Your job is to meet with the meteorologists from the other teams. Use the resources listed below to collect and record your data. Your research should answer, but not be limited to the questions below. Take good notes and keep them in a safe place as you will find them useful as you tour the United States.
RESOURCES
Off-line
Geography of the United States - McGraw-Hill Social Studies - Chapter 2, lesson 2, Our Country's Climate (pp. 36-38); Temperature and Precipitation Maps
On-line
United States Climate Map - This site has an interactive climate map of the United States. Click on a state to see specific information on the state's climate.
The Regional Climate Centers - Choose a region, then select the Monthly Climate Summary link. You will be linked to a page with months and years to choose from. Choose some winter and summer months to get an idea of temperatures and amount of precipitation for different states during the winter and summer months. The first column on the temperature and precipitation pages gives you monthly averages for each state in that region. Make sure you checkout different regions.
Climate of 100 Selected Cities - Average climate information (includes temperature and precipitation) for each month for 100 selected cities of the United States (a FactMonster Web Page).
QUESTIONS
The United States has a variety of winter and summer climates. The two most important parts of climate are temperature and precipitation.
What is temperature?
What is precipitation?
What is the difference between weather and climate?
How is a state's climate related to it's location?
When you and the other geologists have completed this research, you need to join your team and begin your virtual tour around the United States. As you visit each of the 17 states and Washington, D.C., identify the summer and winter climate of each state. You should record data to support your findings.