorm.ocs.ou.edu).

Weather Report Friday, July 1 Temperature: 31°C (89°F) Dew Point: 17°C (64°F) Relative Humidity: 94% Precipitation: No record Air Pressure: 1014 (29.95 in) Wind Speed: 14 km/h (9 mph) with gusts up to 61 km/h (38 mph) Wind Direction: Southeast Visibility: 15 km (9 mi) Events: Rain, thunderstorm (6:12 a.m.)

Classroom Conditions Friday begins with a return to the computer lab and an introduction to Mesonet’s WeatherScope software. With the thunderstorm and wind passing through the area early that morning, everyone is particularly interested in viewing the radar and other weather data for that time of day using the WeatherScope software. Back at the Stephenson Center, Daphne Zaras, a meteorologist and part-time storm chaser, enthralls the group with stories and videos of her tornado-chasing adventures and escapades. At lunch, Derek Arndt, the Acting State Climatologist for Oklahoma, engages participants in a discussion about the evidence for global warming. Afterwards, students revisit the Water Cycle Game, only this time with the effect of global warming added. Formal instruction ends with a quick review of weather and climate in the last investigation. That evening the group is treated to a traditional Kickapoo frybread and buffalo taco dinner at the home of Terry Shaw, one of the FOSS workshop presenters, and his wife Thelia (shown in the picture left, from left to right, with chefs Marcella Winsea and Kathy Cademan, Thelia, and Terry Shaw).To work off the wonderful food, students go on a backyard spider hunt and collect barite roses, Oklahoma’s state rock.

Weather Report Saturday, July 2 Temperature: 33°C (93°F) Dew Point: 18°C (66°F) Relative Humidity: 88% Precipitation:Trace Air Pressure: 1014 mb (29.94 in) Wind Speed: 8 km/h (5 mph) Wind Direction: Southeast Visibility: 15 km (9 mi) Events: Rain

Classroom Conditions Morning dawns with lightning and thunder as the participants begin their journeys back to their local climates, full of information and ideas to bring back to their classrooms and fellow teachers in the fall.The FOSS Weather and Water workshop is deemed a success by all involved, with ideas for the “next time” already starting to condense.

For more information about the FOSS Middle School Weather and Water Course, you can view and download a course summary here: http://lhsfoss.org/scope/folio/html/WeatherandWater/1.html and http://lhsfoss.org/scope/msp.html (includes downloadable pdf files).