Early man used stories to explain weather. Early Greeks believed that gods caused the weather, and traditionally in some cultures it was believed that the groundhog could predict weather. Prior to making a weather forecast there are many elements to be considered. Elements that affect or cause weather are heat, air, pressure, wind, and moisture. Data on these elements are continuously being collected from various locations throughout the country and world in order for the meteorologist to make a weather prediction.
Meteorologists use many instruments to collect weather data.
These instruments play a very important role in accurate weather predicting. The instruments that raised the highest level of interest to my students in the areas of critical thinking and problem solving skills as related to weather were the aneroid barometer, the weather satellite, the computer, the anemometer, the rain gauge, the thermometer, and the hydrometer. One cannot think about weather without thinking about climate. Climate is weather, but at a given place over a long period of time. Climate is affected by physical conditions and classified according to average temperature, rainfall and seasonal cycles.