Req 10 — Choose Your Weather Project
10.
Do ONE of the following:
This requirement covers two different paths, and you should choose the one that fits your interests, schedule, and access to local resources.
- Req 10a is a maker-and-observer project. You build a simple weather instrument and use it as part of a one-week weather log.
- Req 10b is a field-and-interview project. You visit or speak with a weather professional and learn how your community receives warnings.
Your options
- Req 10a — Build an Instrument and Keep a Log: Make a wind vane, anemometer, rain gauge, or hygrometer, then track weather data and compare forecasts with what actually happened. This option helps you learn by observing patterns over time.
- Req 10b — Visit a Weather Expert: Visit a National Weather Service office or interview a meteorologist, broadcaster, extension officer, or university instructor. This option helps you learn how weather science works in your community and how warnings reach people.
How to choose
Choosing your option
Think about time, access, and what kind of learning you want
- Hands-on building: Choose 10a if you like making things, recording observations, and comparing forecast data with real conditions.
- Meeting professionals: Choose 10b if you enjoy asking questions, seeing how experts work, and learning how community warning systems operate.
- Time available: 10a takes at least a week of consistent observation. 10b may take less time overall, but it depends on scheduling a visit or interview.
- What you will gain: 10a builds careful observation habits and data-collection skills. 10b builds interviewing skills and helps you understand local weather hazards and communication systems.
A good way to decide
Ask yourself these questions:
- Can I make and check an instrument at the same time every day for a week?
- Do I have a safe place to set up and read it?
- Is there a local weather office, broadcaster, or meteorology instructor I could contact?
- Which option would I be more excited to explain to my counselor afterward?
There is no wrong choice. The goal is to complete one option well.
You will start with the instrument-and-log option on the next page. Even if you choose the interview option instead, it still helps to read ahead and see what weather observation looks like.