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Weather report for primary schools for Monday 29 January 2001
THE HEADLINES TODAY
Wet in Jakarta. Wet in Kwazulu-Natal. Foggy in Sweden. Cold in Tokyo. Cool in Melbourne. Mild in Alberta. Calm and clear in Spitsbergen. Dry in the British Isles.
THE WEATHER IN THE METLINK WORLD TODAY
The wettest place in the MetLink world today has been Jakarta, Indonesia, where the MetLink students measured 40 mm of rain. The cause of the rain was a tropical storm that was active over Jakarta yesterday and early today. The maximum temperature the students recorded this morning was 30°C, and the humidity was high (88% when the MetLink team made their observation). At this time of year, it is wet in Indonesia, with Jakarta receiving an average of 300 mm of rain in January. All around the world, the weather tends to be cloudy and wet near the equator. However, this climatic zone does not stay in the same latitudes all year round. It lies over Indonesia in January and February and is much farther north in July and August. Jakarta lies 6 degrees south of the equator.
Another place that was wet today was Kwazulu-Natal, in the east of South Africa. Here, there was heavy rain from nimbostratus and cumulonimbus clouds and the students measured 35 mm of rain. On the other side of South Africa, near Cape Town, there was no rain at all. In both places, temperatures well above 20°C were recorded. Temperatures above 20°C were recorded at the MetLink schools in Zimbabwe, too, but the students at both schools considered the weather cool for the time of year. In Madagascar, where rain fell (10 mm) and temperatures climbed well above 20°C, the weather was about average for this time of year.
At the MetLink schools in Kampala and Nairobi, which both lie close to the equator, there was no rain today. These places are wettest in April and May. The near-equatorial belt of cloud and rain tends to lie some way to the south of Kampala and Nairobi at this time of year, which is the wettest time of year in Zimbabwe. There was rain at the MetLink school on Ascension Island this morning but the afternoon was sunny and warm. The only school to report perfect weather today was the one at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where there was very little cloud and the temperature reached 29°C.
The lowest temperature reported by a MetLink school today was the minimum of -10°C at St John’s, Breslau (Ontario, Canada), but the temperatures of -8.9°C at Forest Hill Parkway (Ohio, USA) and -8.3°C at Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen) were almost as low. The students in Ohio were not impressed by their weather, considering it chilly and unpleasant. The students at Longyearbyen, on the other hand, reported a "beautiful day". In the west of the USA, at Moses Lake, temperatures were just below freezing point and some snow fell. At both of the MetLink schools in Canada, where temperatures are normally well below 0°C at this time of year, the temperature rose above 0°C today. At the MetLink schools in Finland and Sweden, temperatures were close to 0°C this morning and all three MetLink schools in Finland reported slight snow. The weather was foggy at the MetLink school near Värnamo, Sweden, where cloud amount 9 was reported, indicating that the fog was too thick for cloud to be observed.
The first observation to reach the MetLink database was that made at 0000 UTC at Keio Girls’ High School, Minatoku, Tokyo, Japan. The students reported that snow fell two days ago and that the weather was cool for the time of year. The students of Trinity Grammar School at Kew, near Melbourne, Australia, also thought it cool for the time of year, but ‘cool’ is a relative term, for temperatures above 20°C would be considered very high by people in many parts of the northern hemisphere at the end of January.
Snow fell in some areas of southern England last Friday evening and some of it remained this morning. In most parts of the British Isles, temperatures have been a little below average today, with frost at night, but at least the weather has been dry. In other parts of Europe, there has been fine weather in Tarragona (eastern Spain) and Strasbourg (France), but there has been a lot of cloud in other places, with rain measured at the MetLink schools in Madrid, Geilenkirchen (Germany) and Franeker (The Netherlands). Temperatures have been above average for the time of year in Prague (Czech Republic) and Constanta (Romania). The school at Bolzen (Italy) reported aircraft trails today (trails of cirrus clouds behind aircraft). If you observe these trails, please tell us. Also, if you observe rainbows, haloes or other optical phenomena, do let us know, please.
Did you wear hot-weather clothes today or cold-weather clothes? Did you wear thick boots or light shoes? Did you wear a hat? If so, was it to keep you warm or to protect you from the sun? How differently from you do you think people in other parts of the MetLink world dressed today for the weather where they live?
Do you want to find climatic statistics? If so, visit the Royal Meteorological Society’s Climate on the web site.
Weather report for secondary schools for Monday 29 January 2001
THE HEADLINES TODAY
Wet in Jakarta and Kwazulu-Natal. Foggy in Sweden. Cold in Tokyo. Cool in Melbourne. Mild in Alberta. Calm and clear in Spitsbergen. Dry in the British Isles.
THE WEATHER IN THE METLINK WORLD TODAY
The wettest place in the MetLink world today has been Jakarta, Indonesia, where the MetLink students measured 40 mm of rain. The cause of the rain was a tropical storm that was active over Jakarta yesterday and early today. The maximum temperature the students recorded this morning was 30°C, and the humidity was high (88% when the MetLink team made their observation). At this time of year, it is wet in Indonesia, with Jakarta receiving an average of 300 mm of rain in January. All around the world, the weather tends to be cloudy and wet near the equator. However, this climatic zone, called the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone, does not stay in the same latitudes all year round. As satellite images show, it lies over Indonesia in January and February and is much farther north in July and August. The latitude of Jakarta is 6°S. To see how widespread the cloud is over Indonesia and adjacent regions, obtain a composite satellite image from the University of Wisconsin. These images are superb.
Another place that was wet today was Kwazulu-Natal, in the east of South Africa. Here, there was heavy rain from nimbostratus and cumulonimbus clouds and the students measured 35 mm of rain. On the other side of South Africa, near Cape Town, there was no rain at all. In both places, temperatures well above 20°C were recorded. Temperatures above 20°C were recorded at the MetLink schools in Zimbabwe, too, but the students at both schools considered the weather cool for the time of year. In Madagascar, where rain fell (10 mm) and temperatures climbed well above 20°C, the weather was about average for this time of year. The weather analysis from the South African Weather Bureau showed that an area of low pressure was situated over Madagascar, Mozambique and the north-east of South Africa. Visible and infra-red satellite images show that a band of tropical rain-clouds extended across Zaire, Zambia, Mozambique and Madagascar to the Indian Ocean and a separate band of frontal cloud associated with a depression over the Southern Ocean brought rain to the MetLink school in Kwazulu-Natal.
At the MetLink schools in Kampala and Nairobi, which both lie close to the equator, there was no rain today. These places are wettest in April and May. The near-equatorial belt of cloud and rain tends to lie some way to the south of Kampala and Nairobi at this time of year, which is the wettest time of year in Zimbabwe. There was rain at the MetLink school on Ascension Island this morning but the afternoon was sunny and warm. The only school to report perfect weather today was the one at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where there was very little cloud and the temperature reached 29°C. The weather was very pleasant in Addis Ababa, too. As usual in late January, the weather was fine in Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), but air pollution seems to have been present, as the hourly weather reports from Palam and Santa Cruz Airports mentioned smoke.
The lowest temperature reported by a MetLink school today was the minimum of -10°C at St John’s, Breslau (Ontario, Canada), but the temperatures of -8.9°C at Forest Hill Parkway (Ohio, USA) and -8.3°C at Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen) were almost as low. The students in Ohio were not impressed by their weather, considering it chilly and unpleasant. The students at Longyearbyen, on the other hand, reported a "beautiful day". In the west of the USA, at Moses Lake, temperatures were just below freezing point and some snow fell. At both of the MetLink schools in Canada, where temperatures are normally well below 0°C at this time of year, the temperature rose above 0°C today. At the MetLink schools in Finland and Sweden, temperatures were close to 0°C this morning and all three MetLink schools in Finland reported slight snow. The weather was foggy at the MetLink school near Värnamo, Sweden, where cloud amount 9 was reported, indicating that the fog was too thick for cloud to be observed. For a summary of the winds, temperatures and significant weather over Europe, the chart published by the University of Cologne is recommended. For charts showing isobars and plotted observations over the USA and Canada, click here.
The first observation to reach the MetLink database was that made at 0000 UTC at Keio Girls’ High School, Minatoku, Tokyo, Japan. The students reported that snow fell two days ago and that the weather was cool for the time of year. The students of Trinity Grammar School at Kew, near Melbourne, Australia, also thought it cool for the time of year, but ‘cool’ is a relative term, for temperatures above 20°C would be considered very high by people in many parts of the northern hemisphere at the end of January. A cold front from a depression well to the south of New Zealand reached Tasmania and winds over the Melbourne area were from the south in association with a High over the Great Australian Bight. To obtain plotted observations showing the latest winds, pressures and temperatures over Japan, visit the Stationsmeldungen: Japan webpage published by the Wetterzentrale, Karlsruhe, Germany. To obtain weather maps for Australia and the ocean to the south of Australia, click here.
Snow fell in some areas of southern England last Friday evening and some of it remained this morning. In most parts of the British Isles, temperatures have been a little below average today, with frost at night, but at least the weather has been dry, with the dominant influence a weak ridge of high pressure (for a weather chart, click here). In other parts of Europe, there has been fine weather in Tarragona (eastern Spain) and Strasbourg (France), but there has been a lot of cloud in other places, with rain measured at the MetLink schools in Madrid, Geilenkirchen (Germany) and Franeker (The Netherlands). Temperatures have been above average for the time of year in Prague (Czech Republic) and Constanta (Romania). The school at Bolzen (Italy) reported aircraft trails today (trails of cirrus clouds behind aircraft). If you observe these trails, please tell us. Also, if you observe rainbows, haloes or other optical phenomena, do let us know, please. To obtain plotted observations showing the latest winds, pressures and temperatures over Europe, visit the following Stationsmeldungen webpages published by the Wetterzentrale, Karlsruhe, Germany: British Isles; Germany and The Netherlands; Italy; Spain; Scandinavia.
To obtain information about the weather around the world, click here. For information about unusual weather, scroll down the page to ‘World weather news’. For detailed coverage of the weather in different parts of the world, click here or here.
Do you want to find climatic statistics? If so, visit the Royal Meteorological Society’s Climate on the web site.
