Elements of the Weather

The weather is made up of different elements, which are measured either by

special instruments or are observed by a meteorologist. These
measurements are then recorded and used in the making of climate graphs
and weather forecasts.

The table below shows the weather element details.

Element Description How it is measured Units of measurement

Moisture from the sky
Precipitation By a Rain Gauge Millimetres (mm.)
e.g. rain, snow etc.
By Thermometers,
Temperature How hot or cold it is found inside a Degrees celsius ( c)
Stevenson Screen
How fast the wind is
Wind Speed By an Anemometer Knots, or by the Beaufort Scale
blowing
Points of the compass (north,
Wind Where the wind is
By a Wind Vane north-west etc), or bearing in
Direction blowing from
degrees
Element Description How it is measured Units of measurement
By a Hygrometer (wet Relative Humidity (% of water
The amount of water
Humidity and Dry Bulb vapour that can be held by the
vapour in the air
Thermometers) air at the actual temperature)
The "weight" of the air
Hectopascals (although most
Air Pressure pushing on the surface By a Barometer
people know it as millibars)
of the Earth
The amount of cloud in It is observed by a
Cloud Cover Oktas - eighths of the sky
the sky meteorologist
It is observed by a
Visibility How far you can see Kilometres
meteorologist
Sunshine The hours of sunshine By a Sunshine Recorder Hours and minutes
Element Description How it is measured Units of measurement