Second graders enjoyed an exciting visit with Bob Van Dillen, meteorologist and Whitefield parent of Sydney and Jack Van Dillen. Van Dillen shared the “inside scoop” of his profession after the class had completed a recent study of the weather.
The meteorologist showed the students websites he uses to predict the weather, as well as maps on atmospheric pressure. He and the students looked at changes in the atmospheric pressure over the upcoming week to predict movements of the jet stream, water vapor in the air, and cloud cover, then ultimately, the weather patterns for this week. He also explained El Niño years, and showed a video of an airplane flying into the eye of Hurricane Patricia, to show how weather information is sometimes gathered. Following the presentation, Van Dillen answered many questions about the weather!