Doppler 9&10 STEM – Weather Station: Barometer

Are you a weather fanatic? Do you like science and data? Then we have a series of experiments for you. We are adding to our weather station collection today… we are talking about air pressure. Meteorologists can tell you what the weather is going to be in a couple of hours simply by watching pressure patterns. The barometer measures pressure changes. When pressure drops you are more likely to see rain and clouds. When pressure rises, you are more likely to see drier weather! Of course, there are several other factors when forecasting, but this is a good place to begin!!

What you need:

• Glass Jar or Mason Jar
• Rubber Balloon
• Rubber Band
• Normal Computer Paper
• Marker, Pen, or Pencil
• Scissors
• Masking Tape
• Straw

How to:

1. Cut off the tail of your balloon, PARENTS WE NEED YOU!
2. Place the balloon over the glass jar, needs to be a tight seal
3. Place the rubber band around the top of the jar. you want this to be as airtight as possible… meaning we do NOT want air to easily escape or escape at all! (FOR ACCURACY!)
4. Grab a straw, and cut the end of the straw diagonally, so it looks like a pointer
5. Place the piece of paper up to the straw, next to your jar so that the straw is touching the paper
6. Mark a line with your marker just above the straw. This will represent your centerline. In weather terms, this means the weather NOT changing drastically
7. Above the line draw a sun or good weather!
8. Below the line draw a cloud, rain, or lightning for bad weather!
9. Now find a place to put it, ideally near a window where you can tape the piece of paper on the window! Set it up next to your thermometer and keep adding to your weather station.

If your kiddos try this experiment, send us photos of you and your experiment and you might get to see it during weather on The Four on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Make sure you tune in every Tuesday and Thursday for a New 9&10 STEM. Send us an email at weather@9&10news.com or find us on Facebook and at Doppler 9&10 Weather Team if you have a weather question or want something in science explained! It does not have to be weather-related! Anything Science or math-based we’ve got you! You can always get the latest forecast on 9and10news.com/weather as well as interact with us on social media!

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