# data[].attributes.body
Jewell Parker Rhodes | 2012
Amazon

# data[].attributes.body
SciJink.gov

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Simulate a tornado or a hurricane! Make lightning in a cloud! Check out our games and simulations for an interactive way to learn how weather works.

# data[].attributes.body
NOAA

# data[].attributes.body
NOAA | 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Ted-Ed | 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Is the weather actually becoming more extreme? - R. Saravanan

# data[].attributes.body
NOAA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In this rainbow simulator, change the position of the Sun and the viewpoint of the person to see how angles and distances affect the rainbow you can see. Drag the Sun up and down and the person side to side to get started.

You must use an up-to-date browser version to view this!

"Rainbows" WebApp Courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), Copyright (c) 2013 by Tom Whittaker at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Rainbow Basics

When the conditions are just right, a rainbow will appear in the sky. It happens because the sunlight shines on water droplets. As the light passes into the droplets, the light bends, or refracts, a little, because light travels slower in water than in air (because water is denser). Then the light bounces off the back of the water droplets and goes back the way it came, bending again as it speeds up when it exits the water droplet. This bending splits the light into the different colors like a prism, and we see a rainbow in the sky.

In this rainbow simulator, you can make all kinds of adjustments to see how angles and distances affect the rainbow you can see.

How to Adjust Your Rainbow Simulation

Adjusting the sun and viewer

You can move the sun in the sky by clicking and dragging. You can also move the person back and forth to see how the distance changes the view of the rainbow.

Primary and secondary rainbows

Check the primary button to see the primary rainbow. Primary rainbows have the red band on top. This is the main rainbow people usually mention, but depending on your perspective, you can also see a secondary rainbow.

Check the secondary button to see the secondary rainbow. The secondary rainbow has the red band on the bottom, so it's a mirror image of the primary rainbow. They're caused by the double reflection of sunlight inside raindrops. The secondary is seen in the sky above the primary rainbow and is fainter than the primary rainbow because some of the light is lost as it gets reflected each time.

Raindrops refract and reflect sunlight to split it into the beautiful colors of the rainbow.

Rain curtain, single drop, and multi-drop

Rain Curtain mode shows two parallel light rays from the sun refracting off a raindrop at the both the top and bottom of the rain curtain.

Single drop mode shows the path inside a single drop. You can see exactly how the light enters the raindrop, is reflected off the back, and bounces back out again. Remember, as it passes through the raindrop it gets refracted, where the path of the path of the light is bent.

Multi-drop mode shows three parallel light rays refracting off three raindrops at different altitudes. In this mode, you can drag the drops up and down as well.

Try these different modes and look at the primary and secondary rainbows for each.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
See how angles and distances affect your view of rainbows.

# data[].attributes.body
NOAA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Set the air temperature (green) and dew point (yellow)
in the four different altitudes and see what type of precipitation will fall to the ground.
Watch closely. They may even change form as they fall.

Legend of symbols:

"Precipitation Type" WebApp Courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), Copyright © 2013 by Tom Whittaker at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Moisture measured in degrees? What?

The dew point is the measure of how much moisture is in the air. The higher the number, the more moisture there is. But you may notice that it's measured in degrees Celsius. Why would a unit of water in the air be written in a temperature scale?

The number on this simulation is the dew point temperature. This is the temperature at which the air can't hold any more water vapor. When the temperature of the air cools to the dew point, water vapor condenses into liquid water.

The dew point will always either be the same or lower than the actual, or ambient, temperature. Think of the dew point temperature as the goal temperature for condensation to happen. It isn't the actual temperature of something we're measuring. Instead, it's marking the temperature line where water vapor is going to condense and lead to rain, snow, hail, and other forms of precipitation.

What this all means is that when you move the green and yellow lines in this simulation, you're actually determining the relative humidity (RH)-how much water is in the air. If you place them in the same place, that gives you 100% humidity. See how that affects the type of precipitation. If you move the yellow and green lines far apart, you're setting the humidity level very low. If it's extremely low, there might not even be a cloud in the sky.

Can you move around the points on the simulation to get all the types of precipitation?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Set the air temperature (green) and dew point (yellow) in the four different altitudes and see what type of precipitation will fall to the ground.Watch closely. They may even change form as they fall. Legend of symbols: "Precipitation Type" WebApp Courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), Copyright © 2013 by Tom Whittaker at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to main content

People across the country have been sweating through heat waves this summer. New research suggests they should get used to it.

Why? Climate change may make extreme heat conditions more common in almost every part of the country. This is according to a new paper. It was published on Tuesday, in the journal Environmental Research Communications. The paper says that by the end of the century, parts of the southeastern U.S. could have more than 120 days per year that feel hotter than 100°F. This includes states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Researchers from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) led the study. UCS is a nonprofit organization. It uses science as a basis for talking about problems such as climate change and sustainability × sustainability RADOMIR TARASOV/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES the ability to do something without causing permanent damage to the environment (noun) One way to improve sustainability in schools is for students to bring in a resuable water bottle that they can refill at the water fountain. .

The National Weather Service (NWS) has a system called a heat index. It uses air temperature and humidity to determine how hot it really feels outside. This is how the NWS decides to warn people of extreme heat. They issue a heat advisory when the heat index is expected to hit at least 100°F for two days or more.

What will happen in the Pacific Northwest and northern New England? These areas tend to be cooler. But they could also be affected, the study says. These places could see up to 10 days a year with a heat index of 105°F.

Extreme heat can be dangerous. Being exposed to high temperatures for a long period of time can lead to health risks. One risk is dehydration. Another is heat stroke.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
People across the country have been sweating through heat waves this summer. New research suggests they should get used to it. Why? Climate change may make extreme heat conditions more common in almost every part of the country. This is...

# data[].attributes.body
Study Jams!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Severe Storms: StudyJams! Science | Scholastic.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Severe storms are more than just rain, thunder, and lightning. This activity will teach students about the many ways that weather can become dangerous.

# data[].attributes.body
Crash Course Kids | 2015

# data[].attributes.headline
Why climate change makes extreme weather worse.

# data[].attributes.subject
Why climate change makes extreme weather worse.

# data[].attributes.body
Our Changing Climate | 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why climate change makes extreme weather worse.

# data[].attributes.body
National Geographic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Students use prior knowledge, a photo gallery, and a video to discuss what they already know about extreme weather on Earth and brainstorm a list of weather-related words. Then they organize the information they learned about weather events and conditions present for each type of weather event, and…