science

Meteogram

Meteogram is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meteogram rather than just read about it. In short: A meteogram, also known as a meteorogram, is a graphical presentation of one or more meteorological variables with respect to time, whether observed or forecast, for a particular location. Where forecast data is used, the meteogram will typically be generated directly from a weather forecasting model based on the longitude, latitude and elevation of the location, but it can also be corrected by a meteorologist.

Key takeaways

Meteogram belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Meteogram to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Meteogram from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A meteogram, also known as a meteorogram, is a graphical presentation of one or more meteorological variables with respect to time, whether observed or forecast, for a particular location. Where forecast data is used, the meteogram will typically be generated directly from a weather forecasting model based on the longitude, latitude and elevation of the location, but it can also be corrected by a meteorologist. Where a meteogram is used to display historical weather observations, this will typically be for a specific weather station. In the meteogram, time is plotted along the X axis, while the values of the different weather parameters are plotted along the Y axis. The most common weather parameters in a meteogram are precipitation, temperature, air pressure, cloud cover, wind speed and wind direction, such as in this example meteogram provided as part of a weather forecast by yr.no. In this example, wind speed and wind direction are conveniently presented in the form of wind barbs, precipitation is represented in column format, while temperature and air pressure are represented as lines. Cloud cover is represented in a layered format, providing an indication of the amount of cloud at different heights in the atmosphere. Meteograms can be static or interactive like for instance in this live meteogram for current location where user can zoom and scroll.

History J. H. Lambert (mathematician and scientist) and William Playfair (political economist), working in the late 1700s, used time-series plots in lieu of tables to describe data. This technique marked the revival of a graphic display after nearly 800 years from the first known time-series use. Over the two centuries since Lambert and Playfair, time-series graphs have been used frequently to show data, or data relationships, for a variety of variables. The meteogram is one application of the time-series graph. Climate and weather are ideally suited for display using time-series techniques because of the way the variables change with time. The meteorograph recording of weather variables "as they happen" is simply another application of time-series. Examples are the barograph, wind, or thermograph traces, and early upper air soundings. The mechanical meteorograph, which was used to take the first atmospheric soundings above the surface, traced the data in a series of lines similar to the seismograph, became known as a meteorogram of the sounding data. Saucier described the use of meteorogram charts to analyze surface weather data with respect to time. It is a simple extension to project these variables into the future using data from the forecast models and produce the modern meteogram. So, meteograms have evolved to mean any group of meteorological variables graphed with respect to time, whether observed or forecast, usually confined to surface variables, though some include time-height charts. Meteogram use increased in the 1990s with the growth of computing power. Now meteograms are created from various models and made available to forecasters through the Internet. In addition, researchers and operational forecasters have the capability to make meteograms for their local use on their local computing systems. The shorter spelling meteogram was apparently first used in the 1980s in the then-popular WXP (Weather Processor) computer program, by its primary developer, Dan Vietor.

References

McNulty, Beth (October 2, 2001). "Meteogram Analysis and Interpretation" (PDF). Western Region Technical Attachment No. 01-13.

External links Meteogram generator with interactive map

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meteogram

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meteogram claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meteogram before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meteogram ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meteogram

In research: Meteogram appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meteogram in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meteogram is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Meteorological diagrams, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meteogram outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Meteogram in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meteogram means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Meteogram out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Meteogram in simple terms?

Why does Meteogram matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meteogram?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meteogram.