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"Look for hazy skies with afternoon thunderstorms and a high of 95 degrees." Weather forecasts, such as this one, provide critical information to many people, including farmers, construction workers, and those planning a trip to the beach. In severe weather situations, short-term forecasts and warnings can help save lives and protect property. But how does one take the wealth of weather information that is available and make a prediction from it?

In the sections that follow, we examine features to look for on weather maps to make a forecasts, general methods of preparing a forecast, and more specific tips for specific scenarios.

Sections
Last Update: 2/26/99 		Coordinated Universal Time
Learn to convert your local time to the standard used by all meteorologists.

Temperatures
See how temperatures measured in Kelvin, Celsius and Farernheit are related.

Surface Observations
Learn how to read maps containing weather observation information for the surface.

Surface Maps
Learn how to interpret the WW2010 surface weather maps.

Upper Air Observations
Learn how to read weather data observed above the surface.


Image Interpretation
Terms for using data resources. CD-ROM available.
Credits and Acknowledgments for WW2010.
Department of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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